Savior or Spoiler ?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 29 2012 -

The importance and role of civil society organizations in a democratic state, especially towards promotion, building and strengthening of democracy, is something well known to be elaborated here. In fact, many epoch making changes around the world have been brought through civil society movements.

Upto around the 18th century, the term 'civil society' may have been associated mainly to distinguish the realm of the secular from the realm of the church, but since then the scope and importance of civil society organizations have underwent a paradigm shift and their influential impact is felt in almost every realm of our day-to-day existence today.

The beauty of civil society movement is such that while retaining their independence and distance from the State authorities, civil society organizations, nonetheless, act as a vital partner in the quest for positive relationship between the State and its citizens, by way of educating and generating awareness among masses about their rights and obligations as democratic citizens, and encouraging them to work with one another for solving common problems, to debate public issues and exchange their views.

In short, the growing importance of civil society organizations in modern society is such that it would be futile to dream of good governance reforms and effective administrative without the active support and the participation civil society organizations in every decision making process.

However, in Manipur, the dividing line between the civil society organizations and other forms of interest groups is becoming so blurred that the public really needs to question, what are these so-called civil society organizations and whom they actually represent for?

More often than not, we have come across that these so-called civil society organizations are crowded with 'out of work' human rights lawyers, activists, 'pseudo' academics and intellectuals, etc, with no room and space for common people who really matters and whose plights actually need to be highlighted.

Moreover, there is no 'retirement' from the 'business' of running the civil society organizations for anyone who once got a foothold into the fold. Somehow, they would try to remain clinching on and if not possible, then there is no worry, they could still float another civil society organization in the name of the 'deprived, oppressed and subjugated' common people.

On the other hand, during the time of any crisis engulfing the State, the difference of opinions and stand points among the civil society organizations on either side of Lim divide is so pronounced that instead of coming together to work out a common solution, they would be busy doing what they are only good at - whipping up passion and taking the poor common people on a free rollercoaster ride of emotional upheaval and confusion.

It is sad to note that every time they open their mouth to speak about the rights of 'deprived, oppressed and subjugated' common people, it is the common people who suffer all the more.