THE RESIGNATION OF KM MANI ( OPINION )

In   Kerala, when  there's a bus accident, the people  flock to the

scene, set  fire to the bus , and beat up the driver, or ,if he is lucky, he  flees to safety. The people jump into the conclusion that the driver is 'guilty' of reckless driving. They act as investigators, judges  and executioners. They  overlook the fact that, the accident may have been caused by lack of maintenance by the  owner of the

bus.

Also , in Kerala, sometimes the relatives of a patient who dies

in a hospital, vent their grief  and frustration and beat up the doctor,

accusing him/her for negligence.

In  a hotel  , if  cockroach  is found in the sambaar, the 'patrons' smash the hotel.

In  South  Africa, when  trains arrive too late, the commuters set fire to the trains and the station.

All these are  symptoms of  a  ' banana  Republic'. A  Banana  Republic  is a kind of Republic  where anybody  can say or do anything, unchallenged.

The  detractors  of  KM Mani are rejoicing  today   because of 

his  resignation. It's  as if corruption is KM  Mani  was the source of

all the corruption  in Kerala, and with his exit, Kerala is an Utopia,

rid of all  corruption.

If   it is proven  that  Sri

Mani  had accepted  bribes from liquor

barons, he should be  punished harshly, without  any mercy.

But, as in the case of the bus accident, where the mob jumps into the  conclusion  that  the driver is guilty, KM  Mani was  found 

'guilty' by the mob and the media.

The  enemies of  Mani  are  so  ignorant that  they  don't  know  the 

distinction   between  'the  accused', and 'guilty'.

To  them, ''accused' is a synonym   for 'guilty''.

The  gutter  channels of  Kerala  influence  the ignorant to

think  like that. The  Channels  have no ethics, and  they have no

code of conduct, and have perfected the art of mud-slinging.

They  act  as running dogs of the highest bidder, and go to any

extent  for  character-assassination. The Channels  chose KM Mani

as  a  soft  target  because he is the leader of a small regional  party.

If  there's  an award  for the  worst presenter in the world, Vinu

of  Asianet  deserves that. Nowhere in the world can we find such a  presenter  who goes by the script of his paymasters  ie, Mani's  enemies. He chokes with emotion when the other side scores a point, and interrupts  opponents, shouting at the top of his voice.

Perhaps   the  Gutter  Channels  operate under the impression  that

all the viewers are idiots.

It's an  open  secret that  the campaign  against  KM Mani was 

purely  based on personal  jealousy  and hatred, arising from the

fact that he has completed 50  years in public life.

If  the  critics  of  KM  Mani   are  honest  about  rooting  out corruption, why  don't  they  pay  attention to the following:

1. Government  land is illegally occupied  by the rich and the powerful, and no steps are taken to reclaim the land thus lost.

2 . Precious  wood such as sandal, teak  etc are cut  from the 

    government  forests, with the collusion of  forest  officials

 and  sold   without any questions asked.Scores  of elephants  are killed by poachers, but no action is taken.

3. At the border posts, bribery  is the order rather than the exception, causing  huge loss of revenue to the government.

4. Ordinary  people are  threatened  by  workers who  demand

  "Nokku  kooli' (  Look out bribe ), an  unjust  practice unheard of

anywhere else in the world  except in Kerala.

5.  Poor  people  live under the 'reign of Terror'' by  quarry

Mafias, who  have the full  support of  the police and the government  officials.

6. Bribery  is the order rather than the exception in some Government  offices, where the common people are driven from

pillar to post   to get simple things done.

The  detractors  of  KM Mani  turn  a blind eye to the above-mentioned  evil  practices that affect the common  people. If they

are honest  about rooting   out corruption, why  do they ignore the plight  of the common  people?

Corruption in Kerala  goes on unchallenged, regardless of who

is in power,ie the UDF or LDF. Corruption is firmly  entrenched in Kerala. Nothing is going to change with the exit

of KM Mani.

KM  Mani  is a victim  of  mob justice. He was  forced to resign purely  on the basis of  personal  jealousy  and  hatred. There are no principles  involved in this matter. Corruption  will go on in Kerala

as usual, unchallenged and unpunished, making the lives of ordinary  citizens  miserable. Indeed  the  KM Mani  saga has provided  a smokescreen  to  corrupt  officials  to continue with their  evil  practices.