Bangles for the SPF Govt : SHDDC pushing the envelope
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 12 2011 -

Blockade supporters of Sadar Hills districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC) set ablaze eight goods laden trucks on Saturday night, September 10 2011 at Keithelmanbi, Senapati distirct of Manipur :: Pix by Paojel Chaoba and Jimmy Leivon

It is time to draw the line. Either Chief Minister O Ibobi should crack the whip and demonstrate that there is a Government in place or he should throw in the towel and call it quits on moral ground before the situation takes a more hideous turn.

Today Manipur stands precariously close to the abyss of anarchy and the failure of the Government to act on an issue which is well past its time is writ large over the manner in which the National Highways have been turned into fiefdoms on the basis of tribe affiliations, the nonsense that is being staged on different zones of the lifelines of the State, the serpentine queues in front of petrol pumps, the sky high prices of essential commodities, the near revolt staged by drivers who had initially lined up their trucks to take the NH-37 route on September 10 and significantly the call given by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee to the people to take to arms and get ready for any eventuality.

Stock up the essential items to last for two months, was the call issued by the Committee which has been spearheading the economic blockade in pursuit of district status on Sadar Hills.

This is the limit, this is the pits. This is dangerous and has the potential to set a precedent which is likely to emerge in all its ugly avatars in the future too.

Given their mindset it will not be surprising if the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers remain smug in the comfort of their bungalows and the safety of the security provided to them at the tax payers' money, but this is a damning testimony of a Government which has failed on all fronts and which exists only in name.

In one swift announcement, the SHDDC has demonstrated that this Government is impotent with no moral compunction to draw the line.

Any Government worth its salt should have cracked the whip a long time back. It should have had the courage and strength to either say Yes to the district demand and accordingly go about implementing it, or if it is not feasible, it should have said No and set about clearing the National Highways.

In as much as the failure of the Government to tackle the issue is the primary factor for pushing the situation to such a point, it is also time to tell the SHDDC that they can push the envelope so far and not more.

There is something ominously eerie in the announcement to the people to arm themselves and while this need not be taken in the literal sense, it is an open instigation to indulge in mayhem and violence even to the extent of causing deaths.

This is not tolerable and the most amusing part is the stoic silence maintained by the Government yet again. There is no reason why this Government should present the picture of a weakling, a sissy.

Should the massive mandate the Congress received at the election to the 9th Assembly be something to only tom-tom about ? Shouldn't this be the basis for tough and constructive decisions to be adopted ?

Is stability only something to be crowed about at public functions and for Congress leaders from Delhi to gloat over ? Of what purpose is the mandate if decisions cannot be taken to clear the highways and restore the supply chain to the people ?

This is hard to digest. The reality becomes all that uglier, if one takes into account the fact that Mr Ibobi is afraid to take a decision on Sadar Hills because of the UNC factor.

It rankles to even think that National Highway-2 has been left to the mercy of the blockade supporters because the Chief Minister is scared to touch the SHDDC. If this is how a democratically elected Government is going to function, then a return to Monarchy may not seem such a bad idea.

Even President's Rule may not sound unattractive. The SPF Government has failed and failed miserably. And it has not shown any inclination to put the State back in order. The latest Cabinet decision to deploy more forces on NH-37 exposed nothing but their acute poverty of ideas and moral strength.

Time for Mr Ibobi to throw in the towel and call it quits or crack the whip and clear the National Highways. This may be too tall an order to follow for to act tough, one needs moral courage and to quit on moral ground, one needs to have the sensibilities to understand what is shame and what is ignominy.

At the risk of sounding sexist it may well be appropriate to present bangles as the parting gift to this Government.