Youths of Tomorrow

Gousonlian *

To be a youngster at this juncture of political turmoil, having the possibility of spiraling into a sustainable political elucidation is both propitious and unfortunate all the same. The political nature of Manipur and its cataclysms holds no promise for the generation of youths it trampled upon. Old men with experiences and achievements lined up in the name plates nailed above their doors, keep repeating the rhetoric of how youths are the pillars of “our” society, yet excessively indulge in shattering the very foundation of the pillars they so vehemently pretend to build.

A generation of youths ruthlessly invaded by a fragment of globalization that swept the world, has taken inspiration from the excessive American lifestyle, is witnessed with the most politically violent and chaotic stage of the entire history of Manipur. Nowhere in the history of the state can one find such grave human rights violation and disregard of the constitution by the government itself.

The passing of three contentious Bills in the Manipur Assembly on the 31st of August 2015 without any word of objection or discussion is whimsical and does not hold water for an argument. A house filled with 60 odd elected men, each one with a boastable achievement or education or atleast have won the election that put them on the very chair they sat on, unanimously passed three very acrimonious bills for the state.

What is difficult to comprehend is the fact that it nullified the understanding of human nature. Psychological aspect of group behavior, that too a group filled with men who are proud with their own abilities and authority would not ever make a law without thoroughly deliberating and debating the content of such law.

Unless it is a dictatorial regime and who dare speaks dies, it is clearly a manipulation, with rules bypassed and technical manipulation on the conduct of business. This is a sign of blatant dis regard of the constitution and a revelation that Psychology as a subject with its proven data the world over is not compatible nor applicable in Manipur!

All things said and done, the Chief Minister himself blurted out and admitted his little secret that these Bills were passed under the whims of a particular community, pressured by a civil society as its mask and forced with the command that flows from the barrel of a conglomerate of Outlawed organizations operating from the neighboring country.

One can only imagine the position of the experienced Old man when Corcom ambushed and killed several Indian Army personnel under his watch more than once. Somehow, it looks like a plot from Bollywood movies where the underworld killed a few men to teach a rich man a subject or two on discipline and obedience.

A distressing discovery of late is the Front page of Indian express that runs a piece on a certain self styled people’s leader taking oath barefooted with the UNLF’s flag. What complicates the issue further is that Mr. Khomdram allegedly pledged allegiance particularly to UNLF and not Corcom. It is beyond one’s comprehension of what goes within the functioning of Corcom or whether the federal conglomeration was steered by a particular party for its vested interest after all. No one knows if the other parties in Corcom were only pawns for the monarchical UNLF.

Nonetheless, it seems the government is the right hand of CorCom and the people who voted them are merely playthings for these two. Then, the only viable solution without considering the practicality of such thought is for the people to overthrow the government in power and push for a democratic election within the exiled Corcom (the powerhouse) with assured seat reservations for Tribals, SCs and OBCs, so as to ensure that the people hold true power with each and every community of Manipur fairly represented, and the very fragile Unity, fraternity and territorial integrity is somehow cling on to.

Humor aside, the one thing that can be deduced from the state of affairs is that, the State of Manipur is a failed state with namesake representation, communally biased government and debate, discussion and dissent, the three Ds, the most important pillars of democracy no longer given space in Manipur.

As the saying goes “Politics is Old man talking, Young man dying”, it is the youths who bear the brunt of such bad parenting by the government. The three controversial bills have claimed the lives of 10 precious youths (9 for the Tribals and 1 for the Valley) and more than 100 injured with a number of fatally wounded. Since the issue has not been dealt with at all by the incumbent government, the number of lives these bills claimed could rise any day.

In the Valley, the JCILPS puts an extensive and excessive use of youths especially students without giving any thoughts on the affect (both physical and psychological) it could create on them. Students are mobilized in large numbers and dragged to the streets of Imphal, brainwashed with concocted political ideology filled with hatred and rage. They were often used as human shield to deter riot polices and their actions or as a spear for the JCILPS to construct staged commotion in selected localities of the valley.

Apart from the staged and well-versed interviews in local news channels, majority of the students would not have a clear cut idea or an in-depth understanding of the issue or the reason why they roll on the Highways, confront the police or brave water cannons.

If only they knew, that there is no protagonist or antagonist, only political ambition in this, if only they were given the choice to decide whether or not they wanted to be used as political tools against their own tribal brethren.

The state government on the other hand, has been playing the same old communal card between the Hills and Valley, no attempt to find a common ground on the issue has been initiated neither the critiques of the bills given any attention. Their ears were deaf to the cries of the Hills and open only to the pompous ever-increasing demands of the valley or the command that echoes from the neighboring country.

While 9 bodies of tribal youths lay unburied for close to a year now, not even a single serious attempt to call back the bills to deliberate together (both Tribals and Valley) on the issues was made, except cunning and forceful ploys to attempt to bury the bodies.

Therefore, in an attempt to de-escalate tension and for a progressive understanding between the Tribals and the valley, the government should by any means call back the bills for further discussion and deliberation within the communities in Manipur, the incumbent communal incompetent government should cease to function followed by the imposition of President’s Rule and to finally introduce a true Inner Line Permit system (minus cunning manipulation) in its true essence which all the communities in Manipur desires.

Unless such plan is executed at the earliest, the situation could spiral out of hand leading to insurmountable, unavoidable circumstances that could claim more lives and deepen the Hill valley divide to a saturation point.