Presbyterian Church of India appeals voters in Meghalaya, Nagaland
Shillong, February 25 (MExN): As Meghalaya and Nagaland go to the polls on February 27, the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) based in Shillong has reminded the voters in the two States neither to “fall into being purchased for votes through clandestine and covert monetary distribution” nor “allow to be intimidated, coerced or threatened to vote for a particular candidate and/ political party.”
“It is your privilege and responsibility to cast your vote without fear, without intimidation, without enticement,” stated a press release from Rev. G.S. Lyttan, PCI Administrative Secretary I/c Communications.
The Church noted that taking part in the periodical elections to Parliament, State Assemblies and District/ Autonomous/ Village Councils is one very important participation in representative democracy for “we are sending people to make laws and policies on our behalf and to ensure that development, progress, economic and social security, equitable justice are the portions of all, irrespective of gender, caste, religion, culture, ethnicity and region.”
Meanwhile, it cautioned that what is happening to Christians in other parts of India should be a cause of grave concern for the followers of Jesus Christ living in the three States of North East – Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland – where Christians are the majority community.
“And as a 1.5 million member Church, the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) shares the pain and agony that our brethren and fellow believers feel and undergo every moment of their life as they try to live out the teachings of Jesus Christ and spend time with Him in meditation and worship,” it added.
PCI quoted the annual report of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) for the year 2017 entitled Hate and Targeted Violence against Christians in India, “The year 2017 has been one of the most traumatic for the Christian community in India since the mass targeted violence of the Kandhamal pogrom in 2007 and 2008. The Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIRLC) documented at least 351 cases of violence in 2017, by no means an exhaustive compilation as it is based on voluntary reporting and civil society investigations. Most cases go unreported either because of the victim is terrified or the police, especially in the northern states, just turn a blind eye and refuse to record the mandatory First Information Report.”
The PCI press release lamented, “Alas, governments turn a blind eye to all these atrocities and instead, use public money to denounce Christianity in the open while the Centre shrugs off its responsibility by classifying that such activities are law and order issues and fall within the gambit of State Governments.”
Meanwhile, it said the XXIII General Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) which met in Bengaluru during February 2-8, under the Section, Understanding Authentic Nationalism and Constitutional Secularism, stated, “Any attempt to promote nationalism based on any one particular culture or religion is a dangerous position. It may lead to uniformity but never to genuine unity. Such misconceived efforts can only lead our nation on the path of self-annihilation. Mono-culturalism has never been and can never be the right answer to the quest for peace, progress and development, especially in a country like ours that has a rich diversity of culture, language, region and religion...Authentic nationalism respects the human dignity of every citizen, regardless of one's economic status, culture, religion, region or language.
“In the light of the aforementioned, how will we respond appropriately is the question? How will we express our solidarity with the unfortunate victims of majoritarianism and hate?” PCI questioned, adding “We have to act responsibly as indicated in the Aims and Objectives of NUCF.”
Few of the aims and objectives of National United Christian Forum (NUCF), it mentioned, are: To dispel the prejudices created against the Christians and other minority communities and to actively engage in the promotion of better relationships between the communities; To encourage and actively promote the prophetic engagement of the Church in the socio-political economic life of the nation; To respond to specific instances of atrocities against the Christian community and other minority communities; To safeguard and promote human rights…; To make meaning interventions in areas of policy making/opinion shaping and to make appropriate representations before the government and other concerned bodies on issues as mentioned above.
