Public Behavior; Hard Nut for New Rulers

Jinine Lai *

Our new Chief Minister I guess, knows well that public has been sufficiently corrupt to have floated such a deficient society we have been going through. Yet, from the end of our energetic CM and his team, things are hopeful.

Now, the nature of the response from "We, the People" is one critical source to get the desired accomplishment from the new government. Have we acknowledged our own weaknesses that caused multiple social illnesses so far? Have we ever thought over leaving our sick behavior behind? Or will the new government have an iron hand; not less than Chinese Maoor Korean Chun Doo?

In fact, there are very visible flaw and fragility in general behavior especially of the contemporary Meetei society. The indicators are – barbaric mobocracy, faulty festival of election, socially accepted corruption, brute traffic habit, offensive garbage disposition, men's ogling eyes on women, senseless food wastage, etc. Couple of picking up here.

1. Encouraging the Social Smugglers: After any incident of bomb and gun attacks by the extortionists at the landmark building which turns out to be house of the well to do families or bourgeoisie, the local-women raise their voices displaying neighbors' concerns launching sit-in- protests around the buildings.

It gives an ill indication of social response towards corruption and exploitation for it encourages public looters and social smugglers. Rather at such moment we have to remind the receivers of bombs and bullets - what they are receiving now is what they have just earned.

We, the locals are well aware of how the owners of the towering houses have accumulated so much wealth but what we ignore is the crimes the rich committed. This is us who showing a good amount of undue respect to such critical population of thieves, looters and law breakers.

Here, some questions are compelled to be raised – how has the breed of kidnappers and extortionists been surfaced on the soil? Why have they adopted such condemned means of earning?

The best answer is the corruption although it is not of the lone factor. The majority whom receives the harsh tension of bombs and bullets is the privileged who work in the government offices. They are supposed to take important responsibilities towards the public service. They are the bureaucrat, engineers, doctors and other well to do families.

Also there are many whom ministers, MLAs and other high ranking officers have poured favors and opportunities upon unfairly. This economically favored population has received so much misappropriate monetary gains and material benefits supposed to go to the needy population. Their children are "Not Becoming"the condemned kidnappers and extortionists.

The one of the loud reasons is that the majority of them have looted and packed so much for their own children; just robbed the rights and opportunity meant for the kidnappers. Thus, the extortionists have just missed the opportunities to become what they wanted to be once they wished for.

No doubt, once they too wanted to be doctors, engineers, scientists and professors. They hardly thought of becoming actors of such violent engagement. This course of risky journey they are taking was destined.

The government personnel ranging from the higher authority to lower clerks together robbed the educational facilities; they pocketed the money meant for school. Have clogged every economic rights should have flown towards the people who becoming bomb hurlers, kidnappers today.

2. Engaging in Mobocracy: Burn the houses, destroy the properties of the families of the suspect by the locals and relatives of victims who found murdered or found dead under suspicious condition has been turning out as a form of public reaction.

The mob takes the law in their hands without fair judgment and rationality of the incidents and consequences. Each time the mobs make the innocent family members of the alleged culprit eventual victims. The hyper reactive locals do not know what they are doing is not to the suspect but to the innocent children, parents, siblings and nearest of the suspect.

The houses and household property that mobs have destroyed do not belong to the suspects hardly. In the very shocking incidents, the mobs have lynched parents. They throw the young children into a sudden darkness of the traumatized life and disaster. The locals and neighbors also know that they are lynching the sole custody of the children.

"For what reason was our mother murdered so brutally?" This is one question with no one to answer, constantly haunting the young minds of the three children of Nursana and Mujibullah who were killed on 1 April 2011 at Sora, Thoubal District.

In the cases of the mob acts against the drug/substance users whom suspected of committing crimes - the most traumatized impact come to the family members of the suspects.

The majority of such families have exhausted all possible attempts to cure the abuse and addiction of their dears. The culprits already ruined and looted the family so badly, and at the end of day the mobs burnt and destroyed the property of poor families that left by the drug users.