Imkong Walling
As a juvenile, politics was thought of as anything but noble. This juvenile belief, accumulated largely from overhearing grownups discussing about the prevailing electoral practice, was challenged in high school when a teacher of political science set it straight, telling his class that politics was actually a concept and process of governance, and that it was actually the people, who are adulterating it.
The teacher’s assertion rang true when as a voter and as an adult, the brand of electoral politics practiced in Nagaland was experienced. The culprits were indeed the people and continue being so.
It was like a trip down memory lane reading almost the exact same words in the news recently. “Politics is not dirty; it is us who are making politics dirty because we have the wrong ambition, and use the wrong means to govern people. Politics is not dirty and it should not be misused,” Dr Villo Naleo, Convenor of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council’s Clean Election Movement was quoted stating at the launch of the campaign on August 6 in Kohima.
It is obvious as to the factors and causes ailing the electoral system. It needs no spelling out. The greater challenge though is the question of belling the cat and how to achieve it?
Among others, the foremost requirement would be rising above broadly worded commentaries and picking directly at the causes.
First would be to dispel deeply ingrained misconceptions or misplaced sense of morality and atonement. One example is getting a job through illegal means while praying for the Almighty’s grace to make the illegal endeavour successful.
Another is a delusional notion of atonement— God-fearing people siphoning tons of public funds and not only getting away but also feeling atoned by way of giving ill-gotten money to charity or to religious causes. In this misconceived universe of self-atonement, “all’s right with the world” so long as one gives.
And then there is the culture of making heroes out of proxy-voters and muscle-men, who capture polling booths and voter IDs.
There are more, one of which is a mistaken belief that Ministers and MLAs have limitless reserves of money. Thus giving rise to a tradition of maintaining a large retinue, including but not limited to multiples personal assistants from the constituency, village-wise. This implies the legislators having to keep the main agents happy, which translates into making more money by any means.
It becomes an endless loop of give and take, where personal interest holds sway over the greater public interest like good roads, water, reliable health care, efficient educational facilities and so on.
Ending this loop of wrongs would not only require God-fearing candidates but also principled ones, who have the courage to say no to ‘vote for cash.’ It also demands the voters to give electoral contenders a fair chance to prove their worth and not putting a price tag on ballots.
It is a two-way process and would be a long drawn out undertaking, one election at a time. There would always be another election for the voters to express their feelings if the candidates they voted to office failed on their aspirations.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
