Christianity is, theoretically, the best religion in the world but, without argument, the most difficult to practise. Similarly, Democracy, in theory, is the best form of government but the hardest to follow. No democracy in the world is free from the shadow of money, whether clean or tainted. In developed countries, parties and candidates spend millions of dollars in advertising in print and on airtime on radio and television to woo the voter, whereas in less developed countries it’s a simpler matter- cash for votes.
The N.B.C.C. (Nagaland Baptist Church Council) has once again put forth the call for the Naga voter to refrain from taking cash for votes, which begs the following questions:-
1. Wouldn’t it be simpler for the N.B.C.C. to call for our present and aspiring politicians not to offer money for votes? I’m no expert on psychology or human nature/behaviour, but simple logic states that it will be easier to convince a few hundred or thousand people not to spend money than it will be to convince lakhs of people not to take money.
2. Does the voter go to the candidate to sell his vote or does the candidate come to the voter to buy his vote? Or, simply put, does the shop come to the customer or does the customer go to the shop? A commodity is only as valuable as the price the buyer is willing to pay for it. As long as the political aspirant is willing to pay for votes, the voter will be willing to sell it.
3. If the N.B.C.C. can convince the Naga voter not to take money for their votes, can they convince the winning candidates/parties not to be corrupt.
4. If the N.B.C.C. is so worried about the sins the Nagas commit by taking cash for votes(a sin we commit once every few years) and the attendant danger to the soul of the Nagas, wouldn’t their time be better spent trying to convince our political leaders and bureaucrats to stop stealing from the public(a sin they commit every day) and warning them of the grave danger they are putting their souls under?
Religion and Politics are the two most volatile and dangerous subjects in the world, and the fact that the N.B.C.C. is dabbling in politics opens up an arena where even Angels fear to tread. It would be in the interest of all concerned if the N.B.C.C. would concern itself with saving the real sinners of Naga society instead of using it’s religious cloak to further the agenda of a few vested interests. You fooled us with your stand on Prohibition and I, for one, will not be fooled again by your pseudo-religious approach to the ills facing Naga Society. As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”
Kahuto Chishi Sumi
G.B. Hevishe Village
Dimapur
kahuto107@gmail.com
