A Wave Against Corruption

As citizens of Nagaland proclaim a war against corruption, it remains to be seen if political overtones will mar the core issue or the movement will sustain itself independently.

- Moa Jamir

Nagas from all walks of life, braving a hot and humid afternoon in August, converged in the State’s commercial capital Dimapur responding to the call of the anti-corruption watchdog, ‘Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT)’ Nagaland. The rally had close to 60,000 people in attendance (the exact figure could not be independently verified).

The overwhelming participants were young: school and college students in uniform, young entrepreneurs and professionals who converged to voice their concerns against entrenched corruption and the imperative for change in Nagaland. ‘This is the beginning of a turbulence that will echo across States’, a septuagenarian cautioned. Earlier, the organiser had ‘invited’ the State’s Chief Minister along with his legislators to attend the rally. They were conspicuous by their absence.

Corruption, a Thriving ‘Industry’

Trampled with years of neglect and indifference, speakers at the rally did not mince their words. The church, the government, and the Naga political groups – the alleged trinity responsible for the present state of affairs, were equally derided and castigated. At the customary invocation prayer, a pastor from a local church made a rare detour and declared that the church is equally responsible for corruption in Nagaland. The same goes for NGOs and Naga Political Groups (NPGs), more inclined towards playing politics instead of working for people’s welfare, he added.