What does governance mean when it becomes a game of exploitation and excuses? What does leadership mean when decisions are taken, rolled back and retaken without accountability, vision and shame? The answer is clear: it means failure.
The recent attempt by the Nagaland Cabinet to regularize 147 contractual assistant professors and librarians through the backdoor, bypassing merit and transparency, is not just a policy misstep— it is an insult to the educated youth of our state. And when the people raise their voice, the same cabinet suddenly “keeps the decision in abeyance”? Is this governance or gambling with people’s futures?
Let us not forget, this government has failed on multiple fronts:
1. On 28th August 2023, the Chief Minister handed over appointment and posting orders to 630 candidates selected through the NSSB-CSRE 2022. However, a considerable number of these appointees, particularly those assigned to the Education Department, received their actual postings only after a delay of three months, that too, following my intervention. Ironically, the CM himself holds the Education portfolio. Yet, even this delay, an embarrassment to his office remains unacknowledged and unaddressed.
2. The CMHIS health scheme is a total disaster. Hospitals are refusing patients, systems are broken, and yet the government continues to push its fake success narrative.
3. Ministers and advisors continue to deduct illegal commissions from contractors and suppliers, crippling the state’s economy and demoralizing the working class.
4. While Rs 19.90 crore was spent for the renovation of Dimapur Town Hall, 208 families in Mokokchung district continue to await compensation for disaster-related losses sustained between 2020 – 2021, raising serious questions about the appropriateness of policy priorities.
5. The decision to regularise and assign postings to the 147 contractual assistant professors and librarians, followed by its abrupt reversal of their posting under public pressure, reflects a troubling inconsistency in governance. Such arbitrariness calls into question the credibility of the decision-making process.
Most departments are deeply corrupted and the public knows it. What used to be whispers are now open conversations in every street and tea stall. A candid appraisal is necessary, rather than obscuring the reality with euphemisms.
The Cabinet, under the leadership of the Chief Minister, must be held collectively accountable for this lack of administrative coherence. This is not an example of responsible leadership—it is a manifestation of policy recklessness with far-reaching consequences for the future of an entire generation. The Chief Minister must resign on moral grounds. He has failed as the CM. He has failed as the Education Minister In-charge. He has failed the people.
The Higher & Technical Education Minister must follow suit. Under his watch, the system tried to legitimize injustice through backdoor appointments. That alone is reason enough for resignation. This is no longer about politics—It’s about justice. It’s about merit. It’s about the soul of our state. Rollback the regularisation. Resign with dignity. Or be remembered in history as the regime that sold out the youth for convenience.
We are not afraid. The people are awake.
And this time, the streets will not stay silent.
Kuknalim
Bendang Imsong
Social Activist, Mokokchung