Each area has one Area Council. Wakching area consists of: Wakching, Punkhung, Tanhai, Shiong, Wanching, Chintang, Chingphoi, Kongan, Naginimara, Tirupatar (new settlement of Konyaks who came from Punkhung, Oting, Lapha etc. it is on the plains. The Administative Officer (ie. the E.A.C. Naginimara is ex-officio chairman of the Area Council. Each village council elects one area council member, or in villages above 1500 population, two area council members. For Wakching there are two Area Council members. Each morung (or khel) elects one village council member. The village council consists of the elected village council members, all the gaonburas and the Ang. The Ang is the ex-officio member of the village council. The village council members are not paid. The Area Council members are paid Rs. 75 per month. The Area Council elects the District Regional Council members (here Tuensang) - this is a mini-assemby, - the D.C. is the ex-officio chairman of the District Regional Council. For each 5000 population there is one Regional Council member. Shoupa is Regional Council member. The Regional Council of Tuensang elects 12 M.L.A.s. After ten years special provision for Tuensang there will be no Regional Council and no indirect representation. The M.L.A.s will be directly elected. In Wakching there is dissension, which arose during elections. Shoupa moved the Area Council Members of Wanching, Chingtang, Chingphoi and Naginimara, to promote his election as Area Council Member. He stood for A.C.M. of Wakching, but was defeated for his own morung, Thepong, would not elect him as Village Council Member, and without being this he could not become Area Council Member. Then Shoupa, whose stepmother is of Chingtong, influenced the Ang of Chingtong. The Chingtong villagers unanimously made him Village Council Member and then Area Council Member. When Shoupa came to the Area Council he started covering the Wanching member. Wakching Village Council elected Shagang of Aukheang. He was Vice Chairman and is at present Vice Chairman. He was a pioneer Christian and evangelist. (He was the first man to wear shorts). The second A.C.M. from Wakching was Shangyu of Balang, an ex-M.L.A. Thus there were de facto three A.C.M. from Wakching, Shoupa being the third. When the Area Council council had to elect their representatives to the Regional Council there were two places but four candidates, namely:
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1. Shangyu (ex-M.L.A.) of Wakching
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2. Chingwang of Shiong
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3. Shoupa of Wakching
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4. Inyekong of Kongon village, who is settled in Naginimara.
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The voting is done by secret ballot and the highest votes were for:
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Chingwang (max. votes) and Shoupa. Shangyu took some votes from Chingwang and everyone has two votes. In the Regional Council Shoupa was not prepared for M.L.A. and he himself did not stand. Chingwang was elected. The others were:
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Tonglong of Tamlu
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Tingnei of Mon (who I met on the road - "he is a pakka gouda" who on the first day in the Assembly smashed the bench. Mongwei of Choha village.
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One of the former A.D.C.'s peon is now a member of the Regional Council. Each R.C.M. is entitled to keep two body guards paid by government. The political alignment in Wakching is:
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A Faction:
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a. Head Gaonbura, Thepong morung, Mingling; - within Thepong morung he is in the minority - he supports Shoupa.
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b. Punye, son of Tongba, who was Village Council Member, of Thepong.
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c. Yongang, "Razapiu" (of underground) of Wongong Range (including Wakching, Tamlu etc.) He surrendered to Bedi with his entire staff of 7, and office equipment (typewriter, rubber seals), Thepong.
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B Faction:
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a. Takai, vice-chairman of Town Committee, Naginimara, he stays in Naginimara but has his family and fields here, but does business in Naginimara. He takes a contract for the extraction of large stones from the river, Thepong.
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b. Yana of Thepong. Nearly 58-60 houses are supporting B Faction - Shoupa had a support of only 30 Wakching houses, but has more support from Bala. (Balang and Aukheang in support of Shayong, Vice-Chairman of Village Council.
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c. Shayang of Aukheang
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d. Shayong, Vice-Chairman
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e. Shangyo, ex L.M.A.
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Faction B all support Chingwang, the Minister.
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In village affairs the two factions oppose each other. B is stronger. As long as Shankok was alive A Faction was the stronger.
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There are 52 M.L.A. in the Assembly. They get 500/- pay plus Rs 200/- travel allowance. Daily allowance during sessions. Each has a jeep and driver and petrol, and each is entitled to a telephone. There is a speaker and deputy speaker, 6 Cabinet Ministers, 5 State Ministers, 6 Deputy Ministers.
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Cabinet Ministers:
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Chief Minister - Sema
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Dep. Minister - (Ao crossed out)
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Finance Minister: Ao
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2 Angamis
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1 Lhota
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1 Chang
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Chinwang, new Minister, has just graduated. As a special case became Upper Division Clerk, worked for a few months in the judicial department and stayed in a small rented house. Now a special bungalow has been built for him. New Ambassador car bought for him. He is married to an Ao girl who is a "hostess type" who has seen a lot of India. She married him only after he became a Minister.
