The ‘Money’ of a Slave Society
How to live like an owner in a slave society or what is apparent in such a society when three major news of a day is just about corruption, corruption and only corruption
I cannot ignore this irony. The Imphal Free Press published an exclusive today under the headline: ‘SW officials admit non-existent home was wrongly declared as fit’. However, accompanying the news story is a photo of an event organised by a government agency under the banner of ‘Press Conference of HODs: For highlighting development activities of government’.
For those who are not aware of this farce, the Manipur government officials are the epitome of incompetence and laziness. It might sound like a generalisation but it is our reality.
In another case, the All Manipur Students’ Union has announced that its volunteers would be going after the corrupt officials, particularly those who are in the DC offices. Their motive appears they are going after the small fish because as from their announcement, they mention only the clerks who would ask for Rs 50 to Rs 300 for documents ranging from income certificate to domicile renewal that are required by students.
We are not that much primitive that the students are taking up issues, which are the responsibilities of the authority but it is just that we are not used to modern administration and governance. Take another case of the day:
This time it is not the student but a pressure group: The Indigenous Peoples Association of Kangleipak (IPAK). It is wonderful.
Manipur does have a State Vigilance Commission—yes it means the same thing as it exists in other places and has the same responsibilities—yet it comes out only when it is in ‘the’ mood. It is too proletariat to catch the hi-fi robbers so it does pick up a police sub-inspector here or a lower division clerk there. A few years ago, it did come out with a list of offenders, who include the director of the Social Welfare Department, former CEO of the Manipur Khadi and Village Industries Board, a gynaecologist of a major government hospital and so on.
Just for the sake of argument, if we consider the existence of the State Vigilance Commission, why are the officials or the repeat offenders of the Social Welfare Department still involved in robbery in 2016 when its officials were already named in public forums five years ago? Either the vigilance officials are too kind to take their tamo-eche-enao to task or it is grossly incompetent to do just one thing right. It simply cannot be both. Last year, the Social Welfare Department was also in the news for one of its favourite leisure activities: calling e-tender bids against the norms set by the Central Vigilance Commission.
It’s unsurprising that a PR event related to showcase development activities of government is no less than a press conference for the thieves, no, I mean respected officials, to cover each others’ asses. Nothing can beat that kind of showing development activities of the rudderless government in the state.
Earlier it somehow occurs that these robbers and looters are strangers who hide in darkness to commit their crimes. Then, in reality, it happens to be just us, families and friends. It reeks of hypocrisy, even including me, that I’m a taking a moral high ground. But we have the conscience to admit that we exist with a belief that there are also people who care about truth and that we will never indulge in robbery.
Now what is more offensive: the fact that they are amongst us who are looting and robbing and killing or that we are a society of motherfuckers? It’s a given: swearing is too uncivilised so let them loot and rob but never swear in Manipur. Never do it.
PS: When the HODs or whoever of the Social Welfare Department have some loots next time, just spend 10K and redevelop/redesign the website of the department. An amount of 10K is negligible, say, to enjoy their high-class bourgeoisie life. It is 2016 but the website is straight out from 1996.
Update: Six days after the farce of the Social Welfare Department, another government agency has caught the limelight with its even more inspiring achievements. As the same part of the conference ‘For highlighting development activities of government’, the Transport Department has emphasised on road safety, according to a report by the Imphal Free Press. Apparently, it has nothing to highlight the development. To complete the comedy, the Director of State Transport has admitted that many District Transport Officers (DTOs) are waist-deep involved in the shitstorm of giving registration numbers without proper verification.
This has come to light in the aftermath of ever increasing cases related to ‘number 2’ vehicles, which in local parlance, refer to stolen vehicles, particularly sneaked from other states. A couple of days ago, the Delhi Police had also nabbed a gang of vehicle-lifters, which included three Manipuri students of questionable identity.
I cannot ignore this irony. The Imphal Free Press published an exclusive today under the headline: ‘SW officials admit non-existent home was wrongly declared as fit’. However, accompanying the news story is a photo of an event organised by a government agency under the banner of ‘Press Conference of HODs: For highlighting development activities of government’.
For those who are not aware of this farce, the Manipur government officials are the epitome of incompetence and laziness. It might sound like a generalisation but it is our reality.
In another case, the All Manipur Students’ Union has announced that its volunteers would be going after the corrupt officials, particularly those who are in the DC offices. Their motive appears they are going after the small fish because as from their announcement, they mention only the clerks who would ask for Rs 50 to Rs 300 for documents ranging from income certificate to domicile renewal that are required by students.
We are not that much primitive that the students are taking up issues, which are the responsibilities of the authority but it is just that we are not used to modern administration and governance. Take another case of the day:
Fresh corruption charge against JNIMS
IMPHAL, August 1: The Indigenous Peoples Association of Kangleipak (IPAK) has levelled charges of corruption against the former director of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Prof M Shyamo indicting him of involvement in procuring a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine by quoting an amount more than three times the actual value. ... The IPAK has not presented a wild allegation but it was based on facts garnered through the RTI it filed against JNIMS on January 29, 2016... (Source: Imphal Free Press)
This time it is not the student but a pressure group: The Indigenous Peoples Association of Kangleipak (IPAK). It is wonderful.
Manipur does have a State Vigilance Commission—yes it means the same thing as it exists in other places and has the same responsibilities—yet it comes out only when it is in ‘the’ mood. It is too proletariat to catch the hi-fi robbers so it does pick up a police sub-inspector here or a lower division clerk there. A few years ago, it did come out with a list of offenders, who include the director of the Social Welfare Department, former CEO of the Manipur Khadi and Village Industries Board, a gynaecologist of a major government hospital and so on.
Just for the sake of argument, if we consider the existence of the State Vigilance Commission, why are the officials or the repeat offenders of the Social Welfare Department still involved in robbery in 2016 when its officials were already named in public forums five years ago? Either the vigilance officials are too kind to take their tamo-eche-enao to task or it is grossly incompetent to do just one thing right. It simply cannot be both. Last year, the Social Welfare Department was also in the news for one of its favourite leisure activities: calling e-tender bids against the norms set by the Central Vigilance Commission.
It’s unsurprising that a PR event related to showcase development activities of government is no less than a press conference for the thieves, no, I mean respected officials, to cover each others’ asses. Nothing can beat that kind of showing development activities of the rudderless government in the state.
Earlier it somehow occurs that these robbers and looters are strangers who hide in darkness to commit their crimes. Then, in reality, it happens to be just us, families and friends. It reeks of hypocrisy, even including me, that I’m a taking a moral high ground. But we have the conscience to admit that we exist with a belief that there are also people who care about truth and that we will never indulge in robbery.
Now what is more offensive: the fact that they are amongst us who are looting and robbing and killing or that we are a society of motherfuckers? It’s a given: swearing is too uncivilised so let them loot and rob but never swear in Manipur. Never do it.
PS: When the HODs or whoever of the Social Welfare Department have some loots next time, just spend 10K and redevelop/redesign the website of the department. An amount of 10K is negligible, say, to enjoy their high-class bourgeoisie life. It is 2016 but the website is straight out from 1996.
Update: Six days after the farce of the Social Welfare Department, another government agency has caught the limelight with its even more inspiring achievements. As the same part of the conference ‘For highlighting development activities of government’, the Transport Department has emphasised on road safety, according to a report by the Imphal Free Press. Apparently, it has nothing to highlight the development. To complete the comedy, the Director of State Transport has admitted that many District Transport Officers (DTOs) are waist-deep involved in the shitstorm of giving registration numbers without proper verification.
This has come to light in the aftermath of ever increasing cases related to ‘number 2’ vehicles, which in local parlance, refer to stolen vehicles, particularly sneaked from other states. A couple of days ago, the Delhi Police had also nabbed a gang of vehicle-lifters, which included three Manipuri students of questionable identity.
2 gangs of auto-lifters busted, 3 arrested (Source: The Asian Age)
Aug 06, 2016, New Delhi: With the arrest of three persons, the Delhi police has busted two gangs of auto-lifters in the city. The police recovered 11 stolen vehicles, including two cars, six motorcycles and three Scootys, from the accused, identified as Mohammed Askar Ahmed (33), Abdul Gaffar (32) and Junaid (21). With these arrests, 11 cases of vehicle thefts, registered at different police stations of the city, have been solved.
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