Show casing unaccountability : Nawa Loude syndrome
- Sangai Express Editorial :: January 23, 2014 -

Nawa Loude. I give a damn, I can and will do as I please.

This is The Sangai Express speaking, an observation based on what an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police had to say about the recruitment process of Police Sub-Inspectors and Jemadars, for which results were declared in 2010.

The recommendations of the IGP, who happened to be the Recruitment Board Chairman leave nothing in doubt.

It is crystal clear. Annul the recruitment process of the SIs and Jemadars as there were just too many anomalies.

Manipulation of date of birth, four candidates appointed without appearing for the viva-voce examination, suspect sports and OBC certificates and not fulfilling the physical benchmark to make the cut.

This was the report sent to the Government, based on the observation of the Recruitment Board Chairman and what has the Government done ?

Just sit on it and by now all the candidates who were declared successful must have been assigned their duties.

This is not painting all the candidates with the same brush and the suggestion that the whole examination be scrapped may not be fair to the genuine candidates, who burnt the mid-night oil, sweated it out on the field for the demanding physical test as well mentally preparing to face the viva voce.

However there is every reason why a Commission or a Committee should be formed to look into the suggestions made by Police Headquarters.

In the silence or non-responsive stand of the Government to the findings of the Recruitment Board Chairman lies exposed the arrogance of the people who matter, a thought process that they can do anything as they please, damn the laid down rules and regulations of recruiting Government employees.

It is this mentality that should be defeated and neutralised at all cost. It is not for nothing that Manipur today has become something of a personal fiefdom of some people who sits in the corridors of power.

Now that the matter has come out on the public domain, it will be interesting to see how the Government respond to the damning expose’.

In all likelihood, the Government will leave no stone unturned to sweep it under the carpet and while The Sangai Express has done its job in bringing the issue to the knowledge of the public, the story of January 22, 2014 will not be the last one either.

Readers can expect some follow up stories and from there social vigilantes may take up the issue.

It would be wonderful if the Court takes suo moto notice of the story and raise questions over the Government.

It would be equally satisfying if some vigilantes file a PIL to get to the bottom of the matter.

Central to the whole issue or story is corruption, large scale corruption which runs into lakhs of rupees.

Just like goods that one buys from the retail shop or an upmarket shopping mall, Government jobs too come with a price tag here in Manipur and this is something which everyone knows.

The tragedy is no one, not the Opposition nor the numerous civil society organisations have deemed it fit to take this up with the seriousness it deserves.

The matter has already been highlighted to the Governor, thanks to Human Rights Alert and it would also be interesting to see how Raj Bhawan treat the issue.

Crack the whip, is the suggestion of The Sangai Express but then given the level of corruption and how institutionalised it has become, this may amount to asking for too much. But give up, no one should, least of all The Sangai Express.

The Nawa Loude culture of the suited, booted, dhoti clad people needs to be uprooted.