Church to use social media to get right leaders, motivate voters

SHILLONG: After the Catholic Church issued guidelines to voters in the traditional media, the next step is to use social media to communicate the message to a larger audience.
“We have several WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. We will use them to spread (the message that there is) the need to elect people with integrity and honesty,” Archbishop Dominic Jala said in an interview with The Shillong Times on Friday.
Another message from the church is that people of Shillong should come out in large numbers to vote.
Jala, who is the president of the North East India Regional Bishop’s Council, said the focus of the church will be the youths who can carry the messages across the North East and the country.
Besides spreading the message among parishioners to elect good leaders, various Catholic associations will also take up the task of spreading the same message through social media, Jala said.
“We do not want people who divide us, rather we want our representatives to be those who promote a sense of harmony as after all, people of the country have to be together,” the Archbishop added.
Jala said another message to the people of Shillong is that they should all come out and vote. “Over the years, we have witnessed less participation of voters in city areas and the turnout is low, especially during the Lok Sabha polls. We need to change this trend,” Jala said.
The Election Department is also taking several initiatives to attract urban voters to the polling stations.