By – Amar Yumnam
Charlie Chaplin is a man of all ages and born only with the difference of four days with Adolf Hitler. After about a possible gap of forty years or so, a friend shared in WhatsApp his 1940 speech in the ‘Great Dictator’ and considered to be one of the most powerful statements yet on democracy: “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.” The tempo and the focus with manifest intense feelings accompanying this speech will move any thinking person.
Chaplin said “we have lost the way”, but in the case of Manipur it is one where she has been made to lose the way. For the current Bharat regime, the most irritating is the accompaniment of an age-old intriguing history of civilisation in this small political space, legacy of a rich political economy of peace and the co-existence of diversity in both geography and population. Instead of perceiving this as the proud addition to the beauty of India, the present Bharat regime took the legacy component to be done away with as early as possible. In this, they discovered a political agent for performing the task and a convenient so-called federalism locally represented by non-committal and incapable representatives with no understanding of accountability understood as “a system, or set of mechanisms, designed to make sure promises are kept, duties are performed, and compliance is forthcoming. It implies that the person or entity being held accountable has an obligation or responsibility to an authority, group, standard, mandate, or behavioural norm external to the individual or organizational entity, or both. Hence, accountability implies control of behaviour and the existence of an authority relationship between those being held to account and the entity or entities making sure accountability exists. Ideally, discretion is acceptable only if it does not interfere with accountability.” The full play of geopolitics is happening. The announcement of relief by the Head of the People of Bharat in the many prayer festivals in recent months on the day of death occurring in other parts, but completely keeping the mouth shut on killings and deaths in Manipur for nearly four years is not without meaning.
A proper understanding of today’s Manipur necessarily calls for looking up the Devil’s Dictionary where a Politician is “An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared. When we wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive.” He indulges in Politics as “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” He tries to prove to be an AUCTIONEER “who proclaims with a hammer that he has picked a pocket with his tongue.” The followers are trapped in a situation of Ardor “which is a quality that distinguishes love without knowledge”. Manipur is now caught in an Arena of “an imaginary rat-pit in which the statesman wrestles with his record.”
The costs incurred during the last four years in terms of trust, risk to every aspect of life and the atmosphere of uncertainty would take at least two decades to properly restore under educated and understanding leadership assuming peace is restored today. Here I would like to speak of at least two realities which are of high cost to the society and the households. The losses we are incurring in terms of education would sooner reflect in a long-term social incapability to develop competitiveness. It is not just lower level but the reality of no Department getting enough applicants for admission in the various Departments of Manipur University speaks of the depth of illness happening; the youths feeling that they would not get learning from the University requires serious social introspection. The DM University can never be thought of to fill the gap of Manipur University’s weaknesses.
Now coming to the household level, the people are facing the index of price levels on a daily basis. This creates atmosphere for exploitation: 1. The sellers having external relationships must be enjoying a very convenient atmosphere to enjoy profits at the highest possible level. 2. The atmosphere is also one where many diluted and impure products would be marketed by the sellers at extraordinarily high levels.
These would necessarily affect the family budget for livelihood very hard and more so withno regular source of income. Further, the social behaviour of all would be to earn something by hook or crook and indulge in every cheating as possible. So cheating becomes generalised social character. No such society can ever last for long.