Gearing up for the election : People's tryst with destiny
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 27 2011 -

It should be our tryst with destiny. With the Election Commission of India deciding that Manipur should go to the polls on January 28 next year, it is a moment of reckoning for the people. Time for all to realise that election is not only about deciding who should represent us, but about how we chart out our future.

For too long every election has only been a matter of electing someone, with never a thought or the realisation or even the effort to acknowledge that in casting our vote, we are not sealing the fate of the candidates in the fray but more about deciding which way the people and the land will be led in the next five years. In short deciding our fate.

The seven or eight hours of power supply that one gets daily (this is about Imphal and the situation in the hinterlands and the remote places can only be imagined), the huge amount that has to be paid to get a Government job, the large scale corruption, the arrogance of the people in positions of power and authority, the militarisation of the place both by the State and non-State agencies, the highway politics that has now been extended beyond the understanding of economic blockade to encompass all that are usually associated with hate campaigns and communal politics, are the fruits of the conduct of the people during election time.

Are we going to barter the question of accountability for Rs 500 at the time of casting our votes ? Should our votes be negotiated over the number of feasts which all intending candidates are likely to host ? Can our votes be quantified and measured on a scale of Rs 300 to Rs 1000 or on the number of feasts or liquor bottles ?

These are questions that need to be addressed and pronto. Start raising questions. Ask the candidates what they intend to do to check the large scale corruption. Ask them why Government jobs should come at a price in terms of lakhs of rupees. Ask them why there should be large scale militarisation of the place.

Question them on why people have to survive only on 7 or 8 hours of power supply daily. Raise questions on why Manipur should continue to depend on only one lifeline ? These are issues which have been affecting us for far too long and why shouldn't they be raised now, at election time ?

The issues confronting Manipur as of today are numerous. They range from the utter lack of accountability on the part of the people called the political class. Corruption is rampant and it has eaten into the vitals of the Government machinery. The education system is anything but education. Basic amenities continue to elude the people.

The politics of hate, which translates into communal politics hover over the heads of everyone. There is no security to the life and property of the common man, the average Tomba and Chaoba on the road. In the midst of all these, have any of these questions, any of these issues, been taken up for in-depth analysis or discussion between the intending candidates and the voters ?

The reality does not paint an encouraging picture. All these years the factors that have decided the fate of the winning candidates have never ever been any of the issues which have been playing havoc with the lives of the people and the land.

It has always been a question of the amount of money distributed per head, the number of lavish feasts hosted, the bank balance question (how rich is the candidate), the muscle power (how well connected) and the ability to tell a white lie.

As long as the factors for electing a candidate remain constant, the issues plaguing Manipur will continue. The winnability quotient of a candidate has to change now. A change in the faces of the peoples' representatives will remain cosmetic, until and unless the core factors for the change undergo a transformation.

The question is whether the people, the voters are ready to take a call or not. Election date has been fixed. The candidates are gearing up. The political parties are sure to roll out their plans and agenda. Manifestoes will be published.

The question is whether the public are ready to don their role as responsible voters or not. Remember the vote that is cast is not only about deciding the fate of the candidates but also about charting out our future in the next five years or so.

Pressing the button on the Electronic Voting Machine is much more than exercising our franchise right. It is sealing our fate. This should be clear to all.