Is our Government doing enough to redress woes ?

Laishram Devakumar Singh *

Manipur has been witnessing an unsettled situation since 3rd May 2023. Loktak is on fire! Lotuses are blooming without flowers in Manipur but Poppies are blooming with flowers. The inability and inaction of the government in restoring peace in the state is a sign of gross violation of people’s mandate. The present government will surely be paying a high price for such an unintelligent and imprudent act on their part.

Still internally displaced peoples are suffering from many inexplicable situations. They have been forced to endure hardship and uncertainty of their future. So far, no assurance has been given to build the confidence of the displaced people. The elected representatives seem to be less bothered by the suffering of the people caused by their casual approach to the crisis.

The government has made the lives of the people miserable beyond its imagination. Now the question is, “are they left to their own fate and destiny where hope is seemingly a distant dream”. It is now more than four and half months past but nothing concrete for those displaced people comes up. Yes, the government has built some fabricated temporary shelter homes for the displaced people but that is not the measure which they wanted from the government.

They wish the government to make such an arrangement so that they could return to their birthplace and start their life from scratch. The government needs to act with greater sensitivity to restore confidence to the people as legislators of the state who had sworn to serve the people.

As the government has accepted the lapses on its part for the current crisis, it needs to act responsibly without further delay.Saving its own people should be its priority and have guts to stand and face all odds. Remember! The judicious steps and constructive measures will make all the legislators heroes. Time has come for the government to talk less and act more.

Government needs to restore law and order in Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. The government should tame the wild Chin-Kuki Zo who had become so virulent. Those few seditious self-style leaders of the Chin-Kuki Zo people who misled the ignorant people should be booked and arrested and befitting punishment should be awarded as per the law of the land.

The government should make people feel that there is still a government which tolerates no nuisance as it has shown in Imphal areas. Has our government succumbed to the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists? The government is answerable to the questions asked by the people? Why is the government still silent about the ten Chin Kuki MLAs who openly challenged the government by demanding separate Kuki Zo land in the state.

It is increasingly evident that the state government has lost its credibility and wisdom to restore normalcy. The present situation has apparently been percolated by the indifferent and passive approach of the government which has largely helped the Chin Kuki Zo narco-terrorists in carrying out their nefarious designs of disturbing the very tranquillity of state.

The Manipuri society has been put into the orbit of topsy-turvy and throwing everything in a mess. Our government should not have allowed our people to take up arms instead the government should have acted promptly to stamp down the foreign terrorists. The failure of the government has created an ugly face of the state which once flourished as a centre of cultural hub and attracted many foreign as well as domestic tourists.

The present avoidable ethnic violence has caused maximum damage to our economy by putting all economic activities at a grinding halt. Suffering of the people is beyond anybody’s imagination. Situation is now seems to be crawling back to its previous status quo, but it is far from over because internally displaced people still suffer from desperate situations. Anger and angst are growing day by day.

Now people are facing a situation of uncertainty as the prevailing situation continues to deteriorate. Now they face the question of death and survival. Curfews, bandhs, and blockades put everything out of order. How long will such a trend continue? Do the government have any mechanism to bring the situation under control?

Lifting the internet ban is no doubt a good step on the part of the government but it is not the end of all. The present generation is very much aware of the prevailing situation. They cannot live as mute spectators to the divisive rule of the Union government. The Union government need to shun the neo-colonialist policy towards Manipur and must act as a guardian who heals the wound of their children.

They should not take Manipur for granted. Yeh attitude, “Manipur ka mamla apne aap thik ho jayaga” should be given up. The Union government need to provide constitutional safeguard to Meiteis who have been suffering since it merged with the Union of India. The Union government must remember that the Kingdom with which they signed the merger agreement.

The very existence of the state of Manipur is due to bravery and sacrifices of the indigenous peoples under the leadership of Meiteis in the past. The government must allow free movement of goods and people without any restrictions. Steps need to be initiated to demilitarise Manipur. Militarisation is not the solution to any issue.

History is the clear example of this. All vital points of the highways and inter-district check posts should be manned by the Civil Police.The freedom of movement has been jeopardised by militarisation of the state. Government seems to be complacent with returning of normal activities in Valley and Churanchanpur districts.

Will returning of normalcy in valley and Churachandpur areas mean all woes of the people are over? It is high time for the government to spell out its short- and long-term plans to rehabilitate and resettle the displaced people. Government must rein in ITLF members who have been proven beyond doubt for fomenting violence in the state. It is good to hear that the government is taking up NRC to bring it to a fruitful conclusion.

However, Government needs to go beyond NRC and find ways to regulate new law that can redress the long pending issue of land reforms in the state.It must be government endeavour to disarm kuki militants and Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists if it really intends to bring peace in the state. State government needs to provide all required intel feedback to the Central government for the same.

Still bombing and firing in the PhaobakchaoIkhai, Tronglaobiand Kadangbanareas continues under the very nose of the Indian armies. How can the government talk about peace without redressing such issues? To bring peace law and order must prevail first in the hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal. Law and order are always a serious issue in the hill districts.

Government needs to implement uniform law in the entire state to curb such issues which creates imbalance in the developmental works of the state. Until and unless there is uniformity in law of the land, there will always be instability and trust deficit among the people of the state.

The religious places protection act 1947 of the country must be enacted and enforced in Manipur by the state legislators. State government should always strive to preserve the cultural heritage of the state. Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976 should be enforced effectively.

The state government should discuss with intellectuals and scholars of the state to produce a draft proposal for the prevention of distortion of history of land. After thorough revisions of each draft clause the government must introduce it in the assembly to pass it as a law.

The government needs to prioritise and redress some of these burning issues to restore the status quo. State forces should be reshuffled and posted to vulnerable areas. Posting should not be done on ethnic lines. Government is wise enough to do the best thing for the state.