IMPHAL, October 18: The election system of the country needs to be changed and the state needs to establish a monitoring committee for the election by co-opting representatives from the civil society Oorganizations, meira paibis, Senior Citizen of Society, Manipur to ensure free and fair elections, said Advocate Khaidem Mani, president of All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA).
He made the statement during a press conference held today at the residence of N Binoy, president of Senior Citizen of Society in connection with the second anniversary of the People’s Campaign for Resurgent Manipur.
He lamented that the election manifesto – 2012 of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Party (MPCC) has not been honored and the manifesto was a false statement to solicit vote.
In the manifesto, the MPCC said that the Congress Committee will urge the Centre to prepare a provision for constitutional safeguard of the territorial integrity of Manipur, but the present scenario of the state shows a totally different picture, he stated.
He further added that the present government always voiced that the law and order is improving and further improvement is being planned.
If the situation has improved then why has not the government put into effect its promise given in the manifesto to consider the removal of AFSPA from the remaining part of the state, he questioned while alleging that the presence of AFSPA meant that the claims on improvement of law and order were false.
He further stated that the promise to give opportunities to the educated unemployed by transforming tourism as a full-fledged industry beside expanding schemes for providing employment was another deception.
L Sadananda, general secretary of Senior Citizen of Society, Manipur said that democracy has failed in the state since the time of independence, and alleged that the government has not look after the public properly.
The government invariably highlighted that art and culture and sports have always brought name for the state, but there is no note-worthy scheme for people in this fields, he stated.
N Binoy said that the assurances were part of a propaganda, alleging that many fake surrender is continuing in the state and many home coming ceremony have been conducted in the state without any positive effect to the society.
Bachaspatimayum Deben Sharma, convenor, People’s Campaign for Resurgent Manipur elaborated that the campaign was launched on October 18, 2011 to fight against the private and vested interest that seek to undermine the basic fabric of a collective life in the state and to bring about a new political culture wherein public morality and issues of public importance play significant role in our society and polity.
He further said that it was formed by the groups of professionals, students and youth of and from Manipur who are seriously concerned about the prevailing state of affairs in the state and the objective of the campaign is to go for 15 years.
Meanwhile, a round table “Towards a Resurgent Manipur: Reflections on the Challenges and Prospects” was held today at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi to commemorate the second anniversary of the People’s Campaign for a Resurgent Manipur.
A new website (resurgentmanipur.org) was also launched in the anniversary.
Noted journalist Kishalay Bhatacharjee chaired the event. In his opening remark, he stressed on the importance of technology and citizen participation in forming a healthy civil society. The new website, he said, will play a major role in creating a space for discussion and dissemination. He explained, “New social order and the internet are playing a major role in it, more than the stringent traditional media“.
Speaking on the anniversary, Dr G Amarjit Sharma of the Northeast India Studies Programme, JNU, spoke on the idea of Manipur, particularly on cultural and political ideas as one area that we must address for a resurgent Manipur. He questioned the popular belief that arrival of Hinduism is a major factor which is driving a wedge between the hills and the valley. He argued that a rethinking on such issues as a part of idea of the Manipuri is needed to put in perspective some of the critical existing socio-political condition in the state.
Dr L Lam Khan Piang of JNU in his observation emphasized the need to address ‘common issues’ across different communities as a crucial starting point for imagining a new Manipur, besides addressing competing demands from different sections of the society. He also reminded the gathering that the issues and problems that we confront must be looked upon primarily as our own creation and we must look for the answers within ourselves rather than looking ‘outside’ for solution. He further reminded us of the abysmal infrastructure and the lack of governance beyond the towns.
The other speaker Dr Kamei Aphun, who teaches Sociology in Delhi University expressed the need for “conflict resolution should come through capacity building”. He also draws the attention of the gathering to the need to look at the way ‘history’ has been read or interpreted as one site which contributes to the conflicting situation in the state. He points out the dangers of ‘colonial writers’ take on the history and situation of the state which some tend to accept uncritically. He further insisted on the need for a “inter-community’ forums or exchanges to deal with some of the issues that confront the state. He also brings out the gaps in development issues between Manipur and other states, including from the Northeast as well as within Manipur. One critical issue that we fail is, according to him, the inability to accept the increasing social differentiation within the state and its impacts on the very nature of ‘solidarity’ in Manipur.
Earlier the programme started with a welcome address by Davison Kumam and a brief introduction to the history of the campaign that started on 18th October, 2011.
After the round table, Dr A Bimol Akoijam laid out the following aims and objectives of the Campaign as (i) fight against the private and vested interests that seek to undermine the basic fabric of a collective life in Manipur and (ii) bring about a new political culture wherein public morality and issues of public importance play significant role in our society and polity.
Correspondingly, he noted, the Campaign seeks to (i) cultivate a culture of dialogue and debates in order to generate informed opinions and choices on public issues and (ii) make the political class, public institutions and leaders accountable to the citizens as individuals and as a collective.
And In pursuance of the above aims, the Campaign seeks to (i) encourage and cultivate the involvement of private citizens in the affairs of the collective, and (ii) engage and monitor the functioning of public offices and institutions as well as the ways in which public officials and elected representatives of the people respond to or address the issues of public importance.
He also shares that although the Campaign has been initiated by a group of citizens—mainly, professionals, students, youths — of and from Manipur who are concerned with the prevailing state of affairs in our beloved state and thereby seeking a change towards a new and better Manipur wherein the people—as collective and individuals—can live with dignity and well-being, those who have initiated the Campaign are only the facilitators and co-participants of a process for a resurgent Manipur. The Campaign is fundamentally all about self initiative and involvement of each and every citizen of Manipur to bring about a change in the affairs of our beloved state and thus, it is, and has to be, a Campaign of the citizens, for the citizens and by the citizens, he added.
He also explained the purpose of the new website is to encourage and cultivate the involvement of private citizens in creating informed public opinions of public issues as well to monitor public institutions and leaders. The hallmark of the site will be its attempt to provide a platform for the general public to share and monitor the government departments and activities of the assembly constituencies and MLAs
Later, Dr A Bimol Akoijam along with the president of the function, Kishalay Bhatacharjee, officially launch the website, resurgentmanipur.org. The anniversary was also marked in Imphal by members of the Campaign along with other civil society groups and concerned citizens.