Corruption and Collective Cynicism in Nagaland

When any infrastructure project is announced by the government of Nagaland or the Centre allocates funds for the state, the reaction of citizens on- and offline is usually pessimistic and rarely positive. Such announcements are often met with cynicism, scepticism, doubt, and indifference due to the predetermined notion that a chunk of it might go to the pockets of some corrupt government officials, if not all of it. The same goes for job applications in the government sector, as the recruitment process has been infested by backdoor appointments for decades with little room for meritocracy. Such distrust is a consequence of systemic and unaddressed corruption that has become entrenched in the social fabric, to the extent of normalising it. For instance, what comes to your mind when you think of applying for a state government job? Money and political connection, right? You need either of these two to stand a chance for employment. This may not be true for all states and for some levels of administration, but it may be true for many states like Nagaland, where obtaining a government job is almost synonymous with bribery and corruption, making it nearly impossible for those from marginalised and financially disadvantaged families to secure employment. The prevalence of such practices has led to the erosion of public trust even in established institutions that are supposed to uphold accountability by implementing government policies and programmes with integrity and fairness. The growing scepticism, polarisation and negativity in our society can be attributed to this shift.

Citizens are well aware of the rampant corruption, but it has become so ingrained in the social system that advocating for fairness often jeopardises their chances of getting things done on time. People resort to corruption, knowingly at that, when files do not progress without lobbying. But this vicious cycle of corruption has to be broken by replacing negativity and cynicism with positivity. One significant development in this direction is the constitution of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) by the incumbent government to ensure fair conduct of recruitment for Group-C posts in the state based on merit. Such a mechanism is essential for other areas too, including recruitment across different departments and developmental projects. Now, all eyes are on the ongoing recruitment for the state police department, which has faced accusations of favouritism and nepotism in the past. However, the recruitment process thus far has been impressive, receiving praise from various quarters for the transparency in its conduct as well as the encouragement provided to candidates during the physical tests. The concerned department should uphold the same spirit throughout the recruitment process. Transparency is crucial for accountability and for building public trust in governance.