Social Policy Needed, Mischievous Social Behaviour Performed: Tragic Manipur

By – Amar Yumnam
What Manipur needs most today? The priority of policies for development has been in emphasis there for long, but poor performance has been the result thanks mainly to lack of appreciation of the context, short of policies for development and political-economic weaknesses based on local soil. But the situation in Manipur has never been like the one during the last three years. While richness and comparative plentifulness are not inherited features of the geography and the people, cheating, behaviour based on inequality and poverty, and mischievous behaviour at the societal level have never been characteristic features of the society in both senses of width and depth. But during the last three years, these unenviable features are getting increasingly acquired and practised while the long-inherited social power of intolerance and widely-shared disapproval of these are actively suppressed coupled by fear of open expression fast replacing the individual and socially shared expression of disapproval.
The significance of a governance with a socially visible positive characteristics is of extreme importance in such times; that is the period Manipur is in today. While the importance of a multifaceted intervention for development is definitely a necessity, there may not be the willingness at the Centre for that kind of policy orientation coupled by a lack of commitment from the local political leaders for reasons personal, and thereby imagining Manipur as place for practicing bluff.
Manipur today needs an Active Social Policy. While we talk of Social Policy, the people generally see in what it was understood till only about the end of the 1980s; for that matter, it is understood as a Soft Material by the policy makers as even improving the roads for the entire province is also a component will not enter their minds. Given the displayed public picture of the political leaders in particular and the general understanding of the general population, a few lines explaining Social Policy may be of relevance here. While I write anything here, I am fully conscious of the forceful attempts being pushed forward by the ruling Political Party to reduce the inherited – even from the pre-historic times and twentieth century ones of the South East Asia merits and strengths of Diversity to a Singular something. Without getting into large debates, let me just quote (I am quoting to ensure trustability of the understanding). In Social Policy: An Introduction, Ken Blakemore and Edwin Griggs write: “Social policy can be defined in two ways. First, it is an academic subject to research and to study… Second, policies have an impact on the ‘real’ world. Government, business and voluntary organizations all have policies which are experienced by families and individuals. What are ‘policies’? In one way they can be seen as aims or goals, or statements of what ought to happen. Social policies aim to improve human welfare …..and to meet human needs for education, health, housing and social security. As goals, intentions and ideas, policies can be found in the form of official government policy (legislation, or the guidelines that govern how laws should be put into operation). ..However, policies are living things, not just static lists of goals, rules or laws.” Examining these issues enable inter alia as to how the Government of the day looks at the Individual, Community, Gender, Family and the historical reality of Manipur as a South East Asian Nation and how she has been evolving. While doing so, the priority is addressing the present social challenge conflict of killing between social groups.
It is in this context of how a Social Policy to be perceived, evolved and implemented that I recently saw a video of a team of the Indian Security personnel visited a pharmacy for taking care of a potentially injured security person. The pharmacist attempted to address the reported injury (absolute cheat) with his all entirety, but the security personnel instead tried to carry him away by forcing into their vehicle while there is no reported case of crime against the pharmacist. This has caused the biggest social pain in me I have ever felt. While the province was in need of a Social Policy, the Indian Security personnel was trying to commit a Social Crime; it was Mischievous Social Behaviour of the highest kind. First, in a single stroke it has deepened and widened the already Weak Trust between the Public and the Security Forces. Second, trying to revive the trust, happening in the context of prevailing social crisis, would now take decades, other things remaining the same. Third, the lesson being displayed by the video is that trying to cheat and create a crime is right if one or a group can do it. All these are lessons Manipur, and India necessarily, should not try to learn.