Lessons from the latest rejig : Wallowing in mediocrity
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 14 2011 -

The fortunate part is, it was not an anti-climax. Come to think about it. Did anyone seriously bet their money on any of the three MPs from Manipur being included in the Union Council of Ministers ?

To any keen political observer the answer should be obvious, while to the indifferent section of society, it will not matter at all. However some section of the people may be disappointed and we do not blame them.

Save for shifting Jairam Ramesh from the high profile Environment Ministry and Veerapa Moily from Law, the latest reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers did not deliver any unexpected punch.

As far as the North East is concerned, the writing on the wall was rather clear with everything remotely plausible indicating that BK Handique may be given the marching order while the others like Agatha Sangma would continue. Handique has been removed from the Council of Ministers but his portfolio, that is Department of North East Region, has gone to another MP from Assam, Paban Singh Ghatowar.

The score for Assam thus remains equal. No loss and no gain.

By the same yardstick we may also say that Manipur has retained its clean slate-that is it has not given away anything and it has not gained anything either. This perhaps is the best way to look at things, or else the disappointment may run too deep.

So far Manipur has had three Union Ministers starting from the late RK Jaichandra who was drafted into the Council of Ministers as MoS for Youth Affairs and Sports, Prof Meijinlung Kamson, who was inducted as MoS for Home Affairs (North East region) during the latter part of PV Narasimha Rao's reign and Th Chaoba as MoS for YAS and then Food Processing during the BJP led NDA Government.

The then youthful RK Jaichandra fitted the look that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was looking for at that period of time in the late 80s while Kamson's induction can be understood as the reward for a tireless and long serving member of the Congress.

Th Chaoba made it through sheer political acumen, by tying up the then vibrant MSCP in Manipur with the BJP led NDA Government at Delhi. The Congress led SPF Government in Manipur is going great guns. It is in its second innings and looks well set to be in the saddle for the third term as well.

The Congress managed to wrest the Outer Parliamentary Constituency after being shunted to the fringes for a good period of time and ended up scripting its best ever show in the 9th Assembly election.

In fact the Congress has never been on such a high in Manipur as it is today and the question that naturally follows is why the Congress led UPA has been overlooking the MPs from Manipur in the last ten years ?

The answer will not be found in any prepared text and the best way to understand this would be to approach the issue from a totally different angle, with fresh insights. Shifting our focus from Delhi to the MPs from Manipur will provide a whole new perspective and perhaps this is what should have been done a long time back.

To come anywhere close to the right perspective, honesty, even if it hinges on the brutal side, is needed and the first thing we have to dig deep into is whether any of the three MPs or for that matter any politicians from Manipur have been able to make a mark for themselves outside the territory of this State.

Remember Meghalaya has produced a PA Sangma. It has had a lady officer manning the helm of the Union Public Service Commission as the Chairman. Nagaland has produced an SC Jamir, who not only has the ears of Delhi but has also served as the Governor of Maharastra and Goa.

Even today Meghalaya has its own home grown son on Moosahary as its Governor. Bitter it is, but the reality is bitter to swallow at times, but the fact stands that not a single political figure from Manipur after 1972 have been able to make their presence felt outside the boundary of Manipur.

Radhabinod Koijam comes somewhere close to a political leader whose name and influence can be said to spread beyond the boundary of Manipur, but about just. Not a single individual from Manipur has gone on to occupy the Raj Bhawan anywhere in India.

Not a single person from Manipur has ever made it to the Union Cabinet. Other than the late Major Khathing, no one from this State has been appointed as the Ambassador of the country.

While the political class continues to cut a sorry and pathetic figure once they set foot outside Manipur, the sportspersons, the people in the arts and creative fields, the increasing Manipuri diaspora spread across the world and not only within India, continue to excel in their chosen profession and this says something very significant.

Realising the inadequacies of the political leaders churned out through the democratic exercise of election term after term, is perhaps the first correct step towards self improvement.

Any attempt to pass this off and lay the blame on others will only mean that Manipur will continue to be satisfied being stuck in the web of mediocrity.

This is a sure shot formula for condemning the coming generation to a life shorn of all competitive edge and nothing can be more damaging than setting such a below average aspiration or goal in life.

While the latest reshuffle was an attempt by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to inject freshness in his Council of Ministers, after the severe thrashing it has received amid the piling charges of corruption, for Manipur it should be a lesson to self introspect and take note of the mediocre standard its political class has set for itself and the land.