Ukhrul : Political cradle - Can Shaiza fit the bill ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 10 2011 -

Ukhrul MLA Danny Shaiza addresses the meeting on November 08 2011

It is not for nothing that Ukhrul district is seen by many as the "political nursery" of the hill districts of Manipur and the history of post merger Manipur can never be complete without referring to the illustrious political leaders which this district has produced down the years.

If in R Suisa, Ukhrul had the second MP from Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency then in Yangmasho Shaiza it had the first tribal Chief Minister in Manipur. Rishang Keishing continues to embody what political astuteness is all about though his record as the longest serving Chief Minister of the State may have been eclipsed by Okram Ibobi Singh.

On the other hand, the long shadow cast over the political spectrum of Manipur by Thuingaleng Muivah is something that cannot be simply ignored nor swept aside, though he may not come under the classical understanding of political leaders in the present day context.

Whatever the case, it stands true that it is from the political nursery of Ukhrul district that some of the most prominent political leaders have emerged and whether one subscribe to their political beliefs or not, the fact stands that their ideologies and political outlook have all left an indelible mark on the political climate of the land and the people.

Ukhrul is also the first district in Manipur to have sent a woman representative to the State Assembly in the form of the late Hangmila Shaiza from Ukhrul Assembly Constituency.

Judging their influence on the political landscape of Manipur only through the positions they held or hold would be missing the woods for the trees and R Suisa, who held a political position as only a one term MP in 1957-'62 is an apt example to testify this line of thought.

A maverick to many, Suisa's political far sightedness is however something which the Tangkhuls of Ukhrul district began to realise only years after his death.

Yangmasho Shaiza's life was cut short, no doubt, but his legacy continues to live and if not for him, then Ukhrul Assembly Constituency may not have made such a mark on the political map of Manipur.

Rishang Keishing continues and writing him off now would be politically pre-mature. Remember the manner in which he quietly stole the thunder from everyone when the time for electing the Rajya Sabha MP came some years back ?

This is about the recent past with some from the present and cut to the year 2011, and where does Ukhrul figure in the political consciousness of the land and the people ?

With election to the 10th Assembly election drawing closer and with campaigning hotting up in many Constituencies, it was not surprising to see the sitting MLA from Ukhrul Assembly Constituency Danny Shaiza join the bandwagon of holding pow-wows with his supporters and workers on November 8.

In as much as the gathering was not surprising, there was nothing extraordinary in the endorsement given by the supporters and workers to the MLA to switch side to the Congress for the forthcoming election.

Such a train of thought is in line with the growing perception that only by sitting on the Treasury can a political leader do something meaningful for the people and the Constituency.

This is nothing less than turning the understanding of representative Government on its head but when even the Chief Minister does not hesitate in publicly announcing that the primary concern of the Opposition MLAs in attending the proceedings of the Assembly is only for the TA, then it does not come as a surprise to see supporters and workers of MLAs pumping for their men to join a political party which is regarded as the party most likely to form the Government after the election.

This is one primary factor for the public endorsement given to Danny Shaiza to join the Congress. Danny Shaiza has inherited a legacy and while it would be certainly unfair to judge him according to the benchmark set by his late father, Yangmasho Shaiza, the least he can do is to break free from the misplaced sense that sitting on the Opposition bench would amount to his hands being tied.

There is so much that an MLA can do.

If awarding huge contract works to supporters and workers is going to be the benchmark to judge the efficacy of an elected member, then there would definitely be no stronger case than to take up contempt of the House proceedings against this train of thought and the first man to face this should be no one but the Chief Minister himself for his TA remarks.

On the other hand, the question stands whether the legacy of Ukhrul district as the political cradle of the hill districts of Manipur will fit the persona of Danny Shaiza or not.