CorCom shares thoughts on 9th foundation day-I
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 07 2020: While hailing all the people who have been standing steadfast for the revolutionary movement, the Coordination Committee (CorCom) has conveyed solidarity to the masses who have been reeling under extreme misery on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement issued by CorCom convenor Irengbam Chaoren on the occasion of the committee's 9th foundation day (July 8) conveyed best wishes to all revolutionary groups and the peoples of WESEA.

Since Manipur (Kangleipak) was "forcibly merged" into the Indian Union in 1949, people are being denied the right to self-rule, alleged CorCom and added that on the other hand, the electoral system followed in India is the lowest form of democracy.

In terms of freedom of press and democracy, India is placed among the lowest ranked countries.

The Constitution of Manipur which was drafted in 1947 testifies that democracy had taken firm roots in the State.

But India which was built up under British colonialism and is based on casteism has been working hard to turn Manipur into a captive market of intoxicants, alleged CorCom further.

By driving wedges among the indigenous people, the Government has also groomed many compradors and puppets, the CorCom alleged.

With the State Government always acting at the behest of the Government of India, it is still unable to formulate any comprehensive and effective health policy.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a case of purchasing sub-standard masks and medically unapproved PPE by the State Government.

Even though Manipur was initially categorised as a green zone, it is now one of the States in the entire WESEA which have very high COVID-19 cases, the committee noted.

It said that the Government is still unable to work out a feasible plan to bring the State out of the lockdown successfully.

All the people of Manipur and daily wage earners in particular have been reeling under extreme misery on account of the protracted lockdown.

The Government has not yet bothered to think about how rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, porters, construction workers, sand miners, vegetable and fruit vendors have been living all these days of lockdown, it remarked.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic brought an opportunity to the State to develop an economy of its own, the State would certainly miss this opportunity because the principle of peace co-existence has been poisoned, CorCom said.

It asserted that politicians of the State who have been intoxicated by the Indian electoral system are not in a position to take a single decision for the State independently.

With the politicians highly corrupted and given to a habit of dependence and begging, the Government can never save the masses from any pandemic or epidemic like COVID-19, it alleged.

"The petty politics of hopping from one party to another witnessed recently in the State in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic only exposed that our National character has been corrupted to the extreme", the CorCom remarked.

The Machiavellian politics of justifying everything with power and money and an ugly fight for seats of power are clearly visible in the State.

Manipuri people will become a subject of scorn and mockery if such ugly and shameless politics are not checked in time, it cautioned.

Confirmation of groups of people staying together in quarantine centres as COVID-19 positive is a clear indication that there is 'lateral transmission'.

Another factor for transmission of COVID-19 among inmates of quarantine centres is poor accommodation facility.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been saying that community transmission is a strong possibility once there is lateral transmission.

As such, the Government as well as the people should be very careful, it said.

Even though leaders of the incumbent State Government are arrogant and do not listen to each other, there are signs that they are easily swayed by non-local bureaucrats.

These politicians have been treating the institute of Government as a commodity.

That was why, they were fighting for Ministerial posts shamelessly, without giving any thought to the suffering of the masses.

With the politicians fighting against each other for power and money, people have been left to themselves to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with their own resources and wisdom, it asserted.

Had the people of Ukhrul and Tungjoy not taken up stringent preventive measures at the community level and set up quarantine centres, Manipur would have been facing serious crisis of community transmission.

What the people of Ukhrul and Tungjoy did is worth emulating, it said.

Instead of putting faith in the Government, people need to enforce strict disciplinary rules at the community level so as to thwart any chance of community transmission in the State, the CorCom continued.

One should not let one's guard down just because one's sample has been tested negative.

There is a term 'false negative' in the terminology of COVID-19 .

'False negative' means a person with COVID-19 tests negative for COVID-19 .

There is also another term 'false positive' which means a person without COVID-19 tests positive for COVID-19, it elaborated.

Experts have pointed out that 30 per cent of the PCR test results for COVID-19 may turn out to be false or erroneous.

As such, even if one's sample has been tested negative, physical distance should be maintained at home so as to save young children and elderly people from COVID-19, it continued.

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