For Whose Benefit ?

Debby A *

The editorial on June 22 'Terha sal baad' that appeared in The Sangai Express raised a crucial point that so far has not been discussed enough but one that carries the highest importance. It asked whether Nagas in Nagaland itself are comfortable to the idea of fighting for a Greater Lim.

It's necessary to ask how far people in Nagaland are willing to go in support of Th Muivah's dream. The problem lies in being misled. After Muivah could not enter his hometown, he went about discussing Greater Lim with people in Nagaland, and in doing so he has revealed his intention of coming to the region in the first place -- he came not because he missed his birthplace but because he wanted to further politicize an already volatile situation.

People in both the states had been holding on to a thin thread of understanding that both communities need each other for development. But we -- Nagas and Manipuris alike -- allowed Muivah to grease the rails right under our nose and everybody lost their grip.

Muivah has also succeeded in distorting the idea of Manipur, the idea that it is a place where people of several communities live without hard feelings. Manipur has always been the tolerant one. It has never placed unfair demands. It knows the value of the freedom to choose. This state is home to many communities, and everybody here is free to do what they like. But that freedom should not be misused. Muivah has invented a threat to the Nagas and skillfully engineered this non-existent threat to create ethnic trouble. Ask any person in Manipur, is there a threat to the Nagas?

In his hurry, Muivah was too short-sighted to see the implications of forcing his way into Manipur. He may be right in his own strange ways but Central leaders in New Delhi, no matter what they say, will always view Muivah as a hostile person because he is not only the head of a 'militant' group but he also tried to lock horns with a legitimate state government. In the long run, no politician in the Centre will risk a full-blown media assault by antagonizing a Congress-ruled state for the simple reason that the ruling party in the Centre is the same.

Muivah also shot himself on the foot by breaking several laws. In his mind he lives in Greater Lim but his body is firmly planted on Indian soil as we speak, hence Indian laws apply to him as well. He can't dictate terms to the Manipur government because the state government is on the right side of the law. Anybody who threatens a state is an anarchist. In the most extreme case, a simple arrest warrant from the high court is good enough to nail Muivah while he is still roaming about in the region.

Muivah also made the mistake of putting the reputation of the Nagas at an all-time low. My friends in Nagaland in no way are hostile to me, and I enjoy their hospitality as much as they enjoy mine. Of course this is a personal example but it can also be seen from a larger context.

The ground reality in Nagaland is that many people say Muivah is trying to hijack the Naga polity as a whole by becoming the supreme commander. He is after all the one who owns the army. This throws up a question -- what exactly does he wants? From what he has been up to of late, it makes perfect sense to say that he has been working to make himself grow, not the people of Nagaland.

Naturally, a large section of people in Nagaland are upset that Muivah has sent out a crude, immature image to the world outside, misrepresenting Nagaland as a place where only savages roam instead of the modern region that it is.

After the high-drama that went on for almost two months, other states in the North East are viewing Nagaland with a twinge of malice. Think about it: would businesspersons in Assam or Sikkim want to invest in Nagaland given the show of muscles by way of blocking the only highway that leads to Manipur? How can one be sure that next time a group of disgruntled students won't block the road because businesspersons from other states are exporting the fruits of their labour from Nagaland? Trust is something Muivah has killed.

And what about the students' unions? They may carry some weight in their violent arms but in the long run everybody knows that students' unions are a joke played in the political process, sort of a side act in a circus that serves nothing more than warm up the audience harmlessly. New Delhi had to hear the pleas of the unions because time was running out.

But it's foolish for member students to assume that the same unions will be allowed to play blackmail next time. The Centre knows that no matter how experienced a students' union may be in politics, it still remains a students' body. Such groups of young people should stick with their universities and no meddle in real-world politicking.

Not in one instance has a students' body won over a legitimate government. Yes, any youth movement looks romantic and noble, but beyond that such groups have no application. Every troublemaker has been crushed by governments eventually.

The classroom is the right place for people who block crucial National Highways for no good reason.