For one, the Agro Expo mega-event has caused openings that provide insights to aspects on how an event such as this, causes flutters of activities that reveals more than it actually says. The impressive mass of vehicles that crowd the Expo itself is a statement, or so it seems. It does nonetheless reiterate that Nagaland has one of the highest numbers of vehicles per ratio; ironically, in an economy which has nothing much to show other than growing unemployment and a poverty line that threatens to disrupt life.
While the Expo has been successful in generating some form of public excitement and enthusiasm, a post-event assessment and evaluation would be required by the event planners to ascertain the degree to which its objectives were actually realized. In the end, success cannot be measured by the number of people attending or goods sold or the resources invested into the event; ultimately its usefulness will be determined on the merits of its objective achieved and its sustainability. After all, a truthful and honest approach is pre-requisite for establishing trust and confidence with investors.
A valuable benefit extended by the Expo for all has been the opportunity to actually witness and evaluate the capability and effectiveness of policy makers representing Naga people. This is an unusual experience in the light of the fact that it provides the public a rare glimpse to gauge the astuteness, knowledge, understanding of issues, communication and diplomatic skills of legislators and bureaucrats responsible for the dignified growth of Naga society. Given the unspoken fact that they have often functioned independently of the people in not the most accountable and transparent manner, it is essential that the events unfolding in the Expo be an opportunity to genuinely begin a process of bringing forth into public expression the issues of good governance. Furthermore, without personalizing, one needs to critically assess whether those representing Nagaland state can be said to be at par with the emerging demands of modern politics and global economy.
In other words, it can be said that the Expo has created an opportunity to be a sounding board. This suggests that while the government conducts its business in showcasing its products and persuading potential investors, it should simultaneously bring forth for public dialogue the broader issues of governance and evaluation of policies. The need for constructive public dialogue is fundamental to the growth of social responsibility, transparency and the responsiveness of the system to the needs of the people. A decisive contribution of the Expo could perhaps come in a form that is quite unrelated to its immediate subject matter. It should serve as a learning experience that honestly and critically identifies issues that defines the outcome of governance, productivity and human growth; and the extent to which policymakers ought to be held accountable for. In some ways it can be the beginning of a process towards exploring the unexplored.
