By Amar Yumnam
Until the beginning of the 1990s, any instability in the government was a concern for all the citizenry of the State; it would be a theme dominating every leikai tea-stall, office rooms and private corridors. But it is no longer so.
It has been almost a month that the move to change the head of the people has been in top gear. In an earlier situation similar to the current one, this definitely would have shaken the minds of every democratic voter in the land. But this time round, the population are just conducting their daily business as if nothing is happening around concerning their polity.
The Needs: This prevailing scenario needs active scrutiny by all the concerned citizens of the State for it is different from what we should expect theoretically and find empirically in thriving societies and economies. In any thriving economy, there definitely would be symmetry in the vibrations and movements of the polity, economy and society. If there arises any asymmetry, it would rather be of a positive kind with certain catalysts emanating from one of the three components and the other components living up to the challenges of the emerging changes. This cycle of symmetry and asymmetry would keep repeating, and thereby taking the land to ever higher levels of development.
The Context: But what has happened to Manipur is quite the contrary to this global requirement for societal transformation. That the society of Manipur now faces a veritable crisis and the economy is in transitory shambles are known to all. It is exactly at this juncture that we are witnessing a scenario where the citizenry are wholly unconcerned with the tremors facing the polity. Whereas the onus for giving direction and dovetailing the loose ends in the economy and the society lies with the polity, it is as if the people have fully debarred the issues of polity from occupying any space in their mental calculus. This definitely is not a grammar which can sustain any society.
The Whys: What we should be worrying and endeavouring to analyse is why such a situation arose in the State. There can be many explanations for this phenomenon, but I would rather confine myself to only a few I consider core. One possible explanation could be the accumulated failures of the government to deliver on anything concerning the people. Examples of this are galore, one can cite from such individually delivered items like health to such publicly delivered goods like transport. This might have made the people to stop expecting anything from the government; ‘people do analyse the surroundings and respond to the incentives around’ says Economics. The repeated and constant failures of the government to deliver might have led the people to distance themselves from the happening in the polity except in circumstances where clear opportunities arise for personalized benefits. So the polity became disconnected from society and economy.
The other possible explanation might be that the oft-repetition by the polity of the disturbances making its functioning non-effective in reaching to the public might have sunk to the psyche of the people. Realizing that the polity cannot and would not deliver in the prevailing circumstances, people have found it prudent not to waste their time and energy on the happenings in the polity. So we see the disconnect of society and economy on the one hand and the polity on the other.
Whatever It Is: Whatever the explanation we take, certain features do emerge which need emphasis. First, it points squarely on the governance failures across space and time in the State. Secondly, as mentioned above, such disconnects can only lead the economy and society further downhill. Thirdly, the time for the polity to make itself relevant to the society and economy is fast running out. If we closely observe the recent responses of the general public to the shivering of the government and the reaction to the collapse of the head of the people in public in the same way as they wont in the case of encounter killings, well we are already almost at the borderline in this time chart.
The Search: The above meanderings lead us to identify the area where we should now be concentrating so that the polity can be reconnected with the society and the economy. Well, once again I would rather emphasise on the necessity and urgency of improving the governance of the State. It is not the law and order problem as the primary concern, but the lapses in governance which the polity should rather be applying its mind. Indian as well as global experiences establish beyond ambiguity that governance addresses many of the core issues of an economy and society, including those relating to law and order. Either we follow this or the polity
becomes irretrievably disconnected from the society. The latter is indeed a highly possible grim outcome.
http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/Others/Citizens'%20Concerns.html
Until the beginning of the 1990s, any instability in the government was a concern for all the citizenry of the State; it would be a theme dominating every leikai tea-stall, office rooms and private corridors. But it is no longer so.
It has been almost a month that the move to change the head of the people has been in top gear. In an earlier situation similar to the current one, this definitely would have shaken the minds of every democratic voter in the land. But this time round, the population are just conducting their daily business as if nothing is happening around concerning their polity.
The Needs: This prevailing scenario needs active scrutiny by all the concerned citizens of the State for it is different from what we should expect theoretically and find empirically in thriving societies and economies. In any thriving economy, there definitely would be symmetry in the vibrations and movements of the polity, economy and society. If there arises any asymmetry, it would rather be of a positive kind with certain catalysts emanating from one of the three components and the other components living up to the challenges of the emerging changes. This cycle of symmetry and asymmetry would keep repeating, and thereby taking the land to ever higher levels of development.
The Context: But what has happened to Manipur is quite the contrary to this global requirement for societal transformation. That the society of Manipur now faces a veritable crisis and the economy is in transitory shambles are known to all. It is exactly at this juncture that we are witnessing a scenario where the citizenry are wholly unconcerned with the tremors facing the polity. Whereas the onus for giving direction and dovetailing the loose ends in the economy and the society lies with the polity, it is as if the people have fully debarred the issues of polity from occupying any space in their mental calculus. This definitely is not a grammar which can sustain any society.
The Whys: What we should be worrying and endeavouring to analyse is why such a situation arose in the State. There can be many explanations for this phenomenon, but I would rather confine myself to only a few I consider core. One possible explanation could be the accumulated failures of the government to deliver on anything concerning the people. Examples of this are galore, one can cite from such individually delivered items like health to such publicly delivered goods like transport. This might have made the people to stop expecting anything from the government; ‘people do analyse the surroundings and respond to the incentives around’ says Economics. The repeated and constant failures of the government to deliver might have led the people to distance themselves from the happening in the polity except in circumstances where clear opportunities arise for personalized benefits. So the polity became disconnected from society and economy.
The other possible explanation might be that the oft-repetition by the polity of the disturbances making its functioning non-effective in reaching to the public might have sunk to the psyche of the people. Realizing that the polity cannot and would not deliver in the prevailing circumstances, people have found it prudent not to waste their time and energy on the happenings in the polity. So we see the disconnect of society and economy on the one hand and the polity on the other.
Whatever It Is: Whatever the explanation we take, certain features do emerge which need emphasis. First, it points squarely on the governance failures across space and time in the State. Secondly, as mentioned above, such disconnects can only lead the economy and society further downhill. Thirdly, the time for the polity to make itself relevant to the society and economy is fast running out. If we closely observe the recent responses of the general public to the shivering of the government and the reaction to the collapse of the head of the people in public in the same way as they wont in the case of encounter killings, well we are already almost at the borderline in this time chart.
The Search: The above meanderings lead us to identify the area where we should now be concentrating so that the polity can be reconnected with the society and the economy. Well, once again I would rather emphasise on the necessity and urgency of improving the governance of the State. It is not the law and order problem as the primary concern, but the lapses in governance which the polity should rather be applying its mind. Indian as well as global experiences establish beyond ambiguity that governance addresses many of the core issues of an economy and society, including those relating to law and order. Either we follow this or the polity
becomes irretrievably disconnected from the society. The latter is indeed a highly possible grim outcome.
http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/Others/Citizens'%20Concerns.html
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