The newspaper headlines for the last few days has become very intoxicating as two of the senior most Naga politicians, who are not only lawmakers of the Naga society but also philosophers having achieved the honourship to hold doctorate title, are into paper war trying to cleanse their own position while exposing each other with regard to the state of affairs of the Naga people.
Being in the same field for almost the equal number of term as well as dignifiedly holding affairs of the Naga people comparatively less to each other are the senior most Naga legislators thinking that either of them have a cleaner hands then each other.
Making a comparison of the aspersions by Hon’ble Minister and President NPF Dr. Shürhozelie, I myself being in the political field of the State have had the privilege of associating with both the senior Naga legislators be it directly or indirectly and I for one feel that neither of them can have a clean sheet.
Specially, Dr. Shürhozelie alleging Dr. S C Jamir of using armed elements for elections is trying to act like the hypocrites as he himself has gone to the extent of involving NSCN-IM during the 2003 and 2008 elections to capture the booth and even threatened the village leaders and electorates to caste vote in his favour. He himself is the longest serving minister of the State and his claim about an ‘air of positivity in Nagaland’ does not hold any water because the present Naga society is sharply divided under the NPF-led DAN. The only difference between both of them is that Dr. S C Jamir has been the Chief Minister of the State while Dr. Shürhozelie is yet to become Chief Minister.
Dr. Shürhozelie says that it was Dr. S C Jamir who institutionalized corruption in the State but for Dr. Shürhozelie corruption may be termed as a traditional practice. Though Dr. Shürhozelie is talking against the signing of 16 Point Agreement which brought about Statehood to the Naga people, but both of them have been enjoying the privileges of the statehood as they have been members of the State Assembly more than any of the elected members.
Integration had not been possible during Dr. S C Jamir’s term, but it has already been nine years that Dr. Shürhozelie’s Party has been running the affairs of the Naga people but there is no sign of integration taking place while the Naga people is heading towards further being disintegrated. The glaring example is the demand for a separate statehood by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) and even disallowing the visit of Naga VVIPs to attend the Republic function. Notably, if we observe, Dr. S C Jamir term witnessed frequent agitations and bandh from students and civil societies against his style of functioning in running the affairs of the government whereas those things have sharply come down in the present NPF-led DAN tenure.
The policy of ‘equi-distance’ coined by Dr. S C Jamir, former NPCC President and Dr. Shürhozelie, present NPF President policy of ‘equi-closeness’ with Naga underground groups has resulted in further division of the groups and increasing factional killings while the law and order situation is slipping away from the hands of the present government. Unabated kidnappings for ransom, extortion, rape has put the hard earned peaceful situation of the State into total collapse.
Dr. S C Jamir may have lost the Aonglengden A/C Bye-election for being rejected by the people of the constituency, but the day may be not far away for Dr. Shürhozelie, as he too may face the same fate in the next election from his own constituency.
Moreover, the rift between the ‘have and have not’ have been increasing drastically as the so called present era of NPF has only developed the own party workers from scrap to millionaire. The development taken up are visible only in the already well developed areas while the remote areas do not have option but to grumble which has been going into the deaf ears of the NPF Party Government.
Do we have any other Naga politician having conferred doctorate, who instead of thinking that Nagas need to progress and change, they involve themselves in exposing each other’s colours of misdeeds. Nagaland in general requires real and skilled Naga leaders having the capability of sailing the ship of the Naga people into a safe shore. I humbly request the senior most active Naga politicians instead of trying to caste any further negative aspersions upon each other should try and work towards building a stronger and better Nagaland. The past should be recollected not to dig out the wrong doings and to stick to it but to make corrections for a better future. If we always intend to criticize others to be wrong than how can we make ourselves to be right!
Seyiekuolie Kesiezie
Former Minister, Nagaland
