We also know that China which is the hotspot of international economic activity is just up north and considering the fact that China and the ASEAN countries established a China-ASEAN free trade agreement, it is all the more important to look into this with even more interest. We can also remember the visit of Atal Behari Vajpayee to meet with ASEAN leaders in the aftermath of the signing of the China-ASEAN free trade treaty, which basically indicated that India very much would not want to miss the boat.

In this era of globalization, where the developing countries are competing to attract foreign direct investments (FDI), much of the action that we see in India is concentrated in the southern and western parts of India and if I am not mistaken that is where the bulk of the FDIs to India go. There has been some concern of such FDI inflow to India and especially in western India in the wake of the Hindu-Muslim clash in Gujarat. Political stability and other factors are apparently major factors that influence FDI inflows.

The issue with the North-East is not that there is lack of manpower or anything of that sort, but there is definitely a lack of focus and vision. And that lack of focus and vision can be seen in the political leaders and also the leaders of the various underground outfits. The conflict that exists between the state and underground outfits at the moment would be the single biggest impediment to attracting any kind of investments in the region. The whole mental setup has to change and we have to start thinking global otherwise you will be left out and only fools get left out. 

Setting up of special economic zones is a nice idea, but the expert committee that has been mentioned often times have to consider that without political stability and the right atmosphere for investment, these SEZs even if they are created will just remain that, that is special economic zones. Identification of special economic zones is not a hard prospect. I am sure that if the case arises, each of the states that are part of the NEC would want to have one in each of the states. Manipur has one in Moreh. Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura have such special locations already in establishment. Arunachal Pradesh has got China right at its backdoor and there is much opportunity of which I am sure.

With the opening of hitherto unknown areas to the arena of investments and business, I believe that the North-East is no exception. The problem with the North-East for a variety of reasons lies in a variety of areas. First of all, the mentality of New Delhi or for that matter the Brown Sahibs, have been to look West traditionally and the East is pretty much looked at with an inferior inclination. 

But if we look at reality, the East has been performing well. Look at Pakistan and it is almost a banana republic, Afghanistan is in a mess, Iran is not much to talk about, with the Mullahs in full control with the latest news that a prominent scholar was being sentenced to death for speaking out...????? Iraq is in the news for all the wrong unnecessary reasons. The issue of Palestine is legitimate though one might agree and not agree with the tactics being used and of course you got Europe with all the good things happening with the creation of the European Union and the Euro etc.

Looking East, only the North-East and Burma are in the pits. Hitherto small and insignificant countries like Laos and Cambodia are opening up. Cambodia is almost politically stable and Atal Behari Vajpayee was there in Vientiane, Laos and Phnom Penh, Cambodia- supporters of India in establishing an India-ASEAN free trade zone much like the China-ASEAN one. Vietnam has opened up and a stock market was opened not long ago in Ho Chi Minh City formerly Saigon. The other day I saw a picture of students and other professionals attending a seminar which was about the functioning of a stock market on the lines of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Tourism is Vietnam increased in double digit terms between 30 and 40 percent and what does that make you think?

Majority Muslim Malaysia is the largest exporting Muslim country. Thailand is doing just fine and then you got Taiwan and our own Sanamacha Chanu evinced an interest to represent that territory in the wake of ill-treatment by country and state. What do I say? China thinks of Taiwan as a province and Taiwan wants independence. Most of the countries in the East with the exception of North Korea, Burma and Indonesia are doing fine thought one might add that Japan is not doing too well due to its inefficient banking sector.

So what does this entire scenario entail for the North-East? First of all, we need to look beyond New Delhi. We need to look toward Brussels, toward New York, toward Tokyo, toward Singapore and we might get a glimpse of what really is going on. Political and underground leaders have to realize that in order for the North-East to be economically, politically and culturally viable for the North-East itself and for India in the big picture, we have to get started by sorting out the political differences. 

So long as ethnicity is used for political gains and mobilization which is directed at a narrow interest, things are not going to go far. On the other hand, mobilization on ethnic grounds are good because it can raise the profile of that community and perhaps elicit an interest for any unsettled issues and grievances to be settled, with the big picture in mind of course.

What would the creation of Nagalim be? For a lot of people it would be coming of political age, but for a lot of people it is still a very divisive issue. The issue that is facing the North-East is complicated and we all know that. But at the same time we need to be able to look at the big picture. What is the single biggest issue that is facing Assam? Is it ULFA, the Bodo problem...? I would say that it is the problem arising out of the migrants coming in and intermarrying with the locals. I am not against any inter-community marriage by the way. 

This problem is a problem because this situation is happening on a mass scale almost to the point where locals fear dispossession of their land much like what happened in Tripura due to incessant migration of Bengali Hindus and Muslims from mainland India and Bangladesh. The Chief Ministers and the people of the North-East need to sort out this mess first because much of lower Assam is pretty much an extension of Bangladesh and any social revolution by way of economic growth and such others would be far more complicated to deal with later on. 

The North-East definitely needs Bangladesh in an economic growth package as the port of Chittagong is that close by from Agartala when compared to Calcutta, the nearest port in India. The issue of illegal migrants should be looked at with much seriousness and if politicians in Assam keep considering it as their vote bank, then that would tantamount to encouraging illegal migration and thereby courting the title of a traitor.

Coming to leaders and political leaders at that, both underground and over ground, if Naga leaders think of only creating Nagaland, if Bodo leaders think of only Bodoland, if all the other leaders of the other communities think in the same fashion, then I am afraid to say that we are not thinking enough, because in the 21st century, with the way the world is interconnected and interdependent, we cannot afford not to cooperate. 

The entities that exist in the North-East are too small a factor to be able to register any impact if division remains. By entities, I could mean, the many ethnic groups, the many underground outfits, the many issues, the many states and such others. It is only when the North-East start thinking of itself as One, then whatever we have been talking about would begin to make some sense and in fact we might realize that we are able to see some part of the big picture.