A Goverment sans Opposition?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 17, 2011 -
- Satyajit Usham from the desk -

His outspokenness and frequent criticism against the alleged undoings of the government, despite being a part of it, and that too a Cabinet Minister, may be well-known, and how these confrontations sometimes lead to spilling of bad blood within the league is no open secret, but there is definitely a sense of sanity in the occasional outbursts of Minister Yumkham Erabot.

When he was in charge of Food and Civil Supplies, Minister Erabot openly accused the Chief Minister of not supporting his efforts to resume supply of essential commodities through National Highway 53 ( now 37), while the state was reeling under the crippling impact of economic blockade during May last year. Not surprisingly, it was to a Hero's welcome that Minister Erabot was received by the people when he arrived at the head of over 100 goods laden trucks from Jiribam on May 23, 2010.

In his latest assault, the man from Wangkhei Assembly Constituency went on record to say that his frequent criticism against the SPF coalition only testify that the government is yet to deliver justice to the people's mandate and there is room for improvement in the government.

In the same breathe; Minister Erabot, who is now in charge of Commerce and Industries, had also observed that there seems to be no Opposition in the state with the state government up to all sort of mischief. Though the observation on the inaction of Opposition parties in Manipur may have come wrapped up in the form of his usual tirade against the government, but the innocuous remarks from the 'black sheep' in the SPF family should not be missed by the Opposition parties in the state, whose one and only mission appears to unseat the ruling Congress-led government from its nearly two-term long saddle.

The importance of Opposition in democracy may needs no emphasis.

In fact, every school going children would know it by-heard. But looking at the sorry state of affairs prevailing in the state, where bomb blast in high security zones, abduction for ransom and killing of innocent civilians as sacrificial lambs are becoming daily occurrences, it is questionable, whether the Opposition parties in Manipur have been able to live up to its responsibility or not.

It is expected of the Opposition parties to question the government of the day and hold it accountable to the public.

Have any of the Opposition parties in the state able to achieve this, not to speak of bringing about political consciousness, in the true sense of the term, among the people? The answer may not be far to seek.

It is our humble opinion that the role of the Opposition MLAs should not end with keeping the bench of the Opposition warm in the Assembly but to generate heat on the floor of the House and keep the government on its toes.

That is the beauty of democracy and the relevance of having an Opposition in place.