The shrinking space of common people
Isn't time to reclaim the lost ground?

Loghan H *

It is indeed inconceivable to visualize a place, that too in this 21st century, where common people have no-say in managing or shaping in any of its affairs - be it politics, social, economy, or environment. Though extremely unfortunate, that's what Manipur has become in recent past and that is what Manipur is today.

Just imagine, even the wildest of tribes in India, say the naked Bondas of Orissa, if not for all, still have complete control over their natural surroundings, both physically and constitutionally! On the other hand, common people in Manipur have been reduced to vestiges organs that had no apparent function and no control in any of its affairs or resources.

The irony is that, in recent times, 'decentralization' in every sphere (power to common people) has been the mantra all over the country; the wind of change seemed to have completely skipped the state of Manipur. People still live in the state not because they want to, but because they have no-where else to go.

We have been squeezed from all directions - dress codes, language codes, script codes, education codes, culture codes, moral codes, food codes, travel codes, day-curfews, night-curfews, bandhs, blockades, threats, intimidations, robbing of land and natural resources, denial of access to resources, the list goes on - all in the name of common people and common good.

It is also not uncommon to find the dictates and strictures of various interest groups often going in different directions, leaving hapless people at the mercy of unscrupulous minders. Needless to say, many of these strictures have also been the genesis of many a division in Manipur in communal lines. In the midst of such extreme hardships and struggle for existence, the basic principles of institutions and governance are gone for a toss. The progressive degeneration of all institutions, the guiding principles of societal existence and custodian of common peoples' rights, in the state is the most worrisome symptom of all.

The blame game to fix responsibilities could go on forever; various interest groups married to different ideological upbringings shall have different interpretations on every issue. In the name of motherland, in the name of good governance, in the name of security, in the name of progress and development, in the name of education, and more surprisingly all in the name of common people every action, both by the state and non-state actors, are made justifiable.

No wonder the state is in absolute shambles in every respect, and what is more surprising is that we do not see any effort or initiative both from the state and non-state actors to resolve the issue. For more than a month now the routine academic activities of students have been paralyzed, severely jeopardizing the future career of our children and yet, there is not a single word or initiative from the state government to bring the current impasse to an end. One wonders, what is the state government meant for?

Its isn't high time for all of us to introspect and seriously question the motives and actions of both state and non-state actors who claim to represent and speak for us (common people)? Many of those who could afford to leave the state (mostly academicians, scientists, central employees, etc) may have left the state in search of peace and prosperity; many of those who could afford (ministers, government employees, contractors, middlemen, businessmen, etc.) to send their children to other states for schooling or higher studies have done so to avoid the vagaries of law and order in the state; but children of common people are left with no option but to fend on their own in this 'god forsaken' state.

The end result of such prolong indifference and negligence is all there to see - total collapse of administrative machineries and institutions, violence have spiraled out of control, industrial and productive sectors have collapsed totally, accountability has retreated into a shell, and disparity between 'haves' and 'have-nots' has increased leaps and bounds, further fueling the disintegration process. The way the state is being run and administered is highly unsustainable; if the trend continues, the end may not very far away.

The obvious question then is why we do the way we do? Who is paying and who is benefiting from the whole mess in the state? Well, it got to be 'YOU' and 'ME', common people who pay for the crisis; people who have no-where else to go. A cursory look at the social-economic background of people who have been killed, injured or apprehended would reveal that none of them comes from the so called 'ruling classes'.

The ruling classes (ministers, legislatures, bureaucrats, contractors, power-brokers, etc.) who have made a fortune in the state have not suffered an iota - their children are not in the state, every one of them has a flat/house in a posh area of another city and can move out of the state at any time, and every one of them has bank-balances stashed in secretive accounts that can last for generations. Since beneficiaries of the present crisis in the state are not sufferers of the crisis, it is highly unlikely that the ruling classes (beneficiaries) to make altruistic corrective steps, that too at their luxuriant cost, to fix the crisis!

It is an open secret that the highly exaggerated HIV/AIDS prevalence in early 1990s in the state was to get attention and astronomical sums as grants from funding sources. Well, a few individuals might have been benefited from this shameful act, but in the process it also permanently tarnished the image of Manipur. This is however not to suggest that there aren't HIV/AIDS cases, of course there are and it is a very serious concern, but to emphasize that a few opportunist people did make or continue to make money out of other peoples' despair.

In this strange land of opportunist mortals (it is inborn or artificial is debatable), one would go to the death end of the world to gain personnel benefits. Remember, the despicable incident of logging into a jail to have a free hand in exams to get better grades? Would it be then fair to assume that the present killings and lawlessness in the state might have been intelligent designs and artificial creations of those who were reaping benefits out of the current crisis? It is possible!

The fundamental perception in the central government that every social activist in the state is one way or other interlinked with insurgents, and every major frontal social organization is invariably the public face of insurgent groups seemed to have saved the present state government. The state government was able to equate, at least to their masters, the ongoing agitation as a grand design of insurgents orchestrated by their sympathizers, not necessarily a spontaneous movement of public outrage against the brutal killing.

The deplorable killing thus became a one-off case in the eyes of those decision makers in Delhi; not as a culmination of a systematic failure of the administration. Having partially punished the perpetrators of the killing (suspension of commandos) and having commissioned a judicial enquiry, the powers that be seemed to have felt no further need to wreck its own government.

Had it been a different party's government, things could have been different. It is therefore worth exploring, for common peoples' sake, the option of having a state government, which is not the same as the ruling party in Delhi. This may always put the state government on its toes and make it behave more responsibly, not with impunity.

The unfortunate part in the frontal social organizations (lups) is that none of them had ever made an attempt to change the public or government perception - sympathizers or public mouthpieces of mushrooming insurgent groups. It is time to rethink and make readjustments for social organizations, for the image they have nurtured are having negative consequences (inadvertently or by design) in many instances, especially to common people.

Worse, important decisions at the highest level seemed to have been influenced by these adverse perceptions decision makers have for social organizations. It is altogether a different matter though whether the perceptions were true or unfounded, but decisions have been made based on these (false?) perceptions. We certainly cannot change the worldview overnight, but we certainly can make adjustments to achieve an image makeover over time. If we go by the "damn with the general perception" attitude, then we shouldn't have no complain on the decisions made based on these perceptions.

The ongoing saga of protests, strikes, bandhs and killings, which has virtually shut down the state for months, is further accentuated by the widening gap of perceptions and interpretations between the rulers and protestors. The rulers treat the unfortunate incident purely as an aberration in the ongoing counter-insurgency measures, and have been able to convince their Delhi lords not to take any action against the failed ruling government.

And that's what matters to them! The protesting parties, on the other hand, feel just the opposite way - a systematic failure of the administration and a grand design to hang-on to power at any costs. The most unfortunate part in this unfolding crisis is the absolute absence and lack of any initiative to start a dialogue to resolve the impasse, from both ends.

You all may have your own justifications and reasoning for the long stoic silence; but you are also gambling with the livelihoods of tens of thousands of common people and the future careers of our students.

The oppressed lot, who are busy in their own world of daily struggle for survival and the very people who you claim to represent and speak for, may one day rise against the misrule and misappropriation to reclaim its lost political, economic, social and environmental space. Let's hope and pray that day is not far!