VOI, XXII May - August, 2013 No. 67 Good Governance ...

PRESBYTERIAN REVIEW 1

MAY-AUGUST 2013www.mizoramsynod.org

VOI, XXII May - August, 2013 No. 67

Good Governance .................. p. 22

http://www.mizoramsynod.org



EditorialChristian Work Ethics

The Reformers during the 15th/16th centuries in their oppositions tothe contemporary emphasis on monasticism taught that every individualvocation is appointed by God for him or her. It was Martin Luther whohad insisted this more than any one else. This is not a new teaching onChristian work ethics, though; because Paul in his letters to churcheshad already taught his communities of believers in different cities andtowns that they are called by God to receive salvation from Christ, andconsequently to serve him in whatever position they are in all possiblemanner. They may be in a lowest strata of the society such as slaves, orin higher position such as in the Roman government services.1 Duringthe Reformation many church members would not regard themselvesas doing God’s work unless they were ascetics, or priests, or inmates ofa monastery. Meanwhile, there was a popular view among the priestsand nuns that they were having higher spiritual experiences or they didGod’s services more than their fellow human beings as they took upmonastic life. Such attitudes gave them the idea that even if they didn’tdo manual work, they are religiously far better than people outside themonastery.

Such an idea could make wrong attitude to works for both peopleinside and outside the monasteries. On the one side, many people inmonasteries became idle and lazy, doing no works while thinkingthemselves that they are spiritually far better than others. On the otherside, the lay and common peple, who did not regard themselves as doingGod’s work, were lazy too in their works; even if it is not the case oflaziness, they lived only for their own satisfaction.

It is in such a context that the Reformers emphasised that all humanwork is the vocation entrusted to them by God. It is true that both Lutherand Calvin taught that the grace of God which is revealed through JesusChrist is sufficient for salvation when it is received through faith. Theyfurther taught that ‘vocation’ or ‘Christian calling’ is not for gaining orawarding salvation. At the same time, Luther and John Calvin emphasisedthat since human's everyday work is his/her calling, their work is God’sgiven responsibility on human beings.




Luther makes a distinctionbetween the inner and outer person.The inner person “is justified by faithalone and not any works” and isintimately united with Christ throughfaith. But Christians are incarnatebeings, both spiritual and bodily, wholive in the world. The outer personhas to do some-thing and thusoccupies itself with works, both forthe purpose of self-discipline (like anathlete in training) and for the serviceof others.2

Calvin also “states that theChristian's self-denial has both a God-ward aspect, which involves living notfor oneself but for the glory of God,and a man-ward aspect, whichinvolves seeking the good of one'sneighbour rather than one's owngood. Calvin’s concept of works arefound throughout his Institutes, hiscommentaries, and his sermons.”3

It’s not our intention here tonarrate the whole concept of theReformers on the ‘call’ of God (orvocation). Rather, our intention is toreiterate that all Christian vocationsare the call of God to serve him andshow his authority, power, Grace andSalvation on this earth. This teachingis important for us today for thefollowing reasons:

1. The Christian should considerthat one’s vocation is given by Godwho puts him/her in that position to

serve him. The job or post one holdsmay be high or low according tothe secular’s ranks, but if it isexecuted honestly it could bereputable.

2. No one should make his/herposition as an excuse to dominateor oppress others, nor should it beused to say that one does not havea role to play to do good things forothers. Rather, if one is keenenough, he or she would findchances of doing good thing to andfor others.

3. Since we are all equal beforeGod, we are all responsible to carryout our respective duties to glorifyGod here on earth. This responsibilityincludes both the service in theChurch and services in our dailyworks. In fact, Luther did not wantto say ‘secular’ and ecclesistical’as far as work is concerned.

Thus, wherever we are, andwhatever job we may have, we aretaught by those saints of the past,to carry out them faithfully andhonestly so that the Kingdom of Godwill be established here on earth.-----------1 See, for instance, I Thess. 4: 11; II Thess. 3: 6-12;

II Tim, 2: 15ff; Titus 1:10-14.2. I use Ian Hart, The Teaching of Luther and Calvinabout Ordinary Work: 2. John Calvin (1509-64).Evangelical Quarterly, 67:2 (1995), 121-1353. From “The Work of a Christian:Vocation in LutheranPerspective” by Kathryn Kleinhans in Word & World,

Volume 25, Number 4, Fall 2005: 395.




RESOLUTIONS OF THESYNOD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (SEC) 245TH

Held on June 4-6, 2013Dr. Lalrindiki Ralte

1. The audit reports of all the departments under the Synod wasfound to be in order and was accepted.

2. Dr. Robert S. Halliday was appointed to be the Superintendentin the Synod Office during 2013-2015.

3. The proposal to organize awareness campaign on HIV/AIDSat the local Church and District levels which will be facilitated bythe trainers who were trained by the Synod Social Front Departmentwas accepted. It was also decided to organize State level awarenesscampaign on HIV/AIDS.

4. The Committee decided to continue to run Grace Home(hospice for HIV+/AIDS patients), which comes under the care ofSynod Hospital from Hospital budget even though the main funderfrom the Govt., NACO had decided to stop funding the Home.

5. The proposal for the installation of Automated Teller Machine(ATM) of the State Bank of India was accepted.

6. The estimate for the construction of Multipurpose Hall at Rs.423 lakhs, which can accommodate around 1,500 people at SynodHigher Secondary School was accepted.

7. It was decided to take census in each local Church community;and the Officers' Meeting of the Synod (OM) was entrusted to pursuethe matter.

8. It was agreed to organize a centennial celebration service ofthe NCCI in one of the local churches within Aizawl area as wasrequested by the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) whichis going to reach a hundred years of its existence in 2014. The OMwas entrusted to take necessary action in this matter.

9. It was decided to increase the rates for Dearness Allowance(DA) and Sitting Allowance (SA) given to those who had gone outor who had attended committees on behalf of the Synod.

10. The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) was requested by




the World Communion of ReformedChurches (WCRC) to organize aprayer service for its GeneralAssembly to be held during Sept.29-Oct. 5, 2013 in Brazil. TheCommittee decided to organizeprayer service for the same on 29thSept., 2013.

11. Mizoram Synod wasrequested by the Bru ChristianFellowship in Aizawl toacknowledge its existence and toconduct baptismal services for itsmembers. The Pastor in-charge ofMission Veng Pastorate wasappointed to take up the matter forthe time being.

12. It was resolved to revise thebooklet on environmental protectionand to publish it again as well as torequest each Pastorate to organizeSeminar and to prepare a specialsermon to all the local Churchcommunities on this issue.

13. The Committee entrustedWorship Committee to take up thetranslation work of the WorshipManual in Hindi and English.

14. Since there are many urgentmatters to be taken up by the SEC,it was decided to have a Specialsitting of the SEC on Sept. 3 & 4,2013.

15. The following Ministers arenewly appointed in a number of

ministries as follows:i) Rev. Lalawmpuia Hauhnar as

the Registrar in United TheologicalCollege, Bangalore.

ii) Rev. R. Ramnghinglova as theChaplain in Christian MedicalCollege & Hospital (CMC&H),Vellore.

iii) Rev. Malsawmzoliana asLecturer in the Aizawl TheologicalCollege, Durtlang.

iv) Rev. Ramngaihawma as theChaplain in Falkawn ReferralHospital, Falkawn.

---------- XoX ----------

NEWS AROUND THE MPC

PASTORS’ RETREAT The biennial Retreat of the

Mizoram Presbyterian Church’sPastors was held during May 14-17, 2013 at Aizawl TheologicalCollege in whwhich 361 activepastors and pro. pastors, and 42retired/pensioners, all of them 403attended. The theme of the Retreatwas “The Good Shepherd,” with afocus on the ministry of pastors inthe modern times. In the evening ofMay 14, Rev. Lalramliana Pachuau,Moderator welcomed the ministers,whereas Rev. Vanlalzuata, SeniorExecutive Secretary delivered theKey Note address. The theme was




sub-devided into six sub-themeswhich were delivered by variouspeople such as 1) The GoodShepherd in today’s Context -Rev. Prof. C. Lalhlira, VicePrincipal, ATC; 2) The GoodShepherd and Spirituality - Rev.Lalchangliana, Director, SynodRevival; 3) The Good Shepherdin corporate ministry - Rev. F.Laltlanthanga, Pastor i/c Tuikualpastorate; 5) The Good Shepherdin personal evangelism - Rev.Lalneihvûra, pastor i/c Vênghnuaipastorate; 6) The Good Shepherdin Preaching - Rev.Lianhmingthanga Sailo, pastor i/cChawnpui pastorate. All thesedeliveries were followed bydiscussions. It was commendablethat all the assigned minsters didtheir best efforts, and they were allcommended positively.

The last day, i.e. May 16, wasspent for general discussions onvarious concerns of the pastoralministry. Members were givenchance to submit points fordiscussions which ranged frompersonal cencerns to issues relatingto Pastoral Ministry as a whole.Quite a number of questions wereasked by those pastors who needclarifications from the senior andmore experienced minsters. Thiswas a valuable one. The final

message was delivered by theModerator who admonished thepastors to give their best effort forthe building up of the communitytowards wholistic humanity.

As it was the beginning ofmonsoon season, there was stormduring the retreat. Pastors werevery much worried of their familiesand congregations at home. Butafter a ‘mass prayer’ wasconducted asking for the protectionof God, the storm stopped and theybecame comforted.

----------XOX----------SYNOD LAY WORKERS’ DAY,MAY 31, 2013 OBSERVED

The Synod Lay Workersobserved their annual Lay Day onMay 31, 2013 at the Synod Hospitalpremises, Durtlang. Altogether 470lay members attended the functionof the Day.

As usual, the programme wasdivided into two periods, one wasmore formal, which was held in theforenoon, whereas the afternoonprogramme was informal andlighter. The formal function wasconducted by Dr. Vanlalruata,Director of the Synod Hospital, andreports of different departmentswere given. The Synod Moderatoraddressed the members. “Layministry is very important to theChurch, and the need of the hour




for the lay workers in the Church iszeal to serve; and I urge you torealise that God gives us ourrespective jobs, and because ofwhich all of us should do our workswith zeal,” he told. He further urgedthem to have the spirit of unity; tothis end, commitment, obedience,caring one another, openness,reticent, and mutual understandingof others’ need.

The theme of the Day was‘Commitment’, which was deliveredby Rev. Vanlalbêla, a retiredMinister. He used the commitmentof Jesus for illustration of Christiancommitment in service, that Jesuscommitted himself to be humble, tobe holy, and for the healing of others.“His followers are also called tofollow his examples,” he reiterated.A condolence was held for twopensioners who passed away duringthe current year, namely Ms.Dârthangi and Mr. R.Biakchungnunga.

The second session in theafternoon was less informal, chairedby Upa R. Dêngzîkpuia. Various‘special items’ both entertaining andeducative were presented. The bestattendance award was won bySMTC department. The Day wasclosed with a dinner.

Donations were collected onthe Lay Day annually, and this time,

an amount of ̀ .58,105/- (INR) wascollected, which was donated to theHospital for ‘Charity fund’ (forpayment of Hospital expenses of thepoor patients who could not cleartheir dues).

----------- XoX ----------THE 105TH FINANCE COMMITTEE

The 105th meeting of the SynodFinance Committee was held onMay 22-23, 2013 at CommitteeRoom No.II of the Synod Office.From outside Aizawl out of 21members18 attended, from withinAizawl out of 30 member 26 werepresent; altogether 44 membersattended. Rev. LalramlianaPachuau Moderator chaired; SynodFinance Secretary gave reports ofthe financial year 2012-13. From thePastoral budget of Rs.59,67,67,000/-, the total received amount wasRs.64,36,59,045/- which is107.86%. From the Mission budgetof Rs.1,00,50,24,000, the totalreceived amount wasRs.1,15,47,20,510/- which is114.89% from the budget. Themeeting appointed Auditors and therates for their honorarium; thebudget for the reconstruction ofSMTC building. It also received theaudit reports of Synod departmentsduring 2012-13.

----------XoX ----------




Synod BOOKROOM

CONFERENCE 2013On May 24 (Friday) the SynodBookroom which has itsheadquarters at Mission Veng,Aizawl, conducted a conferencefior its employees at the ZosaphluiaBuilding, Mission Veng. It was akind of retreat for them, as they hadretrospection on their works, andalso to make a plan for the futureworks. The first session was chairedby Mr. Lalniliana, Synod BookroomManager, in which Mrs. RosyLalhmingmawii, PRESCOMAccountant gave financial reportsBookroom sum dinhmun reportngaihthlak a ni ang a, Elder R.Lalmalsawma, GeneralManager, Press and BookroomPRESCOM) gave a detailed reportof the functioning during 2012 -2013 and the follow-up ofresolutions passed at the time ofSynod Bookroom Conference 2012.The second session held at 11:00a.m. was chaired by Elder R.Lalmalsawma, PRESCOMGeneral Manager, Branches fromdifferent parts of Mizoram gavetheir reports, followed bydiscussions on better functioning ofthe Bookroom.

The third session was conductedby Mrs. B. Lal\hiangi, Foreman,Synod Bookroom; Mr.

Lalzârmawia, Sales Promoter, gavesummary reports of the ‘YearlyOperation Review’. Mr. Lalniliana,Bookroom Manager, announced thebest Synod Bookroom Branch andthe awards were given away byelder R. Lalmalsawma, PRESCOMGeneral Manager. Dinner wasserved for all the delegates. As seenin the report, the Synod Bookroomis having 12 branches with 18distribution centres. The Synodbookroom was established in theyear 1911 and till date it is the mainsource of knowledge for manyMizos, both in and outside Mizoramthrough literature

-----------XOX--------

DOCTORAL CENTREInaugurated at AIZAWL

THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

As permitted by The Senate ofSerampore College (University) tothe Mizoram Presbyterian Church,a Doctoral Programme centre wasinaugurated at Aizawl TheologicalCollege. On June 7, 2013, the Rev.Merator Rev. Lalramliana Pachuauinaugurated the Centre “to theGlory of God, and for the extensionof God’s Kingdom.” He dedicatedto God with a word of prayer.

The Synod Moderator, whoinagurated the Centre, chaired thefunction. The Chief Minister of




Mizoram, Mr. Lal Thanhawla wasthe Chief Guest. He expressed hisgratitudes to the Senate ofSrampore College for grantingpermission to the Mizoram Churchto enable to start a programmecentre of doctoral study under itsUniversity. He also congratulatedthe Church for having qualifiedfaculty and infrastructure to startthe Programme. Rev. Prof. H.Vanlalauva, Dean of Research andSATHRI, was the Guest of honor.He delivered an inaugural speech.He stressed the commitment madeby the Mizoram PresbyterianChurch to theological education,and that has been acknowledged bythe Senate of Serampore College.Prof. Sangkima from MZUfelicitated the ATC for the newacademic developments.

The Mizoram PresbyterianChurch has started basic theologicaleducation since 1907 when theWelsh Missionaries trained theirnew converts. They called it Bibleschool at that time, which wasshortly changed to TheologicalSchool. As time went on, so alsothe understanding of Christian faith of theological education wasupgraded. Thus, in 1965 theTheological School was upgradedto college level and it was thencalled Aijal Theological College

(Aijal is another spelling of Aizawlin those days, probably misspelledby the Western missionaries!),They even awarded certificatecalled Licentiate in Theolgy (L.Th.). In 1971 it was upgradedagainto Bachelor Degree ( B. Th.)college under the Senate ofSerampore College (University).The College has been givenpermission to run a Bachelor ofDivinity course of study in 1994 bythe same University. Since 1995B.D. courses were taught. Lookingat the growing demand of highertheological degree particularly forthe academic purpose, the Churchwanted to upgrade the College forthe study of Master of Theology(M. Th.) degree courses. The fisrtM. Th. course was satrted inChristian Theology department in2003, and gradually courses wereincreased, and at present, with thepermission of the Senate ofSerampore College, M. Th. degreecuurses are offered in six disciplinessuch as Christian Theology,OldTestament, New Testament,History of Christianity, Religionsand Missiology. The doctoralprogramme has been started in threedisciplines such as New Testament,Christian Theology and Missiology.Since the Senate of SeramporeCollege has introduced a Common




Entrance Test Exam, individualaffiliated colleges no longer need toconduct entrance test exam of theirown. The Collge starts with oneDoctoral student from Nagaland, inthe department of ChristianTheology.

The inauguration of doctoralprogramme centre at AizawlTheological is a landmark for thegrowth of Theological study in thiscorner of the Indian sub-continent.

It was a great joy for all themembers of the MizoramPresyterian Church in general, andparticularly the Church leaders whohave the vision of promotingtheological education to its highestlevel of study. It was joyful becauseit shows that the Church is blessedby God, and so also the Senate ofSerampore College (University) hasacknowledged that the Church isgiving its full efforts to reach thishighest altitude of the study oftheological degree. Those whoknow the value of higher studies willcertainly be glad to God with theMizoram Presbyterian Church forthis significant development. --------------xox-------------

SYNOD SOCIAL FRONT’S “POLITICAL

EDUCATION SEMINAR ON THE

RESPONSIBILITY OF CITIZENS”A consultation on PoliticalEducation Seminar was organisedby the Synod Social Front on July11, 2013 at Pi Zaii Hall, SynodConference Centre, Aizawl, inwhich the responsibility of thecitizens was discussed. Out ofthirty-five Presbytery Moderatorsand Secretaries inside Mizoram andone from outside Mizoram, sixty ofthem could attend; others were fiveofficials and three special invitees.The resource person was the Rev.Dr. K. Lallawmzuala, AssociateProfessor, ATC. The Programmewas divided into two sessions, thefirst session was conducted by theSynod Moderator Rev. LalramlianaPachuau; Upa H. Lalhmingmawia,Social Front Coordinator welcomedthe members, and he explained thepurpose of the seminar by sayingthat it was pertinent to educate thepublic to have a better politicalatmosphere and satisfactorygovernance.

A presentation of paper by Rev.Dr. K. Lallawmzuala followed. Inhis paper, he stressed theimportance of the people not just tobecome passive observers ofpolitical activities but to actively takepart in reforming and restructuring




of political leaderships and even tohaving a spirit of ownership inmaking or forming a government.The afternoon session was led byRev. P. C. Pachhunga, ExecutiveSecretary i/c Social front, etc inwhich discuaaions on hte paperswere held. Members shared theirviews on how to have a bettergovernance and educate the generalpublic for for the same concerns. --------------XOX-----------News from the SYNODBOOKROOM: - During July 8-13, 2013, the SynodBookroom conducted reductionsales drive in their differentbookroom branches. The discountprices were given from 5%-80% fordifferent items including books andstationery. - Elder R. Lalmalsawma, theGeneral Manager of SynodBookroom and Mr. LalnilianaBookroom Manager and Mr,Lalramênga Royte (JuniorEngeneer) went to Lawngtlai to seethe progress of building constructionfor a bookroom. - Mr. Lalniliana (BookroomManager) and Mr. Lalzârmawia,(Sales Promoter) organised aliterature campaign during July 27-29, 2013 at North Vanlaiphai sub-town. They also went to Champhaifor the same programme during

August 3&4, 2013. ------------XOX-----------News from WOMEN’SFELLOWSHIP - The Women Fellowship of theMizoram Presbyterian Churchreleased a book entilted Thu Ziak|ha Zual 50 Thlankhâwm’,[Collections of good articles] asouvenir for the commemoration ofthe Silver Jubilee of their journal‘AGAPE’. It contains collections of50 articles from the journal. Rev.P. C. Pachhunga, ExecutiveSecretary i/c women released thebook in a simple function in theSynod Office. on July 25, 2015. -A Leadership Training programmewas conducted at BâktawngVênghlun Church; Mrs.Vanlaltluangi, Fin. Secretary, Mrs.Maria Lalchhanhimi both membersof the Central Committee conductedthe programme. A Similarprogramme along with awarenesscampaign for Christian Family, wasconducted at Lawngtlai duringAugust 9-11, 2013, inb which Mrs.Rosângpuii, Mrs. Sailûti, and Mrs.Lalbiakêngi, Central Committeemembers were the trainers/campaigners.

During the same time, a similarprogramme was conducted atBûnghmun Church at KhawlailungPastorate; Dr. (Mrs). Vanlalhruaii




Asst. Secretary, Mrs. C. Lalrinlianiand Mrs. C. Chawngpuii bothCommittee members were trainers/campaigners. - Mrs. Lalrinkimi, Vice Chairmanof NEICCWA, Mrs. Vanrammawiiand Mrs. Lalhmingmawii Sailo(committee members) visitedEvangelical Church of MaralandWomen during August 9-11, 2013as an exchanged programme underthe North East India ChristianCouncil Women’s Assembly.

-----------XOX-----------

ACCOUNT TRAININGA one day training on financialaccounting was held on July 18,2013 at Synod Office in which allresponsible persons of accounts indifferent Synod departments of thenorthern part of Mizoram wereconvened. Rev. Lalzuithanga, E/S,Finance Officer, Mr.Zaihmingthanga, accountant atSynod Office, were resourcepersons. Discussions withclarifications of doubts followed thepresentations under the leadershipof Rev. Vanlalzuata, Senior E/S.

A similar training had beenconducted during July 25-27, 2013at Lunglei for the Southern part ofMizoram. -----------xox-----------

CAMPUS MINISTRY - Skill Development TrainingDuring July 22-24, 2013, aresidential training was conductedby the Campus Ministry for theNon-government schools at SynodConference Centre, Aizawl; inwhich ten school cound send theirteacher. Rev. Dr. Lawmsanga andRev. Dr. K. Lallawmzual, Assocoteprofessors at Aizawl TheologicalCollege led the Bible Study classesin the morning periods, while atnoon time there were paperpresentations followed bydiscussions. - On August 9, the Union ofEvangelical Students of India(UESI) Mizoram State 1st AnnualGeneral meeting was held at SynodConference Centre. Rev. V. L.Krosschhuanmawia, Coordinator ofCampus Ministry presented a paperand a lively discussion followed.

-----------XoX-----------

NCCI TRIBAL AND ADIVASISUNDAY OBSERVED

On the request of the NationalCouncil of Churches (NCCI)Headquarters at Nagpur,Mahasthra, India, the MizoramPresbyterian Church joined themember churches of the NCCI inobserving August 4, 2013 as Tribaland Adivasi Sunday. Prayers




were held for them in everychurches under the MiozramPresbyterian Church with theprayer theme, “God of Life, Leadus to Justice and Peace”.

----------XOX-----------THE FIRST PAVALAI MEETHELDThe Pavalai Pawl, the recentlyestablished Men’s Fellowship underthe Mizoram Presbyterian Churchheld their first ever ‘Meet’ orconference for the whole ofMizoram after their inception. Themeeting was held at BethlehemVêng Church during August 3-4,2013. There was no businessagedum; it was only for the purposeof spiritual gathering in whichpreaching and singing praises werethe main business! The theme forthe conference was “Be a blessingto others,” based of Gen. 12: 2-3.Thousands of men who are in theirmid ages flocked to the venue. Theywere all enthusiastic to praise Godin both traditional/typical Mizo andWestern tunes of Music. The themeof the Conference was divided intothree sub-topics which weredelivered by Rev. LalramlianaPachuau Moderator, (Be a blessingto the Church); Rev. VanlalzuataSenior E/S., (Be a blessing to yourcountry); Rev. Lalnuntluanga pastori/c Venghlui (Be a blessing to the

society); and Rev. P. C.Pachhunga, E/S (Be a blessing toyour Family). More than a thousandof them were hosted by thefamilies at Bethlehem veng, whileanother four thousands them cameto attend the worship services fromoutside this locality. In the lastworship service on Sunday evening,more than 6000 worshipers couldbe counted.The Pavalai Pawl, the newlyestablised ‘Men’s Fellowship’ hasbecome the channel of inspirationand active participations for manypassive male members of theChurch. Many married men, whohave never been bothered by theChurch’s activities such as worshipservices, construction of churchbuildings, giving of tithes, and soon. They had never felt responsibleto any of church works. Now,wherever the Fellowship has beenestablished, middle-aged men in thechurch have been awakened toactively participate in such works.The Church is looking at thisfellowship with high expectation torenew the church.

----------XOX-----------




DEDICATION OF

HRUAINA ÊNG 24X7 TVPROGRAMME

The Synod TV Programme named'HRUAINA ÊNG ' (meaning'Guiding Light' in English) was heldon August 30 (Friday), 2013evening 8 p.m. at the SynodConference Centre, Mission Veng,Aizawl. The dedication programmewas conducted at Pi Zaii Hall atSynod Conference Centre, MissionVeng. Rev. Lalzuithanga, theExecutive Secretary i/c SynodInformation and Publicity (SYNFO)chaired the function and started offwith devotion, while the SynodModerator Rev. LalramlianaPachuau dedicated the programmewith a word of prayer preceeded bya short speech. The Synod Officers,Members of the Synod's ExecutiveCommittee and Pastors withinAizawl, Department & Sub-Department Heads under theSynod, Central CommitteeMembers of Christian Youth

Fellowship (CKTP) & CentralWomen Church Fellowship,representatives from AIR andDoordarshan [satellite TV],ZONET and LPS (TV Cable),Office Bearers of MizoramJournalist Association (MJA) wereinvited and they graced the function.The TV programme was telecasted/given through cable networks by thelocal ZONET and LPS Cablenetworks.

The Synod Choir, Chaltlang andMission Vengthlang Pastorates’Choirs presented songs of praises;soloists Mr. Andrew Laltlankimaand Ms. Lalduhsaki (the Youth iconof 2013) sang praises beautifully.Dr. Robert S. Halliday, Coordinatori/c SYNFO gave a report about thisTV programme, and Rev. Dr. C.Lalhlira, Member of SYNFOCommittee proposed vote ofthanks. The Rev. Vanlalzuata,Senior Executive Secretary closedthe function by pronouncing theBenediction. Refreshment followed.




News from the CENTRAL

CHRISTIAN YOUTH FELLOWSHIP

(KTP):- During July 6-7 the Executive

Secretary i/c Christian YouthFellowship Rev. Lalzuithanga andthe Leader Rev. Lalrinmawia, Asst.Leader Dr. Samuel Vanlalthlangaand Pu Saizamliana Sailo, Com.Member, visited Khawzawl wherethe next 'biennial’ Gen. Conferencewill be held. They handed over tothem a sum of ̀ . 2,30,000/- (INR)or fund collected for thepreparation of the Conference; soalso a sum of ̀ . 2,00,000/- whichthey received from the NationalRural Health Mission (NRHM) toconduct awareness campaign onrural health. They held meetings withdifferent sub-committees of theOrganising Committee. On July 8(Monday) the OrganisingCommittee convened a meeting inwhich the leaders from the Centraloffice and the constituency MLA,Mr. Lalrinliana Sailo, Minister i/cof Health etc. attended; and theyselected Field No. 1 (a playground)for hosting the Conference.

- On July 13-14 Mr.Vanlalhruaia went to Mamit toattend the Pastorate's Meet. He

was accompanied by the SynodChoir. Meanwhile, during July 13-14, 2013, Mr. Lalhruaizela andMr. Samuel Laldinglianaconducted a Leadership Trainingprogramme at Lengpui forPastorate’s PYF.

- On July 12 (Friday) 3:00 pmCPYF Committee had a previewon PYF Gen. Conference 2014/Diamond Jubilee celebrationprogramme. The CentralCommittee met on July 24, 2014again for further deliberations.

---------XoX---------




SYNOD HOSPITALHEALTH AND HOSPITALSUNDAY OBSERVED:

The Mizoram PresbyterianChurch observed July 7, 2013 asHealth & Hospital Sunday.Hospital Sunday was observed onany convenient Sundays since1928; and since 1981 the particularSunday was observed on this day.Health Sunday was added, and onthe same day programmes weremade for the two. The afternoonworship service of the Sunday wasused for Healh Sunday, while theevening worship was used forHospital Sunday.

The theme of Health Sunday thisyear was “Health and Sanitation”based on Proverbs 3:5-10, I Cor.3:16-17. In the evening, “Jesus forthe wholistic healing” based onMark 1:32-34 was the theme forHospital Sunday programme.Preachers in all the Presbyterianchurch under the MPC Synoddelivered messages based on this.The report of the Synod Hospitalis given as below.

SYNOD HOSPITALREPORT 2013

The Synod Hospital has beenserving the public for 85 years now.The present situation of the Hospitalis as below:1. Numbers of Beds includingGrace Home and HIV/AIDSpatients - 3202. Numbers of Workers:-

a) Doctors - 30b) Nursing Staff - 184c) Para-medical Staff - 28d) Others (word attn, etc) - 123Total - 365

(these includes both permanent andtemporary workers)3. New Adminstrative Set up:The 2013 Synod approved theproposal for the new adminstrativeset up to be introduced in theHospital. The same was appliedsince the beginning of 2013. Thesalary of doctors increased by 50%of their existing salary while theprivate practice (making extraincome) was not allowed for them.Elder F. Lalsângliana, Coordinator,was appointed to become theDirector. He has many experiencesin office adminstration, for he hadbeen given different responsibiltiesunder the Synod such as Synod




Office Superintendent,Coordinator of Synod SocialFront, Coorditor of Synod MissionBoard, and General Manager ofPress and Bookrom, etc. As a newDirector, he has many things to dofor the development andinprovements of the Hospital.4. New Surgeon: Dr. C.Lalhmangaihzuala, s/o C.Lallunghnêma, Mission Vengthlang,joined the Hospital. With hisappointment, the hospital has beenequipped in surgical section, whichwas lacking after the retirement ofDr. C. Lalhmingliana.5. Preparation of Doctors: Thereare 4 MBBS students at CMC&HVellore who agreed to render theirservice when completing their studyat least for two years.6. New Recruitments: Threedoctors, four staff nurse, one labtechnichian and three fourth Gradeworkers joined during this year.7. New Building construction:Construction works haveWith thebeen going on for Private Ward andNursing Hostel. With the hope offaster work, it has been given to acontractor.

8. External Services:

a) Moblie Clinic: Moblie clinicshave been conducted in 46 placesduring the period of 2012-2013hospital Sundays, in which 6760parients were given medical help.

b) Blood Donation: During thesame period, 4154 units of bloodwere received from non-governmental organisations such asYMA etc, and the Christian YouthFellowship (PYF/KTP)

c) Surgical eye Camps:i) Outreach in three vill-

ages, and 157 operations werecarried out

ii) Base Hospital eyecamps were held for eleventimes and 333 cataract opera-tions were done.

9. Projects and Other Services:THe Hospital has joint serviceswith the Government as follows:

a) The State Governmenthanded over the Primary HealthCentre at Marpara to the SynodHospital under its Public PrivateMode (scheme), thus the Hospitaldoctors keep on duty by turns eachmonth.

b) Mobile Medical Unit: Bythis service, the Hospital visits 40villages in Aizawl West districts onbehalf of the government, and give




medicines and health relatedrequirements. Hospital staff payvisits to the villages in this districtsevery two month.

c) Grace Home - HIV/AIDSPatients Section: The funds for thissection which have been receivedfrom the government hasdiscontinued since April 2013, theHospital is solely responsible to lookafter the AIDS patients. TheHospital has to make a proper planfor the future.

d) Drop-in Centre: This centreis made to give counselling and givemedical help to the drug addictedpeople; it has been functioning atthe Central Young MizoAssociation (YMA’s) Office,Mission Veng, Aizawl.10. Donations Received: Thefollowing donations were receivedin recent times:

a) Charity Funds: Since April2012-March 2013, donations are

received as follows:Charity funs:`. 1,025,952.00Hospital Sunday colection

`. 410,100. 00b) Donation ̀ . 187, 365.00Grand Total `. 1623,317.00

c) Gitfs in kind: Churches donatedthe following:

i) Benches : 62ii) Brooms : 1025iii) Water Filter : 3iv) BP instrument: 3v) Weighing Scale: 3vi) Photometer 5010: 1(@ `. 250,000.00)vii) Various item of medicines : 34 (cost of

`.11,858.00)The Synod Hospital expreses itsgratitutes to the church membersand well wishers for their invaluablegifts and prayer supports. -----------XoX-----------




TRIPURA MISSION FIELD 2013-A Report

Rev. C. Zorammawia, Field Secretary

It was Chief Hrângvunga of Bûnghmun,ordained in 1911 at the Mission Veng as church elder, who brought theGospel to Tripura. Since then onwards, various missionary societiesworked in this state and the mission works extended significantly. TheMizoram Presbytrian Church Synod have been working there since1986.

Tripura mission filed is the largest of all the mission fields underthe MPC which the statistics is shown below:

Presbyteries : 4Pastorates/districts : 16Missionary Pastors : 10Field Worker Pastors : 6Minister : 1Retired Ministera : 2church elders : 121Number of Churches: 81Preaching Stations : 182Families : 4972Church members : 18,776Full Communicant members: 11,769

Numbers of workers are as follows:Missionary (permanent): 84Missionary (on cContract) : 49Fixed pay/Field Workers: 72Permanent Field workers : 35

Workers Total - 235.




To reach the largest possiblenumbers of people with the gospel,85 evangelists worked untiringly indifferent pastorates/districtsbringing the gospel to people, soalso groups of evangelists go outto different places making peopleaccept the Gospel. Besides, a‘Gospel Team’, having sevenmembers is also visiting villageswhere they could find non-convertsto tell the Gospel. Daily schoolssupplement to direct evangelism,with having six schools in which 63‘Missionary evangelist teachers’and 43 ‘Fixed paid’ (FieldWorkers) are working, having 2547pupils at present. As Schoolteachers are also expected to doevangelism, they look afterchurches. Schools organise annual‘Gospel week’ to explain to theirpupils about the Gospel of JesusChrist more in detail. The Missionhas four Craft Centres and fourTailoring Training Centres, having28 trainees. Bible CorrespondenceCourse has been conducted since2003 for the Bengalis; but as ofnow, different tribal comminities aremaking more use of it than hte targetpeople. Through all these works,there have been 1238 new

believers this year.The mission in Tripura is

planning to make the native peopleself-support both in terms ofadminstration and funding. This hasbeen made more obvious since1990 when a Presbytery wasinaugurated. Till late, the income ofthe budgetted fund surplus theexpenditure as it has beenexpected, having 30 lakhs of rupeesof its own disposal at present.Seeing their ability, the MizoramSynod is preparing it to stand byitself and have its own Synod assoon as possible. The future plan isas follows: -

That except in Mission, it willstand by itself, and run its owncourse. With regards to Mission,there will be a Tripura SynodMission Board which willcoordinate with the MizoramSynod Mission Board as it has beennow. They will make properagreement on mission work such asarea of service, funding, recruitmentof missionary personnel, and so on.The Field Secretary may remainthere as long as it is required.

With regards to pastors, theMizoram Synod may give itspastors on loan until they recruit the




required numbers from their own people, and for the training the MizoMission will help. In case of financial shortage, the Mizoram Synod MissionField budget may be given as Grant-in-Aids. This will be minimisedannually.

The Tripura Synod Office will have to be separated from the TripuraMission Field Office as they would function separately both in terms ofchurch court and finance management.

VISION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE IN MIZORAM K. Lallawmzuala

Aizawl Theological College

This article is an attempt to show a vision for good governance inMizoram. As we are looking forward to the MLA election 2013, it is rightand quite appropriate to focus our attention on the future governance ofMizoram. However, it is not easy to set an absolute and immutable yardstickby which one measures good or bad governance. This is mainly becausethe concepts 'governance' and 'good governance' have become more andmore complex and ambiguous as these terms are being increasingly usedin different contexts with different meanings especially in the developmentliteratures. These terms can be different things to

people in different contexts. In this situation, it is necessary to have aparticular framework within which our vision for good governance is spelledout. The discussion of the vision in this article will be confined within thedemocratic framework rather than envisioning a new or different form ofpolitical framework as Mizoram is a part of one of the largest democraticcountries in the world. In other words, the vision in this paper is going to bedominated by the fundamental principles of democracy as good governancecan sometimes be equated with promoting democratic values and principles.In the context of various definitions and perspectives on good governance,an attempt is made to use the important characteristics of good governanceoutlined by the United Nations as the yardstick of our vision for goodgovernance. According to the UN, good governance has eight major




characteristics such as, participatory,consensus oriented, accountable,transparent, responsive, effectiveand efficient, equitable and inclusiveand follows the rule of law. Thesecharacteristics of good governanceare going to be the main outline andcriteria that shape the wholediscussion in this paper.WHAT IS GOVERNANCE?

In order to have a workabledefinition of good governance, it is,first of all, important to have a clear-cut perception on what governanceis all about and certain principles thatit entails. The concept of"governance" is as old as humancivilization. Simply put "governance"means: the process of decision-making and the process by whichdecisions are implemented (or notimplemented). Governance consistsof the traditions and institutions bywhich authority is exercised. Thisincludes the process by whichgovernments are selected,monitored and replaced; the capacityof the government to effectivelyformulate and implement soundpolicies; and the respect of citizensand the state for the institutions thatgovern economic and socialinteractions among them. Moreover,governance can also refer to the"action or manner of governing"that centres around the responsibility

of government and governing bodiesto meet the needs of the masses.However, governance should not beequated with government as it haswider connotation. Governance canbe used in several contexts such ascorporate governance, internationalgovernance, national governance,state governance and localgovernance.

In the case of governance of thestate, government may be one of themain actors as some other actorslike media and other private sectorsor civil society are also activelyinvolved in decision-making process.All actors other than governmentmay be grouped together as part ofthe civil society. Ramachandranobserves, "Governance therefore islarger than government andenvisages a role for private sector,civil society and citizens at large.Improvement in governance cannotbe limited to reforms withingovernment but would need toencompass a wider arena includingcivil society." In some countrieswhere there is poor governance,organized crime syndicates likeMafia and gang, in addition to thecivil society, also influence decision-making, particularly in urban areasand at the state and national level."Since governance is the process ofdecision-making and the process by




which decisions are implemented, ananalysis of governance focuses onthe formal and informal actorsinvolved in decision-making andimplementing the decisions madeand the formal and informalstructures that have been set inplace to arrive at and implement thedecision."VISION FOR GOODGOVERNANCE

As mention above, according tothe UN perspective, goodgovernance is characterized by eightimportant features such as,participatory, consensus oriented,accountable, transparent,responsive, effective and efficient,equitable and inclusive and the ruleof law. These major characteristicsof good governance will now beemployed to look at the presentcondition of governance in Mizoramand to look forward for the futuregovernance.

ParticipationThe first concern of our vision

for good governance in Mizoramshould be participation of allmembers in the political process.Democracy requires that citizens'interests be heard, deliberated andlegislated on. Equal participation byall members of society is the keyelement of good governance, witheveryone having a role in the

process of decision-making. In ademocratic setting, free and fairelection is very fundamental for goodgovernance, and it is the basic rightof every adult member that gives anopportunity to participate in thedecision-making process. However,this valuable right of an individual toparticipate in governance can beeasily manipulated and exploited bymeans of fraud, forces, money orsome other lures. If the votes ofindividuals are controlledunscrupulously by any means toserve the interest other than theirown free choice, they can no longerfully participate in the decision-making process. The efforts givenby the Mizoram People Forum(MPF) to attain free and fair electionin our state are worth mentioning asthe steps undertaken are certainlyimportant move towards the fullparticipation of the people in goodgovernance. Unless and until thereis free and fair election in the state,no good governance can beexpected.

Decentralization of power mayencourage the participation of allmembers in the governance. Allpolitical power in democracy stemsfrom people. In order to achievegood governance in democraticsetting, one cannot overemphasizethe importance of empowerment of




people by increasing their controlover governance. Decentralizationhas emerged as a dominant trend inworld politics. Mizoram has beenfollowing two tiers system ofgovernment (state and villagegovernments) for some decadesexcepting the geographical areascovered by the three autonomousdistricts. The gap between the twoelected bodies, state governmentand village council, is too wide, andat the same time the former claimsabsolute authority over the latter. Infact, the Village/Local Council ismade paralyse as it is not givenmuch power and separate budget totake care of its local affairs. On theother hand, power is concentratedtoo much in the state governmentand it dictates everything for theVillage Council from the capital ofthe state. The huge gap between thestate and local governments hasbeen filled up by the non-electedgovernment officials and localleaders of the ruling parties, wherethere is a loophole for financialcorruption and misappropriation ofdevelopment funds. What isstrongly needed now is two or atleast one more elected body inbetween the two existing bodies thatmay function at the district/blocklevel with political, administrativeand fiscal powers. Moreover, the

Village/Local council should also beempowered with a separate budgetand more administrative power.Decentralization of power will givemore space for the participation oflocal people in their own affairs,which will, in turn, gives them asense of ownership andresponsibility in governance. This isvery much in line with the Centralpolicy expressed in the 73rdConstitution Amendment of 1992that formally recognized a third tierof government at the sub-state levelor Panchayati Raj.

Participation can also be seen interms of gender inclusivity in thedecision-making body. Participationby both men and women is a keycornerstone of good governance. Atpresent, women representatives arehardly to be seen in the statelegislative assembly, though somewomen are emerging at the AMCand local council level recently.Women are half of the state'spopulation, and as such their voiceshould be heard in the democraticprocess. Democracy needs womenin order to be truly democratic, andwomen need democracy if they areto change the systems and laws thatpreclude them, and precludesocieties as a whole, from attainingequality. Participation could be eitherdirect or through legitimate




intermediate institutions orrepresentatives.

Consensus orientedThe decision-making process in

the legislative assembly of the statehas now been greatly dominated byadversarial decision making processrather consensus-oriented one. Thispattern or the majority votingprocess is now largely followed bymost of the decision-making bodiesin the state government. Goodgovernance requires mediation ofthe different interests in society toreach a broad consensus in societyon what is in the best interest of thewhole community and how this canbe achieved. A consensus-orienteddecision-making process includesand respects all parties, andgenerates as much agreement aspossible, and sets the stage forgreater cooperation in implementingthe resulting decisions. Havingconsensus does not, however,necessarily mean that the proposalbeing considered is the first choiceof every member. Members canvote their consent to a proposalbecause they choose to cooperatewith the direction of the group andthey think that the direction wouldbe the best interest of the majorityof the people, rather than insist ontheir personal preference.Consensus seeks to improve

solidarity in the long run.Accordingly it should not beconfused with unanimity in theimmediate situation which is often asymptom of groupthink. In order toachieve this end, it is very importantto develop and inculcate the cultureof respect, cooperation andunderstanding among the membersof the decision-making body.Moreover, a new system ofdecision-making process, which isconsensus-oriented one, can beintroduced in the state legislativeassembly as well as in any otherbodies that involve in governance.Sometimes, it is argued thatconsensus decision-making can bea time-consuming process as itfocuses on discussion and seeks theinput of all participants. However,this process should be adopted atleast in certain decisions regardingpolicies and projects that affectedthe majority of the population evenif it may not be possible to apply ineverything.

Another serious concern is thatMizoram has never got people'sgovernment. Rather what has beenseen so far was 'government of theparty, for the party and by the party.'When can the people have'government of the people, for thepeople and by the people'? This iswhat we eagerly have to look




forward!Equity and inclusivenessEquity or social justice is another

important manifestation of goodgovernance. Where there is goodgovernance there is equity andinclusiveness. On the other hand,where there is poor governance,people have unequal opportunities togrow as a result of which the gulfbetween the rich and poor isincreasingly widening. "A society'swell being depends on ensuring thatall its members feel that they havea stake in it and do not feel excludedfrom the mainstream of society. Thisrequires all groups, but particularlythe most vulnerable, haveopportunities to improve or maintaintheir well being." Good governancegives priority to the most helplesspeople in the society and fights forthe eradication of poverty in orderto have harmonious life in society.The big question we have to askourselves is - are we doing justiceto the needy and poor people in ourland? Rahul Gandhi says, "My fatherRajiv Gandhi used to say that onlyten paise out of one rupee reachedgenuine people, but I say that theneedy people still get ten paise outof hundred rupees under the Centraldevelopment and welfare schemes."If he is correct, Rs. 99.90 isvanished on its way while only ten

paise hits the target! What would bethe case of the plan fund of our statebudget? How much would really hitthe target?

Land reform may be one of themost important steps forward forattaining equity in the Mizoramcontext. Since land is not expandableand limited in supply, it is extremelynecessary to have a good land usepattern that would serve thewellbeing of the whole society.Moreover, in the Mizoram ruralcontext where there is no source offood without land, the best way todistribute resources fairly is to makesure that every household has ashare of land for cultivation. Thetraditional communal ownership ofland under the leadership of thevillage chief had been broken by thepolitical change in 1952, andprivatization of land began to emergeafter the introduction of 'pattasystem' in Mizoram. Privatization ofland has been accelerated by thegovernment's policy of New LandUse Policy, which granted anddistributed the village communityland to different households. Manyof these rural poor have sold out theirlands to the urban rich people, whothen accumulate them as much asthey could to invest their capital interms of planting certain cash cropslike teak, coffee, orange etc., for




commercial purpose. In addition, theurban rich people are also interestedin accumulating land for the'speculative land holding' since thegovernment used to spend a hugeamount of money for purchasingland from the private landownerswhen land is needed for thegovernment projects. Thegovernment normally purchasedland from the affluent and rulingelite. This process certainlyaccelerates the gap between therich and the poor as the rich becomericher and the poor poorer. Prasadobserves, "The emergence ofcapitalistic money economy andinstitution of private property havecontinued to the concentration ofwealth at the top, a few elites, andpoverty at the bottom of the socialhierarchy, a large segments of thesociety." If the present land systemcontinues, the further alienation ofthe rural poor is inevitable, which inturn will destroy socio-religiousharmony in the society. At presentthere is no proper land ceiling actand tax system that prevents large-scale accumulation of land inMizoram. If we really value for goodgovernance, land issues has to betaken seriously and land reform mustbe brought out to move forward tosocial justice.

It is also a high time to go for

sustainable development in order toeradicate poverty and maintainequity in the state. Recently, GujaratChief Minister Narendra Modi hassaid, "This nation is being ruined byvote bank politics. This nationrequires development politics. If weswitch to politics of development, wewill soon be in a position to bringabout lasting change and progress."This vision is quite inspiring andforward-looking. However, whenwe talk about development, it isimportant to have a clear perceptionof the type of development we want.Much is being said about lack ofdevelopment in Mizoram but verylittle reflection exists on the type ofdevelopment that the state needs.Development is today understoodonly as economic growth andinfrastructure-building following thedominant western model. Intrinsic toit is people's displacement anddeprivation and poverty that resultfrom it. It is now increasingly realizedthat economic benefits of this formof development do not reach everyclass and that some classes pay theprice of the benefits that others getat their cost. This kind ofdevelopment often upholds theinterests of a few elite whereas alarge majority of the people areforced to sacrifice their lands andother valuable resources of life in




the name of development. To besustainable, development has to beinclusive. Its benefits have to reachevery group, particularly the poorand the hardest hits of developmentwho pay its price. Moreover,development has to be sustainableeven for the natural environment. Inthe name of development theenvironment has been severelydestroyed, and as a result of whichthe world is now facing ecologicalcrisis. It is no longer deniable thatthe dominant model of developmentis not sustainable as it makes a largecontribution to the emission ofgreenhouse gases that cause globalwarming and ecological crisis. Goodgovernance is all about themanagement of resources for thewellbeing of the whole society andthe whole creation; and it is time tofind a sustainable ways of developingand sharing the resources availablefor the common good of God'screation.

Effectiveness and efficiencyWe are now living in a fast

changing world. In this context, it isvery difficult to manage changewithout proper principles ofgovernance. So far, the governmentof Mizoram has not yet laid downkey principles upon which itsgovernance will be carried out. Whatis required now is effective and

efficient management with a simpleand clear 'key principles ofgovernance' that can be easilyhandled and applied in the changingcircumstances. If this kind ofprinciples can be prepared bybipartisan agreement amongdifferent political parties andlegislated as 'The GovernancePrinciples of the MizoramGovernment,' it would be a veryimportant step forward for effectiveand efficient governance.

According to the UN, "Goodgovernance means that processesand institutions produce results thatmeet the needs of society whilemaking the best use of resources attheir disposal." The question is -does the present system ofgovernance in Mizoram deliver theresults that meet the needs of oursociety? What about the presentadministrative system of the stategovernment popularly known as'Red Tape system,' which isgenerally considered as wastefuland inefficient processes, excessivebureaucracy, and inflexibleorganizational structures andprofessional practices? Red tapeis now universally seen as somethingoutdated and problematic that mustbe overcome or reduced. In fact,this system of administration can bestrongly connected with corruption




and other dirty practices in thegovernment offices. Is it not timeto do away this kind of wastefulsystem and find a more effectiveand efficient ways of managing theresources and interests of thecitizens?

Another important concernregarding effectiveness andefficiency may be something relatedto the development of organizationalstructure of the various departmentsof the government. The generaltendency now is that every newgovernment wants to grow in termsof expanding the size oforganizational structure (moredepartments, directorates,agencies). This kind of developmentcan simply lead to creation of moreunproductive units that wouldconsume more financial and othervaluable resources. What is needednow is qualitative growth rather thanquantitative growth, or getting theright size rather than mereexpansion of organizational size.Even if we want to strengthen andequip the existing departments, itmay be better to equip them byenhancing the skills of the workersin terms of capacity building andproviding them with betterequipments to serve the purposerather than expanding the structureor creating more new posts.

Reform of bureaucracy is alsoimperative to sharpen bureaucratsto be more committed and effective.The concept of efficiency in thecontext of good governance alsocovers commitment, managementand sustainable use of resources forthe common good of the people. Itis very important to provide a spacefor competition among the workersto be more committed, efficient andeffective. Private companies andcorporations are now usingeffectively incentives andefficiency-based promotion thatopen space for healthy competitionamong their workers. In thegovernment of Mizoram, however,there is still no such provision andencouragement even for a verycommitted and efficient worker; andthe promotion of the worker is stilllargely and exclusively based onseniority rather than efficiency andcommitment. Is it not a high time tointroduce efficiency-basedpromotion in this competitive worldthat would definitely inspire theworkers to be more committed andeffective? Otherwise, it is quitedifficult to foresee the improvementof governance in terms of efficiencyand effectiveness.

Another significant indicator ofthe performance of the stategovernment may be seen in the




management of the Public SectorEnterprise such as, MAMCO,ZENICS, MULCO, ZOHANCO,MIZOFED etc. Right from theirinceptions, most of these publicenterprises are unproductive orrather wasteful as they areconsuming a huge amount of thestate budget rather than makingprofits. This certainly reflects thequality and status of the state ingovernance. Moreover, the PublicUtility Providers (Powerdepartment, PHE department etc)are also wasting and losing a hugeamount of money rather thancontributing surplus to thegovernment. What is needed nowis to learn a new lesson to have astrategic management for thesepublic sectors that will transformthem into productive enterprises orproviders. Even if we may not haveinnovative ideas for theimprovement, perhaps, we may atleast learn the best practices that arereadily available in the other partsof India or of the world.

TransparencyThings done in darkness and

bright day light can be very different.Lack of transparency may be oneof the biggest contributing factorsfor the widespread financialcorruption in Mizoram.Transparency is another basic

element to attain good governanceand it should always be a part of ourvision. The general public have theright to know what is going on in themanagement of their affairs. Themore transparency we have, thebetter governance we attain.According to the UN,"Transparency means that decisionstaken and their enforcement aredone in a manner that follows rulesand regulations. It also means thatinformation is freely available anddirectly accessible to those who willbe affected by such decisions andtheir enforcement. It also means thatenough information is provided andthat it is provided in easilyunderstandable forms and media."Transparency in governance inMizoram has certainly improved inrecent years, but a lot is still to bedesired. The passage of the Rightto information Act in 2005 in theIndian parliament has been a trulyrevolutionary event, in the sense thatit empowers citizens to seekinformation on all public matterswithout asking for justification, setsa time-frame within which officialsmust provide information, and alsoprovides for punishments for thoseofficers who wrongfully, or withmal-intent, deny information to thepublic. Despite all theseimprovements, however, more




needs to be done as corruption,unfair practices in the selection ofgovernment employees orbeneficiaries of certain schemes,misappropriation of developmentfunds etc. are still rampant and havenot yet been fully uprooted anddried! A better system of checksand balances in the governmentoffices and a more transparent andsafer way of managing developmentfunds should be discovered andintroduced.

Rule of lawJustice and peace must be the

clearest reflection of goodgovernance. In order to maintainjustice and peace in a society, thereis no better option other thanfollowing the rule of law. The ruleof law in Mizoram is very weak andsometimes nonexistent. If we arereally striving for good governance,the rule of law is a must. Goodgovernance requires fair legalframeworks that are enforcedimpartially. No one is above the lawand everyone is equal before the lawregardless of social, economic, orpolitical status. In good governance,the rule of law is superior to the ruleof any human leader. This shouldform our core vision for goodgovernance.

Good governance also requiresfull protection of human rights,

particularly those of minorities andvoiceless ones. A clear indicator ofpoor governance is that there is noproper legal protection for theminorities and other underprivilegedpeople whereas the dominant andmajority are always above the law.In any society, racial minorities, andother minorities in terms ofeconomic, political and social are themost vulnerable section who needspecial legal protection. The rule oflaw ensures provisions for theprotection of the welfare and rightsof such vulnerable people.

Impartial enforcement of lawsalso requires an independentjudiciary force. Separation ofjudiciary, parliament and executiveis considered to be the steel frameof democracy that establishes themechanism of checks and balancessystem in governance. Checks andBalances are meant to limit thepower of the government. Itachieves it by splitting thegovernment into competing groupsthat can actively limit the power ofthe others. This is more likely to bedone when a group is trying to useits power illegitimately. In fact,legislators and executives in thegovernment have historically beenthe major violators of the rule of lawin Mizoram. In this context, it is quiteimperative to have a complete




separation of judiciary in order tostrengthen the rule of law andoperate Checks and Balancessystem effectively.

The rule of law may also beconnected with the issues ofcorruption. Corruption may bebriefly defined as the abuse of publicauthority or trust for private benefit.Where there is weak rule of law,there are incentives and more scopefor corruption. Thus, the promotionof rule of law helps combatcorruption. Corruption may beregarded as the greatest enemy ofgood governance. At the nationallevel, Anna Hazare and his team areraising their voices loud and clearfor the passage of Lokpal bill in orderto check politicians and bureaucratswho involve in corruption and fraud.The Indian constitution has alreadyprovided a provision for the statesto establish Lokayukta, which is thestate-level version of Lokpal. TheLokayukta is an anti-corruptionombudsman organization thatinvestigates any complaint againstfraud and corruption in thegovernment institutions and anyother statutory bodies orcorporations established by or underany law of the state legislature. Ifanybody, be it Chief Minister orMinister or MLA, is found guilty, he/she should be fired, whereas in the

case of government officerssuspension from the job should beimposed. It is a high time to have'the Mizoram Lokayukta' if the stateis really committed for the rule oflaw and the eradication of fraud andcorruption. The big question is -which political party will take up thisagendum and push forward byincorporating it in their electionmanifesto?

ResponsivenessResponsiveness is another

cornerstone of good governance.Good governance requires thatinstitutions and processes try toserve all stakeholders within areasonable timeframe. The needs ofall citizens irrespective of their caste,religion, social and economic classesetc. should be responded with asense of sensitivity. Moreover, anygroup of people, be it NGO, privatecompany, religious group, farmersassociation etc. should be controlled,and at the same time, taken care ofand responded according to theirneeds. In good governance, facilitiesand infrastructures for developmentsuch as good road, electric power,health care etc. should be providedto those who would make use ofthem for good purpose. Special careshould be given to the mostdisadvantaged groups of people inthe society, and their needs should




be responded accordingly.In order to be more responsive andto meet the needs of people in atechnologically advanced society, thegovernment has to move forwardfor e-governance. E-governancesimply means 'electronicgovernance' that use Informationand Communication Technology(ICT) for exchanging informationand services. Modern technologycan be used effectively to provideservices to the citizens. Governanceis all about flow of informationbetween the Government andCitizens, Government andBusinesses and Government andGovernment. E-Governance alsocovers all these relationships, and theonly thing is that modern technologyis used as the means ofcommunication in order to have aquicker and better responses. Tostart with, the most basic e-governance (government to citizens)will also be a great help and asignificant step-forward ingovernance. Moreover, E-governance will help to reduce asignificant amount of man-power,energy, paperwork, time and lots ofother resources.

AccountabilityAccountability is another key

requirement of good governance.Not only governmental institutions

but also the private sector and civilsociety organizations must beaccountable to the public and to theirinstitutional stakeholders.Accountability simply means beinganswerable for the performance oftasks assigned to a person; if taskassigned is selection of beneficiariesfor a scheme, then accountability willimply whether the selection hasbeen carried out by applying thecriteria, and following the procedureslaid down, in the timely mannerwithin the budgets specified.Therefore, accountability requiresthe clear specification of tasks to beperformed, the time frame andbudget available for performingthose tasks. Who is accountable towhom varies depending on whetherdecisions or actions taken areinternal or external to an organizationor institution. In general anorganization or an institution isaccountable to those who will beaffected by its decisions or actions.Accountability cannot be enforcedwithout transparency and the rule oflaw.

CONCLUSIONFrom the above discussion it is

obvious that good governanceentails many things, and justice is notdone to the topic as it is impossibleto embrace all related issues in thisshort article. However, it is believed




that at least some important pointsare brought out that may help us seethe right direction as we envision thefuture governance of Mizoram. It isclear that good governance is anideal which is difficult to achieve inits totality. At the same time, it is alsoimportant to remember that therecannot be a significanttransformation without a big vision.The future belongs to those whobelieve in the beauty of their dreams.Let us believe that we are thegeneration who can make a bigdifference for a better tomorrow forthe new generation to come. Let meconclude by quoting APJ AbdulKalam, the former President ofIndia: “Small aim is a crime”.

End Notes: 1The World Bank: Governance isdefined as the manner in which poweris exercised in the management of acountry's economic and socialresources. The World Bank hasidentified three distinct aspects ofgovernance (1) the form of politicalregime; (2) the process by whichauthority is exercised in themanagement of a country's economicand social resources for development;and (3) the capacity of governments todesign, formulate and implementpolicies and discharge functions.United Nations DevelopmentProgramme: Governance is viewed as

the exercise of political, economic andadministrative authority in themanagement of a country's affairs at alllevels. It comprises mechanisms,processes and institutions throughwhich citizens and groups articulatetheir interests, exercise their legal rights,meet their obligations, and mediate theirdifferences.

Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development: Theconcept of governance denotes the useof political authority and exercise ofcontrol in a society in relation to themanagement of its resources for socialand economic development. This broaddefinition encompasses the role ofpublic authorities in establishing theenvironment in which economicoperators function and in determiningthe distribution of benefits, as well asthe nature of the relationship betweenthe ruler and the ruled.

Commission on Global Governance:Governance is the sum of the many waysindividuals and institutions, public andprivate, manage their common affairs. Itis a continuing process through whichconflicting or diverse interests may beaccommodated and cooperative actionmay be taken. It includes formalinstitutions and regimes empowered toenforce compliance, as well as informalarrangements that people andinstitutions either have agreed to orperceive to be in their interest. Adaptedfrom Human Development in South Asia,1999 -The Crisis of Governance, Oxford,p. 29. 2 "What is good governance?" http://




www.unescap.org (15.2.2013) 3 "What is good governance" http://info.worldbank.org (20.2.2013) 4 Concise Oxford English Dictionary(Eleventh Edition, Electronic Version). 5 "What is good governance?"UNESCAP. 6 H. Ramachandran, " Vision 2020:Governance and People's Participation"(Unpublished paper, n.d.), 2. 7. Ibid. 8 Lalsanglura Ralte, "Kan mamawhsorkar tha" (Issued by M.P.F. GeneralHeadquarters, Aizawl: Mizoram, n.d.), 3-5. 9 H.T. Sangliana, "Mizo Kristiante lehPolitics" in Kum 100 Kristian ZofateHmabak, (Banglore: Bangalore MizoChristian Fellowship, 1994), 126. 10 "What is good governance?"UNESCAP 11 Ibid. 12 Outlook Magazine, June 2009. 13Thangchungnunga, "Ramhlutna leha hman tangkai dan" in Kristiante RahbiThar, edited by Lalchhuanliana (Aizawl:Synod Social Front Committee, 1991),319. 14 R.N. Prasad, Government andPolitics in Mizoram, (New Delhi:Northern Book Centre, 1987), 5. 15 According to the Mizo District(Agricultural Land) Act of 1963 & Rules,no one should be granted more than 30bighas of land without the permissionof the executive. However, this act hasbeen violated so much by powerfulpeople. 16 "Vote-bank politics has 'ruined'

nation: Narendra Modi addressesstudents at SRCC" Deccan Chronicle,6.3.2013. 17 "What is good governance?"UNESCAP. 18 Red Tape may be defined as"collection or sequence of forms andprocedures required to gainbureaucratic approval for something,especially when oppressively complexand time-consuming". Anotherdefinition is the "bureaucratic practiceof hair splitting or foot dragging, blamedby its practitioners on the system thatforces them to follow prescribedprocedures to the letter". "Red Tape"http://en.wikipedia.org (15.2.2013). 19 Ibid. 20 See how RTI is being practiced inMizoram government offices and theprevalence of financial corruption ingovernment undertakings. S.L. Sailo,"Sorkar tha hlutna leh a tha lovin anghawngte" in State LevelConsultation on Good Governance,(Aizawl: The Mizoram People Forum,2009), 33-60. 21 Ibid., 34. 22 The Administrative ReformsCommission (ARC) headed by MorarjiDesai submitted a special interim reporton "Problems of Redressal of Citizen'sGrievances' in 1966. In this report, theARC recommended the setting up oftwo special authorities designated as'Lokpal' and 'Lokayukta' for the redressalof citizens' grievances. Maharashtrawas the first state to introduce theinstitution of Lokayukta through The


http://www.unescap.org

http://en.wikipedia.org



Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act in 1971. This was followed bysimilar acts being enacted by states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi. 23 K. Thanzauva, Zonunmawi, (Aizawl: Greenhill Development and Research, 2012)217. 24 What is good governance?" UNESCAP.




OBITUARY:I. Rev. LalchungluraRev. Lalchunglûra (82 yrs.) passedaway on May 10. 2013, 11:00 pmdue to Cancer. His funeral was heldat Jubilee Church, MissionVengthlang, Aizawl on May 11,2013.

Rev. Lalchunglûra was born onAugust 3, 1931 at Tlângkhua,Tripura. His father was RokimaRokhûm and his mother was BûkiChhangte with 5 brothers and 2sisters. During their childhood, thefamily shifted from place to placeuntil they setlled at Kanhmun. Hemarried to Rothuamliani Thangluahand they were blessed with sevenchildren - five males and twofemales. He first worked asevangelist under the Tripura BaptistChurch from May 1, 1958. In 1960he studied at Bible School inBengali Medium at Agartala, andin 1962 he continued his study atJubilee Bible School at Serkawn,the Headquarters of Baptist Churchof Mizoram. He continuedtheological courses of study at theAizawl Theological College during1963-1965 with which he wasawarded a diploma certificate.Later he wrote an exam for

Graduate in Theology (G. Th.)course. In 1996 he was posted asa Village Pastor, and in 1968 hebecame a probationary pastorunder the Tripura Baptist ChurchUnion (T.B.C.U). He was ordainedin 1969. He had always the visionthat churches in Tripura wouldprogress faster in all aspects if theyjoin the Mizoram PresbyterianChurch. He was instrumental forthe establishment of PresbyterianChurch in Tripura in 1976. Hejoined the Presbyterian Church’sPastoral Ministry in 1985. Rev.Lalchunglura was instrumental forthe progress of the Tripura Mission;he spent his good years servingthere until he was transferred toMizoram in his advanced age. Hewas first posted at Sairangpastorate/district in 1987; but afterone year there, he was transferredto Zamuang pastorate. He servedthere till his retirement in 1993. Hethen came to Kolasib after theretirement. Later, he came to Aizawlin 2009 and settled at MissionVêngthlang.

Various responsibilities given tohim during his ministry showed hisleadership ability in various churchcommittees and social organisations




both during his service and after hisretirement. While he was servingunder the Baptist Church, he wasa Chairman in a district. After hejoined the Presbyterian Church, hewas the Moderator of Tripura untilthe Mizoram Presbyterian ChurchSynod amalgamated to its missionfield. After he joined and workedunder the Synod, he becameChairman of pastorate, Moderatorof Western Presbytery, and so on.Even after he came to MissionVêngthlang, the Jubilee Churchappointed him as Chairman ofChurch committee, FinanceCommittee, Music Committee andAdult Sunday School and alsoMember of Pastorate’s StandingCommittee and Sunday SchoolCommittee.

His funeral was conducted inMission Vêngthlang Aizawl, first athis resident, which was followed bythe Church programme in JubileeChurch at 1:00 pm. The funeralmessage was delivered by Rev.Vanlalzuata, Senior ExecutiveSecretary, Mizoram PresbyterianChurch Synod.

Rev. Lalchunglura was alwayshappy to see the progress of thechurches in Tripura under the

Mizoram Presbyterian Church’smission. He always cherished theservice he rendered for the people,and was also grateful to theMizoram Presbyterian Church forthe work rendered to upift the poorand saving the lost souls in Tripura.The MPC mourns his death for itlosts one of the most committedpastors in mission. May Godcomfort his family.

------------xox-----------II. Rev. LalbiaktluangaRev. Lalbiaktluanga (84 years)passed away on 29.7.2013 at 6:45a.m. at the Aizawl Hospital. Hisfuneral was held at BungkawnChurch, Aizawl the same day at1:00 p.m where he worshipped inhis life time.

Rev. Lalbiaktluanga was born atTlângpuilian in December 1929,the year as remembered for famineand severe landslides. His fatherwas Suakvunga (also called asChênga) and his motherChalphungi.

He had basic education in aPrimary School at Tlângpui village,and in1942 he wrote class III examat Biate Centre, where he stoodthird position. Although he wasencouraged to continue his study,




he had to help hi parents incultivation during 1943-1948.When Middle Anglo VernacularSchool was started near his villageby the Welsh mission, he attendedclasses for two months, but due tofamily problems, he could not finishthe study. When charismatic revivalhappened in 1947 he experiencedthe spiritual/charismatic revival andconsequently he fully committed hislife to God for His ministry.

In 1951 he passed class 6. In1954 application was opened forthe same. He applied, and wasgiven admission with two otherfriends, one of them has similarname of his!

In 1955, Rev. J.M. Lloyd themissionary teacher went farloughand Aizawl Theological School wasclosed. They were sent to CherraTheological College , Meghalaya,where the Welsh Mission had a aTheological College to continuetheir studuies.

In Full Time Ministry :The final exam was conducted

during March-April, 1958. Whenthey came home after they finishedthe exam, they were asked to visitvillages on preaching assignments.When the Church was satisfied with

their training, he was taken tobecome probationary pastor alongwith five other candidates in thespecial Synod held during June28&29, 1958 at Dawrpui Church.

Probationary pastorLalbiaktluanga was trained underPastor Pa\hiauva, at Tualchêng ofAiduzawl Pastorate. He servedthere for eight months only, till hewas shifted to Sateek pastoratewhere he served during April 1959- June 1961 - two years and twomonths. He was ordained on June28,1959, at the Special Synod inMission Veng.

While he was serving at Sateek,he passed the Serampore matric (acourse prepared by the SeramporeCollege to qualify for highertheological study). He thus qualifiedhimself to do B.D. under the Senateof Serampore College. He marriedto Vanhmingliani, d/o UpaChalkhuma, Tlângpui on May 29,1961. The same year he went toSerampore for B.D. study. Hefinished B.D. in 1965.

The 1964 Synod held atMission Veng appointed him to bein charge of Mission VengPastorate; there he served fromJune 24, 1965 - Dec. 31, 1979.




During that time, Aizawl wasdivided into two pastorates, Northand South, which has now beenmade into more than twentypastorates. When Pastor Thanga,the pastor in-charge of Dawrpuipastorate in the northern area, hehad to look after the pastorate fromJune to Decmber in 1967.

During the time of politicalturmoil due to undergroundmovement in 1966, many of thevillages, outskirts and nearbyAizawl, had to be separated andhave their own pastorates, theMission Veng pastor’s work hadbecome lighter in term ofgeographical area.

After he served at Mission VengPastorate for fifteen years, he wasgiven the responsibility of editing thepublications of the MizoramPresbyterian Church Synod, and hebecame the first Editor after theformation of the ‘Synod PublicationBoard’. After his term was over, hewas posted at Ramhlun VengPastorate, the newly formedpastorate at that time in 1981-where he served there for full 11years (1981-1991). He retired onJanuary 1, 1992 from the samepastorate.

After his retirement, he setlledat Bûngkâwn Vêng, Aizawl. Theduration of his service was 33 years:Pro. Pastor 1 year; Theology studyB.D. 4 years; Editor 1 year; Pastor27 years. He served in 4 pastoratessuch as Aiduzawl (Tualchêng),Sateêk, Mission Veng andRamhlun.

During his service, he wasappointd as member in variouscommittees at the Pastorates,Presbyteries and the Synod levels.He was Moderator of the Synodfor two terms; one term as SynodStatistician; member of NominationCommittee for 14 times; memberof Standing Committee once;Executive Committee for 9 terms;Pastoral Committee for 4 terms;Mission Committee for 2 terms;Sunday School Committee for 3terms; Theological Committee for5 terms; Finance Committee,Literature Committee for 2 termseach; Communication Board for 3terms; Hospital Board for oneterm; Pension & Provident FundBoard for 4 terms. He had been amember of different sub-committees under the Synod suchas Marriage Regulations, Revival,Social Front, and Service Board.




He had been chairman ofPastorate Meetings, PresbyteryModerators for 3 times in differentplaces. Even at the level of the PCIAssembly he had been AssemblyStatistician for a term, member ofExecutive Committee for fourterms; and he once represented theAssembly at the Synod of theChurch of South India, Madurai in1988.

His leadership ability andexpertise in service had also beenutilised even outside the Churchsuch as Bible Society of India asVice President for a term, andmember of its Executive Committeefor a term; President of AizawlAssociate Auxiliary leh Auxiliary for10 years; and President andSecretary of BSI Aizawl Branch fornumbers of years years. He hadbeen on the team of Bibletranslators from 1973 till the finalforms of both the ‘Formal’ and‘Dynamic Equivalent’ translations.

His illness:Rev. Lalbiaktluanga had good

health until later in his life. But on14.7.2013 (Sunday) night he wasfound lying unconscious by his bed,and was rushed to the AizawlHospital. After medication for a

week-long days, he was dischargedfrom the hospital on 22.7.2013 withgood results. But he was foundunconscious again on 29.7.2013(Monday) morning and was rushedback again to the Aizawl Hospital.That became the call of God forhim, and he breathed his last at6:45 a.m on that same day. Hisfuneral was held at BûngkawnChurch, at 2: 30 p.m. on the sameday which was conducted by theRev. Lalramliana Pachuau, SynodModerator.

The MPC mourned the deathof Rev. Lalbiaktluanga for it lostsone of its most talented ministersparticularly in framing churchadministrative set up. He wouldalways be remembered for hissincerity to carry out his ministry;instances of this could be seenwhen he conducted worshipservices, or funerals, or weddings.Even if few people sits on the pew,he would do the formal order ofworship services as if he wouldconduct worship service whenhundreds of people fill the pews.He was interested in History ofChristianity on which he wrote fewbooks, so also his articles about thegrowth and progress of Christianity




and the Church in Mizoram are accassionally published in magazines.May God comfort his family.

“These are they who have come out of thegreat ordeal; they have washed their robes

and made them white in the blood of the

lamb” (Revelation 7:14b).




DECLARATIONSCHEDULED FORM OF DECLARATION

FORM 1 (See Rule No. 3)

1. Title of the News paper : Presbyterian Review2. Language in which it is published : English3. Periodicity of its Publication : Quarterly4. Retail selling price of the

Newspapera) Annual subscription : Rs. 100b) Per copy : Rs. 25

5. Pulisher’s Name : Rev. Dr. VanlalchhuanawmaNationality : IndianAddress : Aizawl Theological

College, Durtlang,Mizoram

6. Place of Publication : Mission Veng, Aizawl7. Name of the Printing Press : Synod Press

Where printing is to be conducted : Mission VengAizawl, Mizoram

8. Name of the owner of the Printing Press : Upa R. Lalmalsawma9. Editor’s Name : Rev. Dr. C. Lalhlira

Nationality : IndianAddress : Aizawl Theological

College, Durtlang,Mizoram

10. Owner’s Name : Mizoram Presbyterian ChurchNationality : IndianAddress : Aizawl Theological

College: Durtlang

I, Rev. Dr. Vanlalchhuanawma, hereby declare that the particularsgiven above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Sd/-


VOI, XXII May - August, 2013 No. 67 Good Governance ...

Documents

Transcript of VOI, XXII May - August, 2013 No. 67 Good Governance ...