Manipur in the midst of divisive forces
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 22, 2014 -

To understand history, one need not be necessarily a student of history. Whatever profession one may be in, history is essential for the existence of mankind as a political being. If one does not know one’s history, he/she is like a leaf which does not know it is a part of a tree.

History is a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom. As much as it narrates the evolution of mankind from one historical epoch to another, history tells us the story of downfall of many a great civilization and large empires and the most important wisdom in the story of such downfall lies in the fact that the greatest danger came from within.

Manipur, today is at the cross road of many crises and problems which call for extraordinary leadership, courage, honest effort, political wit and vision.

For the first time in its centuries old existence, the organic character, plural ethos and legitimacy and validity of the state have been put under intense internal challenges with certain veracity and coordinated effort that was unknown before. The internal political process in Manipur is certainly moving towards diverse trajectories.

The geo-political entity called Manipur is now being pulled apart in different directions.

While communalism is alien to our culture and in the strict sense of the term communalism – political use of religion- is still at safe distance from us, what we witness in the state is politics of ethnic-exclusivism based on the ‘hate’ and ‘anti’ feeling of other groups.

In our case, object of hate and animosity is not the religion of the subject but his or her ethnic membership or affiliation. The unfolding political dynamics arising out of fragmented political imagination have severely affected the social relations among the communities of Manipur making it characterised by ‘temporary aberrations’ in many instances.

In fact, Manipur is being bombarded by all kinds of existential crises, political and social issues both simultaneously and in sequential order.

There is the perennial human rights issue, decades old armed conflict situation, poverty, underdevelopment, HIV/AIDS, crimes against women, drug smuggling, human trafficking, highway blockade et al.

Amidst all these problems and issues, the State is being literally torn apart by the ethno-centric demands for ethno-exclusive political domains.

In fact, these ethno-centric demands pervade all the common survival and development issues. Rhetoric says that these divisive politics are founded on the phenomena of dominant majority and subjugated minority.

This rhetoric may or may not have its own logic but we would rather suggest negotiation and reconciliation rather than drawing lines or ethnic boundaries. Manipur is a very tiny State and division into two or three States is simply implausible.

At the same time, visionary planning and honest efforts are crucial to remove ‘insecurity complexes’ of minority community whether perceived or real.

In this regard, search for and laying the foundation for an alternative politics which goes beyond rhetoric and ethnic politics will surely prove fruitful in the future.

It is time to decide the foundational values and normative character of our society based on the existing issues and realities of Manipur.

Our predicament and tragedy is that we have multitude of problems in our hand but not a single solution in sight.

Our wisdom lies in finding out one decisive issue which has inextricable relations with all other fundamental issues and resolve that particular issue.

While opposing any move to balkanise Manipur, it is equally necessary and important to offer political concession in order to accommodate the genuine concerns and fear of all communities of the State.

In short, a clear cut strategy and framework is necessary for developing a peaceful, pluralistic Manipur.