Assessing Manipur State Assembly Elections: A Cross Reference for Haochong Sub Division under Tamenglong District

“Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests? Why does an intelligent mental process seem so often not to function?”
Barbara W Tuchman (The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam)

Manipur will be the next election turf in 2017 which is presently ruled by the Congress party under O. Ibobi Singh. The party in power is often billed as one of the most corrupt governments to date. Yet, electoral politics seems to suggest contradictory to the rational notion of electing a clean and transparent candidate. This article deals with Tamenglong District and in particular Tamenglong Constituency with reference to the Haochong area and their electoral politics in the last two to three decades. The article aims to highlight certain shortcomings and suggest necessary recommendations for the overall development and in bringing about concrete positive changes in society.

Brief Profile of Tamenglong District

According to the 2011 census Tamenglong district is the least populous district in the state and ironically the least developed district and most backward district with no proper connectivity both in terms of road and communication. It also lacks proper basic infrastructures like health center, schools, water supply, and other basic amenities in most of the villages. The district has four subdivisions namely Tamenglong, Tousem, Tamei, and Nungba, and has a total population of 140651 with a sex ratio of 943 females per 1000 males. The literacy rate is 70.05. The district was known as Manipur West district before 1972. Currently, Tamenglong subdivision has 54 villages with 26 ADC and 3 MLAs.

The tribes that reside in the district are Rongmei, Liangmei, Zeme, Inpui (Kabui), Chiru, Khasi, Kuki, Hmar, and Mikir.

Introducing Election: A Beginner Dilemma

In the process of electing a representative during an election, mass awareness is necessary and is inevitable as, without the basic understanding of the election process, people are often caught in between the electoral barbs displayed by contending political parties. In an area where the literacy rate is low and where a large number of people, particularly women and the elderly are illiterate or semi-illiterate the task of election is daunting. In this scenario, the public can be easily fooled in the run-up for election with a flaunt for easy money and freebies which come at the expense of public funds. In order to have a consciously responsible election, some basics of the election are underlined in this article. 

So far, there is no equal representation in Manipur Legislative Assembly as the majority of the seats lie in the valley which consists of only 10 percent geographical area of Manipur but with  58.9 percent population. In context, every major tribe has its MLAs representation in the Assembly except some minority tribes which were clubbed together with majority tribes according to the geographical proximity. Though representation is not drawn on ethnic or tribal lines but in a state like Manipur where about 40 ethnic identities and sub-identities have coalesced together, the problem of equal representation is put into serious question. The common belief is that representation is best when it is occupied by the respective community as they represent their problems and identity. The overt consciousness of ethnic representation is not confined to Manipur alone but is visible in other states as well.

The election has been an enduring challenge. It is a highlight to progress and act as a premise or catalyst of bringing ‘development’ in the society where the term itself can be subjective and often an abstract notion; misused to befool the public of the embedded progress and shimming change that seems to be on the pipeline but never really emerges of the official record. During the election, friendships are forged and frenemies engage for short-term gain. 

Educating the mass about the nitty-gritty of the election process on the rule laid down by the election commission is important and not just knowing the party symbol of the candidate where a vote needs to be stamped upon, that perhaps is the futility of politics in the region. From electioneering projects, listening to the radio, watching T.V, reading the newspaper and social media can be regarded as a useful tool in educating the people and intensifying the knowledge production for a clean and peaceful election.

Interpreting Politics: The Election Process in the Area and its Tragedy

Election season is where people are construed to or believe as days of earning easy money. More dangerous than the corruption of money is the corruption of the mind. Here, one must be aware that it is a public fund that is being wasted and it is the people himself/herself who will face the consequences as responsible citizens are found wanting in the area. Many of the election-related issues and conflicts that arise are largely due to the influence of the so-called educated youths. The educated class needs to be conscious of the rule book and not just lead the mob frenzy for a short-term benefit which often culminates into violence, creating social disharmony by dividing the closely knitted society into party lines.

In rural tribal politics,  different electoral cards are played to attract votes such as family, clan, class, peer pressure, and very rarely on issues. Everyone becomes active during elections but this is just for a short period of time as people go back to their daily work after the last ballot is cast and the winner declared. The role of party agent ends just after the ballot is cast and no official communication will be available at his disposal as the power shifts to the higher officialdom based either in Imphal or Tamenglong. 

The elected representative needs to be more responsible, sensible, and accountable to the people he or she represents. Political will and public aspiration need to be taken into account and should be able to rise above party interest if need be as the public imagination of progress and development reach the pinnacle at this period and this high hope and expectations often crash after the election as the promises, in reality, is far from the truth. People deserve a clean and efficient/transparent candidate willing to serve the rural mass and not based on the gamble of politics or electoral gains.

There also seems to be a false assumption in the mind of the people that a memorandum will result in assured action but in reality, the submission of a memorandum does not give the assurance that grievances will be heard and carried out in a month or within the five years period. It is just a draft sharing your problems and not binding on the legislature as this has to go through policy formation which is a long and tedious process. It is the responsibility of the elected head of village authority and civil society to follow up on those issues mentioned in the memorandum and has to continuously check and reassess the progress. 

Without active public participation in the political process, it is giving away citizens' rights to the whims and freewill conduct of the politician who are seldom accountable to the people. The underpinning reason for such problems is the educated and literate class which fails to identify issues and creates public awareness.

The influence of identity politics based on Naga nationalism often plays spoilsport. This is often done by the use of force, coercion, and gun powder. And as the area is remote and lacks basic communication infrastructure, candidates in the past often manipulate vote share by booth capturing and intimidating the voters. This in recent times is not seen but the influence of Naga national workers is succinctly visible in every election (ADC/MLA and often in a petty election like a village council election in some cases).

Reading Vote Bank Politics

As mentioned above, in the absence of class, caste and religion candidates often use tribalism and often draw similarities between clans across tribes, for instance, a candidate from Kahmei (Rongmei) identifies Inka (Inpui) and vice versa giving ways to clanism and groupism. Apart from it, there is a group based on women, youth, and NGOs which seek freebies, booze, jobs, money, etc, all in the name of election. And no sincere efforts are given to put forward or pursue common community issues like the construction of basic infrastructures. Therefore, the campaign and election process are limited to short-term fulfillment especially youths, thereby failing to differentiate the true value and benefit of casting one’s vote in an election.

 Table 1: Elections Result of Tamenglong from 1967 till 2012

 

Sl	AC no	Winner	Party	Votes	Runner Up	Party	Year
1	53	Janghemlung Panmei	MSCP	7675	Khangthuanang Panmei	INC	2012
2	53	Khangthuanang Panmei	IND	8498	Samuel Jendai	IND	2007
3	53	Samuel Jendai	FPM	9696	Khangthuanang Panmei	INC	2002
4	53	Samuel Jendai	MSCP	7572	Khangthuanang Panmei	SAP	2000
5	53	Samuel Jendai	SAP	6515	Daisin Pamei	INC	1995
6	53	Daisin Pamei	JD	5024	G Phenrong	IND	1990
7	53	Jangamlung Panmei	INC	5035	Ningthan Panmei	IND	1984
8	53 (bypoll)	Jangamlung  Panmei	IND	3654	Ningthan Panmei	INC (I)	1981
9	53	K Huriang	IND	3318	Phenrong	JNP	1980
10	53	TP Kiulengpou	MHU	3152	Huriang	IND	1974
11	53	Tp Kiulengpou	IND	1435	Dijingang	IND	1972
12	27	Kakhangai	IND	622	AM Tundas	INC	1967

INC: Indian National Congress, IND: Independent, JNP: Janata Party, SAP: Samata Party, FPM: Federal Party of Manipur, MSCP: Manipur State Congress Party, MHU: Manipur Hill Union. Source: www.tamenglong.nic.in

The winner of the last election was Samuel Jendai.

As seen from the above table, the incumbent candidate has a fair chance of getting elected again but in an era of mass social media, people are more politically aware and proactive. But a certain characteristic feature like wave politic is still evident as people are more concerned with their intending candidate winning the election. It is often noticed where undecided voters follow the ‘wait and watch’ policy and jump into the fray just when the winnability of a certain candidate is assured. 

In the absence of development or progress-based issues/ project strength show, distribution of money and freebies like clothes, blankets, kerosene, TV, bikes, free concerts, cookers, thread, clothes, money for women’s fund, etc, became central to gaining political mileage. Usually so new group pops up for short-term gains by showing the candidate that their group has this many members who are willing to work for the candidate. Such a group does not have party loyalty or affiliation. Party loyalty or grass root political participation is weak in the district and only a significant number of people support a party for a certain period of time. This is due short-sightedness of the political leaders in the region and the lack of political awareness.

The effectiveness of social media can be negligible in the constituency since ground realities differ due to less mobile network access and not all are tech-savvy/technologically challenged and more importantly, social media is of recent origin. So, the campaign mode has to be carried out through formal/traditional method, camp base campaign, speech, face to face interaction, house to house visit which in turn help in gathering first-hand information and make the voters feel their concerns are respected. 

Building a primary relationship without an intermediary role, even after coming to power, it is basic for effective socialization between the elector and the elected. Regular features like speech in a public platform, strength show, and party camps will continue in helping identify with party flags, symbols, and the candidate. Though limited social media like the internet, mobile phone SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, pamphlet, poster, radio, television, and newspaper will too play a role.

Table: 2.Voter List of Haochong areas: Net elector.

Sl	Name	Male	Female	Total	Polling Station
1	Bakuwa	110	125	235	Bakuwa Primary School
2	Haochong (A)	424	405	829	Haochong High School
3	Haochong (B- Ijeirong)	135	130	265	Ijeirong Primary School
4	Kabuikhullen	281	296	577	Kabuikhullen Primary School
5	Nungtek (A)	315	319	634	Nungtek Primary School
6	Oktan	259	269	528	Puichi Primary School
7	Pungmon	201	167	368	Pungmon Primary School

 Compiled by the author. Source: www.ceomanipur.nic.in/ElectoralRoll/

Assessing Five Years of Progress:

The development projects sanctioned by the government for a period of five years can go down in just months of public campaigning and nothing substantial can possibly come out after the election as seen in the past if public awareness is not seriously inculcated. MLA will be visible only during functions and celebrations as an invited chief guest or guest of honor. Here an interesting phenomenon typical of Indian mantris/politicians is that they appear during public events with political rhetoric and propaganda and the rest of the tenure are utilized meticulously to stay back at their quarters only to reappear during the next election season. 

Sad to note, schemes that reach the people are minuscule and with all the percentages drawn, the public is always at the receiving end. Developmental schemes should reach the targeted sections of the society, proper implementation of the schemes, monitoring, and evaluation by the concerned authority and people deserve better service than just nominal lip service.

Election time is where our society is most divided but it is the time of the year where we need to unite the most, giving voice to the common problems and aspirations of the people so that policy mainstreaming can be done without much hassle. Election brings discomfort and misunderstanding even within the family and this eventual fallout takes a toll on the function of the society and to an extent, the church. Here the church remaining neutral can sometimes be counterproductive. There is a thin line between politics and religion. 

In this madness and hysteria the search for truth become illusionary, a rational decision needs to be taken to avoid such crisis and fill the vacuum created by petty politics. A mass election awareness campaign before the election is mandatory, given the low level of awareness. It can be conducted through the help of the State Election Commission and district election mechanism and also through the use of both print and electronic media in vernacular dialect as this season will bring about new programs and policies which will benefit or affect the people at large.

What should be our collective proposal?

Setting aside our political differences and party affiliation, what should be our proposal in this process of building a conducive society? The achievable and necessary long-term goals should be:

(i) Blacktop of Lukhambi-Haochong Road, While noting that road connectivity is one of the most important concerns today but what is equally important is the conservation of trees above and below the road, as the hills are prone to landslide, mudslide, soil erosion, especially during monsoon, Road connection for Tamsamwan village and bridge on Ijei river, is equally important. 

(ii) Solving water problems in the area, particularly at Ijeirong and Puichi during the dry season.

(iii) Construction of mini stadium and establishing divisional sports center.

(iv) Building a cultural center that will act as a cultural museum, Open Air Theatre (OAT) at Haochong village site is one feasibility for the preservation of cultural heritage which has to be a coordinated move towards inculcating close adherence to the historical and socio-cultural foundation of the society. 

(v) Improving the condition of Primary Health Centre, sub-health centers including Anganwadi centers with special emphasis on the elderly and differently-abled citizens (vi) Improving the standard of education system vii) Harnessing wind power potential.

(viii) Revival of handloom industries and the introduction of small-scale food processing units for cane, orange, and oilseeds.

 (ix) Finally providing phone and internet connectivity facilities in the area (This has been achieved).

The following sections of society should also be taken into consideration while framing policies; widow, widower, differently able, single parent, orphans as they are marginalized and lay at the bottom/lower strata of the society in terms of literacy, income, and gainful employment.

Concluding Remark

There are some signs of progress in village health care and water supply in a place like Haochong but much needed to be done in the area. The failure to understand the nuances of politics and the politics of impunity from laws is a common tragedy. The low media penetration in the area can also be posited for low awareness. What is the concern today? Will the next 2017 election be a usual money power muscle power-oriented rather than issue-centered and progress-oriented election? Will the issue of SDO/BDO even feature in the election apart from the political rhetoric around the order passed in the Assembly? But how can the electorate be a factor in deciding the winnability of the candidate? Vote consolidation is not easy given in a free society but the best workable option is to choose a candidate through his manifestos and issues that concern him about society.

The foregoing discussion suggests the people in the area are politically active but how far their participation in electoral politics is benefiting them needs further study. What needs to be reminded is politics is an everyday process neither a one-way but two ways process that needs the active continuous participation of the people. As policies stem from the need of the people and these have to apply to the people concerned. This, in turn, will also keep the elected legislature in check and remind him of his pending responsibilities. The passive electorate can be one reason for an inactive elected representative in this case. Participatory democracy will shape and build an emerging society free from poverty, injustice, social alienation, and discrimination.

NB: The above article was published in the 4^th Edition of Kala-khwanbaang, an annual publication of ISUD, 2016. PP 10-14.