By – Amar Yumnam
Imphal, Dec 16:
The present socio-political crisis is going to complete two years sooner than later while there is no indication of application of mind of governance for evolving policies to appropriately address the crisis; there are only multiples of statements from both federal and provincial governments claiming the problems would be solved soon. Many questions have been raised in the public domain by concerned citizens across the country as well as globally. These have now been coupled by serious questioning of the functioning style of the government on the floors of the Parliament currently in session. But listening to the statements from the head of the people as well as members of the Council of Ministers has been very disappointing to say the least. Of course, we have been hearing that the problems would be solved and the crisis would be resolved. But there has never been yet any announcement of the policy interventions being considered or been put in place to solve the crisis. There is now a consequential haywire of perceptions.
The prolongation of the crisis – in an atmosphere of general perception of lack of application of mind by the government to resolve the crisis– has certainly caused certain deep cutting of democratic values. In a democracy it is important that there is constant communication between the Government and the Governed. It is also important that this communication should be on issues the public feel important or are made to feel important. But the continuation of the crisis involving loss of lives and property of common people, without any concern for enhancing the perceptions by the public and the continuation of silence by the government – have certainly been not without wide social impacts.
First, the initial absence and now continual absence of listening to the voices and living up for attending to the grievances of the people have now created a kind of disjunct between the public and the government. While there were open public debates and discussions on the issues and what were the expectations from the government in the beginning, the atmosphere now is very different with the general public withdrawing from communication of the core agenda to the government. Disjunctions now rule the relationship between government and the public.
Second, the atmosphere of disjunction has naturally made the moral structure of the interactions hidden at both ethnic and government levels. This is a very convenient atmosphere for socio-political collapse. It is not surprising that the public “are becoming progressively more cynical, disillusioned and apathetic.”A socially sensible basis for transformation should be a robust relationship between civil participation and sensible governance; this is exactly what has been made to disappear thanks to the functioning (or rather non-functioning) of the government.
Third, toleration is a very important ingredient for democratic performance. The emphasis on toleration was emphasised long back by one of the most significant contributors to the understanding of evolution of the modern state – John Locke. Locke put in his Toleration “That any man should think fit to cause another man-whose salvation he heartily desires-to expire in torments, and that even in an unconverted state, would, I confess, seem very strange to me, and I think, to any other also. But nobody, surely, will ever believe that such a carriage can proceed from charity, love, or goodwill. If anyone maintain that men ought to be compelled by fire and sword to profess certain doctrines, and conform to this or that exterior worship, without any regard had unto their morals…. If, like the Captain of our salvation, they sincerely desired the good of souls, they would tread in the steps and follow the perfect example of that Prince of Peace, who sent out His soldiers to the subduing of nations, and gathering them into His Church, not armed with the sword, or other instruments of force, but prepared with the Gospel of peace and with the exemplary holiness of their conversation.” He continued “The commonwealth seems to me to be a society of men constituted only for the procuring, preserving, and advancing their own civil interests. Civil interests I call life, liberty, health, and indolency of body; and the possession of outward things, such as money, lands, houses, furniture, and the like. It is the duty of the civil magistrate, by the impartial execution of equal laws, to secure unto all the people in general and to every one of his subjects in particular the just possession of these things belonging to this life. If anyone presume to violate the laws of public justice and equity, established for the preservation of those things, his presumption is to be checked by the fear of punishment, consisting of the deprivation or diminution of those civil interests, or goods, which otherwise he might and ought to enjoy.” But these imperatives are exactly what have been missing in the case of the present crisis in Manipur.
Fourth, the present crisis has characteristic critical issues – including immigration – needing capable leadership possessing a healthy perception of the issues involved. “[S]uch struggles to obtain equal participation in civil society, government and the workplace require courage, fortitude and real leadership. …The second observation is that, as a new moral consciousness dawns on people everywhere, backlash and retrenchment are also woven into the fabric of many societies, as guardians of the dominant view grapple with transformation of their worlds. Vigilance and responsible action are needed to set the alarm bells ringing….The third observation addresses the transformation of workplace environments themselves. Where compliance to workplace equity has been mandated by legislative fiat, businesses as well as public sector institutions resort to “coverage of the law” as a form of training. What history shows is that diversity is not a one-time event, but an ongoing practice.” (April and Shockley, 2007). But where is the Leadership whether at the provincial or the federal level to address the crisis?
Fifth, the disjunction between the public and the government has been, very unfortunately at that, accompanied by the rising public perception of the national armed forces as biased agency of the government, which is itself perceived biased by the public, instead of as the neutral national agency for defence.
Well, the Manipur crisis can become a long-term basis for collapse of democratic values in the country. Is India prepared?
