In 2015, Mokokchung town celebrated its quasquicentennial. Established in 1890 as an outpost center, Mokokchung town has come a long way today. The town is now 132 years old since its establishment. Unfortunately, instead of growing like it ought to, the town has been witnessing some downturn over the years. While the rest of the state is progressing, Mokokchung district has seen a slump in growth. The loquacious nature of the residents is reflected in the way we talk about how to develop the town without actually doing anything about it. During the quasquicentennial celebration, a lot of talks were held for the development of the town and, in fact, a ‘Vision Mokokchung 2040’ document was proposed which was published and released 5 years later in 2020. It is not known where that ‘Vision’ is today.
No doubt, the whole of Nagaland is faced with a lot of challenges and Mokokchung also share most of the challenges with the rest of the state in equal terms, particularly in the field of governance. However, there are some challenges that are peculiar or unique to Mokokchung that can only be solved by understanding the challenges and applying appropriate remedial measures. It appears that the biggest challenge for Mokokchung is the fixed mindset or closed mentality of the inhabitants themselves.
It is not like someone else is stopping Mokokchung from growing and flourishing. For instance, a common citizen in Mokokchung typically is concerned about the stagnating growth rate of the town but would dare not speak out in public for fear of being misunderstood. As has been stated in this column time and again, no one is going to come and develop Mokokchung.
It is the people of Mokokchung that will have to work on developing Mokokchung. Yet, the people who are supposed to be leading the way are remaining as mute spectators. Unless there are people who are willing to speak up without fear or favor, the dream of a flourishing Mokokchung will remain a distant dream. The dearth of leadership is almost bordering a crisis.
The world has become more complex in the past 25 years or so and it appears that there are no leaders equipped with the leadership acumen to understand the complexities and lead the people accordingly. The ageing of erstwhile leaders and the brain drain from Mokokchung is not helping either. There is a leadership vacuum and no new leaders are stepping up to fill that void left by the ageing erstwhile leaders and the brain drain.
With no leadership, the society is like a rudderless ship and mediocrity becomes the norm. There is no clear direction and the ship drifts about without reaching its goal. Lack of leadership is what ails Mokokchung today.