Protective Thinking: Are Nagas fighting for Freedom or Employment?

To the question, are Nagas fighting for Freedom or Employment? Today’s living reality shows Nagas are fighting for both. In order to attain freedom as per nationalist interpretations of the word, “freedom” divided freedom fighters groups are in neck to neck negotiations with GoI, apparently stuck in impasse and in the same line, Nagas everywhere are seeking employment in government and private sector. In fighting for Freedom and employment, Nagas are still doing badly without any ethics.

Nagas first fought for Freedom, The question of employment was far fetched.

In 1951, 99.9% of Naga populations voted for complete separation from Union of India as the people were carried away by the promises and grandeur of free Naga nation. After the first phase of warring period between Nagas and GoI, roughly from 1951-62, 99.9% of Nagas who voted for complete freedom took a u-turn after creation of Nagaland statehood in 1963, to start fighting for employment to feed them, such u-turn is inevitable since the hungry tribal people need food, education and shelter, a primary need for humans. Yet the fight for freedom through political negotiations continues till today where the public wish for early peaceful political settlement, after a decades of living in poverty and terror, the Nagas now value peace more than anything, which is a good sign for coming generations.

Fighting for freedom without ethics.

Nagas without ethics started the struggle for complete sovereignty but soon the movement began to witness the deficiency of ethics in the form of violent personality clashes between leaders at the expense of the common cause, inter-tribes struggle for top leadership post, ignorant tribes demanding more representation in the decision making body, top leaders rampantly abusing its discretionary power, high ranked soldiers abuses low ranked soldier, later factionalism and regionalism overshadowed the movement. All factions justified their actions which means no one is at complete fault for these mess, Nagas are still struggling with. Such chaotic outcome is due to the actions of people without ethics and people are without ethics as they are lawless in the first place. Lawless in modern civilized term not in customary law practices point of view where some elements in customary beliefs and practices defy reasons, constitutional principle and principle of natural justice.

In Naga customary rules, a person is above the law, the reverse of the principle that no one is above the law which means actions, decisions of individual or tribes with power becomes the law and the people are bound to accept it or bear the consequences of opposing. There is no sense of right from wrong; sense of justice, if the powerful wheels it in their own way and this lawless way of doing things hampers all round development. And the tide can change its directions if only the younger upcoming generations have the intellectual capacity to learn from evils of lawless culture instead of adopting practices of lawless culture. For the record, absolute majority of young folks are repeating the same actions of the old folks without ethics creating more chaos.

Fighting for employment without ethics in Nagaland context.

From the time of creation of statehood till today, fighting for employment and recruiting government employees by government have been without ethics, only in rare cases transparency can be seen in government appointment. Further it is in every adult’s knowledge that recruitment of employees in government sector through backdoor or namesake front door (appointment fixed in advance) has always been the monopoly of the political party/parties running the government be in past or present, where hundreds of posts of different class/grades in various government departments are distributed at highest Ministerial level, MLAs then come dull bureaucrats like a spoils won from the recent war (election). At the absence of written records, it’s hard to tell the exact year when such despicable practices started in Nagaland but this practice continues till today hampering the growth of the state and it cannot be stopped as the said practice has the sanction of the public, sanction in the sense, the public who voted the political party to power feels it is their birth right to secure government jobs even illegally. Looking at all these issues, one appreciates the filling of Writ Petition in High Court Kohima Bench by ACAUT challenging the legality of backdoor appointments though the petition was dismissed with liberty to file a fresh. Wish ACAUT come back stronger.

Unless people come out openly seeking judicial intervention to curb backdoor appointments, this practice is not likely to die a natural death at the absence of limited avenues for degree holders to make a living, misinterpretation of the term public service and the manner, citizens participates in state general election. Another sign which shows that not all young folks are in compromise with corruption per se back door appointment is the message from the short video produced by Dreamz Unlimited, where the main protagonist, a young graduate refuses to take government job arranged by his hardworking father through his political connections, also, largely helped by the prayers of his pious but corrupt mother.

A way out
The only way out is that people with ethics has to continuously challenge the legality of rampant backdoor appointment in the court of law which is the last resort to teach people to fight for employment with ethics. Timely judicial intervention can only restrain individuals in power from abusing its discretionary power in recruiting government employees at their whims and fancies.

Conclusions
Not all people are without ethics, same with the young citizens therefore only the joint serious efforts of the people with ethics can liberate Nagaland from the bondage of corruption, lack of ethics in peoples’ character, until that moment of liberation arrives, the old and young by shedding tribal colour must continue to work courageously to right the wrongs of more than a half century.

Pakinrichapbo