Yes, it's time for a public assembly
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 01, 2023 -

SOME days back, MLA Lourembam Rameshwor advised the people not to trust any politician, including himself, if they want to save Manipur and protect its people.

Talking to media after donating a sum of Rs 1 lakh to the victim of Churachandpur gang-rape, the BJP MLA, who is representing Keirao Assembly Constituency in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, said, "Politicians including myself cannot be expected to save Manipur. We, politicians, are unable to do anything concrete to protect Manipur".

Coming from the mouth of an MLA of the ruling party who has been considered more of a nuisance and black sheep in the family by his own party colleagues for his critical views on every act of omission and commission of the government, these words, the advice to the people not to trust any politician including himself, must have been discarded by many people as just another political rhetoric to stay relevant and hog the limelight even in the midst of violent crisis that is besieging the state for nearly four months now.

But today, these words are sounding more prophetic than one could have ever thought of or imagine.

All that was witnessed in the state assembly on August 29, which was convened for one day only to discuss one most important issue that is besetting the state at the moment but got adjourned sine die after 11 minutes of commencement of the house proceeding following wrangling between the Opposition and Ruling parties, has proved beyond an iota of doubt that no politician is to be trusted as they are here not to protect the state and its people but themselves.

With the violent conflict between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities which broke out in the evening of May 3 last continuing without any sign of abatement, people of the state who have suffered long enough were hoping that their elected representatives would discuss the issue and come up with at least some concrete measures to end the current violence, which has so far claimed hundreds of precious human lives, reduced many valuable private and public properties to ashes and rendered thousands of families homeless, forcing them to become to seek shelter in relief camps set up across the length and breadth of the state.

But the hope of the people was shattered into pieces with the assembly session ending abruptly without any discussion on the issue for which it was summoned in the first place.

What is even more galling is the blame-game of pointing fingers at each other for the fiasco that has followed between the opposition and the ruling members without realising that it is acting like rubbing salt into the wounded heart of the people.

In such a situation, it is not sure whether convening another assembly session, the demand for which has been raised from some quarters, would serve any purpose.

As the elected representatives have not only abdicated their duties and responsibilities but also seem to have forgotten how to conduct themselves in the state assembly, perhaps, it is time for the electorates to show to their elected representatives how a proper assembly session is conducted and adopt resolution on important issues concerning the state and its people by convening a public assembly at Khuman Lampak before the violence escalates and situation goes out of control, as suggested by JNU Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.