Election Regale in Manipur– reflecting a societal point.

Many don’t like the churns of elections, even those dealing the subject. It is often regarded a pattern being run by those who are for it, and for them alone. The other professions and persons disliking elections tend to opt out even during voting, apparently due to its volatile form, however powerful it gives. Are elections really corrupt? Which type of people should take part in it? Certainly it’s not corrupt per se. It is only people who fail in the profession bearing bad testimony to the discipline. Politics has its spur which is inevitable; it doesn’t depart from the heaves we so want to breathe in life. It is an element to securing peoples’ life which requires serious commitment and devotion like any other profession. Election is an agent of politics to engaging people their interests and outlook of the world. Civilized societies had undergone similar spate of contests that our side faces now, although we are still held far behind to reach where these societies actually exercise freedom according to values and respect. “Money and force” has no scope for them to win election, because to them politics has tall claims of humanity and commitment. Our part of the world sadly rolls into a disturbing mess, waxing paradoxical scenes and hatred. Politics, at all, is the art of the possible. It allows clear political contestations and conduct, whereby judgment is based on ‘fairness’ and desired values at collective good. This is the kind of model which democracy allows people to acquire their course of progress, to think one. The atmosphere is wide loose as well as promising. Interestingly today, many talk on this buzzword ‘politics’ in their aimed coffers without else know the braid of it. Money does not draw all practices no doubt. There are but those run in the lure of unmanned politicking and much daring to it for money. I have had the personal witness of it recently, the shameful part of this ill in our land, our own people. There are yet indeed, good motives doing their part – my vote for truth campaign, selfless take on politics with vision, and genuine involvements around the same plank of connecting people. Many of the interview clips on Hill candidates I listened online are echoed excellently on the ensuing Manipur elections conducting on the 4 and 8 March, 2017. Thanks to Indigenous Voice for garnering such values into our society. But votes for what and for whom, has proven many times futile without actually standing by it. Politicians must reconsider their stake very seriously, let alone followers and voters. The cost of damage or failure is more than anyone of us wants to pay, as once put by Kofi Annan. And our scuffle today would not easily leave off those scars without taking first to set order our house. Recent elections in the United States have, taken jibe over political manoeuvres in media and social circles which America does not regard in its pride of values. Interestingly, Mr. Trump won the presidential election popularly on factors of wrong projections by the democrats around illumination and overrated strength of the democrat candidate. This particular mistake of the democrats turned the American mindset to conquer a democracy being challenged by sheer misconception of the world. Apart from good conservative values of the Republican policies, many Americans in fact did not want their democratic values to be on wrong record as done by popular monopoly. A commentator on CNN quotes views of voters saying the people didn’t want to be insulted that way through regulated views, hence the demonstration against such mindscape. It went to reiterate that the force of democracy is with the ordinary people, and that they would only decide their own political fate.

The choice of democracy in our political spectrum misses almost all the values practiced in the American society during elections. Freedom to politics, as generally followed in any democracy, has miserably seen our society in blatant negligence of the public interests and demand. Democracy has for many reasons departed from the bastion of the public. Good governance should anticipate on the resilience of democracy, in so far as the people exercise freedom to restrain any force jeopardizing their rights and security. Democracy therefore must be invested on correct application of the values in society. This ideology would commensurate with the patterns and interests of the people in the long run. Although democracy is regarded as the best desired form of government, it suffers easy defeat during elections mainly on the assessment of the people forming the polity. Ugly part of democracy also evolves when the recognition of individual liberty go awry due to individual freedom manifesting on individualistic interests. Considering the varied theories of democratic operation in society, democracy however redeems its long standing goals through agents and institutes responding sincerely to the vast demands of the people. Leaders enjoying democratic mandate of the people must realize that the powers of democracy resonate on societal values and change, which people regularly attach in their normal ventures.

Our society is no exception to the findings of democracy taken from various historical researches. Elections offer good avenues to reflect societal polity and values. When we are taken by the chunk of a political movement casting way long anguished frontiers, the lot of elections across the business has spawned an added importance to question. The blend of power which curbs free and fair poll would only defeat the objectives of entering electoral politics. The larger scope behind ideal elections cannot be ruled out in our society even while there are justified election manoeuvres and plans exclusively. It is to think not pragmatic over a game of elections clad in our own world frame while we subscribe to elections which has affected tremendous changes and modernity across the country. Open platforms of debates in the United States are conducted only to conform to the American values of choosing its leader on real position of the candidates. On account of these generic understandings of democracy and politics, which has included Naga’s special context both social and political, I reasonably see the current political formula of our actors a disdain record. With election sizzles grappling our homes in Manipur, I humbly feel concerned and thus urge our dear folks that anything of violence and ‘force’ is to discard; anything of peace and respect welcome. Shall we not envy our society on respectable and honourable ground? Certain episodes and ‘ploy’ on account of ‘election regale’ only shows how much one place on these standards of politics. Look to a world so wide and clear, lest we all rest with elections under India’s brute state.
Roviso Marza,
Department of Political Science,
University of Delhi.