Reflecting the deep community divide : Appointment of new CS
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 09 2015 -

Kicking up a stink. This is what the appointment of O Nabakishore as the new Chief Secretary has done.

Whether the voices of dissent are justifiable or not is a different matter but it could not have come at a more inopportune moment.

Just a few days after his appointment as the Chief Secretary of the State, some hill based organisations have raised the banner of dissent questioning the rationale of the State Government in appointing an officer who is three years junior to another officer, who is incidentally a tribal.

Ameising Luikham is the man who has been projected as the man who should have been appointed as the new Chief Secretary, according to these organisations.

The reasoning of these organisations carry weight for Mr Luikham belongs to the 1981 batch of the IAS while the new incumbent, O Nabakishore belongs to the 1984 batch.

In targeting the State Government, these organisations also cited the examples of the late C Peter, IPS who was overlooked for the post of DGP and Veripam who again was overlooked as the Chief Engineer of PHED some years back.

In all these cases, seniority is the yardstick that has been used to question the choice of the State Government.

Disturbingly in all these cases, the appointments have been looked through the lense of community affiliation.

Seniority is one important factor for the appointments but ultimately it is left to the decision of the Chief Minister.

In the case of the Chief Secretary, the appointment decision is usually taken in consultation with the Cabinet colleagues of the Chief Minister and in some cases in consultation with the Centre.

Wonder whether Chief Minister O Ibobi consulted his Cabinet colleagues or not before giving the seal of approval to the new appointment.

It is also anybody’s guess whether the State Government consulted the Centre or not before the appointment was finalised.

That such a development should come at this point of time is unfortunate.

As things stand today, the three Bills passed by the State Assembly on August 31 have already driven deep wedges between the hill people and the valley dwellers, meaning the Meiteis.

The separate administration demand raised by the hill people may or may not carry weight but it stands that this reflects the sharp polarisation between communities.

In the same vein one may also ask why the State Government should be equated with a particular community. Doesn’t this also amount to a communal mindset ?

Moreover why should appointments to important posts be interpreted along communal lines ?

Sad it is but this is the reality and no one seems to have an answer on how to address the trust deficit.

O Nabakishore is today the Chief Secretary but it would be totally wrong to assume that he has bagged the post because he belongs to a particular community or to be more precise because he is a Meitei.

Surely there must have been other yardsticks which the State Government used in appointing him.

Grievances can always be taken to the right forum but does it help if everything is viewed through the lense of community affiliation ?

The State Government too should have taken note of the grave situation Manipur is passing through right now and the organisations too should have desisted from raising the community affiliation question.

That would be doing injustice to the integrity of men like Nabakishore and Ameising Luikham.