Kedi Haralu
Central departments in Nagaland usually depute officers who often look down on the tribals, with the attitude of “Junglees” and “backward.” As a Naga we play host to all Central Departments officers for by nature Nagas are very hospitable. But when this gesture is taken advantage of we can be a dangerous, vengeful foe, as a wounded wild animal fighting for survival. They have the notion that they are untouchable, since they are beyond the powers of the State, and thus using the administration and Police to do their dirty work, since they do not have an iota of guts to openly point out personal faults, thus in the end enemies are made amongst friends and family and they look on from afar, laughing to themselves at how stupid we Nagas can be. The Central Departments, instead of understanding and hearing out the locals’ problems, usually tend to use their position to ignore the locals and all the misgivings and unfortunate step motherly treatment. When a local is bold enough to speak out and confront these officers, they are usually targeted and the police plus administration have to go against the locals, thus hanging the dirty linen of these central officers in their (Nagas’) backyard.
Departments like Telecom, Railways and FCI are amongst the most notorious, and most of the Central officers in these departments have a superiority complex. In the same breath I want to say that Departments like Airport Authority and Postal & Telegraph are very lenient towards the local populace; thus their image is good and very much appreciated and other Central departments should learn from them i.e. the AAI and P&T.
Central Departments like Telecom are filled with proud, haughty officers who have some connection with high ranking police officers and politicians who are used for doing their bidding. But what these police officers and politicians are doing is setting a precedence of hierarchy in Nagaland where the issue of castes and status never existed.
Being the son and nephew and also grandson of pioneering Nagas, be it in the political field, the bureaucratic field or medical field, to my knowledge, this type of attitude was never tolerated, be it Central officials or Central politicians. I do not have to blow my trumpet for every educated Naga knows their neighbour’s heritage and family background, but those from outside do not know our history, be it family history or ancestral history, thus the lack of respect. But do they know that before they even heard the name of Nagaland, my family had made the country proud for their various achievements, such as being conferred a Padmashree for his bravery during the Chinese incursion, recommended by Field Marshal Maneckshaw himself, also one being the first diplomat, and another the first medical Doctor, also one being the first Registered Contractor, and one being amongst the first member in the interim body, et cetera, but as a Christian I refuse to ever take these achievements to my own benefit, for I am sure that although most of them are no more, they would never entertain and encourage such an attitude.
But it is rather unfortunate that we locals are taken for a ride and remain silent spectators even when these Central Departments Officers look down on us. The politics in the Telecom Department needs to be exposed, plus any officers, if they are locals, are transferred out unceremonially. There are numerous “under the table” dealings in this department, but out of respect for the people over me I will not lay it out on the table, but will happily do it if taken advantage of and pushed too far. Politicians too need to realize that they are elected by the people, thus their affiliations need to be based on the electorates first than their friendship and business deals. They should never forget that in a democratic country, they have to live up to the phrase coined by Abe Lincoln, “for the people and by the people” and not vice versa. The high ranking officers in the State also need to realize that their duty is to see that the locals are not ill-treated for they took an oath to serve and not to be served. It is shocking and sad to know that some individuals are willing to sell their own fellow Nagas for a price. But in the long run, who is suffering? Their future generation and future generations include their children.
We can never remain rich and powerful for long, but at one stage we all become paupers from Kings. I know this for I have experienced this personally. Seeing someone so old and frail, you would never have imagined that it was the same person who was the richest and most powerful at one stage, so we should be careful when we are rich and powerful, for when you fall, it hurts, but if we remain modest and humble come riches or losses, we hardly see the difference.
In conclusion, there is no point in complaining to the Central Ministry, for they will never listen to us, for to them we are backward and straight off the boat. But it is only when our leaders, be they political, administrative or law keepers, take the side of their fellow Nagas, then can something be done, but if there is no mutual respect amongst fellow Nagas, then how can we expect the Centre to change its attitude? It is time we took things from a perspective which is tribe and community first, and who are the people who should propagate this? Our leaders, of course! If this article is taken in a negative way, then I am sorry that our future will be a future of slaves and servants, with a begging bowl whenever we need funds. Therefore let us change our attitude and in the process change the attitude of those officers from the Centre. I Just pray that I am not forced to lay everything out on the table, but if intimidated, I will and the best is I have nothing to lose since I am not a politician or a government employee, but a simple and humble citizen of Nagaland.
