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The two teams of students from Kohima Law College who are educating community institutions about citizens’ rights and duties.[/caption]
Dimapur, August 7 (EMN): Members of Kohima Law College are taking their ‘civil rights and duties’ campaign to various communities. Two teams from the college’s final year students conducted a programme with youth in the conference hall of the Chakhesang Baptist Church in Kohima, while another team conducted a similar event at the Rengma Baptist Church as part of the their Youth Week on August 5.
The organisers issued a press release giving updates about the event. During the programme, various topics such as Consumer Rights; Food Safety and Standard Act; Clean Election; public service delivery; National Food Security Act; Lokayukta; environment; Right to Information Act; Human Rights, and the issue of medical negligence were discussed by the team members.
According to the press release from Kezhokhoto Savi, professor in-charge, Kohima Law College, “everyone stressed more on the importance of ‘Clean Election Campaign’ as the need of the hour mainly for the forth coming state general assembly election.”
All the team members took a pledge that “we solely do this to tell the truth, to fight for the truth, to stand for the truth and to bring a positive change in our society,” the organisers stated. “We live in a democratic state that election is the right means of choosing the right leaders to lead our state. Transparent, smooth and just governing system is a pre-requisite for progress, peace and all round development of any society.”
The organisers explained that in a representative parliamentary democratic state, elections become the cornerstone of setting up a strong viable and ‘rejuvenating’ state.
‘Election should be understood as a time of choosing of leaders who would not rule over us but who would sacrifice their time, energy and their resources for the well-being of the society. The essence of clean election boils down to the ultimate behavior of the candidate and the voters which are interdependent and complimentary to each other,’ the press release stated. ‘Both the candidate and the voters have to be clearly and openly committed to adhere to the concept of clean election.’
In other words, the campaigners stated, it is to act as per ‘the code of Christian principles.’ “Voting for money or material gain which means selling our vote is one of the worst act contrary to Christian values and principles as well as it is also against the Election Code of Conduct amounting to crime,” the press release stated.
According to the teams, more than Rs.937 crore was spent during the last state general assembly election and found to be the most expensive election ever in Nagaland. This should not be repeated, the press release stated.
“A small state like ours with the sum of more than 937 crores our state would have developed in several areas such as roads, bridges, health sector, educational institutions, electricity services, public transport, etc.,” the press release stated.
“Corrupt election”, the organisers stated, result in poor governance, increased poverty, crime and social instability which can lead to violence and wars.
“It is not power that bring corrupt practices but the fear of losing the power brings corruption. Therefore, Clean Election should be practice in order to safeguard and nurture democracy through educating the voters about the issue of corruption and inviting all to pledge and to refuse and not to participate in bribery and violence.”
Further, the campaigners said that the Clean Election campaign was a call to all the people of all backgrounds to commit to consciously elect their leaders with integrity without being manipulated through corruption or other unhealthy means.
“Let us admit that in the past we have place money at the top and God at the bottom during election. Candidates have used money to woe voters while on the other hand voters demand money for their vote forgetting our vote is a God given right,” the press release stated.
Citizens are cautioned that they cannot escape nor do away with politics “as long as we live and we all have the equal right in the decision making through this process of exercising our franchise.”
Urging the people to take the right decision for the future and the generation, the campaigners urged them to be part of the solution and not of destruction.
“There were cases where some of the villages GB’s and elder’s cast vote for the entire village which is a clear violation of election code of conduct. Many individual choose to select and vote for the candidates who spend more money during elections. After the election we hear painful stories of divisions among the families, clans and villages to the extent affecting the church congregation,” the campaigners stated.
“However, choosing a man who is righteous before God will bring glory to our land and make us better than the mighty. Let us all join our hands to make clean election a success so that we can make our State a corrupt-free state – let us rise up and rebuilt,” the press release added.