Last resting place : Here or there ? Too many God players
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 11 2011 -

Tribute to (Late) MLA of Phungyar Assembly Constituency Wungnaoshang Keishing on 09 October 2011 :: Pix by Bullu Raj - Poknapham

It sucks, it is sickening, it is disturbing, it is scary, it is disgusting and it is unacceptable. When mere mortal beings, like men, come under the impression that they can play God then it says something very significant about the overall situation under which such a mindset has come to groove.

Men playing God can thrive only in a situation when the morale and values of a society have been manipulated through a combination of brute force and propagandist agenda and where the very idea of the State and the authority that flows from it has been pushed to the periphery and beyond.

Manipur fits the bill of such a society where its sense of morale and values have been manipulated, hammered around to fit the schemes of the men trying to don the role of God and where it has been distorted to such an extent that cheats, robbers and history sheeters come to occupy centre stage and the voice of sanity is drowned in the cacophony of hate campaigns launched by these elements trying to fit into the persona of God.

In short such a situation can thrive and prosper when the State has abdicated its duty and certain forces take it upon themselves the divine right to decide who should live and who should die, define who is a traitor and who is not, define patriotism in such a way that patriotism becomes the monopoly of certain groups of people and brow beat the people into quiet submission.

In fact situation has come to such a pass that these power brokers have come under the impression that they can decide where the mortal remains of a man should be put to rest.

The strictures announced by the NSCN (IM) to the effect that the mortal remains of the late MLA from Phungyar Assembly Constituency, Wungnaoshang Keishing will not be allowed to be buried at his native place is a case in point.

That the these strictures were lifted later is a different matter but it says something very significant about how the notion of power, garnered through the barrel of the gun can blind men into believing that they can play God and monopolise patriotism.

It is not only the NSCN (IM) which has come under the impression that their words should be the last on any issue but a whole lot of power players and their extended family line, which can come in the person and form of social organisations and student organisations too.

This explains the growing trend of an entity and their extended family members simultaneously assuming the role of the cop, the judge and the executioner and the muted silence of the people has only gone to give that sense of legitimacy to these God players.

It is this legitimacy that is disturbing. Silence is the parameter that has been interpreted as acceptance and this silence has been brought about by zeroing in on the key factor which is Fear.

It is a given that the State cannot guarantee the personal safety and security of all its citizens but when this Fear takes on an epidemic proportion then it is no longer a question of providing or ensuring the safety of each and every single individual, but is about the total collapse of the system.

The SPF Government did the right thing in providing tight security to ensure that the mortal remains of the late MLA were laid at his native village, but the question of larger import is what gave the NSCN (IM) the conviction to come out with such a restriction in the first place ?

Doesn't it say something about how it views the State Government ? The NSCN (IM) has already made its point and that is, it has attained a position wherein it can decree whether the mortal remains of a man can be buried at a particular place or not.

On the other hand, the Naga outfit has also succeeded in setting a precedent, which has not been heard of before in this part of the country, pardon us if we are wrong. It is this precedence that should figure in the minds of the political leadership as well as the numerous Naga civil society organisations.

Ditto too for the other communities. Passing strictures on the last resting place of a man who is no more cannot be a healthy precedent at all and all the power players too should take note of this.

Today it is the NSCN (IM) on the question of whether a dead man, deemed to have sold out the interest of the people according to its estimation, should be allowed to be buried at his native place.

Tomorrow it could be any other organisation, decreeing anything.

Time to tell all the God players that the silence of the people cannot and should not be construed as mandating their stand