Opinion Against the current

The most obvious reason for the Congress victory in Mizoram is the New Land Use Policy which,put simply,is a dole-out scheme. It is good to win elections,but whether it is good for the state and its people is a question that begs asking. Distributing hard cash to people at the grassroots level under the policy is one way of planting stubborn moral corruption in the electorate. I have been witness to the frivolous use of this money,not to enhance livelihoods,but to buy consumer and household items. Are we then to start distributing cash to win every election? If such tactics were to be used judiciously,there would be no reason to complain. But,if it continues,this method becomes an indirect way of bribing the electorate and,given that other northeastern states have sent officials to study the scheme and possibly replicate it,Mizoram may end up corrupting the entire region.

If the state had better leaders,Mizoram would have progressed more. The youth are demanding younger leaders,but in the absence of any potential new leaders,there is no choice but to keep re-electing elderly politicians. Young people search for young men and women with leadership potential,but none is to be found.

For the Congress,while it is safe to have many MLAs,it also makes for overcrowding. A robust opposition is good for a government,because its checks and balances keep the ruling party in line. As we saw in the last assembly where just eight MLAs sat in opposition,laws are passed almost unanimously because the opposition’s voice,even if heard,need not be heeded.

For the Mizo National Front (MNF),senior leaders like Pu Zoramthanga and his colleagues from the years of insurgency appear to have become liabilities. It is time for introspection. The Zoram Nationalist Party has not won many seats,but it is evidently stronger than before. However,the party always misreads its size before each election,and this is regrettable. The MNF and the Mizoram People’s Party,instead of forming an alliance,should contest individually and see their own power and strengths. It will help them reform.

Lal Thanhawla has won the state for the Congress many times,and this will be his fifth as leader of the ruling party. In a sense,he is now fit to be a Congress leader at the national level,but his influence remains confined to Mizoram. There are names like P.A. Sangma,Mukul Sangma and Agatha Sangma,all from the Northeast,at the national level,but Thanhawla does not have their reputation or fame,and definitely not

the clout. Mizoram’s chief minister is a guest in New Delhi,and so it is not surprising that ordinary Mizos should also feel like guests.

The Mizoram People’s Forum has tried,rather successfully,to ensure that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner. Money power,community feasts financed by parties and candidates,and poster wars were almost entirely absent. Common platforms were useful and respectable,and no one was favoured in regard to time for speeches. So in a way,democracy is not just practised through the vote,but on the ground through political education as well. This,coupled with high levels of literacy,the second highest in India,is welcome. But much more needs to be done in the way of electoral education,not just keeping elections in mind,but the future of the state too.

The writer is editor,‘Lengzem monthly’,and co-owner,Zonet Cable Network,Aizawl.