People were confused about the news report “COCOMI withdraws boycott called on Sangai Festival” which was reported in Sunday edition of this news paper. Being an evening newspaper and being published at 4 pm everyday – the report stands true as per a resolution taken during hours long meeting of the COCOMI leadership. However, after the resolution adopted during the meeting, has been leaked out through social media, keyboard warriors started criticizing the decisions putting a brake in making an official announcement. Imphal Times reporter waited till date line of this newspaper and sought information on whether we could publish the leaked report which clearly mentioned about the lifting of the boycott called on Sangai Festival. No response has been received till the dateline of this newspaper. Having left with no means Imphal Times after confirming the authenticity of the resolution copy leaked through Social media from reliable source publish the news story about the lifting of the ban.
Meanwhile, even after invited for a press meet, the COCOMI represented could not make any announcement till late hour yesterday. Some of the reporters even have to come back as they have been kept waited for hours. No announcement regarding their stand on whether the resolution copy leaked through media is true or not and there was no vivid announcement on whether the copy of the resolution could be treated as the stand of the COCOMI. It is natural that a resolution of a responsible organization and that too a joint platform of civil society organizations like COCOMI, is assumed as the decision of the organization. After all everybody knows that it was signed by the convenor of the COCOMI Karam Sunil. If the leaked resolution was just a draft resolution that has been waiting for a consensus opinion, the representatives of the COCOMI should have no fear in announcing so to the people of the state with courage.
It is only today before leaving for New Delhi that media incharge of COCOMI, Convenor Sunil Karam and Co-Convenor Khuraijam Athouba clarify that they have no change to their decision for boycott of the Sangai Festival at Imphal Airport. What creates confusion is that the COCOMI leaders said that they will announce the decision regarding COCOMI’s stand on whether to continue or relax the boycott.
Meanwhile, interesting development notice is that even the AMIK in their whatsapp group has stated that the orchestra group and singers can perform during Sangai Festival. But ban on Protest Singer Jayenta popularly known as TAPTA is still not yet lifted. What an irony?
