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During this year on a few occasions we read
in the local dailies, proposals being made
to the Government of India for a plebiscite
from two sources. The latest, in journalist
Nitin Gokhale’s interview with Raj Kumar
Meghen alias Sana Yaima with his photo. The
thoughtful, contemplative face of Sanayaima
is marked by lines and shadows of suffering.
And suffering for a cause must be respected,
whether or not, we agree with the substance
and methods adopted in pursuit of the cause.
And if respect and concern are genuine, a
forthright response is duty without
performance of which, even friendship is
shorn of its authenticity. This is a face I
can trust. And this is a man I can befriend.
I disagree with his goal as well as his
proposal. And I shall state my reasons as a
citizen of India with love for Manipur, no
less than his.
The critical issue
today: Territorial integrity
By all signs and accounts, the priority
issue and concern of Manipur is to preserve
by peaceful means the territorial integrity
of Manipur. It is my sincere opinion that
respecting the territorial integrity of
Manipur is in the best interests of all
people of Manipur and Nagaland. And I
believe any proposal for a plebiscite at
this juncture would directly and with
certainty jeopardize the territorial
integrity of Manipur by opening the issues
of self-determination. At this critical hour
there is need to bring all people together
on this issue through genuine fraternal
dialogue, rational debate and persuasion.
Even without the necessity of formal
plebiscite, the Naga people of Manipur Hills
have declared their choice and their
inclinations shall not succumb to “majority”
vote of the State as may be imagined by
proponents of a plebiscite.
And perhaps an impatient reader may say,
“Away with you!” The issue was plebiscite to
determine the issue of sovereignty of
Manipur! Very well! Having considered the
vote from the hills, let us reflect which
way would we expect the Kuki and
Churachandpur vote to go? It is more than
likely to go contrary to cementing the
territorial integrity of Manipur, if the
issue is pressed on so extreme a matter as
that. The proposal, therefore, is not a
challenge to the Government of India at all.
It is a threat to Manipur if territorial
integrity is the goal.
I, like so many others stand for unity and
fraternity of all people of Manipur. The
discussion on such issues as sovereignty and
plebiscite is not the easiest one. However,
the issue has been raised and I am
responding. Better an open discussion rather
than silent resentment or violent protest.
People’s vote
But is it really that the majority of
Manipur has not voted on the issue of their
political choice? I believe in all earnest
that they have actually voted not once but
repeatedly and that they are right in their
choice. The entire process of electing the
Government and Members of Parliament over
and over again is a statement of the people,
by the people and for the people through
their vote. Let us respect the democratic
statement of the people. Manipur is part of
the Indian Republic by choice of the
majority of the people.
And in my opinion, there is nothing to gain
now by sowing new seeds of dissension at
this point in history. And I also believe
that the undemocratic, unlawful option to
resort to arms in order to turn back the
wheels of history is not only proving
counter productive, but that it is doing
deadly harm to governance in Manipur and to
society all round. And the detail of that
shall be the subject and content of another
article.
Development and
self-sufficiency of Manipur economy
This has also been referred to again as in
the past. That Manipur had a self-sufficient
economy in the past is laudable and a happy
and proud memory. So were many economies in
an earlier pre-industrialization period. We
have got to re-establish it. Our memory of
the past should provide inspiration for the
future. The fact is that the economic
environment has changed vastly. Today the
opportunities are vast and Manipur
definitely has the vitality and capable
human resources to successfully work on this
front. The India democratic system with all
its imperfections still offer to the people
of Manipur the freedom and preferential
opportunities. If I dare say opportunities
not experienced in all of 2000 years of our
proud history. No more wars, no more
conquests. Freedom to go out there in the
vast Indian, South-East Asian and global
market. Nobody else except us can deny
ourselves this freedom.
There are problems. And the core of these is
rooted at home in us. And only we shall have
to deal with them. Others are ready to
co-operate. In any case let us be willing to
acknowledge and accept that there are many
fields in which Manipur has progressed and
accomplished more in the last 50 years for
the common man, students and youth than in
all of preceding 2000 years. The credit goes
to Manipur. But there is nothing wrong in
acknowledging that the Indian democratic
system has made positive and enabling
contributions. We know that we are not
satisfied with the scale of what is being
done and what is reaching the common man.
But we can hardly fail to acknowledge that
we have not always made the best of our
opportunities and abundant resources that
have come our way. Until we accept local
responsibility and stop blaming others we
shall not realize our unfulfilled hopes,
dreams and desires for Manipur. First we
must set our own house in order.
Grievances over merger
and the blessings of merger
It is understandable that the precise manner
of bringing about the Merger in 1949 carries
deep seated scars of wounds and injury to
the sentiments of the people of Manipur. And
we should seek and find ways to bring
healing to those hurt feelings and wounds so
as to move forward.
My submission is, let us consider, and let
us reflect also on the awesome task faced by
India’s undoubtedly well meaning and
transparently, undeniably inspired
leadership post August 1947! A traumatic
bloody partition of India had left millions
devastated. Kashmir had been invaded and the
Maharaja’s appeal had caused the Indian Army
to be engaged in regular combat operations.
It was war already so early in free India’s
journey. There were five hundred princely
States and some like Hyderabad are in the
process of armed confrontation.
What would we expect a man in the position
of Sardar Patel as the then Home Minister of
India to do? Ideally, every one of those 500
princely States should have been allowed to
decide democratically. At least of their
free will and many did. The circumstances
were hardly ideal as they never are. And
Sardar Patel accomplished what no other man
and no government in history were called
upon to do in terms of the difficulties of
the task. He did it as peacefully as any man
could have. And in doing so, doubtless in
certain instances, he had to perhaps, in
certain measure lean a little on the parties
concerned. Can we find fault with him? Yes!
We can, only in the cozy luxury of
hindsight. But today, we might well pray
that providence may throw up just such a
leader in Manipur. And even better! For do
we now not need to persuade all communities
and their leaders democratically and through
peaceful persuasion that it is good for all
of us diligently to serve one another in our
legitimate aspirations for development and
betterment of all our people without
jeopardizing relationships, boundaries and
mutual security and well - being! We have a
handful on our hands. For there are
differences and divisions amongst the people
of Manipur. We now have opportunity to
demonstrate that we are capable of better
and more effective methods for achieving
unity than even the laudable Sardar.
But before we move on, do we altogether fail
to see today that by the very device of that
merger, providence has ensured till date the
territorial integrity of the beloved
Manipur. Not we, but God is more far seeing.
What might have been the regional situation
now if the merger had not taken place in
1949? Specifically what might have happened
to the territorial integrity of Manipur?
More importantly we live in the today. Now
we need to accept responsibility for
preserving that territorial integrity
through peaceful fraternal persuasion to
create a conscious common consensus that our
common interest is in being together and not
dividing ourselves.
Distinguishing friends
and allies and nurturing them
Must we always be baiting and blaming and
whip lashing the Government of India? What
is our purpose? Territorial integrity of
Manipur and development of Manipur to its
fullest potential. If this is what we
desire, Government of India is friend and
ally in this endeavor. Only agitations,
abuse, suspicion and blame will not do any
good and will not serve any purpose. Calmly,
in organized manner we need to persuade our
Naga brothers of our mutual shared interests
and simultaneously work to bring home to the
Government of India that with the passage of
time the Naga issue is no longer a bilateral
issue. It is not only a regional issue with
other legitimate stake holders, but an issue
of regional peace. And security of life and
livelihood of people of all communities are
at stake.
Our experiences of the Naga-Kuki conflict
are sufficient to alert us. Everyone carries
undeniable responsibility for all others.
And every leader and leadership and every
people must carefully weigh consequences of
decisions and demands insisted upon
unilaterally without consideration for and
dialogue with others. The basic
responsibility for this does not belong to
the Government of India. The primary
responsibility rests in the regional leaders
and the people of Manipur and Nagaland. With
faith and goodwill and charged with genuine
fraternal love and respect for one another,
we need to initiate dialogue in Manipur and
with our neighbors and gradually overcome
apprehensions, suspicions, fears and
resentments.
Need for leadership,
co-operation and conflict resolution
Reverting once more to my brother Sanayaima,
this shall I say. We need, Manipur needs
every leader of stature and idealism,
integrity and commitment for the well-being
of the people of Manipur and our neighbors.
We need you, Sanayaima and all your
colleagues. Not with arms. But with the
olive branch and a heart stout enough to win
over the Naga brotherhood. Not with saber
rattling and agitations! In the spirit of
brotherhood and friendship.
I believe, given their respective and
relative small sizes in area and population,
Manipur and Nagaland can develop as model
societies and prosperous economies of a new
age civilization which believes in
non-violence and loving one’s neighbors as
oneself even as Jesus Christ invoked not
only Christians but all humanity so to live.
Let us work together, realize the dream of a
fraternal Manipur, fraternal Nagaland,
fraternal India and a growingly fraternal
World.
Manipur and Nagaland are placed in the
easternmost frontiers of the sub-continent.
Let them be the first to receive and radiate
the light and love of a fraternal dawn in
human history. Come, Brother Sanayaima. Let
us work hand in hand. We are sure the
gesture of the proposal indicates a
willingness to enter into dialogue. Surely,
Government of Manipur and civil society will
begin to work together to honor this gesture
and to begin a new process to engage also
the Government of India for this worthy
cause of peace and prosperity of Manipur and
the region.
*** The writer is the co-ordinator of
Peace Promotion Program, Manipur and
Nagaland |
