Focus on post poll scenario : The hunt for a leader
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 22, 2012 -

Given the real political context and the multi-party, Parliamentary system of Government in the country, it is not surprising to see that any talk on who would be anointed the leader of the people in the post poll scenario has always centred on the party which looks most likely to head/lead/form the next Government.

This considerably narrows down the choice of choosing the man who comes closest to the criterion universally thought to be associated with leadership quality but this is besides the point and while this is not a debate on the merits or demerits of the multi-party system, this should not be a reason to stay away from a meaningful discourse on what type of a leader Manipur needs today to take the people and the State forward.

With the demographic composition of the State no longer understood only within the conventional definition of race, ethnicity, community or religion but with a liberal dose of political beliefs and ideologies (not in the context of political parties) as well, what Manipur needs is a man who has the vision to capitalise on these factors and make them the wheels of progress for one and all.

It is and will not be an easy job, but increasingly it has become clear that what Manipur needs today is a man who has the vision to tap the human capital from the changing and evolving understanding of the term demographic composition.

The shift in the understanding of demography and its impact on the polity and social reality of Manipur began to be felt most vocally and even violently, if we may add, from the early 90s, when the Naga-Kuki ethnic conflagration erupted.

The Kuki-Paite clash in the latter part of the 90s and the massacre of hundreds, if not thousands of Meitei Pangals, in the rumour fuelled clash with the Meiteis in between, redefined the understanding of demographic composition and ethnicity in Manipur which has been topped off by the hardening of stand by people on either side of the Lim divide. This is but one of the issues which anyone deemed to come close to the defining criterion of a leader should be expected to address satisfactorily.

The issues are no doubt complex and sensitive and this is all the more reason why the ‘anointed’ one should be able to chart out a culture of collective leadership and this calls for a man or a woman who can be both the leader as well as the follower.

A leader who leads his or her pack, but follows the collective wishes of the people and at the same time chart out the course for the land. A tough call to follow, no doubt, but a necessity.

The troubling part is, are any of these criterion ever talked about, discussed or taken into consideration when the question of who would or should lead the next Government is raised ?

The people have cast their votes and while the factors that drove the decision of the people while punching the button on the EVM will surely be one of the most important factors in deciding the question of the leader of the people, this does not mean that the intelligentsia should maintain a stoic silence on this question and brush it aside on the basis of ‘it is the internal affair of the party/parties concerned.’

What type of a leader should the people expect from the Congress led front and the alliance of the Opposition parties, the People's Democratic Front ?

Should the hunt for the leader be left entirely to the constituent units of these fronts, now that election is over, or should the people have something of a say on a matter, which has so far been conveniently put under the ‘internal affairs’ category.

Given the political system in the country, the ‘internal affairs point’ should be respected, no doubt, but this is still no reason why the think tank of society should remain aloof from any meaningful discourse on this question, not for their personal benefits, but for the good of the land and the people.

The hunt for the leader should be the job of every responsible citizens of this land and it can start now. The last vote is yet to be cast.