When our leaders constantly fail to deliver the goods, systematically belie peoples' longing for peace and development, and show contempt for their opinions perpetually, its time to say enough is enough. That is what the Global citizens did when recently they poured out into the streets of the major cities of the world- London, Paris, Rome , Madrid, and to a lesser extent New York- and 750 other cities of the world on a single day to register their protest against war on Iraq. On 8th February, in London alone, 2 million people were believed to have joined the show of solidarity which underscored the awesome moral power of the citizens who lent their voice for noble ideals and not for selfish interests. At least for a moment, the war mongers-led by brothers-in-arms Bush and Blair- seemed to have taken the cue and retreated. It was one small victory but a huge step for civil society movement.

The role of the civil society is crucial in today's world where brute power, majoritarianism and unilateralism are increasingly becoming a norm rather than the exception. The NGO's, pressure groups, professional bodies, trade unions, chambers of commerce and the informal types of associations such as your local tea hotels' circles constitute the civil society. It is these groups that can take on the repressive policies of the state and goad it to pull up its socks when found slipping up on fundamental public issues.

There is no doubt that the civil society is a great moral force, if not an informal power centre. Dubbed as the "second Superpower" by political pundits, civil society is poised to become a force to reckon with which can serve as the counterweight to the increasingly oppressive regimes sprouting up in many parts of the world like a contagious disease. Only civil society can curtail the pernicious growth of anti people programmes and policies of rogue governments effectively in the years to come. As the World Social Forum puts it succinctly, "Another World is Possible" by a concerted civil society movement by exchanging experiences, strengthening alliances between social movements, unions of the working people and NGOs.

Consider Manipur's problems. Our problems are mostly related to shoddy governance, corruption and threats to civil liberties; all other problems are trickle down effects. But if we look at these problems more closely, these have the stamp of citizens' acquiescence. Poor governance which has been the hallmark of any political dispensation in the state for decades is a direct result of public indifference to the morality of our elected leaders. When did we last take out to the streets to demand the head of a minister for his venality? On the contrary, we encourage and even consort with these political thugs to fulfill our self interests. The casualty is the principles, probity, transparency and good governance. By being a cog and wheel in the corrupt political juggernaut, we have lost our moral right to protest.

By habit and sheer indifference also, we have forgotten to protest at the injustices and brutality inflicted upon us by the state. The culture of protest has vanished into the thin air. We have made ourselves contented in being mere mute spectators of the mess that the political class has created. It never fails to amaze me whenever I think about how different we are from people of other states in mindsets. In Delhi and elsewhere, government gets toppled for a mere price rise in onions, but in Manipur, we take every state sponsored indignity in our stride and hope for the best even as our leaders loot us in broad daylight. Obviously, the crooks get bolder by the day and their sins get entrenched as a part of the system.

One of our major enduring grouses has been the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the armed forces. Draconian laws like POTA and AFSPA have only aggravated the dismal human rights situation in the state. But do we protest enough? The pattern of our protest leaves a lot to be desired. Whenever an ugly episode of rights violations comes to light, we invoke our right to protest for a brief fleeting period only to return to our cloister again. The trademark of our protest can be best described as fits-and-bouts display of pent up feelings. Even if we protest there is no effort to forge a network of social groups and organizations to carry on agitation and mount pressure on the government to lift these black laws on a continuous basis. The only isolated glimmer of hope and example of selfless sacrifice is shown by Irom Sharmila who has been on fast for over 2 years continuously.

Oh yes, there are AMSU, AMUCO, UCM and myriad other organizations claiming to represent the civil society of Manipur. The role of AMSU in the past, particularly in lobbying for inclusion of Manipuri language in the 8th schedule of India is unforgettable. AMUCO is at the forefront of protecting civil liberties of the people. And UCM is the frontal organization that will go down in the history of Manipur as the saviour of Manipur's territorial integrity from the jaws of NSCN (IM).

Yet questions can be asked whether they are following their own brief or operating as stooges for some other organizations. For instance, ID Swamy, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs gave a statement in the Parliament that UCM had links with the underground organizations of Manipur. This statement comes as a blow to many Manipur lovers and put them in great discomfiture. The UCM stands discredited at least before the eyes of the Indian authorities. Which is sad given the fact that civil society activism in Manipur is still in its nascent stage which is yet to take off in a big way. The statement may be true or well turn out to be an ill conceived attempt by the Home Ministry to discredit the Manipuris' opposition to the mindless appeasement of the NSCN (IM). But the mud has stuck.

We only hope that a strong civil society movement becomes a reality in Manipur in the days to come which is truly independent and bereft of all blots on its skin. Only a strong citizens' activism can reform the self-serving authoritarian government and guide it towards a just path of social justice and equal rights. If left to themselves, the corrupt, powerful and the mighty of the land will not change even a bit for us. Participatory democracy, transparency and accountability are a need of the hour, but these have to be fought for.

As Michael Edwards of Ford Foundation says the act of association has power because it releases social energy, meaning the willingness to act from one's ideals, moral convictions, a desire to serve the community, or a commitment to the common interest. If you need another selfish reason to motivate yourself to join this movement, you need only to consider this piece of good news: protesting is good for your health.

"Psychologists at the University of Sussex found that people who get involved in campaigns, strikes and political demonstrations experience an improvement in psychological well-being that can help them overcome stress, pain, anxiety and depression".

So let us protest our way to good health and a healthier Manipur. Selfish Manipuris, did you say that?