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Considering the present scenario of election malpractices especially during the State General Legislative Assembly Election it is a spiritual warfare. We have seen in the past that money had been place at the top and God at the bottom. Candidates have used money to woe voters while on the other hand, voters demanded money for their vote. Proxy voting was rampant. However, proxy is stealing of another’s identity and that amounts to impersonation. Many individuals choose to select and vote for the candidate who spends more money during election. Nagaland is a Christian state where almost all the politicians, contesting candidates and voters are Christian. As Nagaland is going for polling on 27th Feb, 2023 for the State General Legislation Assembly Election, ‘this is the right time to root out corrupt practices of Election’. Yes it is not going to be an easy task and we need a strong hand to cure the malaise of election malpractices. That is the reason I talk about “Transformation” where transformation is not about attaining a spiritual standard but it is about attaining and recognising the life of God within us and how to respond to the work of God’s spirit within us as the scripture portion taken from the Book of Romans 12: 1-2 clearly says that “So then, my brother, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you : offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and pleasing to him and is perfect”. So a transformed life is marked by willing sacrifice and utterly surrender to God’s plan allowing personal desires to fall away. There is hope as “No one is above the law and no one is above God”.
Let me highlight the four major crisis periods in American history. The First was the Revolutionary war where initially they did not even know whether they could be born as a nation or not. The Second crisis came when a constitutional convention was called in Philadelphia to ratify a constitution for the new country that was being born. The Third crisis came during the Civil War. Men of both sides were killing each other, brothers against brothers and it seems the country would be torn apart. However, there are some men and women who believed in God on both sides. A man came to Abraham Lincoln one day and said, ‘Mr. Lincoln, don’t you believe that God is with us? Mr. Lincoln said, “I’m not interested as whether God is with us; I’m interested as to whether we are on God’s side”. President Lincoln called the nation to a day of prayer, and in his call of prayer he recommended individual repentance. He called for a renewed faith in God. He said “we are a nation of sinful people and God has brought us to this point; let us pray to God”. The Fourth great crisis according to a man of God and the great evangelist Billy Graham was moral deterioration. Honesty and truthfulness have been thrown out of the window. The nation is on a mad pursuit of amusements, pleasure and immorality.
‘What about our Naga society? We also need a moral revival. We need a spiritual revival that will put a new moral fiber into our society, or we will have collapsed internally before any enemies get here. One of the greatest challenges may be the forth coming State General Legislative Assembly Election where we have seen the past malpractices of elections. To me ‘Clean Election’ is the call of all the people to commit themselves to consciously elect their leaders with integrity without being manipulated through corruption or other unhealthy means. Clean election is the need of the hour to re-build our beloved Nagaland. It is high time we the citizens of the state come to the foot of the cross. God does not look upon the outward appearance. God looks upon the heart. God sees our pride. God is looking for real and genuine repentance to whom much is given, much is required. Much is given to us, and much shall be required for our society. The Bible says that we are to humble ourselves. No man or woman can come to the kingdom of God proudly. We must come in humility. Let me quote a scripture portion prayerfully so as to speak to every citizen/voter taken from the Book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.
In the past we have hear painful stories among the families, clans and villages and the fabric of friendship and love is completely destroyed just because of the wrong practices of elections. The climate of unity and love among the church members is being eroded by the negative forces of election. We must not make election as a battle ground rather cast your vote fairly and justly. Corrupt election results in poor government, increased poverty, crime and social instability which can lead to violence and war. The sole purpose of clean election is to tell the truth, to fight for the truth, to stand for the truth and to bring positive change in our society. Election is the right means of choosing the right leaders to run the state of affairs as a welfare state.
A clarion call to all citizens/voters for “Clean Election” is simply for a better society and a brighter future for the generations and for which the illegal means and corrupt practices has to be stopped in the process of the conduct of any elections especially the forth coming State General Assembly Election in Nagaland which is prepared to conduct polling on 27th Feb, 2023. We are to admit the fact that the root cause of corruption is corrupt election where the contesting candidates are make to spent huge money and the illegal/unfair means of practices such as buying or selling votes, threatening, rich people sponsor candidate financially so as to make money in future if voted to power, huge supply of liquor, booth capturing, proxy voting, government employees involves in campaign with government vehicles, community not allowing the citizens/voters to vote freely/fairly, certain political party especially the ruling encourage govt. employees to get involve in election campaign with commitment of promotion or placing workplace of their own choice, etc. Let us all practice “One man one Vote”. The conduct of fair election would promote the society and it is solely depending on us as every eligible citizen has the right to vote and it is one’s ‘Birth Right’. The time has come for every citizen to realise that one’s vote decides the fate of five years and beyond. It is important to vote for a candidate who has genuine concern for public, honest, qualified, competent, bearing strong moral responsibility ready to sacrifice on moral ground and a candidate of having integrity, etc. We need a legislator who is people friendly and ready to sacrifice for corrupt-free, who is ready not to deduct commission such as party fund or secretary/minister commission from developmental funds, works against corruption not only in words but in deeds, etc. So from the bottom of my heart I would like to encourage every voter to believe in a fruitful clean election so to bring a corrupt-free government in this democratic system of government but this is possible only when the conduct of election is ‘CLEAN’ and the best opportunity would be the forth coming State General Legislative Assembly Election.(a Book entitled – “ Citizen’s Charter to ensure Accountability and Good Governance among the Public Service System” written by Kezhokhoto Savi which is to be release soon includes ‘Clean Election’ as one of the major issues to bring positive change to our society)
Sd/-
Kezhokhoto Savi,
Advocate & Clean Election Activist