How responsible are we as citizens of Manipur?

Deepa Khomdram *

a Sit-in protest at the community hall of Keishampat Lairembi, Imphal in May 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

What does it mean to be a responsible citizen? Yes, this is the question I wish to raise to everyone reading this piece. The irony is most of the people belonging to the old school of thought forget that citizenship is more than a thing to withhold whereas those belonging to the new school of thought forget that it is more than a set of rights. We are all so lost in today's materialistic world of inhumanity, war and terrorism that we have forgotten our duties and responsibilities towards the well-being of our own society.

Day in and day out, we lament our woes without any guilt and thoughts expecting some God sent men to come along, one fine day, to rectify the mess we are in.

Flip over the pages of the local dailies, and you will find most of the pages are filled with stories about conflict /crisis such as rape, encounters, killings, etc. Very rarely do we get to read about progressive, developmental and human interest stories. Speaking of progressive and developmental news in our local dailies, news regarding the formation of new Unions / organizations / JACs and Confessions (Sengdokchaba), are the only news that we may (if we desire) consider as developmental stories.

The role of newspaper is not limited to reporting such stories only. They are referred to as the 4th pillar of the state which illustrates that it has a much greater role to play in the society. In short, they act as a medium for the public to reach out to the higher authorities to make their voices heard. A major drawback that I have seen in our local dailies is that nothing much has changed in the stories that the newspapers carry. We read about the same old stories day in and day out.

By highlighting these, I am not criticizing the local dailies. Definitely not! Seriously, I do not hold the newspapers responsible for it, for there is no doubt in saying that no matter what, they are giving in their 100%. However, I feel there is always some room for improvement. For instance, the newspapers can add an extra page at least once a week, like the major newspapers circulated in the country adds a supplement to their main paper, covering other stories highlighting the inadequacies and local problems that prevails in the state.

Yes, I agree this is nothing new in the state, but I believe, doing so will somehow draw the attention of the concerned authorities. Besides, covering news stories about promoting small scale/handloom industries and other possible entrepreneurship, etc will shed a new light in promoting youth employment drive. Just for a change, it would create awareness among the people of the possible employment opportunities that can be explored.

News stories about poor drainage system in the state, open potholes, haphazard electric wires etc with a picture to draw the attention of the concerned authorities. Even we cud follow the same thing. I agree it is easier said than done but again, "Rome wasn't built in a day". It's high time to break the wall of silence and start doing something, taking responsibilities of our own duties and actions.

Where the citizens of the state are concerned, we seem to have actually forgotten the meaning of being a responsible citizen, as in we have actually forgotten our duties towards the society (Correct me if I am wrong, I would be greatly obliged). Fernando Cardoso has defined citizenship as, "Democracy is not just a question of having a vote. It consists of strengthening each citizen's possibility and capacity to participate in the deliberations involved in life in society." It is my humble request to not please misquote the definition.

When we speak of, "…each citizen's possibility and capacity to participate in the deliberations involved in life in society", it doesn't simply imply to forming innumerable JAC's and organizations. Yes I agree, there should be such organizations in the state to make the higher authorities hear of the grievances of the society. However, it should be limited to a handful lots. I believe, this would be a far better approach to work for the well-being of the society in a more efficient and effective way. What is the use of forming innumerable groups in such a small state? I am sorry to admit it but so far I have never been able to understand the logic behind it.

There is no dearth of local clubs in our state. If you are not convinced then, look at every nook and corner, you will always find one. But how efficiently do they work is the question that arises. Clubs and organizations are created to work for developing their respective localities. Are they actually serving the purpose for which they have been created? I doubt it! Today these clubs and organizations are just a means for minting money. The funds they generate are rather used for some other purposes. And it isn't their fault. The fault lies in the system.

All of us go ga-ga over some green papers that we fail to see the long term goal and forsake it just for the sake of some entertainment that would last till the blink of an eye. What I intend to say is citizenship is a very broad term which is beyond acquiring just a residency or nationality. As stated by Martha Gelhorn, "Citizenship, in fact, is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it".

Many of us would agree with the statement above, claiming that it is our birth right to form our own opinion but how many of us actually stand by it? I would say very few! We have our own say in everything but we won't dare to do anything realistic.

We are least concerned about the increased traffic jam, dust, pot-holed filled roads and zero electricity. Or is it that we are so used to it that we have started to accept it as a normal part of our day to day life. It appears as if the height of animosity, anguish and mistrust has taken a toll over our duties as a sincere citizen.

The cries of the widowed mothers, sisters, daughters and wives seem to have repressed the idea of right or wrong. Some of you might consider it to be a very biased perspective and might even go to the extent of referring to my ideas as judgmental. However, just think over it for a second and introspect.

Ask yourself, "How responsible am I as the citizen of the state?" If asked to grade yourself in a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, what will be your grade? I would grade myself below 5, somewhere between 2 and 3.

What about you? I strongly believe that, if each one of us is well-aware of our own actions, responsibilities and duties then the question of blaming the government for every tits and bits will never arise for we are a part of the government. And thus, I conclude with the words of Aristotle, "It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen".