Some politicians exhibit an unparalleled mastery in the art of electioneering, consistently securing victory with a precision that borders on the extraordinary. It’s as if they possess an unwavering formula, an alchemy of sorts, that propels them to triumph each time they contest an election. However, the disconcerting truth lies in the glaring paradox that while these political maestros excel at the electoral game, their prowess seemingly evaporates once they are elected.
Their expertise in securing a seat becomes the summit of their achievements, the pinnacle of their career, their acme, the zenith beyond which there is nothing that they can achieve. Getting elected becomes an end unto itself, a culmination rather than a stepping stone towards meaningful governance. So good at getting elected, not so good after getting elected.
The problem here is that they’re so good at getting elected so much so that no one can beat them election after election; yet, they’re so bad at delivering the goods after getting elected so much so that nobody knows where they are until they come back in the next election cycle and get elected again. It is a piffling paradox.
There is an Ao Naga saying that says, “Ka agi ter shia, ter agi ka mashi” which can be loosely translated as “One worth a ten, ten not worth one.” The Ao Naga is a beautiful language with a rich lexicon. This phrase or idiom is generally used metaphorically to illustrate the usefulness or uselessness of a person. For instance, the analogy of 10 MLAs from Mokokchung district not being as useful as a single MLA from elsewhere is an apt example of this Ao Naga adage – Ter agi ka mashi (negative). Conversely, if one of the 10 MLAs stands out as a leader impacting the lives of the people and positively transforming the destiny of the district, that particular MLA will be referred to as strong as the rest of the MLAs put together – Ka agi ter shia (positive).
There are a plethora of such metaphors in the Ao Naga language. Metaphors are very useful in making complex ideas more understandable and can also be used to add humor or irony to our writing or speech. Metaphors are a versatile and powerful tool that can be used for a variety of purposes.