Month: August 2015

An informed discourse on what `development` should consist of seems to be what is most essential in the state today. Unfortunately, such a discourse precisely is what has been in extremely low decibel for all this while. In its place are impassioned yells and roars from the streets defining `development` agendas. The obvious conclusion is, while the decibel level of one should be raised, the voices from the other side need a great deal of moderation. Unfortunately, neither is happening. Quite often, demands are also self-contradictory but the place has been desensitized to the extent that it seldom discovers these contradictory elements in its visions. This shortfall, we are of the opinion results also from a peculiar narcissism in the society that makes a larger section of its citizenry crave only for the fruits, without even bothering to think of the cost of having these `“ an attitude defined by such discordant traditions as demands for more electricity without paying taxes for it, more holidays but fatter salary packets, more employment but less work etc. Too much is taken for granted as the responsibility of the welfare state institution, even to the ridiculous extent of heaping all ordinary burdens expected to be borne by the individual citizens on the former.

But first and foremost, it is the failure of our intelligentsia in working up an active discourse on what should be `development`. The continually updated proceeding of such a credible debate should have been omnipresent to inform, moderate and influence both the ordinary citizens as well as the highbrow policy makers in the state`™s corridors of power. But alas this has never been and it is unlikely to become so in the near future. So today, on the hot issue of Tipaimukh Dam for instance, one is still not sure what the rational, scientific standpoint should be. It is easy to latch on to the state-ist, Nehruvian vision of magnificent modern multipurpose dams as the modern temples of India, as much as it is easy to simply jump onto the bandwagon of current mood of political correctness and say no dams whatever their fruits. But neither would constitute what can be defined as a morally and intellectually autonomous decision of the rational self. Our earnest plea is for the state`™s intelligentsia to prepare the grounds on which such rational autonomous decisions, both at the individual as well as at the collective levels, become possible. And this is extremely important, for indeed understanding `development` is very much also about understanding the future. This is all the more urgent as we are witnessing the commissioning of the Mapithel Dam, and the horrifying spectacle of Chadong village getting submerged slowly but surely right before everybody`™s eyes.

It is interesting that the problem is not confined to the underdeveloped regions of the world alone. It is in fact one which has begun to plague the industrialised West, in particular Western Europe. Writing on the violent unrests that once gripped France over the government`™s new labour law that seeks to make its reputed lethargic work force more competitive, well known columnist, Robert J Samuelson had called it a dilemma of advanced democracies. `Hardly anyone wants to surrender the benefits and protections of today`™s generous welfare state, but the fierce attachment to these costly and self-defeating programs prevents Europe from preparing for a future that, though it may be deplored, is inevitable. Actually, it`™s not the future. It`™s the present.` He added: `the student protesters in France think that if they march long enough or burn enough cars, they can make the future go away. No such luck.` The particular piece of French legislation which was disputed empowers an employer to hire new recruits on probation for two years so that he has the freedom to discard those not up to expectation during or at the end of the period unconditionally and without cost. The lesson for our protests-torn region is, while most protests have valid reasons, they must have to be moderated by informed, intelligent discourses that are clearly able to indicate what the desirable shape of the future might be. After all, as so succinctly said by the Samuelson, street politics can alter policies, but they cannot make the future go away.

Leader Writer: Pradip Phanjoubam

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/present-tense/