Dr Vikuosa Nienu
Nagaland politics can be compared to a crumbling house. While the exterior appears superficially appealing, its interior structures, particularly the foundation pillars made of woods in traditional Naga houses, rot and are unstable from termites’ attacks. It is crumbling. Instead of fixing the foundation, the owners erect superfluous elements adding more danger to the existing problem because they don’t see what’s causing the building’s instability. The house is about to collapse at any moment. This is what pessimism is all about. If leaders assume that the future looks unfavourable, they will take risky actions to forestall further decline because they cannot see beyond the present, escalating the crises. History is replete with those once-powerful kingdoms and dynasties whose pessimistic ideology brought their downfalls.
In contrast, optimistic leaders foresee a brighter horizon ahead for their goals and thus favour strategic restraint and careful determination, which will produce desirable outcomes. Look at some meaningful examples. The trajectory of the war in Ukraine surprised many world leaders, particularly the superpowers. All reliable sources reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine concur that there’s hardly a lot of despair; instead, everyone appears stoic, even amid their villages and cities lying in ruins, their spirits have not been crushed by constant bombing; they go on fighting without grumbling. While the credit goes to President Zelensky for providing a courageous and positive leadership role, the collective leadership of Ukraine—military and civil—is bringing a contagious patriotic spirit that no bomb or bullet can destroy. That is what I call true patriotism.
The fact that the Nagas’ movement to regain their legitimate Sovereignty started soundly, but how they ended up in a precarious scenario today and unable to fix the problems remains a challenging issue that need not be repeated here. But it’s like the illustration of a crumbling structure. The fundamental facts remained unchanged and undisputed. Several critical factors emerged, merged, and re-emerged early on, leading to the 16-Point Agreement, the Shillong Accord, the FA signed between India and NSCN-IM, and another FA recently started with yet a different group. All claim their legitimacy. All these events combined took a precipitous nosedive for a worthy movement and metastasized into what the Nagas are experiencing today: a total disintegration.
India is primarily to blame for the political malaise in Nagaland. It is redundant, if not illogical, to underscore what is already known that India is playing dirty politics in Nagaland. Indeed, India had played a cat-mouse game long before Nagaland State was created. India continues to mislead and betray Naga’s trust at every turn from the top-down, disregarding the veracity of the Nagas’ fundamental rights revealing their cruel sanctimony behind the veils of the world’s largest democracy. No one disputes how smart India is. Take, for example. Besides employing divisive policies and various arsenals at its disposal, India’s most potent tool is polluting and destroying Nagas’ moral fabric, with temptations too tricky for some to resist. Many Nagas have fallen prey.
Consequently, Naga leaders also must be held responsible for giving India undue advantages. Stop becoming the enabler for the adversary. Unfortunately, the saga remained unabated. This is the most destructive challenge the Naga youths are facing.
Repeating my messages in previous articles, the ball is in the Nagas’ court. Nagas must stop the blame game and renew the movement as a single entity instead of the several that exist today. Nothing acceptable by all the Nagas will materialize until all the various groups (underground and overground) unite and carry out the voice of the Nagas. There’s nothing secret about that. The challenge Naga youths face today is turning to the right course and restoring the lost opportunities.
I had the pleasure of delivering a message on “Navigating Uncharted Territory: Challenges and Opportunities for the Church in a New Era” at the Foundation for Church and Society (FCS) Annual Lecture Series, delivered in February 2021, conducted by the OTS. Many crucial questions were raised during the discussion session, including one I consider the need to share with everyone. Below is the question, followed by the answer.
I consider Nagaland a failed state. In this scenario, what is your message for the young Naga generation?
To answer this question, let us identify what went wrong. No single factor is responsible for the failure, but we will focus on the most important ones. A long and painful episode of the Nagas' struggles to regain sovereignty has brought untold catastrophic proportions. Through action and inaction, the Naga leaders have propelled the cause toward dangerous crises on multiple fronts. The decades-long fight for independence continues to this day, a path dotted by many disturbing elements along the way and now shipwrecked, destroyed by unsound principles coupled with degenerated moral values. The common denominator is jockeying for power and greed. The widespread corruption tarnished the impeccable moral and ethical values and the rich traditional heritage for which the Nagas were known. The life of Naga youth is put at risk and eroded the pathway to fulfilled lives, and they see these challenges as a betrayal of their future. Now is the time for the Naga youth to rise and catapult the sputtering torch, revitalizing with high hopes, vision, and fortitude. They need courage and never allow greed, fear, or intimidation to short-circuit their dreams.
The time has come for Naga youth to lead and make a difference. The choice is obvious: continue to conform to the pernicious norms for a dark future ahead or make radical changes for their good and the good of the Nagas. Naga youths must face reality head-on to avoid the fate that has befallen their predecessors. They need to take the following steps: (a) define and redefine personal and national values that are central to making a difference; (b) share and communicate new values with fellow Nagas with transparency; (c) expect results (changes) by insisting on measurable goals and performances; and (d) identify new key performance indicators—be it socio-political, economic, educational, or moral issues, to see the actual transformation. Nagas needs to mine fresh minds brewed with fresh, lucid, and organic thinking. Youths are our nation's building blocks and assets; they are our country's future. Naga youth must act as a catalyst and as an agent of change. To become change agents, they must make the right decisions and choices. They need to equip themselves morally, ethically, and intellectually as they navigate the current socio-political and mainstream cultural environment, the backdrop of which they will be negotiating their way to adulthood and holding leadership roles, particularly in these social milieux revolutionized by the ever-evolving internet and media technology.
The time has come for the Naga youth to take the lead guided by honesty and integrity, insisting on higher ethical behaviour and outstanding character.
Below are definitions of Pessimism and Optimism:
Pessimism (n), Def.: a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future. (Oxford Dictionary).
emphasizing or thinking of the bad part of a situation rather than the good part, or the feeling that bad things are more likely to happen than good things. (Cambridge Dictionary).
Optimism (n), Def.: hopefulness and confidence about the future of the successful outcome. (Oxford Dictionary).
the quality of being full of hope and emphasizing the good parts of a situation, or a belief that something good will happen. (Cambridge Dictionary).
