A crash course in governance : Rendering the mandate hollow
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 29, 2012 -

A crash course in governance is what the doctor would prescribe for the political leadership which has lorded over the affairs of the State for more than ten years now.

Into his third consecutive term in office and Mr Okram Ibobi Singh certainly does not have much to show by way of governance.

After being in the political wilderness for some years, the Congress came back into the reckoning in 2002 to head the first chapter of the Secular Progressive Front Government along with the CPI and some other allies which readily merged with the Congress before the stringent anti-defection Bill was passed in Parliament.

This Bill went a long way in ensuring stability and subsequent elections held in 2007 and 2012 have proven how the Congress has been able to capitalise on this term, stability, to the maximum at the election arena.

Magic word at the politics of election but which nevertheless has not been transformed into governance at the grass root.

The United Naga Council had a point when its former president Paul Leo pointedly said that the State Government could have taken appropriate action against Lt Colonel of the NSCN (IM) Livingstone Anal for his misdemeanour at Chandel on December 18.

In other words, this means that the days of turmoil witnessed during the indefinite bandh called by the Film Forum, Manipur and Manipur Shumang Lila Council could have been averted if the State Government had applied its mind to the issue at hand.

Mr Leo's observation is starkly reminiscent of the days back in 2005, when Manipur witnessed the first marathonesque blockade that came in the form of the 52 days economic blockade imposed by the All Naga Students' Association, Manipur to protest against the decision of the Government declare a State holiday on June 18.

Turn back the pages of the recent history of Manipur and the present situation would not come as too big a surprise, for it is the same dispensation which allowed two highway blockades to cut off the lifelines of the people for over 100 days in 2011.

It was the same story in 2010 too during the more than 65 days of economic blockade imposed on all the National Highways leading to Manipur.

Rewind to the earlier years and the days of street protest following the BT Road incident of July 23, 2009 and it should be clear how the political leadership of the State seems hell bent on plunging the people and the land into chaos and confusion.

The inept handling of the Lungnila Elizabeth kidnap and murder case in 2003, the twin murder of Hrinii Hubert and Muheni Martin some years after the Elizabeth case and the circle is complete.

The intriguing part is why has the Congress failed to deliver inspite of the massive mandate it has received in the last three elections to the State Assembly ?

Inertia ? Lack of political will to address the issues in a manner befitting its urgency ?

Or plain indifference made worse by arrogance ?

The answer could be anyone of these or a combination of all these but down the years, the Government has shown that it is incapable of addressing any issue which had seized the people.

Buildings and structures or development projects cannot be the only indices for governance, though these are no doubt important.

Unfortunately, the same set of people or the same party, which has been at the helm of affairs for all these years have not cared to understand this.