Mizoram polls: Impact of announcements made on pervasive loudspeakers shows reach of Mizo People's Forum

Aizawl: In sprawling Aizawl and in the rest of the undulating dark green Lushai hills in Mizoram, the Church is much more than the Sunday mass and families in their Sunday best. Its all powerful and pervasive grip extends from spelling out how Mizos should go about their daily lives to taking socio-political postures for its largely Presbyterian followers.

In the backdrop of the state Assembly polls, civic society, represented by the Mizo People’s Forum (MPF) — which comprises the powerful Church and NGOs like the influential Young Mizo Association (YMA), and set up by civic society to ensure sanitised polling — is doing much of the talking through ‘Tlangau’ (‘Tlang’ is Hill, ‘au’ is to shout out). These are local announcements made on omnipresent loudspeakers and also from the pulpits in the churches. In doing so, it is also making the Election Commission’s job much easier in ensuring free, fair and economical polls.

Even during the very recent fracas over continuation of the embattled state chief electoral officer and demand for reinstatement of a transferred Mizo IAS official, more than anything else, the fight and its result only served to underscore the power the Church wields in this overwhelmingly Christian-majority (87 percent) state.

“Of course, I attend mass on Sunday. Everybody here does,” blurted out Ringa, a 37-year-old taxi driver, when asked if he attends Sunday mass. “People should abide by what the Church says. It is for everyone’s good,” Ringa added, nodding at (not without disdain) the wine stores that have opened shop along the one-hour twisting drive from the Lingpui airport to Aizawl town. The alcohol prohibition issue is figuring prominently in the poll campaigns this time.

So, on Sundays, the entire Mizoram comes to a standstill as everyone goes to church. There is not even a restaurant open to serve ‘Bai’, that delectable Mizo soupy pork dish peppered with local herbs and vegetables.

Every now and then, crackling public announcements raft in from strategically installed loudspeakers all across the city and hill-top villages in this hilly state.

Says former Chief Minister Zoramthanga, erstwhile Mizo guerilla fighter who is leading the Mizo National Front (MNF) in the battle of the ballot: “Mizo civic society controls everything. In Mizoram, there is a mike, a loudspeaker in every locality and neighbourhood. Almost every day, local announcements are made.”

Besides Aizawl, there are 803 villages in Mizoram, which would work out to more than 4,000 loudspeakers at a rough guess.

“The announcements relate to everything that concerns families and the community. Tonight Mr X died, so everyone has to assemble for funeral services. Mr Y is missing, all the young people should go and try to find him. Mr Z has drowned, all the people should go. That particular commodity is available at the local retailer. Don’t do drugs or drink alcohol. It is like the battalion headquarters. And it is working very well,” Zoramthanga said. He has reason to be thrilled as his poll posture is rabidly pro-prohibition.

While the clergy in other Christian states in the North East have often voiced the same strand of thought, what is it that the Mizos adhere strictly to what the Presbyterian Synod says?

For one, Mizos are a relatively much more homogeneous society as compared to the other northeastern states. Community feeling is extremely strong. There are no Mizo beggars for instance. The poor are taken care of by the community.

Says Henry Zodinliana, sociology professor at Mizoram University: “Mizos are already living the neighbourhood model where the Church has a very big role and ‘Tlangau’ serves that purpose to perfection. While most old traditions have died, ‘Tlangau’ has survived the ravages of time. Nor will it ever disappear. Even for this election, the MPF, which is basically representative of all churches coming together, is using the system to good effect.”

Even the government is happy. Says Mina Zoliani, information and PR officer, Mizoram government: “It disseminates information and educates people about the provision of government facilities, like about vaccination programmes, about ration cards etc.”

Every Mizo locality gets together on public holidays to clean and spruce up the neighbourhood. So, the clean roads and compounds next to the narrow roads are really no surprise after all. Anyone who cannot contribute a family member to this cleanliness drive has to pay a small amount to the local Young Mizo Association (YMA) coffer which goes on to build the corpus.

No wonder that during election times such as these, the ‘Tlangau’ goes into overdrive. The fear of being publicly named and shamed on mikes is instilled.

“If anybody is caught handing over cash or distributing freebies or organising large feasts which may entice voters, they are publicly named, causing them much embarrassment. So this is something that they all dread,” explains Vanlalruata, YMA president. YMA has a huge network of 803 branches in Mizoram besides its units in Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur.

These announcements are particularly handy and critical during natural disasters like the very frequent landslides. And to ensure there is no slip, every ‘Tlangau’ equipment is backed up with batteries and inverters. In order to make the system better, the YMA is already working on bettering its equipment, sound systems and wiring.

Undoubtedly, in a country notorious for slippages in the public delivery mechanism of goods and services, the ‘Tlangau’ may be a very apt model for other communities to implement in their own societies.

It is not just the business of spirituality for the Mizo church. Politics and the way to handle it is also part of the preaching.

“A year before the elections, we impart political education from the pulpit. That is what makes the Church powerful too. We teach the people not to expect any personal material help from the election candidates but to expect good educational facilities, good roads, good infrastructure from them,” says Reverend Lalbiakmawia, general secretary of the MPF.

While not entirely satisfied with the outcome of the prescriptions for a sanitised electoral behaviour, the good Reverend believes the effort is fruitful. “It is but below our expectations. After all, between spirituality and politics too, there has to be a fine balance. So we preach the people to elect people who are good.”