CEO conducts state-level seminar on clean election

DIMAPUR — As part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative, the office of the Chief Election Officer (CEO) conducted a state-level seminar on clean elections with participants from various church associations in Nagaland on Tuesday at De Oriental Grand, Kohima.

The purpose of the seminar was to help augment the ongoing clean election movement of the NBCC and to provide a platform where there was an exchange of information and ideas to take the movement forward, an update from the office of the Chief Election Officer stated.

In his introductory address, Ruokuovituo Khezhie, CEO (officiating), stressed the importance of having a clean and clear electoral roll, which is the only document to prove the authenticity of a voter.

He also expressed that SVEEP is one of the flagship programmes of the ECI to create awareness about the registration of names in the electoral roll and ensure an ethical, informed, and inclusive election.

He hoped that with the seminar, there would be a positive outcome in regard to clean elections in the spirit of ‘one man one vote’ where every eligible voter could vote without any inducement, fear, or intimidation.

In his address, Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho, NBCC general secretary, stated that voting is a universal, democratic exercise of one’s right, sacred, and unique. He, however, alleged that the right to vote has become the most abused and misused power in our context.

He added that the right to vote is a gift but resented that some people are denied the use of this gift, while some people disregard it because they feel frustrated, some people misuse or overuse it, and still some use it as a bargaining chip for selfish benefits.

He expressed the concern of the church in this regard and stated that the devastating tentacles of state elections have spread to all aspects of Naga life: individuals, family, village, church, tribe, traditional, and government institutions.

He described this as the biggest force eroding the moral foundation as well as the future of the generations, and that the clean election movement is everyone’s business.

He stressed that the church would continue to assert that the clean election movement is a spiritual issue for Christians and that it is the responsibility of believers to work towards building a democratic and ethically acceptable process of election in Nagaland.

The guest of honour and commissioner of Nagaland, T Mhabemo Yanthan, stated that during elections, people see the collapse of Christian faith and moral and ethical integrity.

He added that institutions that are expected to stand during the most critical times have failed time and again. He, therefore, said that the integrity and accountability of such institutions are crucial and paramount for the sustenance of a just and acceptable society.

He added that the sanctity of such critical institutions needs to be protected.

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