As Naga people foray into another New Year there are countless number of challenges to be addressed on the socio-economic front while the unresolved political problem puts a serious question mark on the efficacy of the nine and a half year old ceasefire signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM). A ‘peaceful’ ‘negotiated’ ‘settlement’ ‘acceptable to all sections of the people’ needs the urgent attention of all concerned including New Delhi, the Nagaland Government and Naga civil society groups. While the peace process currently underway aims to bring about a political solution, much more importance will have to be now given towards a simultaneous process of converging, all shades of political opinion into a common forum.
For the New Year ahead, a new found focus on peace requires prime time attention. It goes without saying that a framework for peace and reconciliation needs to be taken up in all seriousness at the highest level both by the State government and the mass based Naga civil society groups. Without a clear cut peace policy, political talks with New Delhi will remain in danger of getting hijacked by continuing factional killings and bloodshed on the home front. Because peace is the most desired hope for a majority of Nagas in the New Year, it would make good sense to honor 2007 as the Year of Peace and Reconciliation. The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) and the Naga Hoho needs to seriously plan the year ahead to work on this goal with greater purpose and zeal.
On the socio-economic front while people in general have to some extent enjoyed the fruits of development but much more still needs to be done. For a developed Nagaland to become a reality the political leadership in partnership with other stakeholders must work out a holistic approach to development while addressing a wide range of issues. In particular, infrastructure development such as roads, power and communication should remain a high priority agenda. Another pertinent area that needs continuous attention is the agriculture and tourism sector as both have enormous scope for sustaining livelihood and employment. Besides, education and health care will remain a constant challenge that must be addressed if people are to remain both physically healthy and economically productive. Here, the threat posed by HIV/AIDS and the seriousness of the local situation is a clear warning deserving the utmost attention of all concerned.
Drawing up an agenda for the year ahead will remain incomplete if the need for promoting good governance and tackling corruption is not included. With another Assembly Elections round the corner, political parties in Nagaland should also look at ways to curtail the use of money during elections. Civil society groups led by the Naga Hoho also have a role to play in order to ensure clean, fair and peaceful democratic elections when the time comes. Fiscal discipline is another area that needs to remain a focal point, especially with elections due soon. For this, the State has to rationalize manpower, reduce non- plan revenue expenditure and other populist spending. At the same time, tax revenue collection and other resource mobilization has to improve a great deal to bridge the yawning gap between revenue and expenditure.
To sum up, the broad agenda that needs to be addressed over the next 12 months include a mixture of political, social and economic management of the high priority areas mentioned. Peace however should occupy the prime slot in the scheme of things that needs to be achieved. Hopefully the year 2007 will be a more peaceful year for the Nagas.
