Khekiye K. Sema IAS (Retd)
3rd Mile Thilixu Village
The Nagaland chapter of "The game of thrones" has consistently portrayed one irresponsible episode after another running a government sans governance, transparency or accountability with only a negative entertainment value as compared to the original TV Serial by the same title. Just imagine...with a couple of months left for the completion of the term of the current Legislative Assembly...the power mongering of our so-called leaders still carries on unabated. More of similar ongoing drama will perhaps be staged shamelessly even before the dying hours of their term. We shall have to wait and see.
Meanwhile there is a more relevant and pressing issue that the Nagas need to focus our attention upon and that is on the issue of 'solution before election'. Whatever be the shortfall of the opposition-less Assembly...this is a subject that deserves a careful analysis. It was an easier task for the present incumbent Ministers/Parliamentary Secretaries/Advisors and a few left-over MLAs to take a magnanimous stand to quit their seats to allow an 'Interim Government' to take over if the talk between GoI and NNPGs concluded positively. In the first place the people voted them to power to govern...not abdicate. Therefore, as noble a reason as it may be, it still should have technically been considered mandatory on the part of our elected representatives to first seek the mandate of the people before such a resolution was passed in the Assembly...which of course did not even occur to them. The indifference of the people was taken advantage of ...and as was expected not a voice was raised to question this flaw. Such a drama in the Assembly was also possible because the elected representatives knew well enough that the protracted political negotiation with the GoI would not conclude within their term and that most of them would get ample opportunity to recuperate more than their share of the election expenditure by raping the system as they have done thus far. It was a very safe gamble to portray a grandstanding 'patriotic image'.
The present status of the Naga National Political scenario has however undergone a sea change as compared to the past uncertain times. With or without "Sovereignty", with or without "Integration", situation is fast crystallising towards some possible positive outcome of the talk as never before with the official involvement of the majority of the NNPG Factions participating in the negotiation. The expectancy level of a conclusion is upbeat. Though this is the expectation, an awkward unsettling question still remains unpredictable. For instance if election is held, would the newly elected representatives with a full term ahead of them continue to abide by the resolution of their predecessors and be prepared to give way to the 'interim government' after going through a bludgeoning electoral process of buying and selling votes where crores would have been spent by each candidate despite 'clean election' campaign? Somehow it does not sound humanly tenable when M-O-N-E-Y becomes the core issue. Serious conflict of individual interests will necessarily come to the fore to destabilise smooth transition. It is also rather difficult to imagine that the freshly elected representatives would casually forego their full term along with their astronomical election expenditures and allow 'Interim Government" that does not include them, to take over. Among other complications, the first question as to who should take the responsibility to refund the election expenditures of each candidate will naturally surface as a matter of course without doubt. Even in the unlikely event of the Government willing to reimburse the expenditure of the candidates, the problem will still persist because no candidate will be in a position to claim or recover the actual amount of their expenditure at the risk of disqualification...in view of the Election Commission's expenditure ceiling limits. The possibility of an unwilling House that is legally instituted, to voluntarily abdicate its position will become a very tricky uncomfortable proposition. Better it is therefore, not to have an election to enable an uncomplicated transition...if GoI is seriously confident of an early solution.
In as far as our present Elected Representatives are concerned, indifferently passing resolution for "solution before election" in the Assembly is not good enough. Instead of continuing their 'intrigue tamasha' for Leadership and Ministerial birth the entire House should tender their resignation to backup their resolution and prove the sincerity and commitment of the Nagas to the GoI on the Naga Political issue. After all it is just a couple of months to go before their term expires...and after all, each of them has more than recuperated their election investments. Greed should be suspended. This is the least they can do to add weightage to their resolution and prove they mean business. Thereafter mass awareness rally should be generated in every District for boycott of election if declared, to send a clear message to the GoI that the Nagas can no longer tolerate this casual tomfoolery for 70 years plus. Let Naga honour, the collective strength and wisdom be displayed in unison and firmly stand by "solution before election" for once in our lifetime. If our people were capable of standing together to paralyse the Government for a comparatively lesser matter concerning the ULB election...then why not this?
Considering the overall complexity of the problems in the backyard of reality, it would be in the interest of the GoI to postpone the election and fast track the final solution of the Naga Political issue. Constitutionally speaking, the Nagas being compelled to boycott the election (if announced) will have more hazardous ramification for the GoI. On the other hand, declaring PR for the duration before solution would serve everyone's interest snugly.
