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Chapter Twenty-seven. Return to Nagaland |
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political contests and new governmental structures |
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The whole idea of elections and indirect representation on bodies representing relatively large areas is novel to Konyak Nagas, and it is surprising that the system seems to work reasonably smooth. (251) It is inevitable, however, that competition for seats on the Area Council and District Regional Council tends to bring about the rise of factions within a village. Moreover, men ambitious for political advancement look beyond the confines of their village, and if they cannot command the support of their own co-villagers they may woo other villages represented on the same Area Council. Such a case arose in Wakching. A wealthy man whose own morung failed to nominate him for the village council, engineered his election as their representative by the people of a neighbouring village with which he had kinship ties, and from the position of member of the Area Council he advanced by skilful diplomacy to the position of member of the District Regional Council. |
