There has been a recent surge of media declarations and statements issued by NGOs and civil bodies about candidates whom they are supporting during every election. Is it right, just or a fair practice and an unbiased method in the freedom of choice when the fundamental right to vote of an individual is being trampled upon and trodden? Every person has the freedom to make his/her choice as granted by the constitution because the law of the land permits to exercise his/her own will and volition. So how can chairmen, GBs of heads etc. of various village councils, area and clan organizations, unions , hohos etc. issue such statements without taking the mandate and the confidence of the people ?Our land with the tag ‘Nagaland for Christ’ is getting more of a decadent and corrupt each passing day where most of our leaders are becoming like the biblical Esau who sold away his inheritance rights just for a morsel of food to satisfy his hunger for a single meal. They are also more of becoming like King Saul who did exactly the opposite of what God wished him to do and contradicting the very reason of putting him on the throne. Isn’t it a shameless act they are using such public platforms for their cheap selfish and personal gains? What right do they have to say that every individual under their organizations, jurisdiction or ambit has all agreed or resolved to support a particular candidate or a party?
Why must they use the name of the office or chair of the particular organization to issue such undemocratic and unprincipled policy? Do they take a plebiscite or a referendum before such manipulative, biased and un-impartial announcement is made? Just because they have been elected/selected to a certain position or a chair for a particular objective, it does not give them the whole right to sell away the mandate in their whims and fancies .No ,not at all. Are they sure everyone will vote for the same candidate that they pledged to support and as claimed by them? Remember, you can bring a horse to a water but you can never make it drink.
I wonder why our Church and its leaders choose to remain so stiff-lipped and withdraw its tail under its hind legs when such undemocratic and injustice practice is done by our unscrupulous leaders for their nefarious profits. Has the Clean Election campaign taken notice about such practice of destroying the very name of its mission and the endeavour of the course its undertaking by the Church? Those very declarations in the medias to please and earn some favors of the candidates they chose to support using the name of the whole village ,area, range, unit ,tribe etc. without consulting the populace in confidence by those leaders aren’t blatantly disregarding the principles and aims of the Clean Election Campaign because they are stealing away the common man’s right to vote. Shame on the slogan we so proudly acclaim to profess ‘Nagaland for Christ’ when our so called leaders cannot even let the people express its own voice b voting but vote on behalf of the whole community and villages. Aren’t these declarations subjugating the true voice of the masses? So is it not making a mockery of the campaign of Clean Election?
We, as a New Young Naga Generation never will succumb to such policies and misdeed of such vested interests. Beware ,the new young Naga is much wiser and intelligent than you thought to be. We have grown out of the cocoon and had come out of our shell now. We know what our rights are now. Nothing strengthen authority so much as silence and the New Young Naga Generation will no longer remain mute over all the daylight injustices that had been done right before his eyes and under his nose ,but not anymore. Those days are numbered and now over. We are not just a single voice but a thousand more voices echoing its roar of Dissent and Disagreement. And we agree to disagree with you and your pronouncement of your decision because it is a plain selling away of our birthright too which was and is never yours but to each own individual. If we agree with you then we also become another conspirator and collaborator who sold the pride and dignity of our own people and the tomorrow’s generation. An Honest Disagreement is a sign of progress rather than a Dishonest Agreement which is a sign of Weakness .We are strong now because we have been weak, we are fearless now because we have been afraid for too long and we are wiser because we have been foolish but as time is the greatest teacher, it has taught us well and hard about our rights and we no longer are the same ignorant like in the past. The young Naga has now the PIL ,the RTI, the new public forums on social networking sites .Remember the Arab Spring was brought by the social networking sites and those nations ruled with iron fists were freed from their tough beefy clutches of their corrupted tyranical rulers by the young generations coming together . If our leaders do not change, a time of either violent transition or a peaceful take-over by the New Generation will be taking place. It is just a matter of time.
Let those leaders support anyone they want to from the inside of their bedrooms or whether they want to shout from their rooftops but they can never take away the inherent rights of the people. Are they trying to snatch away the God-given rights of the masses to choose their leaders of their choice? Those leaders must know that they do not own the people or this world but they have borrowed it from tomorrow’s children and they have to hand it over to tomorrow’s generation. The trend they are setting will be adapted by the next generation they must be answerable to whatever deed they are doing today .Leaders of integrity and principles never toy with the mandate and rights of the people .When leaders become too autocratic they end up without any followers or say they become like ‘ A king without a kingdom’. Just because a sumptuous feast was laid on the election table once again with sweet promises that would never be kept does not mean you should forget all those lean years people have been left all alone which bereft of what your true worth was, dear leaders. If you want to be respected, earn it but never sell away your clan, village, organization, land and its people just to sort out some personal deal. You can sell yourself away as it shows how much your true worth is but please spare the young generation from your immoral and despicable schemes .It is said every people gets the government it deserves and also more to the point, every government too gets the electorates it deserves. True leaders never let the stark reality of misgovernance forgotten just for some decoy of self-profit.The New Young Naga Generation now clearly believes in the saying ‘IN ALL YOUR TIMES,PREPARE TO MEET THEM ALL ALIKE.WHEN YOU ARE THE ANVIL,BEAR; WHEN YOU ARE THE HAMMER,STRIKE…………… THE NEW YOUNG NAGA HAS BEEN THE ANVIL FOR TOO LONG, YES TOO
LONG.THE TIME HAS COME FOR US NO LONGER TO REMAIN AS AN ANVIL BUT TO BE THE HAMMER NOW’
True Democracy works only when the people claim it as their own!
True Democracy works only when the downtrodden masses and not men of power make decisions.
True Democracy works only when power shifts from strongmen to common men.
True Democracy will exist only when the decision making is given to ordinary people for their common benefit which matters rather than the few extra-ordinary ones who barters for their personal advantage.
In the words of Emerson ‘Even God offers to every mind its choice between Truth and Repose’…….so why don’t our leaders? Do they think they are greater than God Himself ?
& nbsp;
Jonah Achumi
Dimapur
True Democracy works only when the people claim it as their own!
True Democracy works only when the downtrodden masses and not men of power make decisions.
True Democracy works only when power shifts from strongmen to common men.
True Democracy will exist only when the decision making is given to ordinary people for their common benefit which matters rather than the few extra-ordinary ones who barters for their personal advantage.
In the words of Emerson ‘Even God offers to every mind its choice between Truth and Repose’…….so why don’t our leaders? Do they think they are greater than God Himself ?
& nbsp;
Jonah Achumi
Dimapur
