My concept of election is selection/choosing the right leader. Clean election campaign may be good but may not be the right term for action as focused. The focused intention or term I believe is Right election for right leader. The focus intention of election is to select the right leaders. The process does not imply but the fruit does matter. Leaders are chosen. Not claimed. People choose and elect their leaders representatives. Right people choose right leaders. Today our Naga society seems to contradict the truth. Leaders buy votes and win the authority to rule and ruin the people. The people become bought servants so compelled by the system of socio-political culture of buying and selling of votes to win the election. It is no more election. It is ‘buylection’.Should we blame the leaders or blame ourselves for the wrong and irresponsible leaders we have created? Basically, to be a leader taking risk for the society is a good decision. He/she being convicted his/her sense of responsibility for the good of the society is commendable. Barely citizens perceives the goodwill and aspect of candidates/leaders who take the risk and role of leadership, instead, citizens mostly complain, criticize and condemn the leaders they have selected and elected, and then blaming them of all the failures and problems of the society caused by irresponsible and crooks citizens. If at all we choose a leader, we ought to strengthen his hand and feet for doing good. It is wrong to blame but to create good thing to happen together with the elected leaders.
Wrong leaders are chosen by wrong people. Leaders are not chosen to be blamed for failures or wrongs because citizens don’t strengthen the leaders instead weakened by criticism, faultfinding and blaming for all the social failures. Leaders without the people behind to work with cannot do things right according to wishers. Even if he does right, it is wrong for the wrong people. Wrong people are only wishers and not doers. Our society may be defined as a society of wolves led by leaders of sheep. True hearted leaders are being elected and spoiled by the people. Is this not true? Democratically, we elect leaders only to be blamed, criticized, condemned and spoiled, the spoiled good leaders in return could not do good to the people but further spoil the people by his authority because he has no other way then to succumb to people’s pressure and temper, otherwise he would be branded as good for nothing. When human value and responsibility are not sensed, prioritized and practiced in all our decision and action, the end result is self-destruction and social downfall. In such an irresponsible society, citizens enslave themselves and remained under self-made bondage. Value-free person or society do not or cannot create free societies.
If we as citizens continue to think in term of demanding, complaining and expecting from the leaders without our contribution or understanding of the hardships and heavy responsibilities they shoulders who are we? In today’s political culture of our society, party politics are dominating the society with criticism, back biting, faultfinding and dragging each other persons and party down in order to gain or win the election. It has become a culture deeply embedded and characterized nature of the society. Whom shall we blame? The reality is that, any new elected leaders will be no better than the past or present, because the leaders may be good and right but the people are the same old stock of crooks led by brutes.
The new turn and trend for a better civilized generation could be to change himself and then change the society. Leaders are equally human and like any common citizen. It is no right and no use finding faults or failures of the leaders but to press on doing the right thing for which they are elected. I sensed that our society and people should re-look and rethink the way we live, act and choose our leaders. All we can start doing for a desire change to take place in our society is to begin changing from self to society and Nation through rebuilding of ones way of thinking and living by means of adopting valued-based culture and high moral activities like selfless service, feeling compassion for the needy, giving preference for one another, respect, tolerance, Peace and understanding of the need and feeling of others.
Changers’ League is a networking initiative of youths for positive change born of moral conviction of citizens whose heart and hands have been touched by the graces of service to humanity, whose conscience speaks sharp within to act out the truth in shaping and building a better social order and global order. Readers may reach out to members of Changers’ League through the given electronic mail.
G Gwangphun
Secretary, Changers’ League and social research activist
(For any comment or query contact changers@gmail.com)
