Breaking the Cycle

Politics may not evoke much interest among the public at the moment, but political parties and netas will have already started preparing for the battle, with elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly just one-and-a-half years away. For politicians, this is the time to make amends with rivals as well as estranged party workers, reconnect with people in their constituencies, and make a final bid to fulfil their election promises. For the electorate, this is the right time to reflect on what the government and their representatives have done so far and what they have failed to do after being given the mandate to speak for them. It is also an opportunity to examine what is ailing society and why, what has worked and what has not, and so on. This is also the right time to critically assess the electoral process in the state and arrive at a standpoint that can serve as a guideline for the future, lest we be blinded by several factors, including emotional attachments, when the polls draw near. But there must be someone to keep these crucial issues in the public discourse, and the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has played that role for decades, consistently leading the way in reigniting discussion on the need to curb electoral malpractices that have taken root in our social fabric. The council has once again revived the Clean Election Movement (CEM), a campaign it spearheaded decades ago to educate people and raise awareness about the importance of free and fair elections. It has succeeded in raising awareness that practices such as vote trading, intimidation, and proxy voting are not only wrong but also undemocratic. But for meaningful change to take place, it must begin from within—from each individual.

For once, we must stop blaming the government and politicians for all the ills in our society, take responsibility, and ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions about our own integrity. When we talk about electoral malpractices, the use of money power often comes to the fore. On this count, we too must accept our share of the blame, because the selling of votes cannot take place in a vacuum. Politicians spend crores to buy votes during elections because there are takers. It takes two to tango. And it would be naive to believe that they will not try to recover what they have spent. Those who sell their votes do not merely sell their ballots; they also surrender the moral right to question their representatives when corruption and poor governance persist. It should therefore come as no surprise that we remain trapped in a vicious cycle of underdevelopment, unemployment, and poverty. Then there are other corrupt practices—bogus voters, multiple entries, and proxy voting—that our society has knowingly allowed to continue. It is also important to ask whether individuals, particularly women and young people, are truly free to vote for candidates of their choice without pressure or influence from village councils, clans, and families. A clean election will remain a myth without political freedom. And that freedom must begin at home.