By : Arshad Shah/IFP
CM O. Ibobi is an extremely sophisticated man, perhaps the most sophisticated among the thirty Congress legislators in Manipur. By dint of his sophistication, nay, sophistry rather, he has asserted his position at the helm for five full years and is threatening to do it for another five. Not a mean feat, if one’s opponents include proven, tried and tested players of the Manipur brand of dirty politics like Rishang Keishing, with whom he doesn’t get along as far as the public knows. It’s a matter of survival of the crook-iest! It is also no less mean a feat to have remained stable amidst the kind of attitude our politicians have towards power— what with IAS officers, engineers, doctors, teachers all wanting to become politicians! Mark my words; many of them are gearing up for the next election – for occult reasons.
O. Ibobi’s last salvo was a demand of proof from his detractors. By doing so, he has shied away from the real issue as to why he reserves all key portfolios with himself, and in doing so he knew two things:
Birds of the same feather who live in similar glass houses cannot afford to throw stones, and
Politics isn’t mathematics. It isn’t the exact sciences. Therefore even if a ‘proof’ does appear, there are 1001 ways to disprove it.
Why can’t shree CM Saheb talk something credible, tangible and above all intelligible? Something like, “ Look, check in any way my assets and properties and see if it isn’t commensurate with a humble, un-corrupt Chief Minister “? Can he, to use his own words, do that “like a man”? Or something that might give an accurate picture of all the departments he holds? Or something like President George Bush (Sr.)’s campaign line in 1988: “ read my lips, no taxes “? (“Read my lips “, as others always say they have been misquoted, misinterpreted or things like that.)
CM Ibobi has not addressed yet the real issue as to why he reserves all key portfolios with himself.
O. Ibobi may have been a good man, a good father, a good husband and a good human being too, and it is these attributes we are least interested in. We don’t want any of these qualities. All we ask is, how ably has he discharged his duties for which he was given the mandate?
His type of counter - argument to a charge is a bad example by a leader, because it can spawn imitators. What if other politicians and bureaucrats use the same line of argument to evade issues? Actually they already do!
Recently there was this important exam results being declared, and lots of talks went about how suddenly Leader Paes is a better player than Roger Federer. The exam officials never answered how, , nor did they engage the query. Instead, they confronted back with a ridiculous “Prove us corrupt” gimmick, some even talking about how the man at the head of the exam was such a sincere man. Of course, the public wasn’t interested in their being saints or sinners. All they wanted was the answer to the question “how”, which they didn’t get.
“i am not a crook”, said President Richard Nixon famously during Watergate. Of course, he wasn’t, and the American public was least bothered about it. They only wanted to know if he had used dishonest means in his bid for re-election. He was found to have, and was forced to resign. Such is the “rule of law”.
“The Defence is absolutely corruption - free”, Defence Minister George Fernandes said just a few months before the Tehelka sting.
Regarding law and order, CM Ibobi’s comparing himself with his predecessors with obvious references was a last resort when cornered. Either Ibobi acts to improve the situation or he doesn’t. But please do not say, “trying”. It is a noisy way of not doing.
The dissidents’ move for a leadership change should also be taken with caution, however noble their motives be. Because, the last time a new leader was cheered to the throne with cathartic spite for the predecessor (Rishang), he proved so mediocre, he was an enemy of competence. Besides, many among the dissidents have been part of the government for the last five years. In other words, they are the proverbial old wines and no matter how new the bottle is, old wines will be old wines. These dissidents should realize that the abilities or inabilities of legislators from 60 constituencies have collectively contributed to the making of a “failed state” called Manipur (Bihar comes a close second.) No matter who the leader is, the state of the state isn’t going to be changed overnight. And no matter how much amount of words these politicians hurl at each other for public consumption, the ultimate yardstick will be, how have the constituencies under each leader fared so far.
It is disappointing to see the kind of efforts that our politicians put into churning out words. Words, words and words – flawless words, beautiful words, colourful words, magical words and all sorts of words. Words seem to cover inaction. Our politicians certainly seem to have a way with words!
“Work more, talk less”, an irate Indira Gandhi used to tell her sycophants. Indira Gandhi for all her faults was a woman of action and so was called “the only man in her cabinet” (a title first given to Golda Meir of Israel). She said what she did.
The Indira Congress should take a cue from its Durga and concentrate on work, as we are really, really tired of words. Let us see actions being put into action. Engineers are being harassed, parallel laws are being imposed, militants are being harboured in VIP areas, and Imphal Bazaar is in a real messy rut. Change or no change in leadership, let us see if the same men can endeavour to solve these problems with equal intensity as they do in chasing key portfolios from the CM. As for O. Ibobi, CM Saheb, address the real issue.
Source: http://ifp.co.in/ArticleFull.asp?ArticleID=177
CM O. Ibobi is an extremely sophisticated man, perhaps the most sophisticated among the thirty Congress legislators in Manipur. By dint of his sophistication, nay, sophistry rather, he has asserted his position at the helm for five full years and is threatening to do it for another five. Not a mean feat, if one’s opponents include proven, tried and tested players of the Manipur brand of dirty politics like Rishang Keishing, with whom he doesn’t get along as far as the public knows. It’s a matter of survival of the crook-iest! It is also no less mean a feat to have remained stable amidst the kind of attitude our politicians have towards power— what with IAS officers, engineers, doctors, teachers all wanting to become politicians! Mark my words; many of them are gearing up for the next election – for occult reasons.
O. Ibobi’s last salvo was a demand of proof from his detractors. By doing so, he has shied away from the real issue as to why he reserves all key portfolios with himself, and in doing so he knew two things:
Birds of the same feather who live in similar glass houses cannot afford to throw stones, and
Politics isn’t mathematics. It isn’t the exact sciences. Therefore even if a ‘proof’ does appear, there are 1001 ways to disprove it.
Why can’t shree CM Saheb talk something credible, tangible and above all intelligible? Something like, “ Look, check in any way my assets and properties and see if it isn’t commensurate with a humble, un-corrupt Chief Minister “? Can he, to use his own words, do that “like a man”? Or something that might give an accurate picture of all the departments he holds? Or something like President George Bush (Sr.)’s campaign line in 1988: “ read my lips, no taxes “? (“Read my lips “, as others always say they have been misquoted, misinterpreted or things like that.)
CM Ibobi has not addressed yet the real issue as to why he reserves all key portfolios with himself.
O. Ibobi may have been a good man, a good father, a good husband and a good human being too, and it is these attributes we are least interested in. We don’t want any of these qualities. All we ask is, how ably has he discharged his duties for which he was given the mandate?
His type of counter - argument to a charge is a bad example by a leader, because it can spawn imitators. What if other politicians and bureaucrats use the same line of argument to evade issues? Actually they already do!
Recently there was this important exam results being declared, and lots of talks went about how suddenly Leader Paes is a better player than Roger Federer. The exam officials never answered how, , nor did they engage the query. Instead, they confronted back with a ridiculous “Prove us corrupt” gimmick, some even talking about how the man at the head of the exam was such a sincere man. Of course, the public wasn’t interested in their being saints or sinners. All they wanted was the answer to the question “how”, which they didn’t get.
“i am not a crook”, said President Richard Nixon famously during Watergate. Of course, he wasn’t, and the American public was least bothered about it. They only wanted to know if he had used dishonest means in his bid for re-election. He was found to have, and was forced to resign. Such is the “rule of law”.
“The Defence is absolutely corruption - free”, Defence Minister George Fernandes said just a few months before the Tehelka sting.
Regarding law and order, CM Ibobi’s comparing himself with his predecessors with obvious references was a last resort when cornered. Either Ibobi acts to improve the situation or he doesn’t. But please do not say, “trying”. It is a noisy way of not doing.
The dissidents’ move for a leadership change should also be taken with caution, however noble their motives be. Because, the last time a new leader was cheered to the throne with cathartic spite for the predecessor (Rishang), he proved so mediocre, he was an enemy of competence. Besides, many among the dissidents have been part of the government for the last five years. In other words, they are the proverbial old wines and no matter how new the bottle is, old wines will be old wines. These dissidents should realize that the abilities or inabilities of legislators from 60 constituencies have collectively contributed to the making of a “failed state” called Manipur (Bihar comes a close second.) No matter who the leader is, the state of the state isn’t going to be changed overnight. And no matter how much amount of words these politicians hurl at each other for public consumption, the ultimate yardstick will be, how have the constituencies under each leader fared so far.
It is disappointing to see the kind of efforts that our politicians put into churning out words. Words, words and words – flawless words, beautiful words, colourful words, magical words and all sorts of words. Words seem to cover inaction. Our politicians certainly seem to have a way with words!
“Work more, talk less”, an irate Indira Gandhi used to tell her sycophants. Indira Gandhi for all her faults was a woman of action and so was called “the only man in her cabinet” (a title first given to Golda Meir of Israel). She said what she did.
The Indira Congress should take a cue from its Durga and concentrate on work, as we are really, really tired of words. Let us see actions being put into action. Engineers are being harassed, parallel laws are being imposed, militants are being harboured in VIP areas, and Imphal Bazaar is in a real messy rut. Change or no change in leadership, let us see if the same men can endeavour to solve these problems with equal intensity as they do in chasing key portfolios from the CM. As for O. Ibobi, CM Saheb, address the real issue.
Source: http://ifp.co.in/ArticleFull.asp?ArticleID=177
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