I.S.Phom
[dropcap]A [/dropcap]great American writer Mark Twain said “Buy Land, they don’t make it anymore”. Politicians in Nagaland are trying to do exactly the opposite that is trying to sell Nagaland under the cover of Nagaland State Development Zone. If this sell out happens it is forever going to be a thorn in the flesh of Nagas. It will slowly cause the erosion of Naga culture and identity. I wonder what price tag the politicians in Nagaland have put on our Land our natural resources our culture and identity? How can these few politicians go against the will of the public? What makes them so convincing like there is going to be jobs for everyone tomorrow? I wonder if they have considered the cost and worth factor. How much will it coast to sell Nagaland and how much it be worth in the future? Do our Naga politicians pray and ask God for guidance in making serious decisions such as this, or they rush trusting their own understanding? If we do not stop this sell out soon we Nags will be like the Kacharis who were the real inhabitants of Dimapur. What situation are they in today? All we will be left with will be the memories of our glorious Promise land called Nagaland. The day is not far when we will be slaves in our promise Land, and all the sweat blood and tears our Nagas have shed will be washed away by this so called Nagaland State Development Zone. Mr. Khekiye said it right when he said it is going to be Nagaland State Disastrous zone.
We have to understand that companies and Industries and very powerful and invest lots of money and have lots of influence. The investing companies and Industries most of the time ends up controlling the State, the State politicians, the State Government and even the States policymaking. These days’ people do not use weapons and force to conquer or take control over a country or a State. Countries do not send solders to conquer a country or territory they sent industries and companies. By establishing an Industry or company, one country can indirectly control over the other country or few Industrialists can control over a county or a State. It is called “economic domination” and it happens under the disguise of economic growth, more jobs, progress and building friendship between two countries or states. The people through which these companies come into a country or State are the politicians. This is what exactly going to happen to Nagaland. The NSDZ and the oil companies in Nagaland will end up controlling Nagaland. Some of the reasons these huge national and international(South Korean, Thailand etc) companies will want to come to Nagaland is because of the availability of cheap labors, natural resources and an endless supply of illegal immigrants available next door, who are just eagerly waiting for the NSDZ to start, and last but not the least the money hungry Naga politicians who will say yes to anything as long as they have their cut.
Our Naga politicians talks about brining in economic progress and jobs for the unemployed by starting the so-called Nagaland State Development zone (NSDZ) and opening up oil fields. The politicians must first show the Naga people that they can take care of the handful of industries in Nagaland like the Tuli paper mill, sugar mill, and other industries in Nagaland which are barely functioning or have completely stopped functioning since long time back. When the state Government cannot even manage a handful of industries in Nagaland and cannot even pay the already existing Government employees on time why in the world are they speaking of creating more jobs by establishing the so called Nagaland State Development. Where our pathetic Nagaland Sate Government and the politicians will have very little or no control over it. In fact the NSDZ will latter become the un-official government of Nagaland. It is like when our Government cannot even manage to ride a “economic bike”, it wants to fly an “economic airplane”. The worst thing is we have put these inexperienced money hungry politicians on the pilot seats. We Nagas are heading for an “economic plane crash”.
One important thing to consider is even if our Naga Politicians manage to get the investing companies in the NSDZ or anywhere in Nagaland to miraculously agree to reserve upto 80% of jobs for the Nagas and that first priority should be given to Nagas. Where are we going to get enough Nagas to fill up the 80% seats reserved for us? We are talking about industry that will need hundred and thousands of skill engineers and laborers to work. Yes there are thousand of unemployed Nagas who are educated and have skills but not all of them dream to work in oil companies and industries. Someone would like to be doctors, some social workers, someone to join the army, some even politicians and make lots of money just as our present politicians are doing right now, and so on. It is not that just because there is a oil company coming to Nagaland all the unemployed youth in Nagaland would rush there because they are dying to work there hell no. Therefore imagining that all these thousands of Naga unemployed getting employed in these oil companies and other companies in the NSDZ with a big smile on their faces will be a worthless imagination.
When we are struggling to supply men force to run and manage the few village and small-scale industries we have in Nagaland, how unprofessional it is to imagine that we will filling up all the allotment of jobs for the Nagas in the NSDZ. So obviously since we will not have enough skillful workers to fill up the post, our reserved jobs will eventually go to the non-locals form outside Nagaland, mostly the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
In the end we will be outnumbered. We will not be able to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into Nagaland because they will have skills and they will work for filthy cheep salaries. Every company likes to hire cheap and skillful labors it helps the company save money and Money save is money earned. Slowly these illegal immigrants will form unions, towns, villages and colony in Nagaland. Which means we will have to share our State funds, central schemes, and our special minority Schedule Tribe seats reservation with the illegal immigrants who will be mostly Muslims. Why? because once they get into Nagaland they will have access to other Muslims who will illegally make legal documents for them. This will convert the illegal immigrants to Indian citizens. Once that’s done these illegal immigrants will start demanding for their minority reservation for scholarship, and jobs in the UPSC etc in Nagaland. They will get it because they will have all the papers to proof their Indian Citizenship and a permanent residence of Ngaland and because Muslims are considered as minority by the government of India just as we Christians and Jains and Buddhist are also considered as minority by the Government of India. Now tell me are the politicians correct when the say the NSDZ will create more job for Nagas or it will lead to losing of more jobs in the future? One fine day these illegal Immigrants will contest for Political power in none other than I our Nagaland Legislative Assembly. Then we will see that all the scarified for Nagaland in the past will amount to nothing. We Nagas will end up losing our promised land to the outsiders. The politicians are right upto some extent when they say we will have jobd, we will get jobs but as sweepers, cooks and drivers of these rich outsiders who will be owning Mercedes and BMW cars and living in huge mansions. Can we pay such a heavy price for the foolish decision of our politicians today? This is just one worst-case scenario among many, which we have to consider.
Within a period of 10 years, we will be completely dominated and the natural mineral resource, we are so proud of and of which our Chef Minister T.R Zelliang and other Nagaland ministers and Central minister so frequently talks about will be sucked up dry in just few years. The Mighty British Empire tried to suck up India of all its natural resource they tried their best but could not because although they had the men force, but technology was very limited at that time.
However India today have enough men force and Super advance technology and if needed can get more advance technology form abroad which can totally empty the natural resources available in small states like Nagaland in just say 4 years. Too bad, we live in this high tech world. We can kiss our Mineral resources goodbye of which we are so proud and thankful to God. You know our politicians in Nagaland will not be able to do a thing about it. One of their hundred excuses will be sorry the previous minister did it or the previous Chief Minster did it. Slowly other huge industries like textile and other industries will start coming into Nagaland through the so called NSDZ and this will slowly start wiping out all the small Naga entrepreneurs who have struggled to get where they are today. In the business world it is a battle while making money, and big companies will not spare the small ones. In addition, as an outsider they will show no mercy. Even our local newspapers like Nagaland Post, Eastern Mirror, Morung Express, Nagaland Page and other local Newspapers where we can share our view with freedom today will face tough competition form Giant Newspapers, like The Telegraph and Indian Times and you can only imagine what will be the outcome.
