Price the ongoing clash has exacted Task before the people

The task before the people should be clear. It is not only about fighting to keep intact the idea of Manipur, in the face of the Separate Administration call raised by the Kuki-Zo folks under the aegis of the Kuki Inpi, Manipur (KIM), the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and backed by the 10 Kuki Zo MLAs, but also to give space to each other within the great Manipuri society. The ongoing clash has clearly taken its toll and in the more than 500 days of unrest, the names of some personalities have been pulled in, threatened and even made to feel unsafe to stay in their own home. Is this the Manipur that everyone is fighting for ? Moreover why have some elements come under the impression that it is within their right to label anyone a ‘traitor’, a person who has sold out the interests of the people ? It is this which is deeply disturbing and does not paint the Manipuri society in any good light. The Government should take note of this disturbing development and see that it does not become a trend, wherein anyone can come under the impression that it is only him or them who are fighting or defending the existence of Manipur. The contribution of each and everyone should be noted and respected. Create the vacuum and in the process it is only natural that enough room would have been created for others to rush in and fill up and in a way Manipur may be said to be going through this right now. While the primary job of keeping the emerging power centres under check lies with the Government, it also stands that the people as a whole need to come out and make known their stand. Selective silence is something which The Sangai Express has always spoken out against and the need to speak out against any move to impose an idea or a diktat is increasingly being felt. Strike a united stand against the forces challenging the idea of Manipur and her existence as a distinct geo-political reality but let no one monopolise the idea of saving the continued existence of Manipur. This is a call which is necessitated by the reality and the emerging practise of running down anyone or any personality based on the thinking of anyone or any organisation. Issuing diktats and threats in the public realm is one way of imposing one’s writ on the people and surely this cannot be the time for such muscle flexing exercises. Give room for different ideas to emerge and this is where maturity of the mind and the ability to mix the different ideas and make it into a whole emerges. Does Manipur have that maturity ?
The reality is not at all comfortable. It is with a reason why there is the general observation that speaking out one’s mind at this point of time cannot be exactly healthy for anyone. Why and how such a situation has come about is a question worth pondering for everyone concerned. A people who is not allowed to think independently and act according to what he or she thinks is right cannot be good for the place. It also goes against the understanding of Manipur with a rich history and which has given such leaders as Lamyanba Irabot, to mention just a name that comes to mind, to the world.  Now is the age of the social media and a look through the different statuses shared by some of the more outspoken and fearless individuals will give some idea on the actual situation that Manipur is passing through right now. Ideas which have been floated and while it is not the case of The Sangai Express to say whether these ideas should be followed or not, it wouldn’t hurt anyone to take a long, hard look at some of these thoughts which have been articulated on the social media. While identifying the forces which are out to nullify the idea of Manipur and dismember the continued existence of the place as a distinct geo-political reality should be no problem, it is the devil within which could create confusion and present a chaotic Manipur to the outside world. Not something that anyone would like. This is not the time to let the politics of one upmanship, the politics to wield more power, the politics to be near the power centres that should be allowed to confuse and blind the people. This is the time to appreciate and note the contribution of each individual in building the great Manipuri society.