Ethics of ethnic crisis in North East India An unchanging phenomenon in contemporary Manipur, its solutions
- Part 2 -

Dr Priyadarshni M Gangte *

Map of North East region, India :: Pix - TSE

Thousands of settlers are homeless with no proper compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement even after so many years of completion of these projects. The real settlers and dwellers are displaced and deprived of their rights including to work, livelihood and food and never benefited from these multipurpose dams and projects except politicians, contractors, high ranking to petty officials of the concerned department of the Governments.

It is empirical fact that the contention of Rajiv Gandhi, "Development is not about factories, dams and roads alone. Development is about people. The goal is material, cultural, and spiritual fulfilment for people. The human factor is of supreme value in development."

II. Some of the key factors to extremity of Ethnic Clashes:

i) Administration: We find it for nobody to blame for the reasons unknown at present what is happening around us today. Indeed, the facet of the present society in terms of ideological differences and growing distrusts among different communities on various outstanding issues concerning general public welfare are nothing but it may be attributed to the legacy of past governance and absence of single administrative structure in the State; when traces it back the origin of administrative systems which were prevalent in the Hills and Valley before the State was merged with the Union of India in 1949. As such, this aged old hegemony of governance based on customary laws for devoid or oppressive to public administration, has still continued to influence the activities and lifestyle of the people within their communities even after democracy came into existence.

However, it may also be noted that while the State was already confronting with the issues of declaring the status of Sadar Hills and Jiribam Sub-division as full fledged Revenue District, there also arises a number of demands for creation of new Revenue District by clubbing together of some Sub-divisions in the hill areas in the name of administrative conveniences and developmental purposes.

Some of these demands for creation of new districts include Phungyar Sub-division out of Ukhrul district, Tengnoupal sub-division out of Chandel district, Tongjei Marin to be bifurcated from Tamenglong district. All these demands have taken place in the hearts of all parties concerned resulting from lack of effective governance and timely intervention on many issues pertaining to local administration and socio-economic development of the local people on the part of Government.

It is, therefore, these barriers and divisions of man made between communities and individuals can only be removed from the face of the society as and when rule of democracy is effectively strengthened at grass root level with the help of all sections of the society, so that the sense of belongingness to one nation, one composite culture and identity consciousness of unity in diversity have been promoted and achieved in a long way.

ii) Corruption offences: Prevailing of corruption has led to a certain degree of "privatization" of state and is steadily transforming social perception of a democratic state into a mercantilist state. Most crusades against corruption in their nationwide manifestation under Jai Prakash Narain, Anna Hazare, Guru Baba Ramdev, Kejriwal, etc. led total revolution movement produced, dialectically starting with the imposition of a national emergency in 1975-7621and that what we witnessed at present times major constitutional crisis.

In the absence of authoritive indication of guilt or political honour, the folklore of corruption grows apace, causing considerable stain on the still fragile system of liberal democracy and illustrates, in the process, the high social cost of privileging investigation, prosecution and punishment for corruption offences to starting from Top to Down or vis-à-vis stimulates the more in social exclusions divisiveness. We need a positive law in order to secure basic human needs through judiciary as well for "have" and "have not" issue be solved first.

It is also considered imperative to frame a policy to eradicate corruption especially in an organized sector with a view to ensure that all officials from lower rank to higher ranking shall have to perform their duties compulsorily according to the assignment of works while rendering their services for the welfare of the public, and also it will help in making distribution of all kinds of beneficiaries and facilities under different schemes whether TPDS or PDS of the departments to have reached to all sections of the society, so that transparency and developments are maintained in the manner as desired by the public, thereby leaving no room to practice corruption by all walks of life.

III. Industry, Economy & Employment: The absence of any major industries in the region before and after independence has not only crippled the pace of growth and development but also it has failed to keep sustaining the economy and livelihood of the people. The aged old practice of jhuming cultivation and agriculture alone which have contributed the main source of the State economy did not even meet the basic minimum requirement of life and existence. It may be mentioned that majority of the citizens are living below poverty line. The cost of living is rapidly increasing day by day but the economic condition of the masses is not improving. Hence, it would be a far cry to bring changes and transformations to the society without the help and support of the industry in the midst of globalized economy.

The Govt of Manipur who habitually depends on contract funding, rarely contemplates beyond what is given by the Centre and hardly think about bringing development even within the level of their capacity and to depend on other. Whatever projects or developmental programmes initiated by the central government have also failed to achieve their stated objective owing to lack of sincerity and poor implementation by the state govt.

It will be no wrong to say that in the absence of industrial, market and infrastructure, there is no defined occupation and profession except employment in the govt sector that caters to around 15 % of the population only. The rest of the source of livelihood is unorganized, seasonal, temporary and incidental that can be easily interrupted by bandhs, as change of climates, landslides and sudden breakdown of law and order.

And unfortunate hilly terrain, of course, one tenth area with fertile soil cannot meet the needs of the entire State, compounded with primitive methods of cultivation, lack of market and preserving its agricultural produce further aggravates its economy.

On top of that, it may also be mentioned that Tourism Department in the State should be provided with adequate fund of its own for development of tourism. Western countries have received a lot of incomes from tourism. The Tourism Department in the State can boost the same source of income, since Manipur has a good number of beautiful scenaries and places which can be identified and developed as tourist spot, so that many tourists from outside and inside can be attracted to it. This policy of developing tourism in the State may be accorded priority as it will certainly help to boost the State economy in perspective term.

IV. Infrastructure: Infrastructure is one of the most vital links in the growth chain that encapsulates roads, communication, power, marketing, banking, research and development, for sustainable society where every individual has to grow without discrimination socio-economically and politically and there is possibility of collective glory. With the rise of democracy the necessity of enlarging the scope for individual advancement is being increasingly appreciated.

Unfortunately, infrastructure has remained a highly deficit sector which has been considered a vital linkage to growth and development, of the poors, other needy peoples especially women due to lack of education on reproductive health, health and medical care, using and drinking water management, electricity, food safety, sanitation, balanced diet, mass awareness and environmental and bio-diversity and its consequences keeps them captured to illiteracy and poverty. For that matter, economy is very important which can be earned due to control over economic access and power, it is examined through the distribution of economic power.

V. Provactive Role: The provactive role of elected representatives, public servants and the civil society is the foundation of every healthy society. Most of them lack dutifulness, dedicacy and devoutness. When these three branches of the society fail to move in its right direction, there starts the problem which is bound to run into confusion, lawlessness and turmoil as we are presently experiencing instead of solving the problems it is completely opposite, as most of our elected members are incompetent in terms of education, skills and exposure.

VI. Land Holding System: As we have known the system of landholding practices among Hill settlers/communities commonly known as Naga and Kuki, are non-feudal and feudal. The Naga villages have community clan and individual land wherein the individual tillers of the land have right of possession of the land inhabited. Whereas the Kukis, "Haosa" the master-tenant is autocratic and hereditary.

Secondly, the Tribal Forest Act, 2006, though projected to reconcile the objectives of economic growth and environmental conservation is, obviously a threat in this era of neo-liberal globalization or LPG, to these tribes, especially women and children and the poorest of the poors. Thus, its significance is to increase more deprivation marginalization and social exclusion growing inequalities by developing also perhaps a gap between the hill settlers and others is increasing day by day.

To be continued....