Time to take a stand against graft : Corruption hurts all
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 01, 2021 -

Apart from some issues, which have been touched and will be touched on by The Sangai Express even as the State races towards the next Assembly elections, one question or issue which should have garnered the attention of everyone is obviously Corruption.

How many of the intending candidates have actually spoken about this with conviction, is one question which would be appropriate to raise here now for it can have a huge cascading effect on all aspects of life.

This is one particular topic on which everyone is unanimous about, but unfortunate it is that it has not become a major issue in any of the elections seen so far in Manipur.

Is it a question of the people not taking it too seriously or is it more a matter of the political parties, intending or officially confirmed candidates who have deemed it better to push this to the background.

This is where people ought to raise this point in a united voice and it cannot be more appropriate than now.

Officially it cannot be proved and The Sangai Express would not want to fish in troubled water in the absence of concrete evidence, but there are talks galore of a price tag whenever any recruitment process is taken up or when any job has to be regularised. Look beyond the cancelled exams conducted by the Manipur Public Service Commission in 2016.

Earlier there was the same examination conducted by the same Commission which was quashed by the then Imphal bench of the Gauhati High Court in 1994.

Just two examples, but the funny question is whether people have learnt any lesson and tried to make this one word central in any of the Assembly elections held in Manipur so far.

The same word is used with such disdain when the tender of any major contract works are to be floated and from the earlier days of the Engineer-contractor-supplier nexus, today the circle has become much bigger and this could be one reason why the road that was blacktopped just a few months back start developing cracks in no time.

Or why the transformer that was installed just a few days back blows up, plunging one/two/three areas into total darkness.

This issue hurts everyone yet the funny part is no one, save for one or two, makes it a point of presenting himself or herself to the voters on this plank.

This is what needs to be noted by the people and this is all that more important with the Assembly election fast approaching.

Already canvassing, election meetings, election offices have been set up and with The Sangai Express being based at Imphal, a number of such offices set up here can be seen, all necessitating the concerned to raise the question of where the intending candidates exactly stand on this word, Corruption.

One remembers how the AAP came following the anti-graft movement (Lok Ayukta) launched by Anna Hazare and company.

Time to set the ball rolling here too against corruption ahead of the Assembly election and while this may seem easier said than done, the least that voters can do is see who amongst the intending candidates stand on this issue.

Time for the public to start asserting their stand and spelling out what it is they want from the very person who they are going to elect to the seat of power.

The Government is not an alien concept that is thrust on the people and this is where one should make an issue as crucial as Corruption figure prominently in the coming Assembly election.

The time is now to start rolling the ball.