Manipur as the 'sick man of Asia'

Puyam Rakesh *

Whether it is fake encounter or AFSPA or militarisation, Manipur should do everything not to become the 'sick man of Asia'. This popular phrase was originally referred to China when the Chinese empire under the Qing Dynasty was cut into pieces by the great powers of the time taking advantage of internal divisions and weakness. Many unequal treatises were imposed and territorial rights and privileges extracted from the weakened Chinese power.

The Eastern civilisation was on the receiving end of the Western powers and Japan. This period marked by 'cutting of Chinese melon' is still referred to as the 'century of national humiliation' by the Chinese. Is Manipur experiencing a similar fate?

Manipur is beset with many serious problems which germinated in the late 1940s. Decline of Manipur as a power centre was a major factor. In addition, we need to stop misreading and misinterpreting the incidents that took place in broad daylight. The confession made by suspended head constable Thounaojam Herojit regarding the infamous July 23 fake encounter in the heart of Imphal city is not an isolated incident.

Something went wrong when the Dominion of India announced the 'take over' of Manipur as Chief Commissioner's Province. As the imposition of the notorious AFSPA Act and militarisation of the small state are related to the ongoing armed movement, the 'take over' episode needs to be re-visited and reassessed. It will be self denial to say that the present state of affairs in Manipur is not related to the blunders committed in 1947-49 period.

Moreover, the nation-building process of the Indian State cannot make progress without addressing the core issue of Manipur's political future. Without respecting the sentiments and historicity of the state's existence as a separate entity having its own constitution before the takeover, we cannot think of any major progress towards genuine peace and stability in the state.

The Government of India must act sincerely guided by political wisdom to avoid further bloodshed. The changes taking place in the neighbouring Republic of the Union of Myanmar should not be ignored. In fact, Manipur issue can no longer be sidelined and kept in the cold storage for posterity. The wind of change sweeping across the Southeast and East Asia will touch the ranges of hills and valleys of Manipur.

With a population already well-integrated into the global economy and political life, continuing the old policy of militarisation and large scale violation of human rights will not deliver much. Every informed native of the land is aware of the episode of the takeover which was stage-managed in Shillong.

Churning out more and more integrationist ideas will have limited effects among the population without genuine attempt to restore normalcy in the tiny hilly state. When it comes to sufferings of the people, Manipur has seen enough suffering and is used to suffering. But there should be an end to it.

After the Shillong drama, New Delhi is spewing statements on political and economic empowerment of the ethnic groups without studying the internal dynamics of the state. The politics of ethno-exclusivity and empowering such units within Manipur and the Northeast region will backfire. There should be a limit to this trend despite the rising demands for ethno-development packages and autonomy. Instead of empowering a certain ethnic group of the state or north-east region, New Delhi should empower the people of Manipur or Northeast region as a whole.

That will be more acceptable. Every counter-productive legislation and policy affecting the empowerment of the people should be removed at the earliest. The political culture of victimising the victims should go at once. Every people-oriented policy should take the larger picture into consideration before implementation to avoid greater messy situation in near future.

But it does not mean neglecting the issues of the ethnic minorities. At this age of technological revolution and informational warfare, keeping the people under subjugation in the name of national security will have ill-effects in the long run. There are racist attacks against the citizens hailing from the Northeast region. If the policy making is wholly informed and guided by the small territory and population size of the state, discriminatory attitude of the racially different parliamentary lobby will not serve the people of Manipur any better.

We must hope that the parliament itself is not dragged down by dirty racism. Where there is casteism, can racism be far away? Under such a situation, producing 'citizens without loyalty and responsibility' will be the end results of the whole exercise. Other by-products could be corrupt individuals with no principle whose primary focus is on accumulating money power and coercive power in hands. Manufacturing such inhabitants in the border state will serve neither the state nor the country.

Moreover, warfare is a costly affair. Though it is inseparably attached to human civilisation, one should not choose it readily or impose warfare on others. When the combined teams of state and central forces stop shooting down so-called insurgents, nobody says it is because of the Home Minister of Manipur's divine intervention. All roads and activities lead to the Union Home Minister and Defence Minister.

The Cabinet Committee on Security decides whether innocent lives live or die in Manipur. Who is the guilty man here? The stage is small indeed. Characters are well-known. The plot is old. The question is not about state forces or central forces. The culprit is neither Herojit nor Jhalajit. We are talking about New Delhi and its policy towards Manipur since 1947. It is not difficult to know the answer.

But the problem is that the answer does not want to be the answer. If so, will the answer become the question of the answer? It is time for us to think of a new stage, new play, new plot and new characters in the Manipur Drama. Should New Delhi still direct the play? Manipur is the victimised character in many respects and she is not willing to say 'sorry'.

Who let the dogs out? As the old saying goes, when the dog is mad seek the master. Will the master disown the dog when it is mad? Last but not least, we don't have stray dogs in Manipur.