NBCC/Church Needs to Undertake Clean Election From Biblical Worldview Perspective

Assembly Election 2018 will be acid test of NBCC’s Clean Election and how people of Nagaland for Christ respond in 2018 may determine the future course of our democratic institution. Going by church record Clean Election was mooted way back as early as 1972 but it was widely undertaken as Church Campaign in 2008 Election but without evoking commendable response from Christian community. Many people, who professed Nagaland for Christ and unwavering faith in Christ, voted from materialism perspective as opposed to Biblical worldview perspective. This being the 2nd Campaign the NBCC is expected to come out daringly to the front line and lead the way forward while avoiding all inhibitions and distractions of past election season. The wreckage of present day government is a natural offspring of the election we knowingly allowed. NBCC must revisit Prophet Isaiah who, while grieving for Saul’s leadership was told to get over his frustrations and move forward. Christian members can also draw insight from compatible captivity situation of Old Testament time. 70 years after captivity in Babylon, God created the promised situation for his chosen people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple in ruin. Yet having assimilated deeply into the world of idolism, liberalism and prosperity of Great Babylon, only Judah and Benjamin tribes instantly obeyed God and marched back to Jerusalem and the other well-settled 10 Israelite tribes refused to leave Babylon. Then in Jerusalem the rebuilding was not well taken by powerful opposition because they saw it as an act of disrupting the established order and allegedly dishonouring the king and the work was blocked for some 16-20 years. To me this biblical event has special relevance to our immediate situation of self-created captivity: relevance of ruined Jerusalem temple to self-ruined election institution, positive response of Judah and Benjamin to NBCC’s response to Clean Election, negative response of 10 Israelite tribes to unwillingness of some political and non-political bodies, political and non-political persons to come out of their comfort zone to support Clean Election and powerful opposition in Jerusalem to similar ones in present circumstances. Election is secular temple of democracy where people’s mandate is given to their choice of Leadership and choice of Government. This is a very beautiful expression but the real problem of democracy comes when her temple is turned into uncontrolled free market where, in reverse order nearly all adult population become wholesaler of votes and a very tiny fraction of population become purchaser of voting commodity at the highest bid whether through cash, alcohol, violence or unfair means. The aftermath of marketed election is more horrifying. Hence, NBCC’s campaign for Clean Election. Clean Election and Free & Fair Election are principally not different but maybe applied differently; by application the latter can be understood as legal portion of the former. If past experience is worth considering Clean Election must go beyond toothless legal provisions (with due apology) of Free & Fair Election. In as much as there are different political systems across the world there are that much different constitutional provisions and laws of election system and again that much or even more different interpretation and reinterpretation of election process and conduct of Free & Fair Election. Nonetheless, no country, advanced or otherwise, democratic or otherwise, large or otherwise has been able to appreciably apply these inbuilt provisions and laws to eradicate the evils of election. And Unclean Election remains to stay as one of the most effective electoral weapons because the ones who make election the most dirty are actually the ones who make the most out of it. For instance 2016 US President’s election campaign is reported to be one of the ugliest ever or even dirtiest. What I am trying to imply here is Clean Election, if at all we mean to make it a reality, must be understood and applied locally in conformity with the ground reality of LOCAL SITUATION and TEMPERAMENT instead of beating around the soaring provisions of Free & Fair Election. In other words, Clean Election need not be exclusively legal; it can also be essentially ethical in the spirit of our faith. So it is not WHAT is routinely and ineffectively applied but exactly HOW Christian community can conscientiously respond to the need of prevailing situation any time, season or no season, from Biblical worldview perspective. Once the heart is won, people on their own will apply the norms of free & fair election. This is where spiritually-envisioned Church needs to take up the role of a prophetic voice. As 2018 Election is coming out to the spotlight, political tension will heighten, the ante will rise higher, public emotions will increase several times and for this reason Church should not remain fuzzy or insensitive anymore. For that matter NBCC might have formulated her own Action Plan but I believe the plan is not exhausted and it is still kept open for useful inputs from all angles. On a vital as well as conflicting issue of public importance there will never be unanimity of opinion. For instance theologians will interpret things theologically, legal person legally or politicians politically but if theologians ape legally or legal person politically or politicians theologically then we all know how variety show will finally end. This seems to be happening somewhere and I’m tempted to push in with my humble opinion, first as a worried Christian, that in Christian dominated society and secondly as one having faced some bitter experience over past 3 Assembly Election. Let me also add, the wearer knows where the shoe pinches and for this very reason I strongly feel we must first and foremost get to the Bottom Line and not the other way round from top level down. Unclean or election dirt is not what you read about others in newspapers or watched in TV but it is actually what you knowingly allow yourself, your family, your village, your church, your leaders to become “different-somebody” during election season. So you see, NBCC’s Clean Election cannot be fished out by inappropriately reinterpreting or rephrasing the almost abandoned or ignored election provisions or laws UNLESS THINGS ARE DONE DIFFERENTLY. And to get things done differently we need to get down to the Basics: Basic 1- Political Parties: Clean Election campaign cannot be limited to ‘during election campaign and election day’ only. Deceptive electoral politics began the day some political parties misled huge vulnerable voters into voting for so called non-Indian Nagas fighting for Naga sovereignty through state politics against the other so called anti-Naga Indians (especially Congress) which led to loss of not only several elections but many human lives in the past. And this politics of deception still dominates election. Then there is certain political party characterized by anti secular, hate politics, anti minority politics etc and yet Christian population and Church are questionably silent on such issues while allowing its growing influence in the state, apparently because their standstill position is being determined from materialism perspective rather than Biblical worldview perspective. NBCC is not expected to act as arbiter of party politics but now with Clean Election in hand she can no longer close her eyes, ears and mouth over (i) the unrealistic and deceptive electoral politics of some party & followers (who are also Church members) that they are pro-Naga, pro-sovereignty blah blah while the others (likewise Church members) are anti-Naga, anti-sovereignty and keep poisoning the minds of successive generation and (ii) the ‘Alright’ attitude of Church on flirting relationship between so called pro-Naga, pro-sovereignty party and pro-communal, one-nation one-culture party. Church cannot sit on fences and remain silent spectator throughout. Basic 2- E-Roll: Why E-Roll is thoroughly manipulated and inflated beyond imagination through coordinated effort of some candidate, village authority and enrolling authority for electoral victory and also public distribution system is best explained here with one instance. I know certain village where, unlike many other villages, there is only one church denomination having about 1500 members. But their E-Roll is 4-5 times more, population census is just like that, household census is two times more or so, Job Card is two times more or so. The Pastor, deacons & deaconess and entire church staffs know how much local church membership fee, households etc is submitted or reported to apex Church Council and other side how much is inflated and reflected in government records. This problem is not limited to one or two villages only but some cases are too extreme to overlook. Can NBCC boldly bring this shocking and covert issue before the respective local church and put the church to task for bringing accurate E-Roll before 2018 Election? If a realistic E-Roll is not ensured how can we expect Clean Election in 2018 or thereafter? Clean Election is not just doing way with or reducing the evils of money, bottle and violence. Church cannot represent or professed the TRUTH, whether in spiritual or secular sense by sitting on piled-up intentional lies, deceits, false witnesses and conspiracies. Basic 3- Money: Whatever justification is given by apologist, factually electoral politics is no longer a calling of chosen people; it is dominantly a gamble of money holders. In electoral drama “Money plays” several parts: “Money buys” winning votes including election mercenaries, security personnel, polling officials and local administration: “Money attracts” individuals seeking public office NOT public issues, because public office becomes the easiest and fastest way to wealth-power-fame, which ambitious individual do not get while serving in government job or while venturing to expand business at the mercy of political elite or while climbing the stairs of pro-government NGO to jump into active politics or while exploring big politics in wilderness: and “Money detracts” prospective leadership because as someone said, “He is capable but he has no money”. The extra part of the drama is “Money drains”, when after election the elected leaders drain the entire public fund and interestingly the part- “Money silences” congregation’s reaction, to be precise the Church. This way we fail or refuse to see the difference between real politicians and pseudo or shadow politicians. Powerful as money is, equally destructive money is to electoral politics and one wonders how NBCC can control this widespread cancer, UNLESS treated differently. If NBCC brings pressure (through member’s church) it will be a chance for potential but moneyless candidate to say: “I have no money to buy vote but please elect me for me to pay you back richly”. If at all the voters conscientiously comply I believe they will then elect member on the basis of his/her personality, capability, honesty and principle. But with all probabilities electoral hawkers and giant investors in politics will then sleeplessly conduct all out campaign at their expense to silence or sabotage the Church altogether. During election well-to-do members, government employees, educated sections, elders etc residing inside or outside village become money changers/exchangers, and incidentally most of these people are pastors, deacons/deaconess and church or associated staffs. Given this fact, NBCC’s Clean Election must start FIRST with local pastors and his staffs then down to the last registered member in the church. Perhaps this is the most important Basic. Basic 4- NPG’s electoral politics: That underground politics and state politics are poles apart need not be explained. There was a time when regional party fully utilized FGN for electoral victory; later Congress allegedly with NSCN (K) and since 1998 Election, NPC turned NPF tilted towards NSCN(IM) till date. Election violence has to be attributed largely to their unconcealed involvement in state election. In our context co-relationship between underground politics and state politics, like husband and wife need to be maintained and respected as a natural or established order but excessive interference into each other’s business on ground of suspicion or allegation would eventually break the family structure and it actually has. It is sad that NPGs have lost the original political sanctity and the splintered groups are not embarrassed to even involve in the kitchen politics of a family. The truth has to be admitted that involvement of variable underground elements in electoral politics has not only weakened Naga cause but split the cause into many causes and likewise political parties involving variable underground elements during election has created more problems in state politics than it can handle as is seen today. It is unimaginable to propose Clean Election without addressing the potential involvement of NPGs in 2018, Election was boycotted in 1998 by them and people responded, in 2003 they called people to vote out Congress and elect NPF and people did. Now what guarantee can NBCC give that people will be allowed free and fair election without NPGs’ dictate in 2018? For how long people will be kept dreaming of never coming free & fair election, clean election or election for once without NPG’s involvement? This is one volatile Basic the NBCC must address fearlessly. Basic 5- Church: There was golden time when everybody, including outside world looked upon Naga Church in deep awe and rightly so, but sadly somewhere over past years in the mist of socio-politico disorder Church lost her grip and relevance to a great extend and since then the Role of Church is being viewed with suspicion and scepticism. Where things actually went wrong NBCC had kept the reasons to herself in the past but open admittance of Church failures by the Executive Secretary, NBCC a month ago was not unsurprisingly well taken by each and every concerned Christian as timely act of sounding the Resurgence of Church. To my understanding as layperson, the Church in our context lost her original sanctity because of inclining too close to preferred political party and then reclining too comfortably with successive government, apparently in consideration of advantage from materialism perspective. Secondly, the Church lost respect of people in general because the State of Nagaland for Christ has been going through the worst ever time and experience of political uncertainty, economic retardation, social unrest, morality breakdown etc but the presence and spirit of Church was not felt where it ought to be or where it was needed most. In other words, when efforts of human’s institutions were failing in all fronts the Church did not responsibly rise up to the prevailing situation, most necessarily with practical solution to the problems from Biblical worldview perspective. The dictum “everything is politics but politics is not everything” speaks volume and I believe this principle can shape the non-partisan participation of the Church and Church-led movement in politics in coming days. Going back to the first line “2018 Election will be acid test of NBCC’s Clean Election...”, can NBCC firmly uphold the God given position and commission to recover her past glory and respect of people by safely taking the state through the security gate of Clean Election, perhaps the hardest trial of democracy but the success of which can determine the future of election for hundred or so years? Let me conclude by citing the powerful comment of Chief Albert Luthuli, a Nobel Peace laureate and former President of the ANC: “In the modern pressure-group State it is incumbent upon Christians as individuals or as groups to participate in political activities in order to ensure that political and other national issues are considered and settled in the light of fundamental Christian principles. Through the Church Christians should be the guardians of the ethical principles on which society must be built. Any indifference on their part in this regard would lay them open to a charge of disloyalty to our Master”. (Church and teetotaller will argue that Liquor is another unavoidable Basic when we talk about Clean Election but Liquor Issue is like the used-to-be Dark Continent of Africa (here NLTP) where nobody wanted to visit and as long as it is kept that way, liquor will be consumed during election season (maybe extensively) but no less (in quantity) throughout off-season. So I have avoided liquor as a subject here)

Vaprumu Demo