Kerala’s former Health Minister KK Shailaja’s decision to turn down the Ramon Magsaysay Award, popularly dubbed as ‘Asia’s Nobel Prize’, has kicked up a controversy following reports that the CPI(M) had denied her permission to accept the prestigious award. As per a report by The New Indian Express, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation had shortlisted Shailaja for its 2022 awards after taking into consideration her service towards ensuring an accessible public healthcare system, besides her effective leadership in the management of the Nipah and COVID-19 outbreaks in the state. However, when Shailaja consulted the party leadership in this regard, the latter reportedly decided against her receiving the award.

Ever since the news came to light on Sunday, September 4, activists, social media users and even a section of party sympathisers have condemned the party’s move to turn down the award, with many alleging that this was yet another move by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to clip the wings of Shailaja, popularly known as Shailaja teacher, a highly popular leader in the state. Lauded across the globe for leading from the front to contain contagious diseases in Kerala, Shailaja had entered the state Assembly for a second term in 2021 with a record majority of over 60,000 votes from the Mattannur constituency.

According to reports, the party had cited three reasons to refuse the award — the first of which is that the award is named after former Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay, who had a history of crushing Communist guerillas in the country with an iron hand. The CPI(M) is reportedly of the opinion that accepting this award may backfire on the party in the long run. Secondly, the CPI(M) believes that Kerala’s successful management of the Nipah and COVID-19 outbreaks was not owing to any one person, but a collective effort. Thirdly, the Magsaysay Award has no precedent of recognising active politicians like Shailaja. Even though National Federation of Indian Women President Aruna Roy, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi have received the award, they were not active politicians at the time, party sources point out.

While confirming that she was shortlisted for the award, Shailaja, however, denied the allegation that the move to turn it down was a unilateral decision by the party. “I examined the former recipients of the award, and no political leader has received it so far. I am a member of the CPI(M) Central Committee, so naturally I discussed this with the committee. Together we made the decision that I need not receive the award in the capacity of a political leader,” she told media persons on Sunday. She pointed out that even though it is a huge recognition, the award is provided by non-governmental organisations that may not align themselves with Communist principles. “Hence, it is not right for me to accept this award as an individual,” she said.

Shailaja further stated that what the Foundation had shortlisted her for was in fact part of a collective effort in the state’s healthcare field. “I have thanked the Award Foundation and informed them that I cannot receive this award in a personal capacity,” she said, adding that all such decisions in the party are collectively made by the committee members and that it was not a matter considering her alone.

Echoing Shailaja’s words, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the award was being given for the manner in which public health issues have been managed in Kerala. “This is a collective effort of the Left Democratic Front government and the Department of Health in the state. So this is not the result of an individual effort. Besides, the Magsaysay Award has not been given to any active politicians so far. Shailaja is a member of our Central Committee, which is the highest decision-making body of our party. She is also still active in politics. Also, this award is in the name of Magsaysay, who has a history of brutal oppression of the Communists in the Philippines. So considering all these factors together, she has refused the award,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957 by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) to honour the late President of the Philippines who died in a plane crash in March 1957. The awards are given to citizens of the Philippines and other Asian countries for contributions in government service, public service, international understanding, journalism and literature, and community leadership. Filmmaker Satyajit Ray, cartoonist RK Laxman, former election commissioner TN Seshan, singer MS Subbulakshmi, agricultural scientist Dr Verghese Kurien and scientist MS Swaminathan are among the past Indian awardees. If she had won, Shailaja would have been the first woman from Kerala to receive the award.

This year, the Magsaysay Award was presented to four prominent personalities. Cambodian national Sotheara Chhim (a psychiatrist who helped people recover from the trauma of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal rule), Japanese ophthalmologist Tadashi Hattori (whose training of local doctors helped with the treatment of thousands of Vietnamese people), pediatrician Bernadette Madrid of the Philippines (who raised awareness and engaged policy-makers and civic groups to address the issue of child labour and trafficking), and Indonesian activist filmmaker Gary Bencheghib (who has produced more than a hundred videos on plastic pollution and environmental protection) were the recipients of the award this time.

With inputs from PTI