Vote I Thlak ang u!

            Serchhip Constituency Assembly Bye-Election vote thlak ni chu ni hnih thum chauhin min dang ta. Hemi remchanga la hian, vote thlak tangkaina leh inthlana tel ve (electoral articipation) pawimawhna I han sawi lawk teh ang.

            A hmasa berah chuan eng vangin nge inthlanna-ah hian mipui te hi telh ve kan nih tih hi inzawh hmasak a pawimawh hle in ka hria. Mi tam zawk chuan, mipui rorelna ram, ‘democracy’ kan ni miau va, tel lo thei kan ni hleinem te pawh kan ti maithei. Dik pawh a dik reng a. Chu tih rual chuan, democracy ram leh rorelna ni lem lo, communist ram te, dictator ten an thutchilh ram te pawh an inthlang ve vek tho va. Chu vang chuan, democracy ram kan nih vang ringawta inthlang kan ni satliah lo. Vawiinah phei chuan, democracy ram kan ni emaw, non-democracy ram kan ni emaw, khawvelah hian inthlang ngai miah lo ram hi kan awm lovin ka hria. Chu chuan engnge a entir? Inthlanna (election) hi ram rorelna, kalphung, inrelbawlna leh hma hun hriltu, a tawi zawngin, ram rorelna innghahna lungphum pawimawh ber a entir tiin a sawi theih awm e. A nih, chu inthlannaah chuan tu te nge hmun pawimawh chang kan tih chuan ‘mipui te’ hi kan ni. Inthlannaa kan tel vena hmang hian mipui te hian ram kalphung tur kan duang a, ‘aw’ kan chhuah mai ni lovin, ‘thutlukna’ siamtu, a chhiat a thatah pawh mawhphurtu kan ni tih kan hriat hi a pawimawh hle a. Tin, vote thlak hi kan dikna leh chanvo (right) a ni satliah mai lova, kan civic duty, khua leh tui kan nih anga kan mawhphurhna pawimawh tak a ni tih kan hriat hi a pawimawh hle bawk a ni. Mi tam tak chuan hei hi kan man fuh thin lova, inthlannaa kan tel ve pawimawhna leh tangkaina pawh hi kan hre fiah tawk lo thinin ka hria a. Chu vang chuan ‘inthlannaa tel ve awmzia (meaning of electoral participation)’ tangkaina, tulna leh pawimawhna te hi kan inhrilh nawn thar fo hi a tulin, kan mamawh takzet a ni.

            Inthlannaa tel ve (electoral participation) pawimawhna leh mipui ten kan tih tur a nihna kan hriat chian theihna tur chuan engnge inthlanna tel ve (electoral participation) awmzia chu tih hi mimal tin ten kan inzawh hmasak a pawimawh hle. Mi tin ten vote kan thlak theihna tur hian kan ram danpui Article 326 leh Representation of People’s Act, 1951 section 62 hmanga dikna chanvo pek kan ni a. Eng vangin nge, kan constitution duangtu, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar leh a hote khan heti taka kan ram tana mipui ten vote kan thlak hi a pawimawh a nih si chuan, vote thlak lo thei lo tura tihna dan (mandatory/compulsory voting law) kha kan constitutionah hian an lo telh mai loh? Vawiinah hian he dan hi khawvel ram 22 ah pawh hman mek a ni nghe nghe a. A chhan ni bera ka hriat chu, mipui ten an duhthlanna ngei hmang a, tihluihna tel lova ram rorelnaa an tel vek an duh vang niin ka hria. Mi tam tak chuan inthlan hi vote thlak chauh emaw kan ti thin a, hei hi a dik lo. A hmaa kan sawi tawh ang khan, inthlan hi ram rorelna bul intanna a ni. Kohhran huang chhunga tawngkam lar tak chu, “Committee hi a rau lai tak chu a ni,” tih hi a ni. He tawngkam awmzia ber nia ka hriat chu, committee thut khawm lai, kohhran leh a member, mipui te kalphung leh hawi dan tur engkim rel a nih hun laia fimkhur loh emaw, uluk loh emaw, tihsual neih palhin kohhran inrelbawlna leh member te thlarau nun thlenga a nghawng pawi theih zia sawina a ni a. Chutiang chiah chuan, ram rorelna bul kan tanna, inthlannaa rilru fim tak hmang lo emaw, mahni chhia leh tha hriatna thiang tak hmang lova, party rilru emaw, therhlo itna rilru nen emaw-a vote kan thlak a, kan fimkhur loh chuan kan ram kal kan siamna chu a bulthutah a dik lo nghal a, a fel lo nghal tihna a ni. Inthlanna hi political party te thuneihna inchuhna emaw kan ti tlat leh politician te lal inchuhna emaw kan ti tlat hi a pawi hle a. Inthlanna chu mipui ten ram kalsiam tura kan duhthlanna thiang tak hmanga lungphum nghet taka kan phumna a ni zawk a, chu mi chungah chuan kan mi rawih (politician) ten kan duh dan angin ram kal an rawn siam dawn tihna zawk a ni. Chu vangin, sawrkar kalphung emaw, ram hruaitu te kan sawisel luai luai hian mi tam tak hi chuan mahni mawng kan hlim a ni tih hi kan inhre lo. Kan lungphum phum fuh tawh loh chunga in rawn satu te hi in tha tak sa tura kan beisei leh si a nih chuan, a lungphum phumtu te hi kei chuan dem hmasak zawk turah ka ngai. Mi thenkhat chuan, vote ka thlak loh avang hian, ka vote khat lek hian tling leh tling lo turah awmzia a nei pha lo kan ti fo thin. Ni e, kan vote khat lek hian tlin leh tlin loh a hril kher lovang. Mahse, sawi tawh angin, vote thlak hi political party thlan tlinna emaw, politician te lala thlan tlinna ringawt a ni lova, mipui te ram kal siam tura kan intawhkhawmna, kan duhthlanna kan tih lanna, kan ‘rorelna in sang ber (democracy ah chuan rorelna in sang ber ka ti thin. Ram rorelna in (Parliament, Legislative Assemblies etc te hi chu mipui ten kan thlan te hmanga kan din chauh an ni zawk)’ a ni tih kan hriat thar a pawimawh a. Vote thlak peih lo kan nih chuan vote thlaktu mipui ten ram rorel tura rorel khawl an din leh rorel tura an thlan chhuah te lakah hian eng chanvo leh hamthatna mah beisei tur kan nei ve thiang lova, sawisel ve tur pawh kan ni lo tih kan hriat a pawimawh hle a. Heng zawng zawng hi mimal tin te hian kan hriat chian poh leh vote thlak hlutna, pawimawhna leh tangkaina kan hre chiang telh telh ang a, chu chuan kan vote thlak dan kawngah te, duhthlanna kan hmanna kawngah te thil dik ti turin min tanpui ang a, chu chuan ram a siam tha in, roreltu tha an lo chhuak mai dawn a ni. Chu vangin, mipui te hian inthlanna awmzia leh nihphung bakah, chu inthlannaa kan mawhphurhna leh pawimawhna te chu kan hriatchian a tul takzet a, ram leh hnam kalphung dik lo siam dik tura bul tanna a nih miau avangin, hre lo te pawh hrilh hriat mawlh mawlh a tul a, chutiang tura khua leh tui te zirtir a, hriatthiam tir chu thuneitute mawhphurhna pawimawh ber pawl a ni bawk a ni.

            Ram changkang apiangah khua leh tui ten inthlanna hi ram hnuk khawih thil tak meuh a ni tih an hriat avangin an ngai pawimawh a, an ngaihlu a, an la thutak bawk a. Chutiang bawkin, rahbehna nasatna ram apiangah vote thlak hlut zia (vote thlak leh inthlan awmzia chu a hma lamah ka sawi tawh a) an hre chiang. Chung rama mite chuan an vote khat neih hlut zia leh awmze neih zia an hriat chian em avangin an vote chu uluk takin an hmang a, ram leh hnam tana tha tur ang ber ni a an hriat dan behchhanin vote an thlak thin a, chung chu kei chuan ‘voter tha’ ka tih te chu an ni. Keini ramah hian ram hmangaihtu dik tak vote hi engzah nge awm ang aw tih hi ka ngaihtuah fo thin. Party voter te, hmelhriat voter te kan ni nuaih hlawm mai a! America ram leh Great Britain te khu political party pahnih te ro inrel chhawkna ram (multi party system) a ni a. US mipui te khuan keini ang bawk hian hnam bil ang te, ram bial bil ang te leh sakhaw bil ang te pawhin vote an thlak nasa ve hle a. A tlangpuiin, vun ngo protestant ho khu Republican party awn lam an ni a, Catholic leh hnam tlem zawk-Jewish te, Hispanics te, ram dang atanga US a pem lut leh hnam tlem te khuan Democrat party an thlawp thin a. Mahse, keini ang lo takin anni hovin party thlawp bik an neih chhan chu an thu rin leh ngaihdan (principle) ang tawmpuitu party an nih vang a ni a. Entirna atan, neih inang inkawp chungchang te, nau tihtlak chungchangah te, mi tihhlum chungchang te, civil rights chungchang leh issue hrang hrangah te an pawm dan leh ngaihdan a inan avangin Democrat emaw, Republican party emaw thlawp zawngin vote an thlak mai a. An party thlawp ten an ngaihdan an pensan emaw, an thutiama an ding lo emaw a nih chuan party pakhat zawk an vote leh mai a. Keini ram anga party behchhan vote emaw, mimal hamthatna tur chauh avanga vote ang hi an ti ve ngai meuh lo. Chu vang chuan a nia, US President thlannaa-ah pawh party ruihchilh ni lem lo leh tan lam bik nei lo, issue azira an vote pekna thlak thlak thin, swing voters an tih te an pawimawh em em na chhan khu. Chutiang chiah chuan Britainah pawh khuan vote an thlak dawna thutlukna an siam dawna mipui ten behchhana an hman ber chu party manifesto te, party in candidate an rawn thehchhuah te record leh party pahnih, Labour party leh Conservative party ten sawrkarna an chelh hnuhnun bera an record a tha em tih te uluk takin an zir hmasa a, chu  mi hnuah tha ber tura an ngaih angin vote an thlak mai thin. Keini anga party in an rawn din tir ang ang emaw, hmelhriat an nih vang ngawta vote pek ang chi hi an ti ve ngai meuh lo. 2020 US President thlan dawnah pawh khan Claudia Conway, President Donald Trumpa Senior Adviser, Kelyanne Conwaya fanu chuan media lamah a pa te party candidate leh President ni lai, Donald Trump vote lo turin a campaign chiam mai a ni! Hetiang anga voter tha kan nih  vek a, kan mimal hamthatna aia ram leh hnam hamthatna ngaihtuah leh dah hmasa ran chunga vote kan thlak hunah, a tawi zawngin, inthlan laia dikna, rinawmna leh felna behchhana vote kan thlak hunah mi dik leh mi rinawm, ram hruaitu tha te an lo chhuak mai dawn a ni.

            Kan thu kharna atan chuan voter tha ka sawifiah ve dan ka han tarlang hrim hrim ang e: “Voter tha chu sawrkar leh ram hruaitu te tlin tawk leh tawk loh emaw, dik tawk leh tawk loh emaw hmu tu leh hre tu a ni satliah ringawt tur a ni lova, chung dik lohna, fel lohna leh harsatna hrang hrang te a chin chhuaka hre chiang tu, chung thil dik lo leh fel lo te siam that duh tu leh siam that a nih theihna tur ber ni a a hriat lama, huaisen taka thutlukna a siam hnua  vote thlak thin, dikna chauh behchhana hmang leh a ngaihdan leh duh dan mai bakah, vantlang tana thatna duhtu leh humhim tlat duh tu a ni tur a ni.”