Redefining Social Workers

By Seram Neken *

'THE VOICELESS SPEAKS' in the form of Sunday Column comes as a new year's presentation to all the readers of Hueiyen Lanpao English Daily from the first day of 2012. The writer wishes you all 'a peaceful and prosperous life' this year.

Let us make a land for ourselves, where there is less violence and communal narrow-mindset, where there is less corruption and favouritism in public life, where there is sanctity of religion and thought, where there is sustained economic prosperity, where there is true democratic value in society based on unity, integrity and love.

It is election time. Countdown to the General elections to the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly begins as the Election Commission of India suddenly announced the poll schedule for January 28, 2012 and started to enforce the Election Code of Conduct with immediate effect.

It happened so sudden that the government had to issue necessary transfer and posting orders for certain officers date-back. Some ministers and MLAs who have been caught unaware by the strict poll rules now feel helpless in effecting their pending works. Meanwhile, as time and tide wait for none, even those leaders whose days are numbered have to come down to their long-alienated and neglected constituencies for canvassing for another shift of five years.

Democratic convention speaks volumes for people's supremacy in the governance of their own land. Under this, people themselves choose their representatives through whom they rule over themselves. People in democracy are supposed to be well informed, matured and highly valued. Democracy is rightly defined as government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is the ideal requirement of a democracy that its people have to involve and participate in the governance in one or the other form.

Sense of ownership towards every development effort automatically arises where people themselves involve and participate. People's active participation is possible through a free, fair and matured voting. People have to decide their future by voting for the right candidate with the judgment based on the report cards of their past performances, not solely on money and power demonstration.

Citizens elect their leaders to represent them in the state assembly for a five year term. During the tenure, the representatives are supposed to discharge two concrete duties - to oversee and redress the grievances of its people in the constituency, and to actively participate in policy-formulation of the state by participating in deliberations and discussions in the assembly. People have to see whether these two main functions are being reflected in our leadership.

It is imperative to choose our leaders based on these qualities, so as to maintain a healthy political system. The state, on behalf of its people, pays respect and remunerations to the representatives or MLAs for their valuable service to the people. The leaders, in turn, enjoy a dignified protocol and ably perform their assigned duties in order to continue in office for subsequent tenures.

The MLA Local Area Development Fund meant for infrastructural improvements in each constituency are mostly utilized by the MLAs at his own discretion as if it is meant for charity or donations to the electorates. It is not sure whether the beneficiary committees formed to guide and suggest its proper utilization, are working rationally or they are going at the behest of the MLAs. It is high time people scrutinized the rationality and reasonableness in the utilization of such public funds during the election time.

Surely, election time produces more patriots, more leaders and social workers who apparently dedicate their lives and possessions for the sake of their people. With the aim of garnering monetary benefits and power mongering, many wealthy people come forward to contest elections to become MLAs. Retired government officials find their recreation in politics by contesting in elections, easy-moneyed wealthy contractors and suppliers vie for becoming people's representatives to gain power. Such people who have never been in social service disguise themselves as social workers.

Here emerges 'social workers' - new brand, self-style and turned-overnight. However, it is unfortunate that they lack public contacts and their respect for people's sentiments is always at stake. Their being branded as social workers negates the Encyclopedia Britannica's definition of 'social work' as "any of the various professional activities or methods concerned with providing social services to disadvantaged, distressed or vulnerable persons or groups.

Social workers may serve the needs of children and families, the poor or homeless, immigrants, veterans, the mentally ill, the handicapped, victims of rape or domestic violence etc." The social worker should necessarily have a service mind without expecting personal gains. His or her services should be totally voluntary and sacrificial in nature.

When someone emerges to enter electoral politics and offers to contest elections, people usually ask 'how much money he has earned, how many vehicles he has owned, how much plots of land he has bought, how much he can distribute to the voters, how many contract works he can share to his workers' etc.

Possession of costly vehicles such as JCB, Bull Dozer, Trucks, Tata Tippers and properties such as Gas agencies, shop plots, nexus with both state machineries and otherwise seem to define the criteria for candidates to win elections. The electorate never enquires the educational background, social activities, political affiliation, oratory and convincing aptitude of the emerging candidates. Such socially defined criteria for success in electoral politics reflect the degrading quality of representative democracy in Manipur. Politics has been reduced to a mere gambling and a business privileged for the wealthy few.

Manipur is a land where money plays the greatest role in elections. Besides feasting and tea party, the candidates spend money for construction of drainages, Meira paibee Sheds, waiting sheds, singling and even black-topping of roads from their own pockets to attract voters. Over and above these pre-poll facelift development works, candidates have to distribute money to voters on the poll day ranging from rupees 100 to 1000 and even rupees 2000 in some constituencies. There is never a chance for the poor candidates to win elections in Manipur.

We have recently witnessed a wealthy generation who have accumulated enough wealth by hook or by crook and come out to gain political leadership in the guise of social workers. King makers who have associated with ministers, bureaucrats and MLAs for contractual works and government supplies now yearn to become kings themselves. They possess costly equipment like the JCB, trucks etc. other than big vehicles such as Bolero or Scorpio as their personal conveyance. The society, in reflection of its immaturity and primitive mindset, has done a great injustice in terming them as social workers.

Local media frequently publish display advertisements, reports and photographs of such social workers participating in or arranging public services like construction of drainage, road repairing, distribution of basic necessities, fertilizers and season crops to farmers etc. Local clubs or organisations also often issue words of praise to the so called social workers only to popularize their names in the name of social service.

It is really worthy of praise that they have come out with their flexing muscles and with their possessions to serve the people. However, political biasness and yearning for electoral benefits have reduced their hard-work simply to a dramatic appearance which ends with mere scolds of many. Demonstration of properties and muscle power for tacit political gains can not be the qualification for their being named as social workers.

Rather it is dangerous that the poor voters will readily surrender their electoral rights to such people in exchange of cash and kind vomited by them in election times.