Wars, it has been so rightly pointed out, have many domestic uses. There is nothing like the spectre of external aggression or a threat to the integrity of nations which can make communities sink internal differences, even the most bitter ones, at least temporarily, so much so that often these threat perceptions are often deliberately manufactured by those in the hot seats of political power, as well as others with their hands on handles of power, to divert attention away from the causes of their immediate headaches and failures. This is particularly the case if the leaders concerned are weak and clueless on how to face their problems head on.
History is witness, and historians tell us today, that the medieval crusade of Christian Europe against the Muslim world, was not so much religious but political in nature, and often had less to do with saving Christianity than saving civil wars and coups at home. Once upon a time, sabre rattling of the nature was also very common in India, blaming Pakistan, and to some extent China, for its every ill the country faces. Remember the famous but never seen “foreign hand” that was supposed to be responsible for any trouble that flared up in the Northeast. Thankfully all the paranoiac din over these “foreign hands”, sobered down in the last two or three decades but they do continue to surface sporadically from time to time. A second look will also reveal that the mellowing of the official hysteria almost nearly coincided with India’s growing confidence in itself and its ability to handle its domestic problems.
In similar manner, one is often left wondering if there is no element of a “crusade masquerade” every time somebody rakes up the issue of Manipur integrity or Naga integration and now claims of Kuki-Zo persecution. One often is also left with the feeling that this integrity-integration binary benefits both sides of the divide, each with its brand of “hate sessions” against each other.
True there are elements of it which are real, needing real and tangible responses, but it is equally true that more often than not, these have become diversionary tactics of politicians to get the heat off themselves. There is nothing very flattering to say about these periodic mock fury of the political cabal about Manipur integrity or the lack of it. The people’s verdict on the issue has been etched indelibly already therefore memorandums submitted or every maverick claim, have become facile and bland except on the noisy town squares (or leipung in vernacular parallel) of social media battlefields.
The recent memorandum of the Manipur Assembly’s 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs to the Governor of Manipur, objecting to the Hill Area Committee’s decision on the activation of the six Autonomous District Councils in the hills with committees constituted by the HAC till such a time full-fledged elections can be held to fill these posts, is a case in point. They were not only unhappy that the decision was flawed and unwarranted by the constitution – which practically all agree across the ethnic lines – and have expressed their reservations on it, but the ten also protested were not part of the meeting that took this decision. Why were they then not part of the consultation process. If it was about personal safety in the midst of the ongoing conflict, they could have participated virtually.
Or, if it was about their not believing in the Manipur Assembly anymore, then they should have simply said they did recognize the HAC decision was binding on them. Again if it was indeed a case of their losing faith in the Manipur Assembly, they should have by now given up their seats in the Assembly. They have done nothing of these, and instead claimed this decision of the HAC in their absence was another instance of the inevitability of Union Territory with legislature status for the Kuki-Zos. It is imaginable that if it was a case of the government deciding to expedite and hold the HAC elections, these 10 missing MLAs would still have protested, this time on plea they did not want the election being imposed on them, and made use of this imagined aggression to again raise their pet demand of a Union Territory with legislature.
It is time for all to make the effort to grow out of this mad petty times of molehills being made into mountains in which Manipur is tragically trapped in. The state’s MLAs should have taken the lead in working towards such a conclusion, but the responsibility should also rest on all other stakeholders, big and small. There is no other way out than for all for whom Manipur is home to agree to acknowledge and adjust to each other’s grievances and discomfort to evolve a common denominator on which all can fit without contradiction. Resilience is about the ability to make these periodic adjustments, and history is again evidence, civilisations which have not survive are those which grew rigid and therefore lost this resilience.
There no doubt are an overwhelming number of equally if not more urgent issues at hand to resolve other than a resolution to the current conflict. However, ironically this is precisely the problem. When those at the helm intimidated by these overwhelming issues at hand, there is the tendency among them them to deflect focus to something more ethereal and intangible such as creating fictious enemies.
But there can be no escaping the reality that beyond the conflict situation, these onerous issues are looming with marauding potential. Foremost of these are: failing economy, rising unemployment, deplorable state of roads, sinking standard of education, rising vigilantism among civil population who do not any longer hesitate to take the law into their own hands etc. All these are without doubt depleting the hopes and aspirations of the people at large. But the truth also is, amidst all these official corruption remains unabated, exploiting insecurity of the citizens to raise bribes for official benefits which should have been the reward for merit.
All these need intense focus and policy dedication, but equally importantly, imaginative remedial measures on both short and long term considerations are vital. This is where the powers that be at any given point, perpetually engrossed in their politicking wars and the contest for bigger shares of corruption largess, are unwilling to apply their minds seriously. Come to think of it, the state’s entire collective of elected leadership have not seriously made known their opinion on most of these vexing issues of the state.
However, this deafening silence on measure to tackle real issues, contrast so glaringly with their eagerness to raise emotive war cries against imagined adversaries. Isn’t this then a case of imaginary holy wars of the mediaeval Europe, invoked periodically as self-bails for those in power or others vying for it, lost as they are in the chaotic sea problems they themselves are responsible for creating.
Editor, Imphal Review of Arts and Politics and author
