Make it a worthwhile exercise
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 20, 2012 -

With all the political parties in the fray for the ensuing election to the 10th Manipur State Legislative Assembly having come out with their election manifestos and with the People's Democratic Front (PDF) an alliance five plitical parties namely the Manipur People's Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Rashtriya Janata Dal having released their 22- point Common Minimum Programme, the issues before the state from the perspective of these parties are here before the electorate.

Now, it is for the voters to decide whether the issues so enumerated and prioritised by these parties tallies with their own list of problems and issues affecting their lives on a day to day basis.
It has been our experience that, save for those who are card holding members of a political party, the majority of the voters are influenced by allegiance to the family, relatives, clan, tribe, friendship, acquaintances etc.
Yet others bargain off their right to make a choice in return for short term gains in the form of payment in cash or kind or both from the candidates, while other voters are denied their voting rights altogether by powerful local satrap who exercise their franchise on their behalf through proxy voting.
Only a certain percentage of the voters exercise their franchise after due consideration of the competence of the candidates, the ideology he represents and the policies and programmes of the party and the effectiveness of these in dealing with the issues confronting the state.
As long as we allow extraneous factors to dictate our choice of candidates in an election, there is little likelihood of the situation in the state changing for the better. And conversely, as long as things remain the same, the voters will remain vulnerable to these extraneous factors, a bit like the chicken and egg syndrome.
But as we have pointed out earlier, the responsibility for change lies with the common people, the electorate, for, those who have benefited the maximum from the present state of affairs will be least interested in changing the status quo.
For this change to come about, it is essential that we, the voters, identify candidates and parties who will sincerely try to solve the problems being faced by people, as for instance, the lack of basic amenities to the citizen.
For long citizens of this state has been deprived of basic necessities of existence and the condition is getting worse by the day. Be it power supply, drinking water, motorable roads, access to medical facilities, sanitation, petrol or cooking gas, there is shortage and lack all around.

Then there are issues of lack of employment opportunities for lakhs of educated young people, the problem of widening income gap between the haves and the have nots.
There are also larger issue confronting the state which have cast its shadows on all aspects of life here in Manipur. These include, long drawn armed conflict in the state, AFSPA, 1958, the various demands for new districts, the frequent economic blockades which hold the whole state to ransom causing immense suffering to the people etc.
If we want all these issues to be addressed then we need to elect candidates who are not only capable but also sincere with clear intent for service and sacrifice. If this ensuing election to the 10th Manipur State Legislative Assembly returns even a handful of sincere candidates who have a genuine intent of serving the people and the state, the whole electoral process can be termed a worthwhile exercise.