Opinion on SoO
Denzel Kookie *
Never heard and known in the history of Manipur in the post-independent India and the Kukis in particular, the Suspension of Operation (SoO) Agreement had been endorsed at New Delhi by emissaries of Kuki Rebels, the Centre and State governments respectively on 22nd August, 2008. It is a seminal landmark in the history of peace-building in North east India initiated by the Centre, solely with a mission on peaceful settlement of the Kuki question.
The historic tripartite agreement is the outcome of the positive response made by the KNO and UPF in the wake of the repeated Olive branch offer made by the Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and the state Chief Minister Mr. O Ibobi Singh. The Prime Minister had repeatedly urged the insurgents and the naxalites to seek redressal of their grievances through democratic means because in a democracy, the power of the people flows through the ballot box and not through the barrel of the gun.
It is indeed a welcome step taken in an appropriate stage by all the participating parties, which should not be turned into a missed opportunity. Because, the Kuki nation yearn for peace and development. We are really shocked and pained to hopelessly see the growing populace of the orphans, maimed bodies and widows besides many defiled occupations unknown in the then Kuki society. For the last two decades of Kuki armed resurrection we have been living with terror and horror.
Of late, the leadership of both KNO and UPF have at last decided to follow the footsteps taken by their brothers-in-arms of the Region viz. the NDFB (Bodos), NLFT (Tripuris), ANVC (Garos), DHD (Dimasas), UPDS (Karbis), HNLC (Khasis), and both the factions of NSCN reposing their trust and confidence in the magic of the Constitution of India.
Today, the major tribal groups of the region have felt threatened by the outside or alien forces (the non-Tribals) on their culture, identity and their land. Here, it may be relevant to cite the case of the Boroks (Tripuris) and the Dimasas who once had a glorious kingdom but today their very survival as a distinct ethnic group is at stake, nearing to total annihilation of their race.Therefore, dialogue and justice must flow from the Constitution of India to give a healing touch to the deprived and neglected sections of the NE Region.
In the context of the Kuki people, it would be very much wiser to acknowledge and consider their genuine demands and their plights, with positive attitude rationally instead of confrontational and obstructive mindsets. In doing so, the historical factors and their past contributions in the national movement under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Bose besides the Kuki Rising of 1917-1919 should not be overlooked or underestimated. So as to come to a desirable solution and fair deal one need to stressed back to the roots, keeping in mind the maxim of Machiavelli – “that whosoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past”.
Whatsoever agenda or demands the KNO and UPF may stick to, if it is not against the Constitution of India, they have every rights and privileges to enjoy their rights as a citizen of India to air their grievances. To me, legally speaking no power or forces on earth has the right to object or suppress their voice concerning their people and their land, that too across the negotiating table.
As a lay unemployed Kuki, I believed and hoped that most of the grievances of lesser-known ethnic groups of NE India could be peaceably redressed within the parameters of the Indian Constitution.
* Denzel Kookie writes forthe first time to e-pao.net. The writer can be contacted at denzelkookie (AT) rocketmail (DOT) com>.
This article was webcasted on September 08th, 2008.
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