Last Christmas, I casually browsed through the array of Christmas and seasons greeting cards that my family had received. Much to my surprise; unlike the previous 3 years the CHRISTMAS OF 2006 seemed to be extra special for most of the MLAS and the Ministers hailing from OUR district. For all of them with the exception of a few had either sent us a Christmas or a Season greeting card – a card which had the ASHOKA CHAKRA prominently emblazoned on it. A particular MLA, I believed must have been extra careful as he had sent two of his specially designed neatly printed Christmas cum seasons greeting card. OUR politicians are so thoughtful and caring they always think in terms of “TWO” for the people that they represent. What do you say???

Seeing a series of cards with the “Ashoka Chakra” – the emblem of power and prominence printed on it. My curiosity began to assert itself till I could no longer contain it “What is so special about this Christmas or this season to our local representatives –the District MLAs and Ministers?? Had they all taken a crash course in social etiquette?? Or maybe they all had just finished reading the Dale Carnegie’s best seller ‘How to win friends and influence people’’, I found myself shouting out loud when a friend of mine standing beside, softy chided me for my “political ignorance” and said to me in a mild voice “ Come on, get a grip. It’s election year next February (2007) and this is the season when they have or had to be nice though they HATE to be nice.

Elections – a word that most of our politicians love to hate; they all kind of share a bitter love hate relationship with this word, a word that has been ingrained into the very fiber of their being, a word that they can or cannot do without with – this I say in all honesty without malice towards anyone. Elections always give them the chill, the shivers, makes them feel vulnerable and shaky, palms sweating with the prospect of “ What if ” constantly looming over their heads like dark clouds on the horizon. A time of intense suspense when their fate would be decided by a secret ballot, a time when their 5 year dream run comes to an end, a time when the common people –the masses calls the shots and play dice with their political fate. I must admit that this is the “True beauty” of democracy.

Even the most seasoned and senior politicians who had survived many political battles still get butterflies in their stomach whenever they have to face the tasking ordeal of elections. Exercising the right to vote is the most solemn duty of a citizen in a democratic country. The article 326 of the Indian constitution guarantee this right to every citizens of the country “The election shall be on the basis of adult suffrage, every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than 18 years of age shall be entitled to vote at the elections provided he is not disqualified by any provisions of the constitutions or of any laws made by the appropriate legislature on the ground of non residence, unsound mind, crime or corrupt and illegal practice”

Elections are a testing time indeed and like all other events that do not take place annually –it has a fever and an aura of its own. A politician whom power has whetted his appetite and the very nature of his being by virtue of him/her having won an elections once or twice in the past often takes the plunge in it again even if his/ her chances of being returned to the state assembly is slim. Such is the magnetic pull of the elections. It is no wonder that elections are never short of candidates who are willing to bet their all on the roll of the election dice. Though none, not even one could tell for sure in whose favor the political pendulum would swing. Politics I must say is akin to a game of Cricket, nothing could be predicted until the last ball/ the last vote is cast. The bottom line is “It’s not over till it is over” and the last vote counted.

The Election Commission had conducted the polls; the battle lines had been drawn and the lot is cast. By the time this article is printed/ web cast the elections would have been over. For once again in 5 years the ball is in our court and we –the people are by virtue of the right to vote granted to us by the constitution are in a position and at liberty to choose the candidate we deemed fit the best to represent our interest in the legislature. All the citizens who had voted in the elections had played the role of the arbiter, the judge to decide who will be the best suitable to be our “VOICE” the assembly.

Like I have stated earlier for the political novices as well as the old-Turks and the wanna-be, elections are one hell of a stressing time. For the seasoned politicians who have been a veteran of many a political battle, election is the time for him once again to brush the dust off from his old manifestos – the barrage of promises that he made to the people the last elections. With a few modifications and alterations here and there, where and when required in keeping with the times and the exigencies of his constituency coupled with his experienced oratorical skills, he could use them again just like he always did. For elections bring out the best in our politicians, the famous quote of the bard of Avon “Life a stage and all must play its part” holds pretty true even to our politicians. The elections brings out the artist in our politicians, how hard they would try to woo the people donning the self imposed superficial robe of humility – a white kurta suit, hands every ready to be folded in a NAMASTE, an every-ready mechanical smile and they would come and talk to us all as if we were their long lost friends or how well they know our folks - is a drama in real life that could beat any bollywood blockbuster for those who those who look for authenticity in art/ drama/ and mime.

Elections time are when our politicians are easily accessible to the people and would talk about the need for change and for making our lives better; they would promise us the moon and rant about changing the world, without ever thinking of changing themselves. It’s the time when the ravenous wolf masquerades as a lamb and would resort to any schemes or devilish ploys, by hook or by crook, the politicians would make a desperate bid to retain their power at any cost. The way they would woo the deciding minority voters in their constituency is one classic act that would have put even the great Hollywood legend Marlon Brando to shame. If all of our politicians suddenly decided to switch professions and join the Indian film industry – the so called bollywood, I am sure it would be bad news and would spell doom for the Bachans and the Khans. Politics is the best school to learn acting even the National School of drams and other leading acting institutes in the country would only come second, our cine stars act only when they work in films. Our politicians act everyday, no written scripts, no directors, no cuts, no retakes, they improvise along everyday, they can emote any type of human emotions better than a trained actor. The best actors in the country are not to be found in Bombay Film Industry, to be more precise – they instead to be found in players of India political corridors of powers.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, for the politicians who holds the reins of power in the last political dispensation, he has a launching pad (in the context of his/her effort to get re-elected) which the others candidates do not have that is – he could start paving way for his re-election to the house by removing officers with whom he doesn’t share a good rapport with from his district under the pre-text of transfers & reshuffling, months before the election. To be more precise, politicians would lobby jointly for the transfer of an officer whom they feel is too upright, clean and too honest to serve their interests. Officers who are honest and who would expedite their duties and carry out their responsibilities without fear and favor are often a thorn in the politician’s path. A wily, crafty and senior politician knowing too well that “a well beginning is half done” would take it as a personal agenda to have top officers manning crucial posts in their districts, whom they are wary, transferred off and replaced with officers who would hum their tune and with whom they - the politicians are comfortable and confident to face the elections with.

If one is to go by conventions then top officers in charge of a district administration or security should not be transferred off from a district a few months before the elections. Even if such transfers are to be executed, it could be executed only on two grounds;

1) The Officer concern should have served in the said district for at-least a period of 3 years

2) The Officer concern is local/bonafide resident of the district.

But our politicians what do they care about conventions? In the month of November 2006 a number of transfers were executed by the Government barely two months before the election due in February throwing conventional practices to the winds and out of the window. The popular Superintendent of Police Churachandpur district - L.D. Lhatoo, IPS who had been posted back to man the hyper sensitive district of Churachandpur after the assassination of the late T. Thangthuam, IPS, was transferred off from the district where he had served for couple of years, (earning the respect of all the communities here and the most popular S.P so far, the only Police officer who had generated such a good will amongst the Ccpurians) without a rhyme or reason not even two months from the elections, in complete contravention of conventional practices. Honest, diligent, sincere, upright and hardworking non political Police officers like L.D. Lhatoo don’t really fit into the unscrupulous character of the politicians.

Then there was the attempt to transfer two IAS officers Sumanth Singh (Deputy Commissioner, Churachandpur District) and Pankaj Pal (Deputy Commissioner, Ukhrul) from the districts where they both served as the Deputy Commissioners; the deliberate attempt to transfer the above mentioned officers for reasons best known to the politicians themselves, did not go down well with the student bodies of the two districts- the CDSU and the TKS who opposed such a sinister move tooth and nail. It is really encouraging to know that there are still genuine student bodies in the state like the Churachandpur District Students Union (CDSU) and the TKS (Tangkhul Student Bodies) who are not yet politicized like most student bodies in the state are; and who still fight for their convictions, for justice, and for their beliefs. I salute the two student bodies – CDSU & TKS, and pray that they would continue to fight for what is right, and will not allow their judgement to be obscured by political influence. For anywhere in the country or elsewhere in the world, one hardy finds a Student Union which is not politicized.

Our bureaucrats are on the flip side a pitiable lot, they studied so hard to reach where they are today, only to be a politician’s hand wash towel.

Elections are an important time for us the voters - to mull over the governments of the past, the politicians whom we have elected earlier, this is the time to carefully analyze their performance and to review if they have actually lived up to the promises that they made to us during the last elections. Here they are again dressed in their best white kameez kurtas, taking the extra effort to look humble, wearing their best etiquette and presenting themselves as politically charming, wearing their credentials out on their sleeves, soliciting our votes, clamoring for our attention. The irony with our politicians is that they only need the people – the masses during the elections, and not after that.

It is my sincere hope that we all had cast our votes and exercised our constitutional right of universal adult suffrage with the best of wisdom and discernment. Our votes are priceless and valuable and I believe we all have exercised it suitably. Even one vote of yours could turn the political tide, before you actually cast your votes, I believe that you took the time to scan the credentials of the candidates, reflect on their past performance, the promise they hold – if they are first time candidates. As voters I hope that you were not swept away by big talking politicians who punctuate their speeches with quotes and one liners – usually they are all talks who never walk the talk. Let us all hope that candidates who could be a catalyst for “change” are elected– change for the better which our state of chaos, bands and anarchy badly and desperately needs.

It’s a confusing situation no doubt, when all the candidates profess to be the best the one that we need to make our lives better. I really wish if we have a magic mirror of the fairy tales who could tell us who is the FAIREST of them all. In the last elections which was pretty bloody (nothing new in Manipur Standard of Elections). A musician from Churachandpur Lalpi Guite (who now lives in Canada) wrote a beautiful and meaningful song about the last elections, aptly titled “Mirror Mirror on the wall”, excerpt below is a few lines from the song.

“I heard a gun fight in my backyard
It makes me sick out of my heart
Who’s to blame and who is the hero
Ain’t it a shame one more down to zero

Give and take what do you make?
Give and take of taking lives

Mirror Mirror hanging on the wall
Tell me who is the fairest of them all”

The 60 MLA CROWNS of the Manipur state assembly has just been up for grabs, and a host of candidates had just cat-walked down the election ramp of political aspiration in hope of being elected to the assembly. They are all smooth talkers, some of them seasoned who never mean what they say and never say what they mean - old wine in new bottles, it would be a fool hardy to take them at face value for you never know nor can you tell what lies beneath the exterior of the person.

The people always get the Government they deserve; It is my prayer that the citizens of Manipur have exercised their vote with the wisdom and discernment of a matured political electorate so that the “BEST MAN” are returned to the State Assembly – Men full of conviction and vision, men who still dared to dream beyond the dark clouds horizon; and not the usual run-of-the-mill pseudo leader-turned-politician who serves himself by pretending to serve others. Remember they are our elected representatives and a reflection of our aspirations and the type of people that we are. If we really want a CHANGE in the governance; then election is the only instrument to bring forth that CHANGE. LET us not Crib about our representatives/ or the next government, after all we the people are the ones who have elected them to power.

The chronic problem of democracy in a state of lawlessness like Manipur is that the BEST MAN never competes or stands for elections.

Mirror Mirror on the wall who indeed is the fairest of them all?