Post August 31 and the coming new year : Acknowledging a common future
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 11 2015 -
2016 is at hand.
In a few days time from now, the world will welcome the new year with open arms, which in effect means bidding farewell to 2015.
Nothing new here for this has been the same story but to the people of Manipur there should be some lessons to be learnt from the year which is about to go by.
That is, if the people are willing to learn anything at all. This will go a long way in making the new year more meaningful.
Nothing much to cheer when one looks back at the days gone by but there should be something valuable to learn from, for adversity can be the best teacher, provided the people are sincere enough to learn from the past.
Undoubtedly, 2015 will certainly go down as the ILP year or a demand to enact a legislation to check the unabated inflow of non-local people into the soil of Manipur.
It also stands that to quite a large number of people, 2015 will also go down as the year when sharp divisions arose between the different communities, especially after the State Assembly passed the three Bills on August 31.
So if the valley areas witnessed days of street protest to demand an effective mechanism to check the inflow of non-local people, the hills, particularly Churachandpur erupted in strong protest after the three Bills were passed on August 31.
If the valley area saw the demise of one student in the protest to demand a legislation to check the inflow of non-local people, Churachandpur saw the death of nine protesters against the three Bills.
As things have unfolded, the protest against the three Bills morphed into a demand for a separate administrative mechanism for the tribals of the land and significant to note that the nine bodies at Churachandpur are still lying at large, the last rites yet to be performed.
Clearly the divide between the people of the hills and the valley cannot be more clear than this.
Is it the three Bills or is it a case of the innate sense of distrust and animosity between the people of the hills and valley ?
The answer may lie somewhere in between but this does not say anything good for the people and the land.
More than evident that there will not be any quick fix solution, but it stands that the situation calls for everyone to have an open mind.
Taking refuge in some archaic slogan will no longer work.
What is perhaps needed is for everyone to come around to the reality that the people here have a common future which cannot be snapped.
It is when everyone starts working for a common future, will the sense of distrust and animosity subside somewhat.
It is with this sense that the people here need to walk into the new year.
Other than the August 31 Bills there were other issues, which will not exactly make 2015 a good year for the people to recollect.
Whatever the case, it is only right that the people take a leaf or two out from this year and walk into the new year with fresh insights.
The past can become meaningful only when one learns some lesson from the days gone by and the coming days will be more meaningful only when people acknowledge the fact that everyone here have a common future.
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