Everybody knows that electoral malpractice is the root cause of all that ails Naga society today. In theory, elections make democracy work but the reality is that electoral malpractice and misconduct has defeated the very ideals of democracy at least here in Nagaland.
The manner in which elections are held in Nagaland is a mockery of democracy. If one is to make a list of the negative impacts of electoral malpractice, it would literally run into pages. However, to say that electoral malpractice is the root cause of all other evils pegs the very pertinent question of who is to be held responsible for it.
Many concerned citizens led by the church have been voicing and actively campaigning against electoral malpractice. The clean election movement spearheaded by the church is of late getting more steam. We have been receiving updates from the Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) and the Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC) on a regular basis initiating various clean election campaigns.
Apart from the two church bodies, there must be others who are on the same mission whose updates this newspaper has not been receiving. A student body is also reported to be leading from the front at Shamator Chessore Assembly Constituency in the campaign against electoral malpractice. How far these campaigns will prove to be effective can only be seen in due course of time but the fact that they are making some concrete moves is commendable to say the least.
In Mokokchung, elections are often marred with violence. Unaccounted amounts of money running into crores of rupees are spent every election cycle. There is evidence proving that candidates in Mokokchung spend the highest amount of money during elections in Nagaland. Now, it is seen that one of the biggest reasons why upright citizens stay away from politics, let alone contest elections, is because of the overwhelming electoral malpractices.
There simply is no way for an ordinary citizen to contest and win an election if he or she does not have money – either one’s own or a sponsor’s. In such a situation, it is only natural that hopelessness, despair and complacency become the norm. This brings us to the question of who is to be held responsible as posed above. Is it the church’s responsibility to ensure clean elections? Is it the press? Is it the political parties? What about the candidates? What about the voters? There is no one to be blamed.
Everyone is equally complicit in the crime here. Judging by the way elections are held in Nagaland, it won’t be a surprise if the clean election campaign itself is used as a political tool by some individuals to further their agenda. That is how bad things have become.