As the 15th session of the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly commences the people of the state are eagerly awaiting the question hours of the current session. With starred questions to various departments, on issues deemed as relevant and pressing by the public, being submitted to the assembly secretariat by an MLA to be answered during the current session, it has caught the attention of the people unlike all the other NLA sessions. The information revolution that has also reached the state in the form of mobile internet connectivity and the increase in social media user base are some of the reasons for the new found interests generated among the youth.
However as it is generally the scenario in the state, satisfactory replies and debates is something that eludes most of these sessions. This phenomenon is found in almost all the forums in the state and the August House is also no exception. Although it is more than a century since the coming of Western education to the Naga areas, the leaders in the state including our lawmakers continue to use what they consider as wits, to avoid difficult questions directed at them.
The use of wit especially the ingenuity of the Naga ancestors to counter subjects that were not aware of and experienced with was considered as a virtue. The Naga oral history is replete with such legends when the Naga witticism came in handy dealing with others like the Ahoms and the British. The sudden drastic changes that was brought about by the exposure to new cultures and especially the catastrophic changes in the lives of the people due to the political problem may have diluted the old values that the Nagas had. The typical Naga honour of protecting one’s integrity that was once considered more precious than one’s own life has become irrelevant unless in the village-centric affairs.
Over the years the most damaging trend noticeable among the Nagas would be the sudden celebration of mediocrity and lack of knowledge. It is something that is even unheard of in the traditional Naga system. However the average person with resources and resourcefulness to get more and find vacancies in the government sector were easily identified as the more preferred leaders in the electoral process prevailing in the state that has evolved to the current form. Ignorance by the mass is an opportunity and by the leaders is an excuse but nonetheless the one special ingredient to make possible the marriage between the elected representatives and the bureaucrats. That completes the circle. As for the leaders, ignorance may not always be real but a pretence and that has become one of the best reasons to cover up one’s wrong doing. As long as it is communicated with some form of humour, in the typical unapologetic Naga way, all is forgotten for the moment and at times forgiven too. The reason why most of the Naga lawmakers suddenly turn laymen when confronted with difficult questions.
As the public are becoming more informed with a huge population of youth in the state, the so called wits of the Naga leaders are now being slowly relegated to more of buffoonery and frivolity which has no place in the various forums of the state more so in the August House of the State. The wits these days require logic that is within the ambit of the law. The need to know at least the appropriate rules and laws governing the departments they head is a must. They are expected to know and if not then they are also expected to learn as the lawmakers of the state. As Shakespeare quoted, “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit”, our leaders need to ensure that they do not become the latter as the public become more and more well informed.
