IRB 2019-there is no greater fraud than a promise not kept !

By: Jayanta Sharangthem
Well done is far better than well said. Promises are just broken mirrors in the end if we’re not keeping them. Actions speak louder than words. We should always wait for the perfect time to speak and when we are going to speak we should always think twice as we all know that once spoken, it can’t return back, which can be compared to an arrow that had been released from the bow. A promise is a big word and it is like the cloud and rain is its fulfilment. It is of no use of our promises when our actions often contradict to our words. A promise either makes something or it breaks everything. In this modern generation, it becomes a style for people making promises without knowing and they forget in the next movement until and unless somebody makes them remember what they have spoken. So, I will say, we should fix a day once in a calendar year for a ‘Happy Promise day’ so that we all specially the political leaders have the habit of keeping promises else making promises will surely be a laughing joke of the day in the time to come. We all heard of the story descendant from our great grandfather and grandmother that once a cow herdsman was being eaten by the tiger due to his false promises or telling lies. One should not make promises that one does not intend to keep. When you make a promise, people wait for it to happen and people always remember of your promise that had made even if you forget your promise. If the political leaders don’t keep their promises, it is better to keep their mouth shut otherwise peoples’ credibility will be lost from them. Once you break your promises then people will not believe you even if you are going to fulfil your future promises. At the same time, we should remember-”Don’t promise when we’re too happy, don’t reply when we’re angry, and don’t decide when we’re sad” because after all a promise means everything and once it is broken, sorry means nothing. Human psychology says, people who are with strong moral character and emotional intelligence having firm stand of his/her decision are more likely to stay loyal to their commitments and the people who are talkative that speak without thinking often don’t keep their words.
Hon’ble Manipur Chief Minister had made a promise that the 10th and 11th IRB recruitment result, which had been pending for the last three years, would be declared in June 2022 and trained personnel would be made to join the highway protection force. But all of his promises goes in vain since the government turns deaf ear to this cause. Due to these uncertainties and age-barred, youths across the state has been demanding the state government to declare the results of the IRB (Indian Reserve Battalion) recruitment which started in the early part of 2019 in the state. Before the recruitment started, the state government had even given their commitment in front of the people of Manipur through many social media platforms that they would not made it to happen with any type of corruption during the recruitment process but would act with free and fair selection. But the question is that ‘where is your promise that you may declare the IRB selection result within one month after starting of the recruitment process? Is your promise equal to blank fire that makes only the loud sound into the air but has no purpose of firing? Or are you waiting for the tenure of the recruitment to end and go to waste? If you are not going to declare the results, your stand behind the reasons must be clear. You should not play the career of our future youths merely for the sake of your vote bank or money.CM Biren had repeatedly assured of declaring the said results of the 10th and 11th IRB recruitment to the people especially to the youths of Manipur but still unable to do so till date. In a democratic country like India, under the article of free speech and expression of our constitution, we, the people of Manipur, are using this clause to rise question on the government so that you may disclose the reason why you are so late or keep pending for more than three years while declaring the above said results. Journalism not the propaganda must be safe in a democratic country and the government must not squeeze the free speech of the general public. Criticism is very much necessary for a healthy democracy. Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the aeroplane and the pessimist the parachute. Since the government is formed by the people through election, there should always be a debate room for good and dark side for every policy and scheme the government initiate. Now the youths of the state warns that they are going to agitate and launch many forms of protests across the state if the state government fails to declare the IRB result before 20 July 2022. It is not a good sign for a government. If you are not going to fulfil your commitment in near future, you should not make any type of fake promise on people else all of your effort trying to bring the people’s faith on the government will all go to vain.
There is a saying, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’, the given statement seems to sound louder in connection with this IRB-2019 recruitment results. What is the reason behind for not declaring the result of IRB 2019 batch for more than three years? The government must fulfil the commitment of your promises made before else you must accept that there is corruption somewhere in the recruitment process. Are you trying to select your relatives from your respective constituencies or still waiting for money? There might be so many reasons behind this because corruption, which is the fast spreading worst disease in the world, is the biggest loophole in a democracy. Politics is not a dirty game. The problem is many politicians play it dirtily with the right of the poor. Our society is being ruined deeply by the habit of corruption. Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual but the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire state as a whole.
Now a day, without corruption, there is no selection in any type of recruitment. Money dominates everything in our society. In our society, poor who is empty pocket has no one to help. If corruption is continued to root in our society in this trend, the coming youths might lose hope in education and in hard work. This will make a large gap between the poor and the rich in our society thereby creating inequality among them. Due to this, corruption erodes public trust in government institutions too. Corruption is on the rise with the weakening of the democracy, working hand in hand, feeding on weakened institutions and fundamentally unjust systems of power. Corruption is a complex phenomenon that occurs in different scales. It is a form of dishonest or a criminal offence that abuses entrusted power for personal gain eroding trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development, exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division, destroying the hope of youths.
There are so many schemes, policies and programmes of the government. Every year, there comes one after another and the concerned minister or the leader of the government inaugurates them, announcing the schemes and policies that that might help and give essential facilities to the people. After all, due to the inefficiency of the government and its executives, no one takes care of it. The problem is that government does not have the proper mechanism to monitor or check the functionality after being inauguration of the said schemes and policies. Let us discuss some of the government’s policies and programmes that words don’t match with actions. Where is the Chief Minister mobile help line Number (9534795347. I personally had made a complain to look into a case regarding land dispute happened in our locality but no positive response came from the government side even after two months. Even though the government has initiated the ‘school phagathansi programme’ as shown in the recent BOSEM result, the performance of the government schools is not upto the expectation of the people because nearly 40 government schools hit zero pass percentage due to the lack of monitoring of the schools. Let me mention one more burning issue of the state. Due to the imbalance distribution of fertilizers to the farmers, presently there are agitations, protests and violent activities in many parts of the state, demanding adequate and proper distribution of urea. The farmers are demanding that the fertilizers should be distributed without any political connections. They allege that the government makes false promises on fertilizers. Farmers across the state are facing short supply of fertilizers for the on-going paddy crop season even the agriculture minister claimed that there was no dearth of urea in the government. This shows the lack of good policy and inefficiency of the government.
Abraham Lincoln has once said, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people”. We all know no one is perfect. We also agree that the present government is trying to do good things at their best level for the sake of our people. We see so many differences in the state after the present government came to power. The rapidly growing population gives an alarming mass unemployment across the country and state. Peoples are expecting a lot from the present government too. The government had made several promises that they would surely declare the IRB result without any delay after the covid-19 pandemic but the post pandemic, they become silent. Since, it is centrally sponsored recruitment, I think, it will not affect the financial condition of the state at all. Then what is the problem? When some youths agitate against the government for not declaring the said IRB result, the state government responses with the statement that the IRB is a discipline force and those who agitate can’t be the discipline defence personnel and can’t serve the nation. The government even warned that they would not select those who were on agitation/protest. Actually, what the government responded on that is totally wrong. Since the IRB result is not declared by the government even after three years, youths who had participated the recruitment rally are agitating so that the result may declare as soon as possible. The government has the full right to take actions against those who protest and agitate but I am saying that the government must first fulfil the commitment of your promises made before. The government should also accept your mistakes too. There is a human tendency that it is easy to judge the mistakes of others but difficult to recognise his/her own mistakes. Since the government is not keeping the promises that had made, the government is also guilty at one side. People can fight for their very right. India is a democratic country not an elected autocracy. So, the government should not postpone the declaration of IRB result further at all else people and youths of the state will lose faith in the government. Youths are the pillars of a nation. They are going to make the future of a country and the government should at least listen to their voice. Every politicians should remember that you must keep your promises as when you keep your promises, it will always make you alive in politics otherwise with the course of time, the people, who cried for their right, will make you the ordinary man, you were before, in the next election. Don’t talk, just act. Don’t say, just show. Don’t promise, just prove.