As an aspirant myself, I know the frustration many are feeling. Unemployment is high in our state. Everyone wants a fair chance at a stable government job. The anger is real, and the demand for transparency is justified.
However, I find it troubling that this anger has turned into personal attacks. What bothers me more is seeing students target their own former teachers, people who once stood in front of the class, taught them, laughed with them, created fond memories with them and now, they find themselves being labelled as “shameless”, “undeserving” or “illegally appointed”. Many of these contractual employees have been serving for years with dedication and sincerity without any job security. We cannot deny the fact that they kept critical services functioning.
Yes, fight against corruption. But let’s not throw every contractual employee under the same label of nepotism. Not all of them got in through connections. Not all of them bypassed others unfairly. Many were simply there at the right time, when the system was hiring to fill urgent gaps and they stayed on, doing their jobs and are still going to work despite the given situation. If they’re told today, “Thank you for your years of service, now go home”. Is that really justice? I do not believe so. The lack of recognition for their contributions isn’t just a neglect, it’s a denial of their humanity and the value they’ve brought to the system.
A Personal attack on their abilities, as if to say they weren’t trying or weren’t good enough to compete is a deliberate insult meant to break their spirit. Many, if not all, are justifying these attacks by saying that these employees should’ve been role models.
Social media posts and comments are full of hate speech for them. Since when did we, a society that upholds traditional values as the cornerstone of our culture, start accepting the perpetuation of hate? When arguments turn to personal attacks, it is no longer constructive.
Owners of social media pages and news channels also have a responsibility in shaping public discourse and must also take accountability for enabling hateful content. Even when hate speech comes from viewers or commenters, platform owners have a duty to moderate it. The influence of social media is tremendous, serious issues should not be sensationalized. Allowing hate comments to remain unchallenged or unverified claims to spread unchecked indirectly contributes to an atmosphere of intolerance rather than awareness.
There is no point in fighting for fairness and justice at the cost of our humanity. True justice should reflect empathy, compassion, and respect for others, even when we’re fighting for what we believe is right.
If we lose sight of these values in the pursuit of fairness, we risk becoming as unjust as the very thing we are protesting against. It’s important to consider the human side of the issue and not let anger or frustration blind us.
I support the fight against unfair practices, but if it includes turning on each other with hate, I am not following anyone down that path. Fighting for justice shouldn’t come at the cost of being unjust to others.
This is where I draw the line.Because if we’re only fighting for what we lost, and ignoring what others gave, then maybe we’re not fighting for justice at all.
Maybe we’re just fighting for our turn.
Kenibu M
Nagaland Post Launch on 30 Dec 1990 is the first and fore-most english daily newspaper of Nagaland.
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