Morung Express News
Jotsoma | January 29
Following the forced withdrawal of his candidature, Rev. Dr. Mazie Nakhro confronted the scourge of the increasing ‘clanism’ in Naga society during a public meeting on January 29 at the Kohima Science College, Jotsoma junction. Clanism suppresses other people’s rights and freedom in the name of clan, he declared at the meeting.
Nakhro, who had come back to Nagaland after settling down in the United States for 27 years, had declared his candidature on April 18, 2017, to the reverends of Angami Baptist Church Council, and further to ACAUT Nagaland on May 6, 2017, to run for the election on an anti-corruption platform.
The sole purpose of running for the election, he asserted, was not to be ‘a politician but to sow the seed of change in Naga society.’
“We need to stand for a sense of justice. I want to work not for my clan, or my village, or my tribe but for the greater good of Naga society. I was under no one’s influence,” said Nakhro while narrating the incidents that led to the withdrawal of his candidature.
After announcing his candidature to the Jotsoma village council, he was told to visit each khel in the village. “But certain clan members began negative campaign behind my back aggressively sought someone else to replace me and finally came up with a so called consensus candidate,” claimed Nakhro.
Narrating the chain of events, he informed that on January 25, he was woken up at around 10 pm, by some youth demanding to meet him despite repeated refusal from him.
Around 13 youth gathered within his property, and started knocking in his bedroom door and window, hurling verbal insults him, Nakhro maintained.
Subsequently, after announcing intention to fight the election through a video clip, Nakro withdrew his candidature. Addressing the public meeting, Nakhro appealed to the youth to be exemplary by signing an agreement not to support clanism.
“This is important so that the bad image of his clan can be removed and so that they can show to other fellow Nagas that they too need to confront their problem of clanism and learn to avoid it,” he opined.
“Clanism has been the obstacle for me. Gone are the people who were brave and courageous for the right reason,” said Nakhro.
While the young are made the leaders today, he also expressed sadness over “the growing arrogance among the young and the disrespect for elders.”
Nakhro further lamented that the leadership among youth has been reduced to simply ‘one who can speak English well, own a vehicle and a few buildings with a certain connection with one politician or the other’.
“We should be better because our ancestors were better than us. I have no fear to lose my life for a just cause. For a just Naga cause, I am ready to give my life,” he added.
