Rumbles on the northern front
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 14, 2011 -

ALL IS not quiet on the northern front. Mao villagers are locked in a conflict over land with villagers of Kigwema on the Nagaland side. To begin at the beginning, land is so very often identified with the existence of a populace. This is particularly so when a total population is confined within a defined geographical dimension.

In such a case any incursion into somebody else's land tantamount to violating the deeply treasured social and cultural fabric of a community. But why do incursions take place, why do people covet the land of others. Greed is the answer of course. However, when this covetous greed of other peoples' land gets state sponsorship the issue becomes serious.

Such is the scenario behind the boundary dispute between Mao villagers (within Manipur) and Kigwema villagers (within Nagaland). The tussle over ownership of land between the villagers of Mao and Kigwema is nothing new. There has been even physical confrontations in the past. In the past as long as the nodal authority (represented by the King in Manipur) remained effective and credible the equation was always in favour of Mao.

Once the powers of this nodal authority got eroded the capability of safeguarding boundaries diminished. Right now the villagers in Mao area are facing the distasteful reality of seeing their ancestral lands being claimed by their neighbours. Unfortunately this is also the time the nodal leadership in the state has been reduced to an emasculated state.

The Nagaland government has constructed all weather roads all along the disputed sites. And this includes their approach road to the Dzuko valley.

Here in Manipur we have countered their concrete actions by spewing out fast and furious promises to act. We live in a wonderland. We must realise that land disputes with Nagas have been going on, officially that is, right from 1934.

Starting from Tungjoy to Choka, Mao Song Song, Dzuko, Pfutsero and Jessami we have witnessed flash points in disputes over land. Paradoxically on the one hand we are suspicious that the hill people wish to move over to Nagaland along with their lands, and yet it is the intrepid villagers who live right in the boundary who are determined to protect the land away from the Nagas.

One hopes at this stage some busy bodies do not suddenly appear to make their dank and smelly presence felt by saying that all is right, and that these cases are small issues between Nagas and that Naga brotherhood will resolve all such issues.

The inability to comprehend complex social relationships might make them to babble such baby talk. The reality however is that even blood brothers fight and kill over land, money and women.

To them we say, let us cast aside dark aspirations for the time being and concentrate to lend a joint hand to our beleaguered fellow citizens whose lands are facing the threat of wrongful appropriation by others who care two hoots about unity etc. etc. Stop living in a Neverland.

Most important of all, the government must understand the reality and act in a positive manner.

Let us all understand that all of us, with no exceptions, except vested interests, feel violated when the social fabric we have created over the generations is being challenged by greed and covetousness.

Act swiftly and positively to protect your people and land. We have seen you can do it, but don't make it an exception, make it a rule.