Election and Politics in Manipur: Is It Worth ?

Prof Jodha Chandra Sanasam *

Voting for 16th Lok Sabha election 2014 for Inner Manipur Parliamentary at Imphal on 17 April 2014 :: Pix - Shanker Khangembam

Election or no election, the guys who control everything in Manipur will be those with money and muscle power, may or may not be ministers, MLA's, IAS officers or capable conmen. Then what is the point of having elections? ...Manipur is a land where history has failed, where leaders have failed, where the public have failed too.

This may sound negative and cynic. However, it is the fact, the real cruelty. It may take years together for this land to come to a wholesome state of affairs, or worse, the day may never see the light of the day.

It may sound negative and short of political consciousness; however, the common questions and discussions that surfaced up from among the mouths of those voters who came out like early sparrows do, and stood in the queue at the polling station, were stunning. I could not brush them off just like that.

Some of the interesting questions and retorts that reverberated around the polling station were:

o Well, let us see, the electorates of Manipur have elected someone out of the MP candidates Meinya, Ranjan, Nara, Manaobi, Indira or any other of the inner parliamentary constitution, and one from among those of the outer parliamentary constitution, well, will it make any difference?

o The amount or degree of time and energy; misuse of money and manpower; physical, mental and health injuries among all in general, and among the election officials and their team in particular; damage to the engines and body parts of the vehicles used; expense of time on the part of each voter and discomfort of arthritic pain among these old people in the queue; and what not, considering all these, is election worth anyway?

o Isn't election much ado about nothing? A field for the political players to play their games at the expense of the population? Will it bring any change anyway- among the common people, in you, him, or me with this election? History has been going on, on its own way, not so savoury specifically in the context of Manipur. So far, no leader of Manipur, parliamentary or assembly is there to be able to change the course of Manipur's history in a better direction or in the way, its people like and choose.

o Is there no other alternative other than this present anarchy-like electoral modality in the name of democracy? An observer died at Moreh this time. Would have he died in Manipur if there were no election?

o Can't we do without election? No, we can't. Election is a must. If there is a nation, there has to be a government. If there is a government, a democratic government is the in-thing. If it has to be a democratic government then there has to be election. It is democracy we, after all these centuries, have relied upon for the best form of government. To entrust the government in some good hands we got to go to election. You, he, and I are citizens.

No matter the new government will be useful or not to your land or to you yourself, it is the duty of a citizen to participate in the election, that's how I have come out to cast the vote. 'Are we really electing good people? Are these people who have come out to stand in the election really good people?' Questions and answers never ended.

'Whatever it is, am I not wasting my time to stand in this queue?' a middle-aged gentleman groaned. Hypocrites they are to condemn elections. They hate elections; yet, they came out like early sparrows to cast the vote!

o Election or no election, the guys who control everything in Manipur will be those with money and muscle power, may or may not be ministers, MLA's, or IAS officers. Then what's the point of having elections?

o Manipur is a land where history failed, where leaders failed, where the public have failed too. This may sound negative and cynic. However, it is the fact, the real cruelty. It may take years together for this land to come to a wholesome state of affairs, or worse, the day may never see the light of the day.

Another large-scale hypocrisy of democracy is the saying that goes by 'majority carries the vote.' In a classroom of an average school, the number of good children is few whereas the number of mediocre children is more. Likewise, in a neighbourhood or locality the number of good-hearted people is definitely less than the number of unaccountable ones. Then can we expect that the representative selected by the bad majority is the ideal person?

As there is less number of good people in the society, the good candidate will axiomatically have support from less people; and the candidate supported by the bad majority naturally will win the election. Then what and where is the meaning of election? Yet we got to vote because, if one does not go and cast his/her vote he/she will be branded as the moron having no political consciousness. This time the election commission, no doubt, has shown a positive mind-set that they kept a slot for NOTA, none of the above. However again for your opinion to opt NOTA you got to go to the polling station and waste some time to express it. More than that, NOTA does not signify that there is no candidate worthy in that particular constituency.

It simply says the voter does not like any of those in the fray, those candidates in the given list.

In spite of age-old practice, the trend of election has not come of age and maturity. We only can hope that somebody somewhere one day will bring out a watertight norm of election where the best deserves and is able to receive the real mandate of the public.