Blame it on CSOs
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 02, 2023 -

"Too many cooks spoil the broth," is an old adage of English origin that speaks of a truism that needs no contestation.

But alluding to this adage of a simple soup made of meat and vegetable chunks getting spoiled due to the presence of many cooks would be an over-simplification of the crisis that the tiny northeastern state of Manipur is currently passing through.

Of course, the presence of too many civil society organisations (CSOs) in Manipur is an undeniable fact, and the active involvement of these civil society organisations in any issue sometime does more harm than any intended good to the issue at hand.

There are also instances of push and pull factors working within these civil society organisations that complicate the effort of resolving an issue to the satisfaction of all, and this inevitably leads to split and division within the organisation, thus compounding the issue even more.

However, to assert that both the Government of India and the Government of Manipur are confused over whom to talk regarding the violent confrontation between the Meitei/Meetei and the Kuki-Chin communities that is besieging the state for almost four months now due to the presence of too many civil society organisations is not palatable.

It is nothing but another attempt of the government to exculpate itself from the current crisis which has been allowed to go on far too long due to its own administrative efficiency and failure.

This is exactly what Chief Minister N Biren Singh of Manipur did when he made an impassioned call to the civil society organisations to work together and come up with a single voice of the people so that the same could be brought to the notice of the government of India.

By making this impassioned call for a single voice of the people, it seems Chief Minister N Biren Singh is conveniently overlooking the fact that all the civil society organisations in Manipur have all along been crying hoarse for putting an immediate stop to the senseless killings that are taking place between the Meitei/Meetei and the Kuki-Chin communities for nearly four months now.

Despite the presence of an overwhelming number of civil society organisations, some of which have been floated recently due to exigency, the demand of these of civil society organisations and the people have been the same - restoration of peace and normalcy in the state, by disarming and initiating dialogue between leaders of the two warring groups, for there is nothing more effective than dialogue across the table for resolving any issue or problem.

Taking note of this demand, Union Minister of Home Amit Shah had already invited and started discussion with the delegations of Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and Co-ordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), and this process should continue.

So, Chief Minister N Biren Singh should not have any confusion over whom to approach or send out invitation for holding talk for resolving the current crisis in the state.

If the Government of Manipur had been efficient enough and the Government of India done what was needed while there was still time to contain the situation from going out of control, would there be any need for any of the civil society organisations and the people to come out on the street to protest?

Perhaps, Chief Minister, N Biren should first ponder over this question and try to find an answer instead of trying to point his finger elsewhere for the protracted violence in the state.

By the way, let's not forget the role of an incompetent and negligent head cook in spoiling the broth which otherwise could have been tasty and nourishing as well. Period.