Playing heroes on social media : Cautioning Smart Alecs
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 01 2023 -

The bottomline is, be very, very careful of what you put up on the social media, for it becomes next to impossible to erase the digital footprint.

No effective erasure has been manufactured till date to do away with what is written or any visuals uploaded on the digital media platform but this has not stopped some of the more ‘digital savvy’ and misplaced individuals from filming what they fancy and uploading the same on the social media.

Lest it blows over the thick head of some of the Smart Alecs, let it be very clear, the situation in Manipur is critical, very critical.

The focus of the international media and National media continues to be on Manipur.

The Supreme Court too has set its eyes and ears on the developments here and this is where one is left wondering at the plain stupidity coupled with a good dose of stubbornness of some elements to refuse to learn from the reality that is staring everyone on the face.

So from playing leikai heroes and heroines, some have tried to become heroes and heroines on the social media and in the process give a semblance of substance to the false narrative that is being peddled to the rest of the country and the outside world.

‘We cannot live with them any longer’ is the one line statement that is being peddled by the champions of the separate administration call and some elements seem hell bent to give a semblance of truth to this call and this is what is deeply disturbing and annoying as well.

Manipur is passing through a very critical phase.

The clash, that has killed over 160 people and continues to kill, maimed many more, rendered thousands homeless, continues and this is not the time for Smart Alecs to play heroes and heroines with their videography skill and upload the same on the social media.

Certainly not the time to play to the gallery and be reckless and give more substance to the false narrative that has been sold with so much conviction not only to the rest of the country but also at the international fora.

Remember the European Parliament, though ultimately it did boomerang on those trying to give a religious twist to the clash.

Manipur needs to be careful, very careful.

This is not the time for anyone to go high tech and upload offensive material that could boomerang on the understanding of Manipur in the long run.

Take the false sense of bravado of some elements with the seeming confusion of Imphal and here lies the perfect script to keep Manipur burning.

Too many civil society organisations and hence cannot zero in on one to start the process of talk, is the line that Chief Minister N Biren maintained and this is where so many questions arise.

It was only on August 25 that Union Home Minister Amit Shah invited members of the Co-ordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and asked them to reach out to all section of the people to start the process of talking things over.

Delhi would have surely got in touch with Imphal before deciding who to talk to and it is mind boggling to even think that just 6 days after Amit Shah invited COCOMI for a talk, the Chief Minister here should stick to the ‘too many CSOs and hence difficult to decide who to talk to,’ line.

In a way the observation of the Chief Minister is also not wrong for Manipur, especially the Meiteis, have had too many apex civil society organisations, but important to remember that in the present crisis, the different CSOs have not really struck any opposing stands.

They may not be under one umbrella body, but it also stands that they have not been on opposing sides.

This is the truth and if after more 100 days of the clash erupting the State Government is still in the dark over who to talk to, then things do not look good at all.

The initiative should come from the Government and this is certainly not the time to be confused over who to talk with.

Or is it a case of Imphal never ever really acknowledging the fact that the only way for Manipur to walk on the road to normalcy is through a dialogue ?

Time for everyone, the Government and the people, especially the Smart Alecs, to stop playing into the hands of those raising the call for a separate administration.