I have heard people have agreed to clean election campaign launched by NBCC and various Church organizations. At Pfutsero under CBCC sponsored meeting, over 1,600 Church Workers and Baptist Members signed a pledge to adhere to Clean Election. Every Pastor is delivering sermon on clean election. People understand, there is a need of clean election.
However, I have heard from political workers across all 11 District that nobody believes clean election can really happen. I have heard leaders from Villages - They also do not believe that either clean election or clean Electoral Roll can happen. I have heard from all sections of people including those who have signed the pledge that even after signing, they do not believe it can really happen. Even the preacher himself does not believe clean election, when we talk to them outside the Church. This is the true Nagaland.
Nagas have changed from honest society to dishonest society. Past Naga generations have paid with their lives to stand for honesty. They did not betray the noble political movement. The dishonest were penalised and they lived with a mark of disgrace. They lost dignity, respect and trust. Today, the environment of our society is filled with marks of corruption and bribery. People who have amassed wealth from unknown sources are respected.
How to change this corrupt environment into an honest society is the trying time for the people of Nagaland today. In my considerate view, the people of Nagaland must realise that religion and administration must work together as it was in the past. In the past, Village Chiefs were the sole authority. The Village Chief commanded both religion and public order. Once the Village Chief spelt out, it became the forbidden law for every citizen. No one dared to violate or challenge the authority. It was peaceful within the Village.
In the past leaders were self-content and worked hard. They fed people and gave them shelter in difficult times. They protected society and the village from enemies. Today our leaders are well dressed but without a source of income. They live with big designations and name plates but depend on others for their style and livelihood. We have to realise that beggars are not leaders.
In all consideration, there are four elements that need to change to give clean election and they are:
Village/Urban Local bodies, ward and polling station wise administrators
Government employees
Security forces
Each individual must choose the spirit of religion to lead life, society and government.
What I want to suggest here is that, Religion and Administration must go together. Village Councils and Urban bodies must now function with religion as a moral guide.
Secondly, Government employees should not fail society any more in enforcing election law. We want them to be strong. It is they who allow corrupt electoral practices like proxy voting, booth capturing, unidentified voters, underage voters, etc.
Presiding officers have magisterial power and can arrest any wrong doers on the spot or detain any voter if so deemed. They can cancel election. Security is provided to enforce and protect the law. Third, deployed security do have their own role to play without being told to do so. They should not be limited to see that people don’t fight before them. They should stop allowing booth capturing and proxy voters to jump the queue which disables genuine voters from voting. They should identify that the person in the perimeter is a genuine voter possessing Voter Photo ID and does not have dangerous weapons that may distort peaceful polling.
Fourth, the Corrupt environment that covers Nagaland is a silent war that is killing the souls and future of Nagaland. It is a war within each person’s mind between evil spirits and angels.
