A humble appeal to democracy’s pillar

By – Laimayum Bashanta Sharma
Throughout the course of history, in countries that are not democratic, the unpopularity of the government has never been the reason for a change in government. Instead, in every instance, the change in government was either the result of a military coup or the dethroning of the government through the use of violent force. A military conflict between opposing rebels and the ruling government resulted in the former government being replaced by the rebels who emerged victorious. It is true that there were instances of public uprisings, such as the one that took place in Libya; however, the armed rebellion that succeeded the dictatorship of the deposed Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was an example of military rule. On the other hand, in democratic nations that exist solely for the sake of their namesake, such as Pakistan, it is always either direct military rule or any regime that is backed by the military as its puppet soldiers. In the west, there are countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, some countries in the European Union, and Canada. In Asia, there are countries like Japan, India, Singapore, and others that have never experienced a single military coup since their independence. These countries are examples of democratic nations that have not experienced a single military coup since their independence.
In comparison to all of these democratic nations, India stood out due to the fact that it is the largest democracy that is currently operational in the world. Every adult Indian citizen, defined as a citizen who is at least 18 years old, is able to exercise their right to vote in order to elect their representatives who will govern the nation in accordance with the directives and laws that are outlined in our written constitution. India is a country that guarantees its citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression. The right to organize peaceful protests, such as calls for shut downs, hartal, strikes, bandhs, sit-in protests, and other similar actions, has further contributed to the expansion of the extent of freedom. There have been, there are, and there will be excesses committed by protestors that would result in their arrest and legal reprimand due to the fact that they violated public order and committed illegal acts of violence when they were protesting. One and only time that the government of India went beyond the bounds of its democratic authority was in 1975, when Indira Gandhi, who was serving as Prime Minister at the time and was also a leader of the Congress party, declared a state of national emergency. The tyranny that was imposed on the people by the first official dictatorship in the history of Indian democracy was resisted by the people, and Mrs. Gandhi and her Congress party were democratically humiliated by the people’s mandate, which rejected her and her party. This resulted in the election of a political alliance that was not affiliated with the Congress party for the very first time in the history of India. As opposed to the Arabs who violently changed the regime through the violent protests of the Arab spring or the recent student uprising in Bangladesh that dethroned the Sheikh Haseena government, the people of India did not revolt in the same way. Our population was not accustomed to the use of violence in the process of changing the regime or to the use of mob-oriented violence to replace the regime through the rule of mobocracy.
India is a complex nation that is inhabited by hundreds of communities that speak different languages, dialects, and other kinds of languages. These communities also have different cultures, traditions, and eating habits. The Mobocracy of ancient Rome cannot govern India because of these differences. In recent times, radicals who adhere to the ideology of the leftist ideology and the monotheistic or cultist ideology of some major religions have taken control of the protests that have been taking place all over India. These protests have been taking place in a very widespread manner. The ugly head of the trickle-down effect has been reared in the form of anti-democratic street protests similar to Shaheen Bagh, farmers protests in Punjab, and stone-pelting protests across Kashmir during the days leading up to the abrogation of article 370.
After May 2023, the same culture of mobs has swept through Manipur in a way that has never been seen before. This is because the state of law and order in Manipur has deteriorated as a result of the ethnic conflict that exists between two largest communities in the state. As a matter of fact, it is extremely challenging to find a solution to a conflict that is fueled by retribution and hatred between two communities that are at war with each other and who completely fear each other. It took decades for the Naga Kuki conflict to fully heal. If the cycle of revenge is allowed to continue, there will be no end to the violence that has been going on. Who does not want peace, with the exception of a small group of radicals who propagate the idea that war is necessary among the general population? The complaints of the general public will be brought before the authority in Delhi by whom? As a matter of convention, the people are represented by elected representatives, not by any civil society alliance, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or the general public. Although it is true that a significant portion of the population may find the behavior of our elected representatives to be unsatisfactory, it is important to note that despite their lackluster performance that falls short of what the public anticipates, elected representatives are the only platform and medium through which the collective grievances of the people can be consistently communicated to the primary authority. As a result of the fact that their demands are adequately represented by the ten elected members who represent their community in the august house, the other community that is at war is also doing the same thing. The process of completely breaking the cycle of violence is one that requires a lot of time. Over the course of time, it will be necessary to deploy sufficient security forces in large numbers that are trusted by both of the communities that are at war. The central security forces are impartial; however, in this day and age of social media, it is extremely challenging to persuade the general public that they are impartial. This is because the public’s perception can shift overnight as a result of a single incident. The image of the security forces can be tarnished by any mistake, which can become headline news in the mainstream media and could potentially go viral on social media, all of which are detrimental to the nation as a whole.
Politicians, political workers, and the leaders of political parties are the proverbial punching bag in the war of attrition that is driven by hate narratives. Nevertheless, if a portion of the population encourages the general public to engage in acts of mob justice, physical intimidation, and arson sprees, the very existence of a democratic way of life that upholds the law and maintains public order will be eradicated, and anarchy will be the dominant form of government. If there is any radicalized segment of our society that represents all communities and believes that they can get away with their cold-blooded atrocities against defenseless women and children, they are mistaken. They are committing atrocities against unarmed civilians. The investigation will undoubtedly produce results, and those responsible for the crime will be punished during the appropriate period of time. With the power of your index finger, you all have the ability to press the electronic voting machine (EVM) for change when the time comes. If the society as a whole desires change for a better Manipur, then you may do so. Despite the fact that it has been experiencing armed insurgency ever since the Naga Hostile days, Manipur is not used to the lawlessness that is prevalent in banana republics that are filled with conflict around the world. Recently, an enraged mob (radicals) displayed their loot from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister’s official residence in front of the international media. We cannot replicate Bangladesh’s violent students and radical Islamists insurrection or Arab spring model. As a coalition of organizations that supported mob justice, no reasonable authority will speak to them. It is imperative that you do not have the misconception that the authority did not take into consideration our complaints. The delivery of materials and funds, as well as the deployment of forces, will not take place if this does not occur. At this very moment, an increasing number of security forces will be deployed in order to put an end to the violence and to ensure that law and order are maintained. Every single one of the guarantees that pertain to the integrity of our territory will not be jeopardized to any degree. If we are being completely honest, both sides experienced casualties and collateral damage. The situation is not one-sided in any way. In the event that the MLAs resigned in large numbers, there are only two possible outcomes. The first scenario involves the imposition of the president’s rule, which would keep the house in a state of animated suspension. The second scenario involves the imposition of Article 356, which would dissolve the house and render the elected representatives incapable of formally conveying public grievances to the central government in their capacity as representatives.
Permit me to make a categorical statement about my observation that the ongoing conflict has had a significant impact on the economy of our state. There has been a hyperinflation of all essential goods, including fuel, cooking gas, and food items, as a result of the indefinite economic blockade and increased hoarding. If the PR rule is the solution, and if the entire population of Manipur is in agreement that it should be implemented, then let us welcome it with open arms. On the other hand, instability will make an already volatile and precarious situation even more difficult to manage. It is important to keep in mind that nothing in life is free, including the infrastructures we have and even the grants and subsidies we have received from the official government. We have a tendency to believe that only those who pay income taxes are responsible for the nation’s revenue and capital expenditures. However, we tend to forget about the various taxes that we pay on a daily basis, such as the VAT for fuel, the GST for MRP, and even when we are eating outside of our homes. It is important to keep in mind that the people of Manipur were the ones who bear the burden of the collateral damage that was incurred by the government of Manipur during the uprising that occurred on June 18th.
If we continue to believe that self-destructive anarchy and chaos is the answer to all of our problems, we will soon find ourselves in the position of being the poorest small state among all of India. A large number of the creamier layers of our society will leave the state in search of a more favorable environment outside of Manipur and elsewhere in the world. In the same way that we would anticipate non-resident Indians from other states in India to send money back home, it is not reasonable to anticipate a significant amount of remittances from Manipuris who are currently living outside of the country for the same reason. Make use of the democratic process rather than the mobocracy in order to combat what you consider to be an injustice.