Saying no to economic blockades : Setting the priorities right
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 01, 2012 -

Police retrieve the goods impounded by blockade supporters on October 29 2012 :: Pix - TSE

Para ama tambishe moishingshe. Literally in English this means, Let's Teach Them a Lesson.

This is the de-riguer behind all economic blockades imposed by any group of people and the irony is, the lesson never touches Them but the innocent public.

A reaction to a situation, which cannot be justified under any circumstances. The economic blockade imposed on the Imphal-Ukhrul road by the JAC formed against the abduction of Irabanta falls in the same category as all the other economic blockades which Manipur has experienced down the years and no exceptions should be made while coming out against such a course of action.

More condemnable is of course the organisation or a well established group of people which have been instrumental in his disappearance as well as the ham handed manner in which the State agencies have been going about with the business of tracing and rescuing him.

The grievances of the JAC and the family members in particular are genuine, there should be no doubt about it, but resorting to cutting off the supply chain of a people is not the done thing.

Not at all. The people's angst and frustration should be against the Government and of course the group of people or organisation which are behind the disappearance of Irabanta.

As we had stated earlier, Irabanta could not have been abducted and kept hidden away from public view for such a long time by any rag tag group of desperadoes.

Forget rocket science technology, it does not even require the knowledge of salt water is a good conductor of electricity, to deduce that only a well established organisation, with a vast network of communication and the ability to move at a moment's notice which will be in a position to keep a man under hostage for five months, which means 150 days.

It is the inability of the Government agencies to crack down on the activities of such an organisation that is perplexing, given the fact that police modernisation is one priority area of the State Government.

Perhaps the one and only good thing that has emerged from the economic blockade along the Imphal-Ukhrul route was the swift action of the police is dispersing the blockade supporters and retrieving the goods which had been impounded, as on October 30. A rare example of the State demonstrating its presence when it is needed.

Economic blockades do not discriminate. It hurts everyone, particularly the poorer section.

Perhaps it is the maturity of the people that the call for the economic blockade along the said route did not evoke a mass response.

There is also a lesson to be learnt from here, particularly organisations which can go to any length to justify the imposition of such blockades on the National Highways for months on end.

The priorities of the JAC in question here also needs to be set right. The objective is to trace the missing man and there can be no connection between finding Irabanta and imposing an economic blockade along a certain route.

In as much as the economic blockade is undesirable, what is also disturbing is the studied silence maintained by some of the apex civil society organisations of Ukhrul over the incident.

Save for some statements of solidarity issued by some student organisations and others based in Ukhrul district, there has been no proactive course of action taken up by the organisations which matter.

This is discouraging and does not make things any better. The important point to keep in mind however is the fact that the current issue is about a missing man, with the possible involvement of a well organised group and not between two groups of people.

This much must be clear to all and economic blockade runs counter to the spirit of humanity which is much needed in this case.