The appointment of Mayang Lima as the State Vigilance Commissioner by the ruling PDA has met with stiff criticism from the opposition Naga People’s Front(NPF) party citing various reasons against it. One reason was that the new commissioner was earlier a magistrate and served as Principal District and Sessions Judge till his retirement. So with an inquiry pending into the alleged High Court building scam which comes under the same department where he served under earlier, the NPF alludes to it as if he was also part of it. That issue may not have any bearing since the magistrates and the judges do not become the executives of the department per se but might instead invite a suit from the person concerned.
The other reason was that the newly appointed commissioner does not qualify for the post since he is neither a retired judge of a High Court nor a retired senior executive officer. The ruling party (PDA) stuck to its guns stating that he was appointed after conforming to all the norms, probably because he was once the chief executive in the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench designated as Registrar, during his years in service.
However the other reason that the NPF stated was that the newly appointed commissioner was only recently a candidate of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) during the state assembly elections, and alluded that he would not be impartial in discharging his duties as the vigilance commissioner. The party went a step further and stated that it was more of a political reward given to the commissioner. Although it is subtle in approach, this statement of the NPF greatly demonises politics and politicians of the state. Politics as a word is derived from Greek Politika meaning “affairs of the cities” and currently in English it primarily means activities related to governance of an area or state. The NPF party which is a recognised political party with legislators in two states should not demean politics and politicians in general. While trying to win some brownie points with the public the party has unknowingly demoted politics or say the legislature a step down from the remaining other two branches of public office in our democratic system; the Executive and the Judiciary. Any person qualified according to the set norms has the right to serve under any of the three branches of our governance system abiding to the respective statues as laid down for each and with integrity. All such service in public office comes with its respective mandatory oath of allegiance and conduct to be sworn and to abide. Therefore, with the increase in politician bashing in all the forums, such statements only worsens the perception that the public has of politics and politicians.
