Correspondent KOHIMA, JANUARY 31
Outgoing Chief Secretary Alemtemshi Jamir, who demitted office today, said bureaucracy in the State is alive and holds the actual realms of power though many people are of the view that politicians have taken over. He said this at the farewell function organized by the state government in his honour at the Secretariat Roof Top, Konia today. Stating that Nagaland has a unique quality of human capital and human relationship with a knack of working together as a community, Alemtemshi called upon the people to build up and carry that strength forward. He opined that Nagas, who have been catapulted into the 21st Century from primitive practices, are living with a crisis in their mind about their identity. He stated that working in two sets of identity is the biggest challenge of a bureaucracy and underscored the need for bureaucrats to think clearly with a correct philosophy. Quoting some verses from the Bible which he said, had inspired him throughout his life, Alemtemshi said two of the Ten Commandments ‘Love thy God’ and ‘Love thy neighbour’ had been his core philosophies. He expressed hope that all the government servants would work with love as their core philosophy to lead the State in a better direction. “God definitely loves the Nagas and He is willing to work with us. With that willingness we should have the faith to reach out and work so that greater things could happen to us,” he said. Alemtemshi termed the achievements during his 37 years of his service to the State as a “combined effort”. He acknowledged his colleagues and people who inspired him throughout his career and also thanked God for giving him the privilege to be a part of “this great state”. “It has been providential,” he asserted. He also emotionally regretted his shortcomings, saying, “if I’ve hurt anybody, I’m sincerely sorry”. He narrated that there has been instances of him interfacing with other organisations outside Nagaland but observed that the kind of human relationship available in Nagaland could not be compared elsewhere. Terming the farewell programme as a memorable event, Alemtemshi expressed gratitude to the organisers and said it will be a moment for him to cherish throughout his life.