Bridging the Gap & Political Morality
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 24 2015 -

Degeneration of political morality in Manipur is not new. However, the pinch of the collapse of intended politics can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s.

Other than what was experienced first hand, observers began noticing the darker shades of what skewed understanding of governance could do to undo certain set values.

Though there is an absence of objective studies at the dawn of political corruption in modern Manipur, numerous men of literature have at least been able to hint on the fact that something was amiss in the steps taken by knowledgeable members of the elite particularly in the post-merger phase.

It is this realization that woke up hundreds of youth to launch numerous movements for the rights of the common people. With the advent of political protests on the streets of Imphal, the youth of 1960s also learned that what had been inherited was not going to bring much relief to the masses.

Despite numerous efforts, much could not be done to undo inconsistencies in the body politics already suffering with irredeemable ethos.

Those engaged in conventional literary traditions were quick to notice, the malevolence of the harsh political realities.

Some even experimented in changing the techniques of language used in the hope the general public would be in a position to catch the end of the thread that was artificially linked to political immorality and confusion of the times.

Though the pioneers of the early movements had far-sighted visions, those who were on the verge of inheriting progressive movements were suppressed and repressed not only by the State but also the overarching patriarchy.

This does not mean that there is a uniformity of impact of politics by a dysfunctional class of people. There were growing influences of new crop of intelligentsia who has been driven on the edge earlier.

Some of them found refuge in organically formed centres of cultural productions. Adaptations and localisations of new found hope rested in the realm of new cultural production primarily textual in nature.

Here, it is worth recalling that the emergence of strident movements in the State began with the ability to express themselves driven by the idea of change.

Despite the growing resistance against the tide of repression, most significant moments were reduced to immobilized ideas. Those who embarked on experimenting with newer ideas could not find an easy route.

This was in spite of the fact that they became increasingly aware of what to do if democracy had to work.

For any society that seeks to achieve a substantial degree of democratic participation, the ideas were important but the same had to be communicated in clear terms.

This was an imperative for a meaningful debate on the creation of perceptions – both of politics and cultural awakenings.

But many have failed to realise that if the health of democratic order was to be kept in good form, there was a need to close the gap based on social distance.