Denial of ‘Right to Life’
Dr. Asangba Tzüdir
Foucault while expressing about “power over life” and “right of death” talks about the privilege of the sovereign power of the ‘right’ to decide life and death by drawing back to ancient “Patria Potestas” that granted the father of the Roman family the ‘right’ to dispose the life of his children and his slaves just as he had given them life.
In the contemporary turn, the modern State brings a nexus between ‘sovereign power’ and the human life where the biological life is integrated into the politics of the ‘political’ wherein the body can either be transformed into a subject of the political or a condemned body of ‘bio-politics.’ Often, in the play of bio-politics, the sovereign determines a threshold beyond which life ceases to have any value or meaning and therefore a life denied reducing it to mere existence. To put it in another way, ‘it’ seems to have established itself into a new juridical being within a new ‘juridical’ order, that decides what is ‘legal’ and what is ‘illegal’; who is worthy and who is worthless; who is allowed to live and whose life should be denied.
Such kind of a bio-political relationship can be drawn between the state government and those government employees especially the SSA teachers who are not given salary for five months and thereby their life denied. The response of the our Chief Minister on certain occasions on the issue related to SSA teachers has not only ‘bracketed’ the life of those denied teachers but also portrayed a gloomy uncertain future not exactly knowing the terms and agreement under which the SSA teachers were appointed.
One can look into the many concerns that arise out of the non-payment of salaries. The effects are grave except the fact that it does not seem to affect the conscience of the government and the concerned department. The Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben used the term “anthropological machine,” to describe the dichotomy between man and animals in the form of a working entity - the machine. In his reading of the “anthropological machine” from both ancient and modern perspective, the ancient “anthropological machine” worked by ‘humanizing the animal’ wherein the outsiders, barbarians and slaves were treated like animals in human form while the modern “anthropological machine” worked on the opposite of the ancient by way of ‘animalizing the human.’ The operation of such machine thereby creates a missing link between human and animals causing a divide in terms of values thereby ethical and human considerations are easily compromised. Thus, we have a government that seems to say, ‘who cares’ for the SSA teachers.
The Government’s failure to respond to their 4 points demand within 7 days has led to SSA teachers boycotting classes. The students are now in a hectic rush towards a close of academic session and this boycott will hugely affect smooth functioning of the schools. At this juncture, there is just one thing for the government to do and it is for them to do the right thing by giving their due salary so also look into their demands. No more lame excuses…period. Denial of salary is tantamount to undermining the ‘right to life’ by taking away life.
Having crossed much beyond tolerable limits, human conscience seeks a moral order and justice, which is seen through the call for boycott in pursuit of justice towards forward assertion of a life denied by way of ‘dehumanization or animalization.’ We have been witness to a series of (mis)governance and one is tempted to call it a ‘permanent disorder’ in the entire government functioning. Out of the current episode, the government may either come up with ‘band aid’ measures or threaten the SSA teachers with termination of service. After all, the harsh reality is that, the ‘sovereign’ hand of the state government can either ‘give life’ to those who are of interest to the government or deny life to those who do not fall under their ‘schematic’ political map.
We all have an idea of a good life, and as citizens that can enjoy one’s due rights and privileges. The Government too has an idea of a ‘good life’ defined in their own terms, but the non-payment of salaries to the SSA teachers is a marker that the govt’s idea of a ‘good life’ does not include the life of the SSA teachers and those under RMSA and hindi teachers who are denied of their rightful salary.
It is unfortunate that it is becoming almost like a regular event for these sections of teachers to hold protests demanding release of their hard-earned salaries (of course not including those who don’t deserve). Spare a thought especially for those who are posted in the remotest of areas and continue to perform their duty even without salary. Also with the approaching festive season, it will not only be chilling but more so pinching.
Keeping in mind the long term effects so also for the future of our education, it is high time for the state government to prepare a comprehensive long-term policy towards streamlining the issue of salary so also the technicalities within the terms and agreement of their appointment.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir is Editor of Heritage Publishing House. He contributes a weekly guest editorial to the Morung Express. Comment can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
