Dimapur, Dec. 20 (EMN): The moral came from a high ranking government official: Learn honesty and accountability from the recent Mizoram assembly elections. The secretary for Finance & Land Resources Y Kikheto Sema believes that the Mizoram elections are a worthy allegory to provoking students in Kiphire to think about the link between corruption and lack of development.
The officer addressed the silver jubilee celebrations of the Kiphire-Tuensang District Sumi Students’ Union (KTDSSU), on Dec. 19 at Sitimi village, in Kiphire district.
The officer cited the recent assembly elections in Mizoram, and talked about his interaction with a winning candidate in the 40-seat Mizoram Legislative Assembly, the updates stated. Sema was stated to have told the students that in Mizoram, all the candidates spent within the stipulated amount of expenditure in accordance with norms set by the Election Commission: INR 28 lakh. It was also stated that church workers accompanied the political candidates to ensure free and fair polls, and that the expenditure was within norms.
‘This should be an example for the whole country in general and Nagas in particular, to elect quality leaders. 40 winning candidates of Mizoram would have spent about Rs. 11.20 crore, which is far less than the expenditure of a single candidate in Nagaland. As such how could we compare socio-economic development with that of Mizoram state?’ the speaker told the gathering. He urged the youth to bring change in the electioneering process by pledging to ‘clean’ elections in letter and spirit “in line with that of Mizoram model.”
Sema also talked about the “Sumi-Sangtam issue,” the press release stated. There should be frank and open discussions so that the issue would be settled ‘with prayers and reconciliation.’
Another matter that the secretary talked about was that of celebrating something without understanding it meaning. He remarked that Nagaland—a “land of associations”—celebrates one too many jubilees, and little attention is paid to its meaning, which he said was to ‘forgive and forget,’ take stock of the situation, and to move forward for a better future.
‘With the number of jubilees celebrated in the state, if all are celebrated in true letter and spirit, all the pending issues and cases pertaining to our land should have been solved,’ a press release from the KTDSSU on Thursday stated.
‘There is a sad thought that all the jubilees celebrated in this Christian state are just mere celebrations in words and not for the heart. The pioneers’ vision was not to divide or bring disunity in our society,’ he was quoted as having said.
In the olden days, he said, people who bring evil and conflict in the society by bearing false witness, spreading rumours, lies and propaganda were labelled “old women.” Today, it is the men, particularly the elders and the leaders who have taken over this mantle from ‘the old women,’ Y Kikheto Sema.
Further, he said, the use of mobile technology instead of being constructive has brought division in among families and society. He urged the people to develop an attitude of positivity, to create opportunities for development, and bring peace and unity.
