Admission without a shred of guiltSaying sorry KZC istyle
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It was not the admission per se that would have grabbed the attention of the listeners or observers but the manner in which it was said. On June 25 evening, a video clip of a news conference addressed by office bearers of the Kuki-Zo Council went viral on the social media. Nothing new but chairman of KZC Henliangthang Thanglet admitted before the camera that it was Kuki militants who had killed the six Naga hostages who were abducted from Leilon Vaiphei on May 13. The admission itself did not take Manipur by surprise, for it was known all along that only Kuki militants could have carried out such a gruesome killing, but what was somewhat surprising was to see the definition of saying ‘sorry’ or the word ‘regret’ given a totally new understanding. As the video clip went viral on the social media, The Sangai Express spent over 20 minutes listening, re-listening and observing the body language and tone of the KZC leader while he admitted to the dastardly slaughter of the six Naga men. Topping off the words of regret was the snide prefix of Kacha while referring to the six Naga men. Kacha Naga were the exact words used by Mr Thanglet. If this is how sorry is said or if regret is expressed then here is a case of a wordsmith emerging from amongst the Kuki-Zo people. Don’t know how well the admission of Thanglet would have gone down with Manipur, particularly with the family members of the late six Naga men, but the Government should take note and treat it as the first significant starting point to go about fixing responsibility and pulling up the very set of people who slaughtered the six men. Now that an admission has been made before the camera, it should be an open and shut case or will it be another case of the Kuki ultras being given a long rope ? More significantly will Imphal wait for a nod from Delhi before initiating any course of action ? The fact that this very question is being raised should tell so many things and time for the Government at Imphal to stand up and start asserting its authority. For over three years Imphal has been saying things which would sound good to Delhi never mind the fact that things here are not good at all. And this is perhaps the best time for Imphal to demonstrate that there is a Government in place and what is done here should not be done to get a pat from Delhi. Saying things with an aim to keep the Delhi mandarins in good humour is not exactly going about with the business of dealing with the crisis here. The admission on camera itself is also a demonstration that the KZC gives a damn about the Government and they can say or do whatever they like. Any Government worth its salt would have responded swiftly to the video clip and come out with an official statement or stand on what it intends to do, but even after 24 hours, silence is the only answer that has been received.
In the arrogant manner in which the KZC chief expressed his words of regret over the killing of the six Naga men, lies the presence of an inept Government, a Govern- ment which is not even in a position to say that it is here to ensure the rule of law. A Government which has gone to town claiming that peace has started returning to the valley area of Manipur, while at the same time expressing concern over what is happening in the hills, sums up the pathetic reality. It is this mindset that needs to be set right. ‘Peace’ in the valley but not in the hills, is the line being maintained, but what does this exactly mean ? The truth is, no Government should be looking at Manipur as hills and valley, in so far as law and order is concerned. Manipur is far from walking the road of peace and normalcy. This is the bottomline. At the moment, the focus of the people would be on how the Government respond to the admission before the camera. Or will the Government take the line of ‘samples of the video clip will be sent to the NIA for further investigation ?’ The bottomline is, in as much as the Government may call for peace and normalcy, its first priority should be to gain the trust and confidence of every section of the people. Only when trust is earned, will any call from the Government resonate with the people. After three years this lesson should have been learnt.
In the arrogant manner in which the KZC chief expressed his words of regret over the killing of the six Naga men, lies the presence of an inept Government, a Govern- ment which is not even in a position to say that it is here to ensure the rule of law. A Government which has gone to town claiming that peace has started returning to the valley area of Manipur, while at the same time expressing concern over what is happening in the hills, sums up the pathetic reality. It is this mindset that needs to be set right. ‘Peace’ in the valley but not in the hills, is the line being maintained, but what does this exactly mean ? The truth is, no Government should be looking at Manipur as hills and valley, in so far as law and order is concerned. Manipur is far from walking the road of peace and normalcy. This is the bottomline. At the moment, the focus of the people would be on how the Government respond to the admission before the camera. Or will the Government take the line of ‘samples of the video clip will be sent to the NIA for further investigation ?’ The bottomline is, in as much as the Government may call for peace and normalcy, its first priority should be to gain the trust and confidence of every section of the people. Only when trust is earned, will any call from the Government resonate with the people. After three years this lesson should have been learnt.