Our correspondent
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 9
‘As leaders, as individuals and as Christians in the church the greatest problem plaguing our present day is the missing of truth’ said Yitachu, Minister for School Education & SCERT at the one day training on leadership development skill today at Regional Centre of Excellence for Music and Performing Arts (RCEMPA) Jostsoma.This is one common factor which we fail to realize which is eating us up and because of that we are failing to perform as leaders, to which he said is the truth. As an individual, as an organization truth is missing is our individual life, in our day to day functioning and dealings and in our relationships, families and relatives too.
Truth, he said is the basic foundation of human existence and when that is missing in our society a lot of things goes wrong, and also stressed that things are going very wrong today in our state. As leaders, he said we have to be truthful, and it is only when a person is truthful and honest he will not have a prejudice mind, selfish motive and greediness.
Though we call ourselves as leaders, Yitachu said ‘Nagas are all slaves’ in the first place because truth is missing in each and every one of us. Each and every Naga is a slave of himself or herself because he maintained that we just cannot come out of the ‘ism’. ‘Tribalism is beyond oneself and beyond Nagas. As leaders we cannot be slave. A slave always speaks what the masters want him to speak stressing that no truth and rational thought will come out of a slave’ he maintained.
Therefore, he urged all to free oneself from slavery; because he said only a free man can think right and come up with rational suggestions. However, he also did not exclude the churches and the reverends from this slavery, which is also plagued by the ‘missing of truth’ factor. He also went on to challenged that those who are free from this slavery are the blessed ones.
He urged all members present to put in a concerted effort to free ourselves from the slavery of being hypnotized by tribalism, only then a big achievement can come about to the Naga people and a real life will come about in our state, and till such time, he noted with regret that a slave will remain slave. Many will not like such a harsh word, but then he said a leader should be strong and should have hard talk and should think hard too. He also said that when we admit and call ourselves as leaders no words is too harsh to talk, think and act on it.
Coming to the Naga political issue, he said the bottom lining of the naked truth is ‘whether we remain as a state within the Indian union or decided to remain as a sovereign independent nation, ‘we have to survive on our own’. This, he said, does not change the position because if not today the truth will come out tomorrow. He pointed out that even if Nagas wants to remain as a sovereign independent nation, he said the interdependency between the neighbouring nations will always remain, and it is the people to decide, however he said slave cannot decide only a free man can decide. He challenged that if Nagas claimed to be free, then a rational decision can be made. However he maintained as long as Naga people does not free themselves from slavery of tribalism, he said no decision is going to be rational nor positive and will not bring a lasting solution.
Therefore, he stressed that the greatest need of the Naga people at the moment is for the truth to come in, and for that we have to be a free man. As leaders unless you are free you cannot call yourself leaders, it is only a leader who is free from prejudices can really speak for the people and everyone. Finally he expressed hope that with his leadership training as leaders each and every one present will identify what the major problem is that confronts him or her as a leader and then to take the leadership work forward as an individual, family, organized group and the citizen at large.
Speaking as the resource person, Rev. Apostle L Yimsong has minced no word when he said ‘Nagaland for Christ has become Nagaland for Crooks’ adding that it is not to provoke anyone but to let each one think of the present status of our state. Stating that there is famine of truth in our state, he pointed out that Nagaland needs leadership sifting and shifting, a retrospection as well as introspection
While maintaining that Education department is taking a serious responsibility for they are dealing with the future leaders and playing with the children of our people, he urged the departmental officers and staff to act for change adding ‘now is time and today is the day for change’ and go beyond what they are now.
Noting with regret of the things going on in our state which reflects the kind of leadership we have, he also pointed out that we have grown with the system adding that we have given birth to what is going on right now and inflicted all this to ourselves to what we are seeing today.
Therefore, he challenged the members present to make most of what they have not confining to themselves but to consider their work in the department as a calling and release and offer their services to the people. He also called upon them to start doing something which they have never done before and do things which are expected more from them.
The programme was chaired by Chubayanger, Deputy Director, invocation pronounced by Thekielie Keditsu, Assistant Mission Director and welcome address by FP Solo, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Department of School Education.
Special numbers were also presented by Atshuü and friends from DSE and SDEO and SSA Staff, Kohima.
