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‘Allimuddin is the best CM we have had’
Tough talking Opposition Leader O Joy talks to Witoubou Newman at the MPP office.
TSE: The member of the state assembly had committed a blunder by showing their might against the law interpreting authority by summoning Justice N. Surjamani Singh to the Assembly.
Joy: No, we were not wrong. How can you say that we had committed a blunder? The members of the assembly were acting according to the Parliamentary system of working.
TSE: But the fact was that you took the initiative to counter summon the High court Judge to save the Chief Minister from the embarrassment when the Judge asked Chief Minister to appear before the court.
Joy: Forget about Chief Minister. It could be with X, Y, Z – But the Order of the Guwahati High Court was wrong given the ground realities and my intention was to save the dignity of the state assembly and its members.
TSE: Then tell me what Justice N. Surjamani Singh’s mistake was?
Joy: His mistake was that he had summoned O.Ibobi Singh to the Guwahati high court while the assembly was in session. The parliamentary rule is that no MLA or Minister would be allowed or permitted to attend the court during the assembly session. So what I am reiterating is that I was not saying O. Ibobi but the dignity of the assembly members. Also I was following the right system of the parliamentary democracy.
TSE: Your statement indicates that so long as the assembly session goes on, say for a full month or two, a minister or an MLA is allowed to kill a person or do many other illegal things on the ground that he cannot be arrested by the police?
Joy: I would like to clarify on this regard. If an MLA or a Minister has committed a mistake or any wrong deed, that MLA or Minister can be summoned by a court if the case is a criminal one even if the Assembly session is going on. But in a civil case the court has no right to ask a member of the Assembly to appear before the Court while the Assembly session is in progress. O Ibobi’s case was a civil one.
TSE: But was it right on the part of the Chief Minister to withdraw security personnel from the bungalow of Justice N. Surjamani and others?
Joy: No, it was quite wrong to withdraw security personnel from the Justice bungalow. How it happened I still do not know and I did not like it because there was nothing to do with the security personnel at the bungalow and the issue that had arisen.
TSE: On the other front, today your Manipur People’s Party (MPP) is a dying party and so do many other regional parties while the national parties are blooming. Taking this into account, don’t you think that the relevancy of the regional parties and their heydays are over?
Joy: No, no, no. You have mistaken us. I don’t agree with your views. Let us know that the regional parties of the country had cropped up due to the imbalances in India particularly in the economic front. India is a vast country and the Central Government cannot pay proper attention to each and every part of the country. To draw the attention of New Delhi, regional parties are formed. Regional parties are important to draw the attention of the Center by the smaller communities. So as long as regional imbalances exist in India, regional parties will be very much alive and kicking.
TSE: But what could be the reason that the National parties are growing and perhaps they are now overshadowing the regional parties?
Joy: National Parties are growing because they have huge amount of money. You see, the Congress (I) has got Rs 100 crores in their bank account. And I was told that the party was trying to raise it to Rs 200 crores so that they could invest the money in the coming elections. In the last Assembly election here in Manipur the Congress (I) from New Delhi had pumped in huge amount of money for the campaign.
TSE: You are a seasonal politician now, so I am sure you can suggest one concrete panacea to root-out corruption from our state.
Joy: Yes, today the main disease of Manipur is corruption. To root out this disease, public awareness is necessary. But the foremost thing that can be done is to enact a law like that of Lok Ayukta.
TSE: Majority of the people think that O. Joy is in his best when he is in the Opposition side but he is not a ruling element. What comment do you have for this about yourself?
Joy: Well, let the people say whatever they think. But if I’m good as an Opposition MLA, I will be equally good in the ruling side also.
TSE: How can you satisfy your voters and supporters when you have spent a good 19 years or so in the Opposition side right from 1974, the year you joined politics and spent only some years in the ruling side?
Joy: I have been taking a big responsibility of Manipur as a whole and my voters in particular. I played a responsible Opposition role which my voters understand. Without the Opposition, a democracy would not be successful in its functioning. Though I may not be able to satisfy my voters monetarily, I listen and address their problems and they understand this thing. But forget about me, I have seen many Cabinet Ministers with plum portfolios who cannot satisfy their own voters. So they seldom last for more than one term. This clearly shows that to serve the people, it does not depend on the ranks or positions of the leaders but it depends greatly on their willingness to render service public. I mean, the leaders should love and have attachment with the people.
TSE: By now you can be considered as a successful politician as you have exposed many cases of corruption like the banana scandal, electricity scam etc. in the 1980s and now you have carved out a niche for yourself as the most vocal Opposition leader. What could be the driving force behind your enthusiastic performance?
Joy: Well, I have faith only in the parliamentary system of democracy while I do not have any faith in any religion. You see, whenever I enter the Assembly hall on the first day of any Assembly session, I bow down and touch my forehead on the doorstep of the hall. Moreover, I never wear clothes which are not washed whenever I attend the Assembly. My clothes may not be new but I always wear fresh and washed clothes everyday during the Assembly session. Frankly speaking, I do not allow even my wife to come to my room in my house during the Assembly session. I prepare well to attend the Assembly. I normally sleep by around 2 am everyday when the Assembly session is going on because I read and prepare a lot.
TSE: Which Chief Minister of Manipur of past and present do you admire most?
Joy: I admire Muhammad Allimuddin the most among the past present Chief Minister of Manipur.
TSE: Why?
Joy: Muhammad Allimuddin was the most sincere and effective Chief Minister of Manipur. Let me tell you some instances. When he was leading a delegation from Manipur to meet the Central leaders to persuade them to extend he Central Pay Scale facilities to Manipur also, the then Union Finance Minister asked him why he wanted to do so, Muhammad Allimuddin answered “Why should the employees of Manipur suffer while their counter parts in other States were enjoying the facilities.” That impressed me; I was also in the delegation. He had lots of guts, you see. Alimmuddin also never allowed his family members to stay in the Chief Minister’s bungalow. So he stayed alone in the bungalow. He was a very dedicated man.
TSE: then among the Assembly members of past and present, who do you rate high?
Joy: I would say that Chandrasekhar from Singjamei Assembly Constituency. He was an ideal politician.
TSE: The just concluded Assembly session suggested that there are many Ministers and MLAs who are still not fit to be members of the Assembly as many had been caught on the wrong foot by way of asking questions or answering. Many of them are still blind about the procedures too.
Joy: We, the members of Assembly are still at the beginning stage. We have to read about the parliamentary system a lot. Majority of the Ministers are still unable to give proper answer. But I don’t blame them. These Ministers are often briefed wrongly by their bureaucrats. If I have to put blame at all, I blame both the Ministers and the bureaucrats. The officers sometime give wrong information to Ministers to conceal certain defects.
TSE: But it is the Opposition’s responsibilities to corner and prove the Minister’s statement to topple the Government if the statements are wrong?
Joy: Yes. According to the parliamentary system of democracy if the particular Minister is proved wrong, he must resign or the Government must go. For example at Tamei, an encounter between the police and undergrounds took place where ten civilians were among the casualties. In such cases, if the Ministers concerned said that only five civilians were killed by the stray bullets, and if an MLA can show concrete proof of the ten civilians’ death, the Minister must resign. But here, in Manipur the people are still not aware of the system so it is very difficult to follow the system correctly.
TSE: Do you harbor anytime the thought that you would become the Chief Minister of Manipur some day?
Joy: I will put it in this way. As a responsible politician I want to see an effective and efficient administrator so that Manipur system free from all sort of corruption and irregularities. For his reason only, yes one day I also would like to lead Manipur.
TSE: Any plan to topple the Government lead by O Ibobi Singh?
Joy: No, I do not want to topple the Government. I want that it should continue so long as it has the capability of leading the State. But if the present Government cannot deliver anything, then we can find other alternatives.
TSE: You are saying that this Govt is delivering goods?
Joy: The Govt is only a few months old, let us give them some chance.
For questions contact Witoubou Newman at
wnewmai@rediffmail.com
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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