Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 29
The Clean Election Campaign being spearheaded by the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has a series of working structures and plans of action in order to facilitate its successful implementation.
The committees at different levels have been asked to “translate, adapt and develop additional strategies based on needs and dynamics of the local context.”
The NBCC Clean Election Campaign Core Committee will call for a consultative meeting with the denominational heads in Nagaland, seeking their support in clean election campaign and encourage the different denominations to organize clean election campaign within their own denominational level and disseminate the NBCC-CEC materials to their constituent members.
Duties of state level core committee for CEC
The duties of state level core committees for CEC will be to come up with strategies and help train master trainers for the council/associations, organize seminars/workshops at state level, meet and sensitize all political parties and candidates, meet different Naga political groups and sensitize them, meet government machinery and impress upon them to carry forward the capacity building activities earnestly well ahead of time and at the same time conduct the election process right instead of just rushing to complete it.
The duties will also be in the form of initiating common platforms for all candidates and party workers in the state level as well as constituencies to facilitate dialogue and constructive debate, organize creative arts (painting, audio-visual, posters, slogans etc) exercise, involve representative from Election Commission in strategic church initiated platforms and events, rope in association/NBCC run theological colleges and seminaries into the fray, engage legal experts to scrutinize all components (Theoretical framework and practical implication) of NBCC clean election campaign, disseminate electioneering laws and relevant sections in Indian constitution (pertaining to election law) into vernaculars, CEC Core Committee to write to Chief Election Officer Nagaland and promote Christian values and ethics, and safeguard its tradition of liberty and equality of all human beings as created in the image of God.
Duties of District/Association Forum for CEC
The duties of District/Association Forum for CEC will be; to sensitize church leaders, frontal organizations, political parties, national workers, administrators, and intending candidates; interact with the sitting MLAs in the district and highlight the failure and success of the last election; come up with relevant ethics and conduct of CEC in their own Association; evolve clear guidelines for their own members/churches; produce context-relevant material and adapt/translate the resources given by NBCC and disseminate them under clear supervision; promote awareness campaign through print and social media, signing of CE pledge card; empower local leadership of CEC in district and association levels through capacity building orientation.
Other duties includes initiating rigorous consultations with leaders from all fronts, inclusive of political parties, churches, NGOs, NPGs, pressure groups, student bodies, village panchayats etc., to effectively implement CEC-responsibilities be delegated to sub-working groups within the core committee pool, such as-literature, representation to state election and ECI, media and advertisement, creative arts, good finance etc, empower CEC members in associational levels to conscientize NPGs, mobilize youth wing (neutral body, church youth) to disseminate the CE agenda and monitor its implementation, conscientize educational institutions at all levels-middle school to university with the intention to inspiring visionary leadership, initiate common platforms or all candidates and party workers in the state level as well as constituencies to facilitate dialogue and constructive debate, erect billboards in key locations (cities, towns, and villages) clearly stating “Dos and Don’ts,” organize creative arts (painting, audio –visual, posters, slogans etc.) exercise, involve representatives from Election Commission in strategic church initiated platforms and events, rope in association/NBCC run theological colleges and seminaries into the fray.
