RPF chief cautions people against neo-imperialism-II
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 25 2013: Contd from previous issue .

Observing that though the ever rising numbers of immigrants who originated from India are mostly workers, the RPF President said their mode of exodus can be seen as an element of neo-imperialism.

Perhaps, the immigrants themselves may not understand that they are acting as agents of neo-imperialism.

Yet, it is easily discernible Government of India encourages continuous exodus of their people to Western South East Asia (WESEA) .

"By using their poverty-stricken people as a tool, Government of India has been plotting to obliterate and ultimately vanish the indigenous culture, religious practices, languages and identity of the people of WESEA.

The current of permanent exodus from India to WESEA including Manipur is not a recent phenomenon.

It has been going on since many decades back and there is no sign of cessation until all the indigenous peoples of WESEA are assimilated or gobbled up completely.

This is, in fact, India's demographic invasion on WESEA, one of the many potent instruments of neo-imperialism," Chaoren said.

India's Look East Policy, Indo-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement and Asian Highway-I (which would pass through Manipur) are all elements of neo-imperialism.

The recent offer of Asian Development Bank to invest substantial amount of money for construction of roads in Manipur should not beguile our people.

It does not mean ADB intends to build roads in Manipur for the people of Manipur.

The truth is, ADB is interested to build standard highways on behalf of big companies in view of Manipur's strategic location to facilitate trans-national trade and business activities.

Given such a scenario, India would no longer be the sole agent of neo-imperialism vis-a-vis WESEA, the president noted.

Apart from India, many multinational companies, global financial institutions and other capitalist guilds would soon start exercising their influence over the region.

Exploration of petroleum in Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Jiribam is an obvious move to exploit and loot Manipur's natural resources by MNCs in connivance with the Government of India.

There is nothing our people would gain from this intrusion by MNCs and India.

Since the time of British colonialism, petroleum drilling has been going on in Assam, one of our immediate neighbours but it has benefited the people of Assam very little.

Assam's tea is known all over the world.

Many landlords and capitalists turned extensive areas into tea farms.

But it does not provide any significant benefit to the people of Assam.

Rather, large numbers of Adivasis were imported from India and they were engaged in tea plantations.

Now the population of Adivasis in Assam has swelled to such an extent that they have become a cause of communal conflict.

For all these reasons, our people, by keeping all these imminent challenges in view, need to prepare ourselves so that we can overcome these challenges and save the nation from the unavoidable onslaught of neo-imperialism, Chaoren noted.

Stating that one natural instinct of mankind is the desire to live freely, Chaoren said that even if imperialist India strives most cleverly with all its might and resources, it will never succeed to extinguish the people's instinct for freedom.

With imperialist countries unable to suppress freedom movements of indigenous peoples, many colonised nations have achieved independence.

For instance, in 1945 one-third of the world's population (750 million) were living in dependent territories.

This figure came down to around 60 million in 1960.More than 60 per cent of today's United Nations member countries were either colonies or Trust territories in the past.

Unfortunately, the puppet government of Manipur has been rather welcoming the elements and policies of colonization and neo-colonization devised by India, he asserted.

Chaoren said that divergent perspectives and concepts harboured by different communities in Manipur and the rising level of distrust is one bitter reality that came into being only after Manipur was annexed by India.

Even today the colonial regime, taking advantage of a few faulty events recorded in history, has been consistently working to divide the people of Manipur on ethnic lines.

People who are seeking alternative arrangement and those demanding Kuki state are all indigenous people of the land who lived and grew together.

Divergent and contradictory political movements based on parochial ethnic interest and aspirations witnessed in Manipur at present are all aimed at achieving some material benefits from India.

But these community based movements can never redress the common problems and sufferings being endured by all the indigenous communities.

The misery of suppression and deprivation can be redressed only when all the indigenous people of Manipur are freed from the yoke of Indian imperialism.

To defeat India's policy of fragmentation on ethnic lines, all the indigenous communities need to join hands and build up our collective strength.

No community of Manipur can live happily in isolation.

A plural society is the only way which can deliver a dignified life to all our indigenous people.

There is no nation in the world comprising of a single ethnic group or community throughout its history for it is impossible.

The people need to abandon the wild theory of "one community, one nation".

At the same time, the concept of nation building based on the aspirations of majority community is now obsolete in a plural society, the RPF President said while calling upon the people to reinforce a sense of unity and fight a common enemy and make Manipur, a common homeland, a pluralistic, progressive and egalitarian society.

(Concluded) .

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