Deviance and Corruption in Kangleipak

Md Anash Khan *

The recent cancellation of the appointment for some primary teachers employed under Department of Education (s) through Sarva Siksha Abhiyan after they were found undergoing Master degree course in Agriculture and in some other different courses. And in another case a medicine student of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of medical sciences Imphal has been caught for withdrawing salary of being primary teacher under DOE(S) for more than 5 years is a laudable job done by the department. Such fishing out of hoky-poky people should continue for the well being of the state.

Taking the above instances as an example, government have to accept that there is a flaw in state machinery. Drawing the mental focus of state to espy in the prevailing model of twofold system of public employee, work culture and behavioural ethics of the employee.

Employee employed under SSA, Autonomous district council and Aanganwadi teachers, workers( few to mention) often found engaging in twofold service while some of them drawn the salary of being a public servant and as well they enrol for learning programme in college or some even in university level(regular course) without any consent from the authority.

Did the government pay them to earn their degree? They sometime forget that their salaries are pooled from the taxpayer money. While the taxpayer citizens suffered the brunt caused by inflation and higher multiple taxes.

The existing state of affairs of Manipur is in grave nature. Most of the government machinery ranging from clerks to secretaries shown less interest in executing their official duties ethically rather they kept on searching different means to get some bait while executing the official duties. The public servant are meant to work for the welfare of the public however the fashion that preferred in public offices and principles of public employee in Manipur are contrary with the service code of conduct laid down by the state.

In modern and well established state the workers (public/private) arrive and leave the workplace on time .As per a survey conducted by New York Times in USA most of the workers thought that their work as not only work and also life. In such states the office lunch break is only for 30 minute. Some eat at desk and some just grab a quick burger so that they furnish their works quickly which latter help in impressing the clients and work place Bosses.

From the above insertion it can come to construe that public employee of modern state value their time and perform their duties ethically. However, when we look at the context of Manipur public institutions it’s quite contradictory with the rule book. Majority of workers in public offices in Manipur arrive lately and leave early. Their lunch break took more than an hour while they come after lunch lately.

The understood the lunch break as a time for WATHI at nearby ENE (aunty) hotel with CHA (Tea) and BORA (Snacks) or CHAI PE CHARCHA at office by not caring all those files and people waiting for their mercy like begging in some deserted places.

It took long to find to find out where /to whom one can pursue to obtain an income certificate/caste certificate. The clerks kept on referring from one to another and their unresponsive nature helps the one losing faith in state. Those clerks are seems to be fan of bollywood they kept on giving TARIKH PE TARIKH, TARIKH PE TARIKH (date on date) so that the man give him some medium denomination notes to finish his work soon.

Even the state civil servants who are recruited through Manipur Public service commission (which sometimes describe as watch dog of merit system in the state) seems imbecile in performing their official duty. State bureaucrats seems more satisfied in giving lectures in public functions, presenting themselves in dais and cutting ribbon rather than furnishing their official duty accordingly.

Some of the newly recruited civil servant engaged and teach in various private coaching institutes in the town and drawing handsome salary simultaneously from the state exchequer (which is tax payer money) and from the private coaching which latter made them to compromise their professional ethical values.

If they (the civil servant) wanted to teach /guide the students, probably they should have done as voluntary initiatives, which is mostly not the case.

Isn’t a high time for the public and the civil organisation to question them and state so that the civil servants maintain transparency and accountability toward themselves and to the public which will collectively yield in the welfare of the state

Service code of conduct laid down by the Department of Personal and training mention that –
o A government servant shall not place himself under any financial or other obligations to any individual / organisations which may influence him in the performance of the official duties.
o He/ She shall commit himself to up hold the supremacy of the constitution and the democratic values.
o He /she shall be responsive to public particularly to the weaker section.

So, while cross checking the state civil servants with the code of conduct laid down by the Government some question often pops up in the people mind such as
o Are they following their service code of conduct?
o Are they responsive to public -if not what may be the reasons?
o How this loop holes were created?

Do organising “MIYAMGI NUMIT”, exaggerated claims and circulating of snaps with different costume will help in mending the grave situation of the state affairs? A Big “NO” would answer by the mass. There is growing account of dishonesty among public official and the moral fibre of them are deteriorated in an unstoppable manner.

A critical examination for all the departments concerning two fold services, reason for the growing account of dishonesty among public officials which literally keep the state in the disguise state is inevitable.

Here the government may awake the vigilance commission (who hibernated for long). They may be tired of their inactivity, resting in the cosy arm chair. Deploy them to under see the sorry affairs of the state rather consulting only in framing the rules to appoint officers (which latter happen to be a corrupt one). It is a undeniable fact that most of the public institutions and officials are bodge in nature and they pursue against the rule book.

So it is an utterly due to clean up the disorder and make the public machinery liable. Let the people dream for a modern democratic state, let the people aim at realising the higher ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as outlined in the preamble of the constitution, which embodied the concept of welfare state.

Let the people dream for the new welfare KANGLEIPAK, looking after the welfare of its citizens. Loose the tightened rope of political democracy (even if it’s not free and fair in some instance) and let the people enjoy the social and economic democracy.