Rhetoric and reality

Despite rapid strides in literacy and far reaching development in Nagaland, what is being missed is the voice of reason and sagacity and this is reflected in the level of deliberations by leaders of society. There is an old saying that society gets leaders it deserves and if that is so, then it is not surprising. There have been many issues confronting Naga society but somehow, the level of debates have never progressed beyond emotional rhetoric and symbolisms. Statements from various political organizations including NGOs and civil societies only feed a society that is more emotional than rational. Issues confronting society will always exist but those that are informed are equipped to understand how to deal with them. The disinclination to speak the truth prevents a clear reasoning. This inability is a syndrome caused by anaemia of the mind and results in a society perplexed by profane politics and irrationality. Even during the public discourses on socio-economic issues, there has been disinclination to separate facts from fantasy. Subtle and sometimes feeble questions are raised but they make no sense or impact, when society is disinclined to rationalize. That is why words such as transparency and accountability have become elastic. There have been complaints and more complaints about declines for years, and yet society and its government remain unfazed and unbothered. The debates in the assembly have not risen beyond the predictable positions of each party and the few leaders. Oratory may be a splendid means to impress but it reasons to sound good rather than being based good sound reason. The same syndrome afflicting Nagaland is also evident across the nation- which is hyper nationalism. Today, society’s leaders and individuals shy away from analysis of issues and admitting facts and instead appear more inclined to sound politically correct so as to not be seen in a bad light or dubbed as anti-people. Even with the issue of ILP over which Dimapur had been excluded but which could be included in the immediate future; the ground reality is far different than the perception. Much needs to be analysed to understand facts from fantasy. Failure comes when people have gotten addicted to rhetoric and symbolisms. Today, the issue over Citizen Amendment Bill 2016 (CAB) has been stretched to the other pages of Article 371A. While CAB deals with a particular community of foreign nationals living in India as both illegal and legal immigrants, Article 371A deals only with the constitutional guarantee accorded to Nagas of Nagaland in as far as –customary laws and traditions, ownership and transfer of land and resources which no Act of parliament can change unless the state assembly passes a resolution. A saner look at the CAB vis-a-vis Article 371A can be understood from both angles- that it is not necessary to pass an assembly resolution against CAB since the state has Article 371A as a protective clause. The other view is that it is necessary to pass resolution since if the CAB becomes law, it will affect the state when many beneficiaries believed to be residing in the state, would eventually have a firmer grip as permanent citizens of the state. The axiom of political rights and privileges are humongous words in the Naga lexicon. Nagaland has been grounded by illusions and unless better sense prevails and soon, the promises, dreams and visions would be mired in jargons.