Mr Y Patton’s speech at Mon the other day where he appeared to relish the demise of Kiyanilie Peseyie which has further reduced the numerical strength of the Naga People’s Front legislators in the Assembly, is in bad taste, inconsiderate of the sentiments of the grieving family members and unbecoming of a legislator who had been associated with the departed leader for nearly ten years.
It is unthinkable that a politician would use the death of another to score brownie political points, and is in total contravention of the ethos of the Naga people who have the highest of respects for the dead.
Furthermore, converting one of the premier festivals of the Konyak Nagas into a political rally was uncalled for and most unfortunate, and is an insult to the organizers and the people who were gathered there to celebrate a traditional festival without any political bias or favour.
The content of his speech, as edited and circulated on social media by the spin doctors favouring the illegitimate group, is sheer rhetoric devoid of any basis and truth. In fact, the speech reflects the intellectual infirmity Mr Patton reputedly suffers from when he repeatedly mentioned about contesting the 2018 elections on NPF ticket and symbol when he and most of his group members are either suspended or expelled from the party, It is not unlike some erring members of a Church, having being removed from the primary membership of the Church because of their delinquent ways, continue to proclaim that they, the expelled members, would take over the affairs of the Church!
Obviously, it has not percolated into his grey matters yet that the Legislature Wing of any political party is just another subordinate body like the Youth Wing or the Women Wing, and that it is not competent enough to dictate on the affairs of the political party it belongs to. We are yet to hear of any Youth Wing or Women Wing of a political party, having mustered majority, trying to take over the helms of affairs of the political party they serve under!
Mr Patton also seemed to have thought it was a brilliant revelation surpassing any of Stephen Hawkins’ discoveries when he told the gathering that Dr Shurhozelie was not even a member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and that they, the legislators, made him the Chief Minister. However, everyone knows that Dr Shurhozelie had retired from electoral politics in 2013 but that the legislators, having miserably failed to handle the ULB elections in the early part of this year, approached Dr Shurhozelie on the night of February 15th, begged and beseeched him (Dr Shurhozelie) to take over and save their chairs. (Mr Patton seems to have conveniently forgotten that he was one of the most vocal legislators demanding that TR Zeliang resign that night itself!)
And normalcy having being restored under the leadership of Dr Shurhozelie, it beggars an answer as to what extenuating circumstances compelled these same legislators to pull the rug off Dr Shurhozelie’s feet if not for the decision of Dr Shurhozelie’s Government to curb corruption, stop backdoor appointments and to hand over the infamous MKR Pillai’s case to the CBI.
This Press Release was sent by NPF Bureau, who can be contacted at npfpressbureau(at)rediffmail(dot)com.
