Moa Jamir
Yet again, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), the apex body of the dominant Baptist churches in Nagaland, has sounded the clean election campaign for the State Assembly election to be held tentatively in 2018.
In a rare departure, while launching the clean election campaign (CEC) on July 22, the NBCC General Secretary, Dr. Zelhou Keyho admitted to a group of students that the Church, though not the custodian, was “responsible” for a clean election and “we have not carried out that responsibility well.”
Under the theme, “The impact of our birthright,’ the campaign expects to cover all districts with the objective of urging the citizens to stop corrupt practices of electioneering in Nagaland.
Incidentally, a similar campaign was launched in 2011 for the 12th Assembly election in 2013. “The idea to have pastors praying at polling booths came to us after a pastor in Phek district offered prayers at a booth and then stayed at the booth all day in 2008,” the then NBCC convenor of the campaign’s working committee told The Hindu. “The presence of the pastor pricks the proxy voter’s conscience.”
Subsequently, the NBCC issued 13 guidelines to follow while voting devised "on the basis of Constitutional rights, the democratic spirit and Christian values" ranging from non-acceptance of bribe to honour individual right and freedom of choice; to vote for god-fearing, principled and capable candidates; to disallow multiple voting and proxy voting and so on.
With the state of affairs the election has produced, this time around, reactions to the NBCC’s admission and call for clean election are mixed – from utter cynicism to instant admiration.
Many feel that the churches’ conspicuous silence on many issues is directly or indirectly aiding corrupt activities and hindering other developmental matters the state sorely requires. The cynicism has gone to the extent of questioning the use of politicians and bureaucrats on church’s platform.
However, a church regular would say such criticisms are sweeping generalisation. The churches too voice out but often it’s the individual who refuses to change.
Come election, the church often becomes hapless spectators as its flocks immerse themselves in money, booze and politics.
Again, elections in Nagaland are a dicey matter. Apart from the personal configuration, tribal, clan and village dynamics among others play a huge part. The presence of non-state actors also complicates the matters. It affects each level of the electoral politics.
This is the biggest stumbling block to campaign against corruption or clean election.
That Nagaland saw 15 different Chief Ministers in the first three decades of Statehood (1963-1993), interspersed with three presidents' rule speaks volume of the complexities and intricacies the state is haplessly endowed with.
At a recent consultative meeting in April organised by State Election Commission, the misuse and manipulation of election pledge where leaders sign up the pledge for the entire village were prominently highlighted. Sometimes the village council decides the candidate based on the best viability.
Another is the issue of inflated electoral roll, recently argued by ACAUT as the “root cause of all corruption in the state.”
A sustained campaign by NBCC is a way forward, but unless there are changes at individual level manifesting into a societal change, the problem will continue to plague the Naga society for a long time to come.
For any comment, drop a line to moajamir@live.com
