Manipur News

This is getting uncouth. Manipur is under a siege yet again because its lifelines have been blocked off first by agitators demanding the Sadar Hills sub-division of the Senapati district be upgraded to a full-fledged district, and now by United Naga Council, UNC, and its supporters amongst the Naga population in the state to oppose the demand. Quite unfortunately, the UNC is even insinuating that the demand for Sadar Hills district is part of a sinister divide and rule policy by the Government of Manipur. Although this was unsaid in so many words, the implication was also that all this is a result of machination by the dominant community and dwellers of the valley districts, the Meitei community. This is above of all, truly ridiculous. At this rate, it will not be long before the valley is blamed for poor monsoon or bad harvest as well. Rhetoric aside, let the government take this development seriously and come out with a comprehensive white paper on investment and government employment patterns in the state to see the nature of discrepancies and then to fix responsibilities as to who contributed or were the agents in bringing about this mess. As for activists and others keen to see dark and sinister motives in everything that happens in Manipur, it is advised they also sometime make use of the provisions of the RTI to get hold of actual government documents to see what kind of developmental funds have been earmarked for the different regions of the state and who were given the responsibility for their use before jumping the gun and pointing fingers.

The legacy introduced by the colonial administration of the British vintage still lives on. In particular the practice of administrative and political demarcation of the hills of the Northeast into “excluded” and “partially excluded” territories may have had their use in a colonial set up and perhaps even now, but they are also creating problems. Under this system, the plains generally were administered by general colonial laws but the other two types of territories were placed under special law that for one made these territories reserved for the tribals living in them and visits by outsiders to these area allowed under special permits alone. This system also excluded tribal areas partially or totally from the political and administrative processes under the broad policy philosophy of leaving them alone as long as they do not harangue British subjects or British administered areas. While laws of varying strength reserving tribal territories may be still desirable in order to protect the interest of the tribals, what cannot be forgotten is this would also have negative implications. While tribals coming under generally administrative region would not cause any constitutional problems, non-tribals coming under special administrative regions for tribal can cause serious ones. The case of Jiribam has been raised by so many, saying this small patch of plain area inhabited dominantly by non tribals should be merged to either Tamenglong or Churachandpur which are adjacent to it, just as Moreh is a part of the Chandel district. Moreh so far is not a problem because its population are by and large traders with little or no interest in politics, but the moment any non-tribal resident here begins to nurture political ambition and starts asking for the right to contest in elections from the Tengnoupal Assembly constituency or the Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituency, serious problems would arise, social as well as constitutional. If denied, it would amount to a breach of what arguably is the most major democratic right guaranteed by India’s republican constitution or for that matter any republican constitution – the right to franchise. Jiribam under either of the two tribal districts would pose the same problem.

Sadar Hills, under the circumstance should not have had any problem, at least constitutionally and administratively. It would have been two reserved districts made out of one reserved district. The problem here therefore is more ethnic as everybody is witness now, and little or nothing to do with any consideration of administration. The diagnosis being such, perhaps it would do well for the government to address it as such too. But as of now, the government seems to be, as has become its wont, simply waiting and watching for the storm to pass without thinking of lifting a finger to face the developing crisis. If things continue the way they are, and prices of essential commodities continue to climb towards the sky, the situation could get volatile and tempers of those at the receiving end may reach a flashpoint. Presuming nothing improves, who knows, the closing act of the Okram Ibobi government may be a transition to the emergency constitutional provision of President’s Rule to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/a-tale-of-two-districts/

Leader Writer: Sukham Nanda
The issue over the present Sadar Hills districthood demand in the state is becoming more sensitive day by day as the issue seems to be tending towards the communal line following continuous pouring of total oppositions from different sections of Naga communities of districts of the state to the demands of the Sadar Hills Demand Committee keeping Sadar Hills as one of the full fledged revenue districts by the state government.

The agitation of Sadar Hills Demand Committee by launching indefinite economic blockade along the existing National Highways of the state which are the only life lines of the people has completed 20 days today as a result the common public in the state have started facing serious grievances due the continuing reduces on the stocks of different essential commodities in the state and subsequent rise of prices of various commodities in the main markets at present. But how long such situations of the state will continue to the state, this is the common questions raise by the common public of the state.

It would be tough time for the state government to deliver the present demands easily even though the state Chief minister O Ibobi Singh  himself recently claimed that, whatever demands made by the Sadar Hills Demand Committee was genuine, but it would be right decision for the state to allow continuation of economic blockade along the existing National highways for so long and letting the common people suffer. There must be a solution to each and every problem which the state government need to find out before matter is affecting to the entire administration of the state.

State government need to recall the past similar instance of serious effects on the entire administrations of the government during last year prolonged economic blockade along the National highways of the state called by the Naga bodies for their certain demands. Who knows the present economic blockade will more terrified than last year economic blockade called by the Naga bodies. Time has come for the state government spell out utmost sincerity and ability to solve existing problems before it is too late.

On the other hand, the issue of Sadar Hill due to the emerging of strong opposition from the Naga bodies has added more complex and the very demand itself is now letting the general public to take as demands of a particular Kuki community. The motive behind the unprecedented claims of total opposition by the Naga bodies against the declaration of Sadar Hills as full fledged district seems adding fuel to the fire upon the state government, and declaration of extending support to Sadar Hills Demand Committee by the different Kuki bodies from various districts of the state are questionable, and which can be now openly term as issue of communal tension which the state government need to be worry.

It may be mentioned that, the people of the state specially the two major ethnic communities, Kukis and Nagas have experienced the sorrows and hardship in the past during ethnic clash from then onward elders of both communities have been still praying the lord for not return of such incidents in the future, but who knows the issue over the Sadar Hills may be another reason for reoccurring of the similar events that had taken place in the past.

Considering the complicacy of the issue of Sadar Hills state government need to tackle the issue delicately as technically as the issue has become amounting to communal issue at present and same time the peace lovers Kuki and Naga brothers to sincere to withdraw their present steps a little backward and reconsider for bringing an amicable solutions through dialogue or through joint gathering so that peace of mind can bring be prevailed to all common people of the state.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/dont-let-sadar-hills-issue-be-the-cause-of-another-communal-flare-up/