Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

Misspoken Politics

JIWAN RAI
Gone are the days when almost the entire adult population of our part of the globe tuned into Radio Nepal, eagerly awaiting the great numbers of Narayan Gopal, Prakash Shreshtha, Aruna Lama, Tara Devi, Phatteman Rajbhandari, etc. to be played. Fast-forward to the present time. The transistor radio has long been snuffed out. Smart phones have even knocked out the mighty television that once conquered the world. The utility of smartphones has grown exponentially under the coronavirus imposed lockdown. It has now become our school, college, university, seminar hall and even place of worship.
The most heard voices over our smartphones are those of politicians. Fortunately, unfortunately or otherwise - politicians have become the loudest megaphone of the emergent culture. We listen to them as though they are going to tell us something without which we would not be even half as wise. We listen to them as though they are the bearers of life-changing tidings. We have unconditionally granted them the authority to rule over the auditory and visual faculties of our lives. We see them and listen to them at all times. The previous generation that listened to the Narayan Gopals, hummed along, thus re-echoing the melodies that soothed their lives. But the present generation that is listening to these politicians, ricochet the hatred and annoyance that rabble-rouse them. This is exactly where I lose hope for this generation.
Now let me get down to the main mudda.
Neeraj Zimba’s on-camera comment on the Sikkimese people became as viral in Sikkim as coronavirus has become in the world and has produced the same results - namely panic. He was adequately trolled, rebuked, scolded and shamed by those whose sentiments he unnecessarily hurt. Some picked up on his nasty comment to lacerate further the already wounded Sikkimese. “We the Sikkimese people are up for sale on corrugated sheets and we must mull over it” said some – adding insult to injury. Many did it to score a political point against the SDF administration. Some said it to genuinely prod those who do wear a price tag on them.
Zimba’s hare-brained comment reflects the political, intellectual and moral bankruptcy of his own in particular and of many others in general. That this educated man can actually think so cheaply of the people - and even worse, articulate his ill-conceived opinion is mind-boggling and deeply disturbing. Imagine such a mindset becoming viral across his followers! How long will it take for this opinion to become a political, social and cultural narrative? When his political agenda is founded on a hateful idea such as this, what outcome is he going to achieve for his people? And just imagine a Sikkimese version of Neeraj Zimba, coming up with an equivalent opinion about the people of Darjeeling. Extrapolate that with more people joining the ‘juwari’.
He self-drown himself by bringing the Sikkim CM, PS Goley into the picture. His apology lost any semblance of repentance when he said that he was actually quoting him from his election campaign speeches. His desperation to hide his supposed ‘slip of the tongue’ could not have gone more awry. Zimba must quarantine himself and reflect - if not for his own good, at least for the political legacy of the Subash Ghising that he wants to perpetuate
Another speech error in the local political arena was Jacob Khaling asking a journalist to leave the press conference if he didn’t have the patience to listen to him. SKM supporters are falling into the trap by committing twin fault of supporting their leader and demonizing the journalist who interjected a request to ‘come to the main agenda’. Everyone knows that the journalist didn’t egregiously violate any basic journalistic ethic. Nor was it sneaky comment.
Defending Khaling can harm the party for a number of reasons because of the way they are going about it. One, questioning the journalistic integrity of Pankaj Dhungel is so wrong. If he cannot be commended for his work, condemnation is the last thing he deserves. In the past, some foolhardy SDF party workers unnecessarily tagged the Sikkim Express as being the mouthpiece of the opposition parties. Giving a ‘certificate about journalistic integrity’ is not the government’s business.
Two, Jacob Khaling, by virtue of holding the office of Political Secretary of the incumbent CM must generously accommodate diverse media views. Any person can glorify democracy much better from a position of power than from outside of it.
Thirdly, what he said may not be outrageously wrong but the attitude it represents is wrong. He is only in his 40s and if he is allowed to behave like this without a gentle rap on the knuckle, his tendency to become impolite will become that much more intense in his 50s and 60s. Given his popularity and rise in Sikkim politics, Sikkim will gain much with a humble and polite Jacob Khaling. Some seniors must help him fix his ways. A true friend stabs in the front and that’s the kind of friend he needs.
Finally, Khaling is one the most powerful voices of the SKM party. The party, therefore, would be well-advised to strengthen that voice by way of rectification - not by supporting it when it is misspoken. When the future of Sikkim hangs in the balance, the promising young minds of the SKM party must focus on a more important debate than this. Some of the young admirable party workers are unnecessarily gravitating to the heat of the argument. The sooner they put the brakes on it, the better.

“Questioning the journalistic integrity of Pankaj Dhungel is so wrong. If he cannot be commended for his work, condemnation is the last thing he deserves. In the past, some foolhardy SDF party workers unnecessarily tagged the Sikkim Express as being the mouthpiece of the opposition parties. Giving a ‘certificate about journalistic integrity’ is not the government’s business.”
jiwanr@gmail.com