Now 46, whither the MPP ? A case of midlife blues ?
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 28, 2013 -

Manipur Peoples Party (MPP) Flag

Not a single Manipur People’s Party candidate elected to the 10th Assembly, but this should not be any reason to lose hope.

This is the president of the oldest regional political party in the North East, N Sovakiran at the 46th foundation day of the party on December 26.

Brave words. Let’s hope it is not bravado.

A party, at one time the only principal party which had the clout and the influence to take on the Congress, but today reduced to a behemoth, chiefly identified with its office located behind the historic Mapal Kangjeibung and the numerous stalls and shops put out on rent.

Midlife blues ?

Could be, but the MPP cannot continue like this, given the fact that this is the party which gave Manipur some of its most prominent political leaders.

A party which gave a personality like the late Md Alimuddin, who today is regarded as the best Chief Minister Manipur ever had, in the estimation of some eminent personalities like Haobam Bhuban.

There are others too. From the highs of the 70s, 80s and early 90s, the MPP today is whimpering, tottering party, with practically no grass root workers.

Rejuvenate, infuse fresh energy and young blood, was the call of N Sovakiran.

The answer will not be known immediately for it will take something more than just a rehab check in, but a total change in the mindset and approach of the men helming the affairs of the party.

For this some frank, hard, serious introspection is needed. In the first place, it is not the Hand (Congress) which dismantled the Cycle (MPP), but the infighting, the inertia, the lack of ideas and the total failure to read the pulse of the people that are primarily responsible for the mess that the MPP finds itself in.

This is the first point that should be admitted and then proceed to the journey of recovery, self recovery. The slide of the MPP did not happen over night.

The failure of the party to send a single candidate to the 10th Assembly is just a reflection of the depth that the party has fallen to. Mr O Joy, the man synonymous with the MPP, won many elections, but be sure it was the charisma, the man in him that brought the voters in and not the MPP.

An example, that it was not the candidate riding on a political party, but a political party riding on the shoulder of an individual.

To a certain extent the two may complement each other, but when the role or the name of the party becomes a footnote to the personality of its candidate, then it is a sure sign of the decay within the organisational set up of the party.

Top this off with the fact that down the years, the MPP became to be gradually identified with only the valley areas, with no presence in the hills and the writing on the wall should have been clear.

In fact the last time the MPP had an MLA from the hills was in the person of the late Somi Shimray, representing Chingai Assembly Constituency in Ukhrul district.

This was sometime in the early 90s or late 80s. Oldest regional political party in the North East unable to have a pan Manipur appeal and this says something very significant. This is where a deep soul searching is needed.

New to the job, taking on a party which is at its nadir, N Sovakiran certainly has a task at hand.

How he goes about rejuvenating the party, inspiring its loyalists and selling the ideas of the party to the people remains to be seen, but the work has to start.

This is not the time to play to the gallery.

Not the time to exercise one’s lung power but to get down to the real business of putting the party on track.

To come anywhere near this, the men at the top echelons of the party need to come to the realisation that running a political party is something far removed from running a shop.

The dukandar mentality, which has manifested itself many times, on the prime plot where its office stands has to go. Not an easy task certainly, but something which is needed.

Manipur certainly needs a strong MPP.

And it goes without saying that rejuvenating the party means crossing the bridge that connects a political party to the people.