Dr Keviseto kintso President, Kohima District, National People's PartyThe public is tired. Tired of hearing the same slogans for years - “Amicable Naga political solution is coming” and “Change is coming.” For how long will we survive on slogans? What the Naga society needs today is not another press statement on the political solution, but basic amenities. We want roads that work in monsoon, water in our taps, jobs for our youth, hospitals with doctors, and schools with teachers. These are not big demands, these are the minimum duties of any government.But under the present government regime, we are forced to ask, how far and how long will this promised change in the form of development take to reach the doorstep of the common public? The only change that has truly arrived under the government led by Neiphiu Rio is the model of an oppositionless government. The politics of poaching, of bringing every legislator under submission, of making everyone say yes. The result is that we have an Assembly full of always yes legislators. There are no questions because there is no opposition left. We have to ask ourselves, is this democracy? Is this the change we were promised?For too long, the tactics have been the same. Whenever the public asks a genuine question about our roads, our schools, our hospitals, or about funds, the government does not answer the public. Rather, it pressures the apex tribal bodies to silence the public. A phone call is made, a leader is summoned, and suddenly a statement comes out supporting the government. This has become the all-time tactic of suppression. When the apex bodies are made to keep quiet, the entire Naga society is made to keep quiet. This is the danger.Therefore, the public and the tribal apex bodies/ Student bodies must rise before the silence becomes permanent. The time has come for the public to rise up, not with violence, but with a clear and democratic voice, to push the government for what is rightfully ours. We must find the courage to ask without fear: Where are our roads? Where are our teachers and doctors? Where is the transparency on funds meant for our development? If the government of the day is truly for change, it should not be afraid of questions. And a public that wants real change should not be afraid to ask.It is high time the Naga public realises the danger of sailing together on a sinking ship under an outdated captain, with an erratic compass pointing its direction to end nowhere. The state cannot continue like this. The blind acceptance of the famous slogan “change is coming” must stop, and in return, change of the entire system must be brought in place.