As we usher in the New Year, there is an aroma of optimism in the air on the prospect of the dawn of peace and stability in the State except the prevalence of pandemic as our guest. The State has suffered long enough under the weight of uncertainties and staggering development and people do deserve a spell of peace and progress.
The size of Nagaland State to my view will neither grow nor shrink in the coming days as the prospect of give and take attitude of our neighbours will not be generous. The issue of separate flag and a separate constitution may also remain more of an academic issue for debate but less a reality. Nothing historic nor extra-ordinary elements may be stored up in the coffer of final peace settlement as we have presently acquired most of the ingredients that are accommodative and workable. Talks and parleys will continue in the coming days with the characteristic displays of hope and despair and some rooms in the Guest House in Delhi will remain occupied with the harbinger of peace for quite sometime.
The overweight and oversized Government employees of the State that includes, besides regular appointees, back door or front door appointments, excess appointment, proxy appointment and so on will continue to devour the junk of State finances, leaving no alternatives for the Government but to fondle with the meager left over amount for the maintenance of the entire State’s machineries that includes various developmental initiatives that infact is the need of the hour.
There is every likelihood that a good number of the regular appointees of the Government will continue to remain nonchalantly at District Headquarters or many at Dimapur and their substitutes will perform the ambassadorial assignments at the place of posting and pay and allowances in such cases will be mutually shared between the appointees and its substitutes. Such pattern of administration has become a work culture against which none will complain and there is no effective machinery to exercise control over such lapses. Those few sincere officials will continue to bear the burden of overwork and work overtime and those irresponsible officials with empty drums that entered the service from backdoors and front doors will move around scot-free either politicising or even preaching in Churches.
People both from the rural and urban areas of the State will be able to have a taste of peace and tranquility in the State to some extent in the coming days. It is in fact appropriate time to speed up initiatives in taking up various developmental programs instead of investing precious time and money on erecting welcome gates and monoliths.
People expect to hear from public leaders on their vision and programs that are prepared for the masses but it is likely that they may rather resort to the usual norms of spending more time in Delhi or elsewhere instead of staying at home working with the people.
We will be entering into the New Year under the shadow of pandemic. Leaders that will not bulldoze problems but handle problems with care and leaders of vision and competence in motivating the people to move forward towards the goal of meeting their needs has become the need of the hour.
Tali Longkumer
Kohima/Nagaland