MIHOIH-PA by Lian Samte

"Competitive exam khit teng in laisim di dan a kithei sek. Elekson khit teng in a nawn chia mihoihzaw tel di ahihdan i phawk zel. Mak thei ngei! Hmar latualleng in, "An lang changchang a ding in, hmangeina chenve i min hlan a..." a chih bang deuh in, i politician te lah lekson kuan kia in a kisuk ua. Mipi tuh khemnop tak ihi," chih khawng ngaihtuah peuhset in vaigam kholumpi nuai ah ka lung hong leng dek mawkmawk a. Nehnuh.
Bangteng hileh, tutung lekson tuh mihoih lam a ana kipang kha ahi phot peuhmah aka: vote leh support a buailou i'hchi'a.
Lawmte khat in, "Elekson khawng mihoihlou te hih aka," achi zenhouh a. "Sumduh te, mimal hamphatna ding zong te, duhgawl te, meikhulian bawk te..." achi zulzul lai.
"Lekson buaipih teng le mihoihlou ahi pahpah khol dia hia, lawm?" ka na chih leh.
"Mihoih hile uh i gam uh a huchi siat dia hia?" hon chi fok a. "Khovel sia ichih a mi sia ei lim voi. Mihoih te'n vaihawm le uh a huchi mawk d'ia."
"Ka chi mah veh, U Zamching," chia ka na dawn thahah leh nak heh lawzen a.
"Na nak kimihoih sak," chiin hon tawng a. "Mihoih mahmah leteh le mihoihlou te thunuai a om thou na hi chih na kithei hia?"
"Om viallou e," chiin kei le ka ut tuan dek kei. "Kei tuh mihoih mah ka hi. Vote le khelou. Khiak le sawmlou. Sawm leng le khe kha tuanlou di. Khe leng le ka deihna a khelou lai di. Vote manpha law ta. Sumsuah louh dia pammaih. Vote khiak a bangmah lohtak louh sang a, a kipei peih te kipeipei ta le uh, e'n zing annhuan khat i leina dia i vote i khot zoh leh a kithaman hi ei," ka chih khum daldal hi.
"Tulai a kompein pongpoganda thak na thei hia?" chiin lawmpa'n hon surprise guih a.
Ka lu pei labalang, su labalang in ka hih a. Huai nengnawn theilou va hih di ka ut kei a, lah ka thei si kei a. Ahuailam sang in a kammal zat diklouh ka kawkmuh zaw ta veh. Eilawi siam zawng, chi mei ni: "Nang le, campaign strategy na chi ngal kei dia."
Typical Zomi deuh in lawmpa tuh a ki-admit nuam sam kei a. "Huai tuh kei chihdan eivoi," chiin hon dawng hiau.
Huchi zawng in zaw, ka chi lungsim a. Lah a dikna chiang le om thou in ka thei a. Ka pau sau kei. Dik kisa tuak in ka dai dedu ua.
"Tulai te chu maw," chiin dotlouh in ama'n hon sunzom pah vanglak a, houlim mong lou in ka om nawn vanglak uh. "Vote khelou di leh a khiak uh lele NOTA a khe dia kompein, eh, campaign, uh eivoi," hon chi a. A kammal hon bawldik geih in ka lungsim hon hetkha sim. Kei hileng huchilou di ka'ihchi'a...
"Huai bang e a phattuamna?"
"Huchia vote khiaklouh hiam simlouh (NOTA) a tam chiang a mihoihlou te tawmchik a le kivawk chingching thei uh eivoi."
Awm dek vanglak.
"Huchiin," chiin lawmpa'n hon genzom zel a. "Mihoihlou te hong lal ua. Vai hon hawm ua. A vaihawm uh hoihsalou in mihoih te ana phun ua. Huchilou di, hichi zaw di, chihtheih bang hauh in a hau ua. A deihdan ua thil omsak theih huntak chiang in lah a dai dendan zel ua. Huchite maw, migilou nunnem, kiphasak kingainiam achihte uh eivoi.
"Mihoihlou na chih te un vai hon hawm ua, a vaihawmna nuai uah lah utkei le uteh le na omthou ua. Khotang ah vai hon sai ua, na utlou sasa fund na piak a ngai a. Elektik lah vak ngeilou. Tui lah kai ngeilou. Lamlian lah khut a khu. Eh, Tedim Lawt le a kisial nung khatvei hong ki-braektopping zenzen leh kipak law hemhom hilou na hi'u? Huai dan khawng maimai aka. Na loh le a hunhun in na mu a hia? Zan zek a na kituansifal vovok leh na vote khiak ngeilouh man eive, na thei hia? Nang tuh na pil a, koi ah hon koih le ule Lamka kaanlou in loh na la gige thei a hiven."
"Kho-ngai doh lawm, n'on tawlem dek," chiin ka na tuikenuih veivui a. Nuam hetlou.
"Chi zel," chiin a chiltui a tak khe duap a. "A hi i gen chia lah tawlem chi. A hilou gen chia lah zuaugen kihi zel. Nak noprouh."
"Huchidan le a hikei," chiin ka kizumzel a. "A huchi kei kia n'on bang sak zozen a ka chihna ahi," ka chi khemkhem hi.
"Nang mihoihlou k'on chihna ahi zenzen kei," chiin maipha zon nachang hon thei thak a. Huchilou hileh singpi dawn khawm nawn chi'a aman pelou di ka'ihchi'a. "Ka gennop zawk tuh, tulai in mihoihlou te tata in vai a hawm ua, khotang, saptuam leh pawlpi khatpeuh ah. Khotang vai ah le mikhat hamphatna di khawng mipi thahatna in i buan hehu ua. Saptuam lah a chethei ichihte'n vai hawm in hon khenzak zialzial ua, mihoih te'n paulou in i zui duunduun zel ua. Hoihlou chih thei le'ng le ei hoih mawk ihchi'a, kuamah thusat/vaisat nial utlou hang a. Mihoihlou te'n mihing hinna bang la gaihgaih ua, ei a mihoih te pau selou...lamlian zui thei hamham."
"Huai na chih ngut leh," chiin lawmpa'n hon zou dek sim mawk a. "Eibang le kihuchi sim taktak eive. Diklou chih i theih gegu le heutute chih ahihnak leh kichi in kihihsuk zel. Crime bang commit hileng le, thei gegu a a-accomplice ana kihi gige di dan a'ivele! Lah, heutute khawng va selsel di le, khotang a kival di, mi'n hon ensawi di, izi-ita te mi'n sik-et di, nak noplouh law di...Huchia thudik toh nuamlou tak a hinsang in, tomchik i damsung dikkei lehang le mi lak ah maitaang in, meikhup dundun kei le maw, nuam."
"Thudik gum a mite muhdah hihsang in dikloutak a mite pahtak loh a tekkun a dam tuh telzaw na hi ve maw?"
Hiai tuh ka dawng ut hetkei na a, dik sim gen-gun veh aw.
Elekson nawn chia'n tuh vote ka khe ngeingei ta di! Thil diklou a ka theih te tuh heutu te hiam, sum-le-pai neizaw te hiam chih ahihman in ka hih teitei nawn sese kei di! Kei lungtang a dik a ka theih tuh diklou ahi chih proof na ka muh masiah ka pom tinten ta dia. Diklou ahi chih ka theih lelah ka kikhek pah di! Diklou sim a milak a luthawl hanhan sang in ka tu ka ta te mai a thudik gum a hing ngam mihing ka hi zaw di!
...khawng kichi zanzan le tuh mihoihlou kisuak di maw?
E'n lah huai chi dek lou di hang a. Mihoih-pa, mi thumang, mi nunnem, i'hchi'a.