By Z. Lohe
For the first time in the history of the State of Nagaland and in its 54th year of existence, a Chief Minister was removed from office by the power of the general public. The former Chief Minister Sri. TR Zeliang was ousted by the ordinary people, the common man. The power that smoked out the former Chief Minister of Nagaland from his rat hole is the real and ultimate power that exclusively lies with the people. With that power, the people of Nagaland have created history and more histories can further be created with the same power. The simple reason for his removal is the people of Nagaland are just tired of the way how the DAN Govt. has been treating the common man with the mandate of the people all through these years. The people refused to tolerate the ill-treatments of the popular Govt. in every respect and not only ULB issue though that became the flashpoint.
Nevertheless, what the people of Nagaland rejected today was the creation of Nagas of Nagaland themselves. What we call mismanagements as bad roads, bad health system, deteriorated education system, siphoning developmental funds, non-release of salaries of Govt. employees, nepotism, favouritism, lawlessness, destruction of established systems of governance, lack of accountability to public and successive stories of failures under DAN Govt. are the choice of majority. All what we call it unacceptable today were considered the best and wiser decisions 4 years ago.
When Nagaland is found developmentally stagnated, when we realized that our basic rights are allowed to be infringed, when our due shares from State Govt. are denied, when the major stakeholders are treated as secondary and when most of the decisions of the Govt. are found detrimental to the sons of the soil, only then we are now blaming the people in authority. We are passing the buck to decision makers for whatever mess we are in in Nagaland as though we, the mass, had not committed any wrong. We have placed ourselves in the sight of the people of the country as corrupt, uncivilized, barbarous, greedy and unreliable which are all antithesis to the Gospel of Christ. Needless to say that the voters are responsible for all the mess. The voters are responsible for the vicious cycle. Yet, no voter may like to admit that he/she is responsible for the mess. In other words, there is no realization. And I do not believe that any voter has regret today. In case, there is regret there can be hope meaning one may not repeat the regrettable action in future.
Whereas, had it been in other States where there is rule of law, those authorities, be it politician or bureaucrats who involved in such magnitude of rice scam, fuel adulteration, illegal appointments or any degree of abuse of power will be appropriately punished as per law. Whereas, in Nagaland the laws are kept as decorative items which decorates the corner where it is positioned and are simply good to look at. The Laws in Nagaland are toothless tiger which bites none. Not to speak of respect or fear of law, rather people are hardly aware of the existence of laws in Nagaland today. No law in Nagaland is strong and efficient enough to bring any wrong doer to book. Particularly to people in authority there is no law in the State as they are free to do anything they like without encumbrance at people’s expense. Nagaland is indeed a magical place as whenever CBI, the most fearsome investigation agency, comes to investigate any case, it simply becomes malleable. I mentioned it earlier that CBI comes to Nagaland as lion and departs as pussy cat quoting from the past instances. What law or authority can tame people of Nagaland?
What does it mean by rule of law? In October, 1998 the Indian High Commission official at Wellington, New Zealand told me two true stories. A High Court Judge in New Zealand travelled by air in executive class was dismissed from service. The Judge was entitled to economy class air travel but not executive class whereas he violated the rule causing extra amount of monetary loss to Exchequer and thus he had to be punished as per law of the land. The law of the land does not know who is great or small in that small but very rich country. The law of New Zealand knows only the difference between who keeps the law and who violates the law. Secondly, the lady Prime Minister of New Zealand Mrs. Siply at that time used to do her marketing all alone like any other ordinary citizen in the vegetable market without attracting attention of people and used to chat with fellow marketers over a cup of tea from roadside vendor. The law in that Island country gives protection to honest, ignorant, simple and law fearing citizens who do not need anxiety for personal security. So long as a citizen is law abiding he/she is secured in the country. This is the beauty of the rule of law.
What the deposed Chief Minister TR Zeliang stated in his last letter addressed to NTAC saying that all what were the decisions of his Govt. were ‘taken collectively’ was true. Yet, he being the head, he had to face the wrath of the people and thus his Chief Minister ship came to an unprecedented tragic end. Can the removal of TR Zeliang from public office by people be a beginning in the land of Christians? Can this precedent be used as the common yardstick for all classes of people in Nagaland? Can this precedent as a yardstick be used impartially and rationally against any wrong doer from any tribe irrespective of minor or major henceforth? Can the precedent be applied to both politicians and bureaucrats alike? Can this yardstick make the contractors and suppliers become more responsible?
We do dream about better Naga society than what is existing. That better society can be borne by reformation. The removal of former CM TR Zeliang by movement of people was an act of reformation. Yet, the absence of TR Zeliang in CMO is not the panacea to Nagaland’s ailments. Nagaland has to be reformed, and it requires major operation. That operation cannot be performed by anybody except by voters. When any ordinary voter is asked whether change in Nagaland is required, the response is obvious ‘yes’. But the saddest thing is he or she wants change from others and not from himself or herself. Unless each voter changes his or her mindset, change never comes. Yet our gullible voters mass will go back to square one at the right time because of the fact that people were angry with TR Zeliang but not with themselves.
People may be feeling relaxed now since the bandhs, closure of Govt. offices and restriction of the movement of Govt. registered vehicles are lifted by JCC and NTAC. People may be satisfied that Nagaland is reformed, better Naga society is re-established since all the sins of Nagaland Govt. were carried away by TR Zeliang. Yet, No, it is never. Massive tasks are lying ahead of us. The question is who will come forward to use the removal of the former CM as the steppingstone for bringing change in Nagaland? Here lies the opportunity as 2018 is at the doorstep. Yet, my belief is as we draw closer to 2018, the enthusiasm for change so built under JCC and NTAC will fizzle out and allow ourselves to be drowned in the melee of my party, your party, my candidate and your candidate and your range and my range whereby victimising TR Zeliang becomes the forgotten episode. People did that to TR Zeliang and more injustice will be done to him if the same yardstick is not applied to anyone who has committed similar mistake. The action of the people in removing TR Zeliang from Chief Minister’s chair will become discriminatory, tribalistic and irrational should the tribal organisations, JCC and NTAC fail to treat everybody equally hereafter. Here lies the challenge that the people do justice to everyone when the necessity arises.
