Selling false sense of normalcy Deal with the reality
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The tragedy is when political leaders of the day begin to give a warped understanding of normalcy or peace by coming out with some instances which reveals more than they cover up. No one denies that what Manipur needs at the moment is normalcy but trumping up some instances as normalcy is not exactly the way to go about addressing the trust deficit as well as to deal with the reality. Not so long back, three Kuki men, most probably militants, were brought to RIMS for treatment, but citing this as an example to demonstrate that Kukis can now come to Imphal to get medical treatment would be missing the trees for the wood. This line is for the naive and the gullible but for those well placed to understand the reality, this is nothing but an attempt to befool the public and in the process sell a story which Delhi would like to hear. Not exactly the way to go about dealing with the situation here. Same is the case with the report that some Kukis have started arriving by flight at Imphal on their way to Kangpokpi or where they may be settled. This is fine but when this is trumped up as an example of Manipur starting a return to normalcy, then one may ask why the need to escort such passengers ? Not so long back, Manipur heard stories being told of how some well placed people have travelled by road on the National Highway passing through Kangpokpi and other Kuki inhabited areas such as Motbung, but a closer look will testify that these stories were told to please a specific audience. The talk doing the round since then is, anyone with such security escort can easily travel along the said highway stretch. Such narratives deliver some important message but it should not be forgotten that in the eagerness to tell a story to please a specific audience or Delhi, the reality should not be sidestepped or brushed aside. If Kukis feel free to come and board a flight from Imphal or land here to proceed by road to their home, then why have no one from the Kuki community felt it safe to even inspect the place they once called home at Imphal ? And if travelling along the road from Imphal to Dimapur via Kangpokpi is safe, why are there no Meitei and now Naga passengers on any of the buses going towards Dimapur or Senapati via Kangpokpi ? Just a phone call to any of the travel agency at North AOC should give anyone a clear picture. The truth is, any initiative towards restoring normalcy is welcome, but this should not be sought to be achieved by sidestepping the reality and giving a sense of false hope to the people. Addressing the reality is the best and most effective way to go about dealing with the situation. There can be no two ways about it and it would do good for all not to forget that normalcy should be sought and pursued keeping in mind the interests of the people and the place and not to please anyone.
Silence of the guns and absence of overt violent confrontations can and should never be equated to a return of peace or normalcy. Likewise the situation in Manipur cannot and should not be understood on the basis of the valley and the hills. It is not peace when the reality says that the valley is quiet but the hills are burning. This is where one should understand why the focus is on between the Kukis and the Nagas. It is not only the civil society organisations like the UNC which has been vocal, especially after the mutilated bodies of the six Naga men were discovered but also a political party like the Naga People’s Front, which has come forward to go hammer and tongs against the outfits under the SoO pact. It was not without reason why State unit president of the NPF and MLA Awangbow Newmai has gone to the extent of dubbing the different SoO camps as epicentres of crimes and violence. As fellow communities residing in the hills, where the SoO camps are located, and as a Naga who understands the politics of the Kuki outfits, Newmai seems well placed to come out with such a hard statement. Delhi will obviously not give the needed attention to what an elected representative has had to say, but any sane being will understand or try to understand why the Meiteis and now the Nagas have come out so strongly against the SoO pact. For one, no one understands why this pact was inked in the first place and secondly why has Delhi not raised any question on from where the guns used by the Kukis have come from.
Silence of the guns and absence of overt violent confrontations can and should never be equated to a return of peace or normalcy. Likewise the situation in Manipur cannot and should not be understood on the basis of the valley and the hills. It is not peace when the reality says that the valley is quiet but the hills are burning. This is where one should understand why the focus is on between the Kukis and the Nagas. It is not only the civil society organisations like the UNC which has been vocal, especially after the mutilated bodies of the six Naga men were discovered but also a political party like the Naga People’s Front, which has come forward to go hammer and tongs against the outfits under the SoO pact. It was not without reason why State unit president of the NPF and MLA Awangbow Newmai has gone to the extent of dubbing the different SoO camps as epicentres of crimes and violence. As fellow communities residing in the hills, where the SoO camps are located, and as a Naga who understands the politics of the Kuki outfits, Newmai seems well placed to come out with such a hard statement. Delhi will obviously not give the needed attention to what an elected representative has had to say, but any sane being will understand or try to understand why the Meiteis and now the Nagas have come out so strongly against the SoO pact. For one, no one understands why this pact was inked in the first place and secondly why has Delhi not raised any question on from where the guns used by the Kukis have come from.