Rev Dr V K Nooh
Four decades have passed, when Rev. Longri Ao, the fury prophet warned the Naga people time and again saying that, “Nagas will not go unpunished” and he was right. After Nagaland attained statehood Nagaland was first full-fledged state in the entire North East India excepting Assam. The state was received not as a gift from India but as a price of many thousands of patriots who had shed their blood.
The Nagas broke the first covenant of the Plebiscite of 1951 after 8 years. Entire North Eastern states got their own statehood without shedding of blood but now they are advancing ahead of the Nagas. Naga people had sinned against God left and right during the election times as a result of which most of the growth and developments are at stake. The stewardship of government functions proved failure. Most of the government institutions are running into failures and a few medium sized Industry infrastructures have collapsed. Nagaland state does not have any professional college, while all the North Eastern states are getting their own shares.
The long standing proposed Medical College is now in the high court with selfish motives. NDA filed PIL against the government’s agreement with EHA and CMC, Vellore but it did not take the interest of the general public. The Nagaland University has not been able to construct its own building till date. Most of the government high schools are failing. Civil servants are forgetting their handsome salary, government served notice to the civil servants NO WORK NO PAY but it makes no sense to govt. servants. Office attendance has become so casual; sincerity for public service is at its lowest ebb.
75% of the state’s budget is being spent on the salaries. Privileged classes are getting the lion’s share and leave the poor people struggling and begging. There are lots of propagandas for big projects such as the 4-lane from Dimapur to Kohima but there is no sign of any beginnings. The latest report show that the Naga private sector has more than two lakh vehicles. But so far nothing has been done for all the pathetic traffic jams. Most district offices are empty except during the first week of the month for the purpose of receiving their salaries. Many government servants have two birthdays - the actual birth date and the other birth date for service building.
Most of the villages have dual village population - one is the actual church registration and the other of the Village Council registered numbers for V.D.B. functions. Most painful thing is the 2001 census. Within ten years time, some tribes even have an increase of 120 percent population to get more constituencies. It is painful to see the highest institution, the NPSC, selling post instead of providing jobs basing on merit. There is darkness everywhere be it in low and high places. Highway robberies have increased alarmingly. Street fighting is seen almost everywhere because prohibition bill is not properly handled by law-enforcing agency.
Daily papers propagate HIV, AIDS, STDs, Drug Addiction because they have become a liability to the society. The intellectual society wants to live a luxurious life in town at the expense of others who made the sacrifice for the society. The common people are becoming the prey and victim.
Injustices are seen and heard around the city and towns like the pungent smell from drain; Israelites’ priestly society performed their religious rites on the Sabbath day and the rest day of the week was spent differently. Sin today, we shall be made to sacrifice tomorrow.
Israel was supposed to convert the pagans but she had become crooked as they were. So also we the Nagas, a state with overwhelming majority of 95% Christians failed to produce salty spiritual taste. If God had a human heart then we would have been destroyed completely by now.
Above all, the freedom fighters have now entered a process of self-elimination as they fight for supremacy among themselves more than for the national cause. Killing their own brothers in the name of faction is a heroic thing for them. We believe it is only God who gives life and we have no right to take away. Bloodshed has become the deepest wounds, sadly inflicting the measure of self-defeatism in the Naga society.
Naga people running four parallel governments and at the same time running their own respective government as well, exhortation, and taxes from the public. Eating from the sweat of the poor man’s face is destroying justice. God has always been against injustice in human society.
Using the name of God and right of sovereignty but killing one another for power, the truth is diverted from the truth; in human term it is the negative harmony. If we pray, ‘thy will be done on earth as in heaven’ we must not fulfill man’s will.
The one tragedy after another falling upon the Naga people is a punishment from God. We are punished and exiled from our own home. The reason is simple - Naga people have failed God. We rebelled against the will of God. We are destroying His will. God judged the nation of Israel according to their deeds and they suffered because as a chosen people they failed to obey God. I deeply believe, this is the way in which God is dealing the Naga people today.
(The writer is the General Secy, Council of Naga Baptist Churches)
