Better-halves of State legislators to make an impact
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 22 2013: It seems that some of the better halves of state legislatures have understood the famous saying of children book author Toby Forward who talked about the power of wife, "The King did what all wise husbands do.

He did as he was told " .

In a welcoming move, the wives of three state legislators including one Cabinet Minister and a Parliamentary Secretary have vowed to tour around every nook and corner of the state in their bid to bring emotional integrity among the people of Manipur.

They have also called upon other better halves of the remaining 57 legislators in the State to join in the endeavour.

Widouliu Newmai, w/o Z Kikhonbou Newmai, who is the MLA of Tamei Assembly Constituency; Ph Pratima Devi, w/o Dr Kh Ratankumar Singh, who is the Minister of Works and Transport and elected representative from Mayang Imphal Assembly Constituency and Dr Khelena Gurumayum, w/o Mairembam Prithviraj Singh, Parliamentary Secretary of YAS and Tourism, who accompanied their legislator- husbands in a recent tour to Tamenglong and Tamei Assembly Constituencies, have shared their experiences and knowledge they gained from tour.

Better-halves of State legislators to make an impact

Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao during the course of the tour, Widouliu, who is working as a staff nurse in New Delhi's AIIMS, observed that people, specially women in remote areas of Tamenglong district bordering with Nagaland, are living at the mercy of God with no healthcare and other basic facilities, yet they work all day-long to provide at least a square meal to their family members.

They need help, but they are helpless and voiceless.

The problem of women can only be understood by kinswoman.

Appealing to all the better-halves of the elected legislators in the State to work for the people living in remote hilly areas, Widouliu said that most of the hilly people are unaware about the developmental works that are taking place in their own areas and the scope for such activities in future.

Taking advantage of their deaf and dumb nature, leaders from both the hills and the plain are trying to extract lion's shares of the fund provided for development of the people, she noted.

Khelena, who is an Assistant Professor in Political Science Department of Manipur University, said, "It is my first visit to such a remotest part of Manipur and it is really hard for me to reconcile with the hardship lot that women are enduring in their daily struggle for survival in remote villages of Tamenglong district" .

However, the hospitality that the people of Illeng, Katang and other villages in Tamenglong district has shown is so warm that 'we feel like visiting them again in future', Khelena said.

"It has been observed that emotional integrity can only be built when we meet each other more often and share our woes and happiness.

So, in order to strengthen the bond of brotherhood among the people living in the hills and the valley, we should go to meet our siblings in exterior parts of the state," she added.

Expressing her desire to chalk out a plan together with all the wives of the 60 elected legislators in the State for conducting similar tour to remote areas of Manipur on rotation basis, Khelena called upon them to join in the effort and contribute their mite towards promotion of peace and communal harmony among the people through emotional attachment.

Pratima, wife of Works Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar, opined, "If we help them (legislator-husbands) in their works, it would facilitate speedy progress of the society.

We can mobilize wives of other legislators to conduct tour around the state especially in remote areas for promotion of unity, integrity, and brotherhood among various communities of Manipur.

Without knowing the place and listening to their stories, no one would understand Manipur as a whole and it would not be possible to strengthen the bond of love among us, she observed.

During the tour, the trio also interacted with local people and listened to their submission attentively and assured the villagers to prevail upon their legislator-husbands for doing the needful.