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Editorial

The Need for Thought Leaders to Speak Up

ByMOKOKCHUNG TIMES

Feb 5, 2025 #leaders, #Nagas

Many Nagas are struggling just to make ends meet, barely sustaining themselves on subsistence. This daily struggle for survival leaves little room for people to engage with critical issues that shape their lives and future. Ironically, the very challenges they try to avoid, like misgovernance, corruption, inefficiency, etc., are the same ones that continue to burden them. It is not that people are unaware or indifferent, but their primary concern is securing their next meal.

This is where thought leaders must step in. Those who have the platform and capacity to shape public discourse must speak up, especially on pressing issues like the unresolved Naga political problem, the ongoing border disputes with Assam, the India-Myanmar border fencing, rising youth unemployment, and economic stagnation, the issues that affect their lives and their future. Food sovereignty has vanished – domestic production has declined, and dependency on external sources has increased. The recent debates surrounding oil exploration and extraction further highlight the urgent need for informed and fearless voices.

A concerning social condition seems to have developed, one where individuals fear speaking out. Instead, issues are raised through organizations, not by individuals themselves. People submit their concerns to these organizations, hoping their voices will be amplified. If an organization accepts the agenda, it speaks on behalf of the individual. If not, the individual is left voiceless. This raises an alarming question: Where is personal liberty? What happened to the right to freedom of thought and expression?

History is full of instances where a single courageous individual made a bold stand and sparked revolutionary change. Yet, in Naga society today, such personal agency appears stifled. It feels as if people are living under an unspoken gag order, afraid to challenge the status quo.

Thought leaders must rise above this fear. Their role is not just to identify problems but to mold public opinion and influence policymakers. When the voices of individuals are suppressed, progress stalls. If no one dares to speak, the status quo will remain unchanged. It is time for those who can lead to do so, not just within organizations, but as individuals with conviction and courage.

MT

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