K Thong (Achilo)
The initiation of clean election campaign by churches organizations, political parties and NGOs to prevent filthy practice of sale and purchase of votes is a good beginning. The intention is a goodwill mission to reform ill electoral practice in Nagaland. Launching and fighting for clean elections indicates that there has been prolong practice of dirty elections which is cheap and dirty form of politics. Dirty elections are prevalent because our social set-ups are corrupt. Corruption penetrated the political and electoral system and entered the entire social systems. Dirty election is a part of dirty politics. Politics means practical politics which is associated with the governance and development of a country. Ours is a democratic politics in which power is derived from the people and the ultimate power rests with them. Democracy was born out of the demand for liberty, equality and justice for the people. However, unfortunately, these democratic principles have been exploited. It is said that politics is a dirty game. However, politics itself is not dirty but the people have dirtied it. Dirty elections or selling and buying votes, use of money power, use of muscle power, rigging and manipulation of polling booth during elections is one of the many social evils in practice. This has led to commercialization of elections and gross corruption. People are indulged in corruption or unfair means in daily life in public offices, business establishments, market places, religious places, NGOs, educational institutions and the likes. We have political corruption, bureaucratic corruption, technocratic corruption, departmental corruption, social corruption, commercial corruption and so on.
People are compelled to pay even to obtain signature and exorbitant price for application form in the government offices. Money is collected at check posts. Taxes are being levied everywhere. Students are compelled to pay exorbitant fees for education and hostels. Thus, there is no need to feel astonished to see welfare politics vanishing from this democratic system of government. Great men in power have excavated everything possible and left the people at their own risk.
Criminalization of politics is the worst form of filthy politics which has murdered democracy in India. Politics and crimes have operated together. The undue nexus between politicians and bureaucrats and acceptance of admission of criminals into the political system for power and proper control of government affairs has led to weakening of governing machinery and severe exploitation of vulnerable. Involvement of anti-socials and use of money and muscle power in the elections originated from mega cities and spread to Nagaland and gradually and negatively transformed the electoral pattern in the Naga society diversified with tribalism. Corruption was not known during the fragile stage of Nagaland statehood. Corruption is now an epidemic disease that has infested the Naga society deep down the roots. Corruption is a social evil infected from politics and the runners of government. Some elite predecessors had instead of establishing the Naga society based on moral values, social ethos and Christian principles chosen the path of exemplary corruption. These days everyone is running after easy money and backdoor opportunities. Nagas have failed to cultivate the dignity of labor because the seed of corruption has scattered and sprouted in every domain of their life. The successful politicians and public or government servants have robbed off everything from the people and everything that is theirs and have not spared them even a piece of bone. But are still not satisfied and want to grab more and more. They have turned blind and deaf towards grievances of farmers, patients, unemployed, villagers, farmers, travellers, poor, vulnerable, students and old people. The groaning voice of these people must have reached the Almighty God and He must be angry on them for their callous attitude. They have sown the seed of systematic corruption in Nagaland. Some manage to hold positions in various organizations and mismanage the affairs after retirement.
It is unfortunate that persons with money power are opted for number one posts even in social organizations while honest and capable persons are sidelined and denied. Money power has destroyed everything in Nagaland. However, it would be better to elect selfless, capable and visionary persons and not money power to lead the society at various levels as better social change is impossible without them.
Fund can be extended by both the rich and poor for just cause. There is no inner democracy in most of the Naga social set-ups like unions, councils, hohos, associations and committees. Since the control of organizations is determined by money power, capable persons without money power are not the first preference. The source of money power is corruption. This is the reason why many lowly learnt persons have occupied the highest positions failing to provide minimum quality service but creating maximum confusion and rampant corruption in the society. Some intend to run organizations by using more capable persons as secretaries. This is how money power is manipulating the society. This chaos has led to sarcasm in the society where facts are twisted inventing right is wrong and wrong is right situation. In some cases the errant has more supporters and the innocent is sarcastically defeated and so the just is silenced. This is how the erroneous people take the upper hand. Nagas have sufficient number of intellectuals who do not intend or ask to hold or chase any position in any social organization. That means most of the organizations are not run by intellectuals or proper intellectuals but by ignorant, power thirsty and corrupt minded. All the organizations have good aims and objects or objectives to promote the welfare of the targeted and needy people. Organizational power is also misused for suppression. It appears that most of the promoters want power, fame and money and use the good names of the organizations to fulfill their greed but are not serious to serve and achieve the laid down objectives. While passing through this juncture of chaos and confusion, intellectuals need to support each other and take the opportunity to set things right in the sick society if they really think that they have the desire and vision for the people.
There are thousands of Christian denominations and every church or church organization has its own way of propagating faith. So which denomination shall we follow? We shall follow the Church or the Bible? All the Christians including Church leaders and workers better properly follow the New Testament Bible, the real preacher for all. The teaching, preaching, instructions, commandments and guidance provided for mankind in it are perfect. There should be integrity in preaching, teaching, speaking, conducting, writing and practice in a person if he/she is a true Christian preacher. If a preacher does not have this integrity, then he cannot be a true Christian preacher. Christians should not be neutral between the just and wrong or good and bad. But openly speak out the truth and favor the right and good or disfavor the wrong and bad so that evil is defeated. Jesus Christ was straightforward and he always spoke the truth and against the bad and evils of the world. Lukewarm church prevails everywhere and is not ready for repentance and commits injustice to its members and Christianity. Church remains a mute spectator when the righteous is subjugated. It is disheartening to see Naga Christian leaders preferring to stay aloof or maintaining neutrality when they are obliged to speak out the truth for the right sake. Thus they are committing act of omission by refusing to fight a battle of truth against the lie. Remove hypocrisy from the house of God and prayer. Beware the Almighty God Lord Jesus Christ warns.
It is obvious that corruption is indulged by the highest level and the most powerful force down to the lowest grass root level. Under the present miserable condition people yearn for a better change. Is clean election possible without reforming the society? When corruption prevails everywhere in the society, how can clean election take place? Dirty elections reflect corrupt practice in the society. How can a room be cleaned by washing a trouser only when everything inside is dirty? It is possible to abolish corruption because the highest and the most powerful force in India, the central government, has already initiated the task of eliminating corruption and the process has begun under the BJP led NDA government and under the leadership of the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. The government is the highest agency of change without which no better social change can truly happen. Once corruption and social evils are removed from public life, there will be clean election. It is possible to achieve clean elections but this is a complicated task and cannot be achieved overnight. All the people of the state should cooperate, play their role and put efforts to liberate Nagaland from the slavery of corruption for the sake of the younger generation.
