Muivah's intended visit & the Khongjom War

Dr Irengbam Mohendra Singh *

In the wake of the recent attempt (May 2010) by Th Muivah, general secretary of NSCN (IM) to enter Manipur, seemingly to visit his birthplace at Somdal village in the Ukhrul ditrict of Manipur, this article discusses why the different ethnic groups of people living in Manipur should engage in a sense of oneness despite physical and psychological barriers with the motto: unity in diversity.

The challenge to preserve the "Unity in Diversity" in Manipur has been an insurmountable dilemma. The 4,000 years (unconfirmed) old history of Manipur has created many diverse cultures of the tribes living in Manipur with their peculiar ways of life, which is a part of what we call culture, a very little understood term involving values, beliefs, feelings and a way of life. Such cultural differences among the various tribes of Manipur, especially the Nagas, have created a lack of cohesion.

The trepidations of non-Naga tribes of Manipur

A political revolution is going on in Nagaland with gushing approval from a sizeable Naga fraternity in Manipur. They are enjoying the deja vu of the young Naga state and forgetting their lights are now gallivanting into a rampant daydream of a greater Nagaland. They are working themselves into a righteous lather to leave the non-Naga tribes of Manipur in the lap of the Gods. Frissons of horror are running deep among the non-Naga tribes of Manipur. Should we let the "nation-state" of Manipur die on its feet? Should we let it fall into the bottomless abyss of perdition? To be, or not to be, that is the question.

While contemplating like Hamlet, acknowledging that each person discovers death for himself as no one can return to describe it, the Meiteis are beginning to discover the end of their existence. It is mainly because the Government of India (Gol) is fishing in troubled waters. The GoI is using the strategy of 'Divide and Rule'. The use of this strategy is imputed to play one tribe against the other to maintain control of the territories of Northeast India with a minimal number of Indian forces.

The concept of 'divide and rule' gained prominence when India was a part of the British Empire, and earlier, for the Anglo-Normans to take Ireland. The British used the strategy to gain control of the large territory of India by keeping its people divided along lines of religion, language or caste, taking control of petty princely states in India piecemeal. The Government of India's strategic ideology in this policy is about goal-goal to divide the Northeast tribal communities, who are opprobrious by, their nefarious activities of insurgencies. Next to the Naga insurgents are the Meitei insurgents, who are now stronger than the NSCN. And unlike the Nagas they are unlikely to give up.

The GoI knows that the massive Indian security forces have been unsuccessful in destroying the Meitei insurgencies. They have thus let loose a dedicated anti-Indian Muivah to cause uncertainty and chaos among the Meiteis and non-Naga population of Manipur while at the same time, sowing a deep hatred between the Naga population of Manipur on one hand and the Meiteis and Kukis on the other. The BJP Government tried the same strategy in 2001. BJP is infamous for using 'divide and rule' policy between the lower caste Hindus and Muslims by destroying an historic mosque on an alleged Hindu site and built a Hindu Temple and thus gained power over the Congress.

The GoI sent Muivah no cause turmoil and political manoeuvring over the future of the Meiteis and other non-Naga communities of Manipur. We must remember that the Northeast inhabited by the Mongoloid people is the colonial territories of India. The Gol has thus a policy of "Divide and Rule" (Latin divide et impera) to keep the Northeast territories under control.

The same insinuation, which caused the June 2001 uprising keeps getting made thread by thread, creating the current discontent and disallowing a settled and peaceful co-existence of different communities living in Manipur. Divide and rule policy is paying off. Why docs GoI use this policy? The glib answer is that it can.

Divide and rule is a combination of political; military and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up Northeast insurgents, especially the Meitei and the Assamese groups and preventing them from linking up and becoming so powerful that they could effectively challenge the Gol. It has also fostered distrust and enmity between the state Governments and the insurgents, besides making the economy of the Northeast communities completely dependant on the GoI.

The Nagas keep shouting their "rightful claims" of breaking up Manipur and that they are the "peace loving citizens". They want a peaceful solution to their claim. They seem to be missing the point. It is like someone saying that he wants peaceful solution with the husband whose beautiful wife he wants to run away with. To the Meiteis especially, the three Naga inhabited districts of Manipur are sacred as they were their ancestors' homes. And to them the boundaries of Manipur that have been clearly demarcated since 1773 CE is inviolable.

For the modern resurgent Naga nationalism, expansionism has become de rigueur, thus ratcheting up tension between them and the non-Naga tribal communities of Manipur, especially the Meiteis.

What they lack is an understanding that maintaining the vital cultural diversity in Manipur is essential for their and our survival.

What is more worrying is the GOI's intrigue of fishing in troubled waters. It has sent Muivah to test the temperature of the water on the pretext that he wants to visit his native village while hiding a political agenda to visit the three Naga inhabited districts to foment separatism. The visits will politicise that these districts of Manipur are parts of Greater Nagaland. Muivah is only free to move in Nagaland under the ongoing negotiations.

Muivah is camping with his armed entourage at Visema village about 10 Km away from the Manipur border town of Mao since May 5 when the Chief Minster Ibobi stopped him in his tracks. He is still very determined to enter Manipur by force or persuasion. He is like the CO of the Britsh troops camping at the Langathel Hill during the Khongjom War of 1891 while Ibobi stands as a Paona Brajabashi, except that this time round the Manipuris will not meet with the same sad ending.

The GoI involvement plot is thickening. A high level team consisting of the Home secretary GK Pillai and the "interlocutor" S-Pandey visited Imphal on May-11 to tell Ibobi to toe the line rather than telling Muivah to cancel his visit. There is a hidden agenda that the Gol acquiesces to the Naga demand for a Greater Nagaland while the Nagas drop the demand for an independent sovereign State as a compromise to break the deadlock.

I am really sad that two young students, Chakho Mao and Loshon Mao lost their lives in the riotous demonstration on May 6 because of Muivah. I understand and sympathise with the aspirations of many Nagas of Manipur consisting of about 17 per cent of Manipur's total population. They know what they want but it should not be at the expense of the Meiteis and the Pangals and other non-Naga tribes such as the Koms, Koirengs, Thadous, Paites, Gangtes, Hmars and so forth.

The Origin of the Meiteis of Manipur and why they resist disintegration of Manipur

Muivah's claim that "Let the Meiteis keep what belongs to them and we will keep what is rightly ours" is misreading history; The historical fact is that a composite Manipur belongs to the Meiteis and whosoever wants to live in it. The history of Manipur is definitely 2,000 years old, which is something everybody agrees. Some erudite Meitei decoders of the Puyas, now date the origin of the Meiteis to 2,000 years before the Christian era.

The Meiteis are indigenous to Manipur ie they inhabit Manipur with which they have the earliest known historical connection alongside more recent immigrants, the CHIKIMS tribal groups, who have populated it. The forefathers of the Meiteis had been living in the surrounding mountain ranges in prehistoric times. These mountain peaks are very holy to them. They will fight tooth and nail to keep the integrity of Manipur.

The Meiteis have no problem with Christianity and Islam

The Meiteis have no difficulty living with Christians and Muslims. They are people like them with different ways of life.

Unity in diversity is a motto for co-operating between different groups of people and people of different religions in a single socio-economic philosophy. The present Meitei-Pangals are the children of Meitei women married to these men. They have been living in villages adjoining Meitei villages, in perfect harmony from about 600 CE.

Why Unity in Diversity in Manipur

We need unity in Manipur to keep the defined borders of Manipur intact. Manipur is diversified into 36 tribes, some big and some small. There is also a sizeable community of Meitei-Pangals (7.7% of 2.3 million in 2001 Census). We need unity to survive and prosper.

How to foster Unity in Diversity in Manipur

The attainment of unity in diversity in Manipur can only be made possible by a passionate concern for a choice of living together in an atmosphere of social trust. We need to have a commonly stated objective ie to live as Manipuris, sharing a unity of intent with an ecological understanding. We have been living in Manipur together from pre-historic times. We need an integrative approach to transcend the fragmented understanding on the parts of different tribal communities, rising above the religious dogmas and self-centred political ideologies.

'United we stand, divided we fall" is a phrase that has been used as mottos from nations and states to songs. It was a political phrase that has been used by the Indian freedom fighters to garner support within India during its struggle for independence from the British Empire. It is a phrase, which the non-Naga tribes of Manipur should now adopt. Unless we are united as one people, it is easy to destroy our communities one by one by the Mayang Gol. This is the opposite of Divide and Rule.

What should the Meiteis and Non-Naga communities do now?

While the Nagas of Nagaland are wrangling for a Greater Nagaland we are fighting for our survival. We should not blame the Nagas of Manipur. They are simply following some of their leaders. But we must fight the Gol to change its nefarious ethnic cleansing policy in Manipur. A fight it must be. A stitch in time saves nine.