Some of those who voted YES had this to say:
• Yes. But the politician is listening to only the wrong voices!
• Yes, but hopeless. Hear on the one side and slip away on the other.
• Yes, they are listening to the common people’s voices – to get ideas about sugar coating election manifestos. Hmmmmmpf … politicos!
• The politicians are only hearing what they want to hear and what they are told. Unfortunately, the Naga public is not very good at speaking their hearts out to politicians and people of authority. Naga public has a tendency of only saying that that will please the politicians and massage their ego. So, they politicians are only hearing pleasing things, not the real truth, and that is the problem.
Some of those who voted NO had this to say:
• No, politicians listen before elections and forget after elections. Billions of money pumped into our Christian state since statehood. Darkness, corruption, cattletracks, ghostpitals, educational sheds, waterseller supply, etc. etc. ‘Politicians Shining’ should be the slogan this 2008 election. Will things every change and when?
• It mainly depends upon the person who is in politics. Generally, most of the politicians do not interfere on the causes of common people because if they involve, they have to fight against a rich man, industrialist or any other influential person which he does not normally like because of lot of favors they are getting from these people, unless there is better benefit.
• No, the voices of the common people are not listened to. Our Naga politicians can hear only the voice of money and the jingle of coins but are dead to the cries of our people.
• No, because common people have no money to buy politicians or other officials. Our leaders have no passion for people.
• No, the politicians are busy trying to get elected that they forget to listen to the voices of the people, who are supposed to elect them. In Nagaland money talks, and so everyone else listens. Only money talks during the elections, so politicians don’t listen to anyone.
• They do not have much time to hear from common man.
• Most are interested in their own personal gains.
• We are yet to have a breed of people that take to politics to bring change. Its always just been a way of making money...
• Not at all. They listen only to the influential because of favouritism
• If the politicians indeed paid attention to what the common people were saying, there would be efforts to improve the society.
• They are basically lacking in ideological conviction rather they are driven by self interest and profit maximization, it is my utter disbelief that such present politicians can cause political instability and chaos in government and governance as they lack in common good.
• Money talks, talks is cheap, so no one listens to the common man, since the politicians are in politics for the money, not for the common man, or to serve their nation, only there pockets, or why pay for the votes and change parties
• When the politicians don’t even meet the common people, the question of listening to their voices does not arise. Its funny, the politicians expect the people to come to them, rather than they going to the people. In Nagaland, everything is upside down.
• The common public is too oppressed and are not strong enough to voice their opinions.
• Many of them have no doctrine and philosophy of political life. hence people oriented welfare schemes are absent in them.
• Politicians are accountable to their political bosses and not the people directly
• They listen but don’t put into practice
• They listen to their own agenda's voice first. Then comes the family and khandan's voices.
Some of those who voted Maybe had this to say:
• Only for the time being. Politicians have the best ears. It goes inside very well and comes out as soon as it gets in.
• The public perhaps is concern about issues during the other times BUT just before elections are held, a vast majority especially in the peripheries are out to make easy money. What then are the candidates expected to do.
