Meitei Community Needs To Look Beyond Naga Issue

Z.K. Pahru Pou *

File pic of a cadre at Camp Hebron and Isak and Muivah : Pix - TSE

The issue of Naga national movement (interpreted by Meitei leaders as territorial integrity issue) is portrayed as a threat of survival to Meitei community in Manipur. This issue has been put up on high pedestal to be seen by all especially Meitei community.

It has been portrayed time and again by many Meitei leaders (with vested interest) as the mother of every problem in Manipur and that all Meiteis must come together and fight against it. In that process, many innocent lives have lost and public properties worth of crores destroyed. In fact, Meitei community has elected many of their leaders simply because they speak against the Naga issue more effectively than others.

Those leaders with accommodating heart in bringing peace and reconciliation among various communities are neglected and ignored. It is high time for the Meitei community to think and look beyond the issue of Naga national movement. Many Meitei scholars (not all) have written and continue to write many articles about the history (real or imaginary) of the Naga community.

Most of the time, their write-ups show how desperate they are in trying to disintegrate the ideology of Naga nation not knowing the fact that Naga nation, be it reality or imagined, be it ancient or modern development, is a nation. Many leaders (not all) of Meitei civil organisations use Naga issue to build up their image, maintain their status and hold on to their post.

To sustain their leadership posts, such leaders often organise seminars, call for protests and bandhs or deliver speech in special occasions against Naga national movement. Many Meitei (not all) political leaders earnestly employed Manipur territorial integrity issue and get elected as member of legislative assembly. The formation of present state government is a startling example of this.

A time may come when many of the present MLAs will lose their seat in the Assembly as the political issue of Naga reach its final settlement. It may not be wrong to say that Naga issue is being used by many Meitei leaders for their own survival and enforce their vested interest upon their own community. This bunch of leaders has created insecurity and unrest in the minds of the people today.

Meitei community needs to seriously ponder over whether the real threat of survival is from global market forces where the state works hand-in-glove or the real threat is from Naga national movement. If one compares the danger and destruction caused by global market (capitalist) forces, the Naga issue is in fact nothing more than an imaginary fear.

The propagation of Naga issue by certain leaders has blinded the Meitei public from seeing many pertinent issues. Under the intense forces of global market (neo-liberalisation & crony capitalism), intensive and extensive land grabbing is going on in and around Imphal valley- the sole abode of the Meiteis in Manipur.

Can we believe your leaders when they talk of state territorial integrity issue but are giving away your land, forests and water to capitalists or outsiders in the name of development? Under militarisation, how many hectares of your fertile land and forests have been forcefully occupied by state/central armed forces? Tainted politicians found Naga political issue as a scapegoat for their misdeeds. Whether a politician is corrupted or not corrupted is not a concern in Manipur so long as one speaks of territorial integrity. Whether land and forests fall into the hands of the rich capitalists is not even a great concern.

Unfortunately, for many Meitei leaders, it appears that killings, violence and extra-judicial treatment to citizens on a large scale under AFSPA is nothing in comparison to the danger posed by Naga political movement. Youths are migrating to other cities/towns by hundreds.

My dear fellow Meiteis, think for future generation beyond Naga political issue. If you continue to consider this issue as the common goal or binding force, a time may come when Meitei community will be broken itself into pieces once Naga issue is settled. Forget for a moment about Naga issue and think for your own community.

Neo-liberal globalisation destroys indigenous people, their livelihoods and cultures. Common people are suffering. Division and insecurity is fast developing. Militarisation is the weapon of globalisation.

Listen to the prophetic voice of Jiten Yumnam and fight against the destructive forces of globalisation. Listen to the voice of crusader Irom Sharmila and fight against militarisation. Meitei intellectuals need to put your heads and brain together and envision a genuine common goal beyond Naga issue and lead the future generation to a bright and secured future.