Flags
It would take a totalitarian regime to impose mandatory hoisting of national flags, of whichever nation it may be. While it is morally and ethically wrong to disrespect the national flag of any country, it would be dictatorial in nature to enforce mandatory submission to a diktat that orders all the ‘subjects’ to hoist a national flag. Hoisting national flags by common citizens cannot be made mandatory. Every country has a national flag and a flag code. Disrespecting a national flag can attract legal actions too. However, forcing everyone to hoist a national flag can happen only in an authoritarian regime.
In regions with unresolved conflicts like Nagaland, where there are ongoing political negotiations to resolve the conflicts, imposing mandatory hoisting of national flags can be seen as provocative by one or the other party. Therefore, authorities are expected to exhibit restraint and good judgment. The fact that there are political negotiations going on and the fact that the negotiations are stalled and solution delayed because of the question of the flag is reason enough to understand the scenario. In Kohima, the taxi drivers hoisted Naga flags on their vehicles Friday morning. No wonder, the authorities made them remove the flags. In Dimapur too, a banner displaying the Naga flag at a prominent location was removed by authorities.
The Naga nationalist groups and loyalists have been hoisting and displaying the Naga flag over the years but this is the first time that the authorities have intervened in recent years and it makes one wonder if the state’s authorities are overzealous. Or, could it be that there is an unmentioned order that is not known to the public? It could be just a mere coincidence but there is something suspicious.
Three More Months
The Joint Action Committee of the Workers Union and Pensioners Union of Nagaland Pulp and Paper Co Ltd (NPPCL) have on Thursday agreed to postpone their proposed agitation after the government of Nagaland requested them to give 3 more months to process all requirements and formalities to resolve the grievances of the workers. The JAC had months ahead announced their intent to impose a blockade on NH-02 at Tzudikong beginning August 12, 2022. It took the government to respond at the very last moment, only to seek 3 more months to “resolve the grievances of the workers” who have not been paid their due salaries and pensions for years! Even if one would want to trust the government, the government is making it difficult to trust them. It remains to be seen what the government of Nagaland can do to address the grievances of the aggrieved workers and pensioners of NPPCL but judging by the track record, it is hard to believe that the matter would be resolved. Meanwhile, the Assam government has declared Rs. 810 crore to settle the issues of two defunct paper mills in that state, a case similar to Tuli paper mill. Different states, different governments.