By: Amar Yumnam
Looking at the behavioural manifestations of the present governance leadership right from the first day when a social media post of a child attracted the height of reaction to the present generalisation of that approach to all and sundry on any issue, I am always reminded of two historical experiences – one ancient and another modern. The ancient one is very well reflected in the rendering by Plato of Socrates’ statement in the court defending himself; it is called Apology: “Wherefore, O judges, be of good cheer about death, and know this of a truth – that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods; nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance. But I see clearly that to die and be released was better for me; and therefore the oracle gave no sign. For which reason also, I am not angry with my accusers, or my condemners; they have done me no harm, although neither of them meant to do me any good; and for this I may gently blame them…Still I have a favour to ask of them. When my sons are grown up, I would ask you, O my friends, to punish them; and I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you, if they seem to care about riches, or anything, more than about virtue; or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing, – then reprove them, as I have reproved you, for not caring about that for which they ought to care, and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this, I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.” This is a wonderful exposition of the role of wisdom and the rationale for being good.
The contemporary instance relates to the experience in development debates when a new exposition arises wherein “even before the old consensus has been decently assessed and buried, the pretender to its throne is already grabbing at the crown in a palace revolution.”
Manipur is now experiencing a historical phase when her governance inter alia (a) does not know the distinction between propaganda and policy, (b) thinks any intervention is a stand alone action with no implications for anything else, (c) does not display any intention or capability to present a full-fledged articulation on any action such that the public would not enjoy any opportunity to understand and debate, and (d) does not face any issue head-on, but indulges in diversionary tactics – solution is not the objective.
Manipur needs development and needs it badly. Development, as we all know and as the global history tells us, is not something which falls from the sky. The scenario is getting worsened in the Post-Covid Scenario and with no recovery interventions. By the way, the latest Reports from the ILO (International Labour Organisation) reveal that the youth unemployment scene in India today is as bad as in the Middle East countries; I shall come up with a piece on this sooner. So every effort has to be directed towards firing up the development process. Development cannot by any means be fuelled by parlour tricks: “a usually simple trick or demonstration that is used especially to entertain or amuse guests.” They are easy to perform and may be good “to amuse people at parties, and are sometimes called party tricks. Many people know a few parlour tricks of their own, on occasion developing a signature trick which is in high demand at social gatherings, and it is also possible to hire a magician who specializes in such tricks to entertain a party…As the use of the word “parlour” implies, parlour tricks are designed to be performed in front of a small audience, such as a group of friends gathered in a parlour. The magician usually performs at the same height as his or her audience, and the tricks are generally straightforward, not requiring the help of an assistant. Parlour tricks can often be performed with minimal props, or with things which people have around the house, like chairs, eggs, decks of cards, and so forth.”
This is the time when any intervention has to be oriented towards the Ultimate Objective of Development and to be alive to the need for dovetailing every other intervention for Convergence. Development can be achieved and meaningfully sustained if the varied interventions are made convergent to the objective of development.
All have heard of the Oxford Township, the Cambridge Township, the Massachusetts Town and, more recently nearer home, the township emerging near the Indian Institute of Technology at Guwahati. We also know how the face of Lamphelpat has undergone a dramatic transformation after the establishment of the Medical College. While recently inaugurating a medical college in a mountain district in Manipur, the head of the people in Manipur (to make things a little clearer: in a democracy where the government is formed by the party which wins the largest number of seats, the leader who leads the government formed by the elected majority is the head of the people of the land) announced that in a few years the State would have the capacity to treat more patients. Well, there are some intriguing questions here. Is it the objective of the State that we should have more patients? Do we expand medical education to ensure that there are more patients coming up? Are doctors only for treating sick people and not positive agents of social change?
The fundamental purpose of education and knowledge expansion is definitely positive. The expansion of medical knowledge facilities and widening the coverage of the population with such knowledge has the positive ambition of deepening and widening the density of medical knowledge in the society. The rise in the density and well as the intensity of medical knowledge would have the positive impact of reductions (this negative has a positive implication in this instance) in the number of people falling sick. The establishment of medical education facilities can never have the rise in number of people falling sick and getting them treated can never be the guiding principle of establishing a medical institute. Medical institutions are established around the globe with the objective of widening and deepening an informed knowledge on health, and being attended by knowledgeable hands when sickness occurs.
Further, creation of such a knowledge centre is an opportunity for inspiring the local population with the spirit of public-private partnership to cause even higher positive externalities – externalities are those results other than the original intended objectives. In fact, in any development intervention, it has always been the externalities which have been much wider and meaningful for long-term transformation. The behavioural manifestations of these externalities would decide the future trajectory.
We do hope that the new medical college would certainly cause positive externalities and not remain just as a factory for producing doctors for treating patients in the future. We also look forward to a governance attuning to the contextual needs of transformation.
