Yes, Winston Churchill had it said “Success is not final, Failure is not fatal, It is the Courage to continue that counts.” Implied therein is simply a statement of fact that never ever should victory/success lead to going over the moon as though the purpose of life has reached the end point. And neither should defeat/failure lead to going down the bottomless pit as though the purpose of life ends therewith. The core of human dynamics, according to Churchill, is the Courage that connects the two extremes of the pendulum. Simply stated, success is what should propel momentum to further success; failure, on the other hand propels us to self introspection & self correction which are a stepping stone to success.
The short narrative as above, when juxtaposed into Naga context, unmistakably points to the vertical split of our society. By this, I mean many amongst us just go overboard/euphoric over whatever kind of success (real or imaginary) that are essentially engineered and sustained by forces to match with their end game. Still many amongst us have taken a fatalistic view of the ongoing scenario and have jumped to the conclusion that we are beyond redemption. The tragedy, the vast many of us have refused to ask ourselves whether or not we have done or are doing what is expected of us as responsible members of society. In competitive democracy our share of the cake has to be taken; if necessary by standing up for our rights. How are we showing up when faced with challenges? How are we positioning ourselves when faced with adversarial forces?
On the facade, we have been projecting our struggle as a people’s movement and rightly so. However, a people’s movement to be successful ought to be spearheaded by leaders who command Trust and Confidence of the people. And for such leadership to stay robust and vibrant takes a very vigilant and constructive Public Opinion capable of holding the leadership to account for what they do or they don’t do. Do we stay happy & content with leadership that harbors, nurtures, and grooms Thugs, Cheats, Rabble-rousers, Unscrupulous etc to be used as Stooges and Hangers-on only to keep the people at bay. Do we not deserve leadership who are arm-stretched & open-hearted as to welcome public scrutiny and questioning (healthy and constructive)? Do we not deserve leadership who are objectively upfront in holding themselves accountable and be fully prepared for consequential actions? Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw said, “A Yes man is a dangerous man. He is a Menace. He will go far, even become Minister, Field Marshal, General, Secretary etc. But he will never be a great leader nor will be respected as such”. Are we looking for leadership that bask in the limelight surrounded by self appointed leaders who are self seekers and time servers?
It is high time Nagas need and in fact deserve leadership that fits into the prescription of Confucius: “One who conquers himself is the greatest leader/warrior”. The tragedy, we are saddled with leadership that only panders to everything (personal, family, Village, Tribe) with of course, Naga nationalism fronted as a facade. What has undone everything that Naga nationalism stands for is this: We have gone on for far too long with personalized leadership as against people based leadership. Any forward marching society would ensure that the efficacy and credibility of their leadership get mirrored in & through unstinted Public Trust and Confidence. Public Leadership worth the Call & Demand is one who acts through and through as Public Trustee and in honor of that calling, would never hesitate to give up Leadership Position once the Call/Demand wears out. As much as the saying goes, “leadership that we have is what we deserve to get.” Therefore it is we the people led by the educated who are to blame for the wrong leadership society is made to suffer.
For we Nagas (my humble submission), to get onto trajectory of sustained Civilizational Progress must necessarily have leadership that commands the following:
Spirit of Naga Peoplehood is grieving to no end over Nagahood left battered & tattered on the wayside of Nagahood juggernaut. Leaders that the Nagas, younger generations in particular, are crying for, are those whose sole Vision is “Naga Unity”. Be absolutely sure of the only one thing: Adversarial forces mortally fear just one Thing at our command and that is “Naga Unity”. Why then waste time & energy on pretense that we have a more powerful arsenal? Therefore, the single most important “Mission” to be embarked upon is “Physical & Emotional Unification of the Nagas”.
Small and weak that we are, our future is inextricably linked to physical & emotional Unification. Make no mistake, this is not only for any reason political & historical, this is our Birthright, God given right. Anything short of this would mean Dehumanizing Ourselves. Therefore, This is Here & Now, we of the present generation ought to take the call on bequeathing “Legacy of Pain & Shame or Legacy of Honor, Dignity & Self-respect” to the upcoming generations.
Quote Plato: “He who does not desire Power is fit to hold it”. In other words, a true leader is one who uses the powers as a people’s Trustee only with a view to enhancing & advancing public good & interests.
He or She would be fully responsibility driven in the discharge of leadership functions.
Moral and Intellectual Integrity in the ambience of upfront Transparency & Accountability are the surest path to earning & sustaining public Trust – a hallmark of Robust and Vibrant public Leadership.
Thanking you all and God bless.
Sword Vashum