Nagaland Theological Colleges Association (NTCA) and Sümi Baptist Theological Association (SBTA) have declared its support to Clean Election Movement (CEM) under the aegis of Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC).
To increase awareness about the movement, the association said it held a meet on the theme “Christians and Politics” during its 19th Annual Meet at AGC at Zubza on November 5 and 6, 2022 where the theological community and the citizens concerned were made aware of the code of conduct laid by Election Commission of India (ECI). In a statement, NTCA also called upon the theological community and citizens of the land to be a part of CEM. It also appealed to people not to sell their votes for money, do away with dual voter ID cards, avoid proxy voting, not to intimidate or get involved in booth capturing and not to support clan, village or family’s diktat to support a particular candidate, besides stressing on following the code of conduct issued by ECI. During the annual meet, the association said it pointed out that there was nothing wrong or different between politics and Christian values, but the problem lay in electoral roll where even Christian held on to double voter ID cards. According to NTCA, the public needed to be made aware of their voting right and to take the issue in line with Christian values. It pointed out that due to corrupt political system, there was a spiritual bankruptcy, therefore there was a need for another alternative. NTCA mentioned that CEM sought to illuminate the conscience of the faithful, particularly those involved in election, so that their actions could benefit humanity. It appealed to all to promote Christian principles, and the common good by actively participating in the election. The association said there was a need for a leader who would stand for love and sacrifice and focused on problems and issues, including unequal distribution of wealth. It underlined that the church should initiate theological education that would taught people to say no to corrupt money. The association reiterated its stand that the church and political community should serve the people, though they were independent of each other and self -governing. However, it called for cooperation between the two in the service of humanity. “This common purpose will mean that the church and political community will share a common ground in their pursuit for a more just society. The church has the right and duty to provide opinion on temporal matters,” the statement added.
SBTA: Sümi Baptist Theological Association (SBTA) has encouraged people to avoid buying and selling votes. In a press note, SBTA pastor Tsutokha Swu said that the association also prepared some points for the upcoming Assembly election and urged voters to adhere to these points. Accordingly, SBTA insisted that one must be over the age of 18 years to vote, should have a single voter card and voters not defile themselves by selling their rightful vote. Further, the association called for voting according to one’s conscience rather than on the pressure of others, prioritising future rather than self-interest, not to be swayed by the tide of money, not to vote for backdoor appointments, only vote for uprising Nagaland rather than specific candidate, not to use alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substances during the election and not to sell their votes because doing so was equivalent to selling their rights.
NTCA, SBTA declare support to CEM
