Morung Express News
Kohima | November 2
As Nagaland State goes to bye-poll for the Assembly Constituencies of 14-Southern Angami-I and 60-Pungro-Kiphire on November 3, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), which has been advocating ‘Clean Election’ for several years, has appealed “for calm and peaceful atmosphere during the bye-elections in the two constituencies.”
Speaking to The Morung Express on the eve of the elections, Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho, General Secretary, NBCC said, “The church appeals to the voters as well as the candidates in the two constituencies to maintain decency.”
Stating that ‘whenever election comes around, our people get involved as if our votes don't matter, and we are quick to settle for self-gratification, forgetting our future,’ he emphasized that “one vote cast in all honesty can make a big difference.”
“As the voters face the day, we appeal to the conscience of the voters to vote right and with honor. An opportunity at hand should not be missed to do what is right”, he asserted.
Calling upon voters ‘to consciously cast their votes without fear and influence’, Co-convenor of the NBCC Clean Election Committee, Vikuo Rhi strongly maintained that “Election must be looked at from the perspective of long-term and not short-term gratification. Your one single vote counts and will determine a better tomorrow.”
Impressing upon that all sorts of corruption stem from elections, which eventually affects everything, he urged for voting right. “Roads in Nagaland can be a lot better,” he cited as an instance. He substantiated this by saying that because candidates spend so much during elections, they are not able to focus on development once they are voted to power.
In these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, he also added that the lack of proper infrastructure in our hospitals or some of the government schools which look no better than ‘cowsheds’ have been revealed. He indicated that all of these setbacks can be traced back to corruption during elections.
With clean election, he maintained that Nagaland can pave the way for all round development in the state.
He also highlighted that on October 22, NBCC interacted with the three candidates of the 14-Southern Angami-I- Kikovi Kirha, NPF, Medo Yhokha, NDPP and Seyievilie Peter Zashümo, Independent at the ABCC Mission Centre Kohima, and briefed them with the principles of Clean Election ideals and prayed for them.
In the midst of the pandemic, he said, NBCC could not physically do the same for the candidates of the 60-Pungro-Kiphire but however expressed that they have communicated with the church leaders in Kiphire with regard to it.
“We regret that we could not go around the two constituencies that are going to poll tomorrow because of the prevailing situation,” he expressed but once again appealed “for calm and peaceful atmosphere till the result is declared.”
