Can Nagaland ever have Clean Elections?

NBCC calls for renewed commitment to ethical politics

Morung Express News
Kohima | August 28

The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has renewed its call for clean, free and responsible elections in Nagaland, urging churches, voters, candidates and civil society to move beyond election awareness programmes and build a sustained culture of integrity.

Speaking at the launching and affirmation of the Clean Election Movement (CEM) on August 28, NBCC General Secretary Rev Dr Mar Pongener said the initiative was not a new beginning but a renewed commitment to a cause the Council had pursued for years.

He said the NBCC and its churches had consistently spoken against electoral malpractice and encouraged people to uphold honesty, justice, accountability and responsible citizenship.

Pongener acknowledged the growing frustration among people who believe that clean elections may never become a reality in Nagaland.

“There is a common remark we often hear among our people: ‘Clean election will never be possible in Nagaland,’” he said, adding that while the statement was discouraging, it reflected the disappointment of people who had witnessed the same electoral practices repeated over the years.

Churches and various organisations, he noted, had conducted awareness programmes, offered prayers and invested considerable time and resources in promoting clean elections. Yet, election after election, questions continued to arise over why meaningful transformation remained slow.

However, Pongener cautioned against concluding that these efforts had been meaningless stating that there were signs of progress, including greater public awareness, increasing willingness among people to question established practices and continued efforts by churches and organisations to speak against electoral corruption.

“We must therefore recognise both realities: the persistence of the problem and the presence of progress,” he said. “We should neither exaggerate the progress nor become discouraged by the remaining challenges.”

Beyond the election process
According to Pongener, the difficulty of achieving clean elections goes deeper than the electoral process itself. It is also linked to changing attitudes towards leadership, power, money and public responsibility.

He said elections risk becoming transactions when voters expect money, gifts, personal benefits or other immediate advantages in exchange for their votes. At the same time, candidates can be pushed into excessive spending when they believe large financial investments are necessary to win. 

He also pointed to political loyalties built around family, clan, groups, friendships and personal interests rather than character and public responsibility. When such practices become accepted as normal, he warned, the consequences extend far beyond election day.

Corrupt elections, he said, can lead to leadership being treated as an investment, weaken voters’ moral freedom, encourage the misuse of public resources and undermine accountability. Political leaders may also feel indebted to individuals or groups who financed their campaigns, raising questions about whether their loyalty ultimately lies with the public or with those who helped them attain power.

The wider consequences, he said, can include corruption, favouritism, nepotism, injustice, misuse of public resources, poor governance and the erosion of public trust.

“Therefore, clean election is not merely about having a clean election day,” Pongener said. “It is about building a society in which truth, integrity, justice, accountability and the common good are valued above money and personal gain.”

Church urged to lead by example
Pongener called on churches to remain committed to the cause even when change appears slow. While urging the Church to continue teaching that voting is both a moral and civic responsibility, rather than something that can be exchanged for money, gifts, alcohol, favours or promises.

At the same time, he stressed that the Church’s message would lose credibility if it condemned corruption publicly while tolerating favouritism, manipulation or dishonesty within its own institutions.

“Clean election begins in our hearts, homes, churches and communities,” he said and called for continued prayer for candidates and voters, for wisdom and courage, for integrity and justice, and for leaders who genuinely seek the welfare of the people.

From programmes to a movement
Pongener said the NBCC and its partners had already organised numerous awareness programmes, seminars and consultations. The challenge now, he said, was to turn these individual programmes into a sustained movement.

“A programme creates awareness; a movement creates commitment,” he said, adding that while a programme may last for a day, a movement can gradually build a culture.

He stressed that the objective of the CEM should therefore not be limited to conducting more programmes, but to creating a lasting culture of clean elections in society.

Acknowledging that some people may feel discouraged because previous efforts have not produced the desired level of transformation, Pongener urged them not to allow disappointment to become despair.

He likened the Church’s responsibility to being “salt and light,” saying that meaningful social and moral transformation rarely happens overnight. “Our responsibility is to continue shining,” he said.

He described every individual act of integrity as a seed that could contribute to wider change whether it is a voter refusing to sell a vote, a young person choosing integrity, a church teaching ethical citizenship, a candidate refusing to buy votes, a family discussing responsible citizenship or a prayer offered for righteous leadership.

Call to churches and citizens
As part of the renewed commitment, Pongener called on churches to teach, pray, reject, resist, choose, challenge, model and empower.

He urged churches to teach that voting is a moral and civic responsibility; pray for clean elections and righteous leaders; reject the buying and selling of votes; and resist money, gifts, alcohol and personal benefits offered in exchange for political support.

He further called on voters to choose leaders based on character, integrity, competence and the common good, while challenging practices that undermine justice and good governance.

Churches and institutions, he said, must also model integrity and empower young people to become responsible citizens and future leaders.

“Let us begin with ourselves, our homes, churches and in our communities,” Pongener said and expressed hope that the effort would continue until integrity became more than an election-season slogan and instead became a way of life in Nagaland.