If ever there has been a civil society body in the history of Manipur which wields as much clout-if not more-as does the establishment of the day, than it is UCM. The UCM enjoys unprecedented goodwill and respect of the public that it is hard not to feel pity for the politicians who are hauled over the coals and left completely disgraced, especially in the wake of the mass uprising of June 18, 2001.

It is also very rare indeed that issues of grave importance have been virtually left in the people's court-sidestepping the role of the state government-ever since the unfortunate attempt by the Indian government to balkanize Manipur in collusion with the Naga extremists came out in the open.

This is no mean achievement but will go down in the history of Manipur as one glorious epoch in which the Manipuris have had a taste of true democracy at grassroot level. We might never live to see another repeat of this historical watershed as politicians and their allies have an uncanny way of reverting to their entrenched position of power, but we can at least make it last a little longer and make the most out of it.

At the helm of this socio-political movement is the UCM. So far, it has lived up to the expectations of the people riding the crest of popular support and goodwill. It has given an eye for an eye response to the threat to territorial integrity of Manipur from Machiavellian designs of the Center and the Muivah's gang of trespassers. The battle is not yet over, and UCM is unwavering in its struggle to keep the flag of Manipuris' solidarity flying loftily. And we all hope that UCM wins the battle so that we can rest in peace and dignity tomorrow, free from remorseful feelings of having let Manipur torn into pieces before our eyes.

Nevertheless, UCM would do well to prevent itself from falling into a state of complacency after having reached the pinnacle of popularity. Public support is a fickle element that can wane and is contingent upon it fulfilling the wishes of the people. If public cooperation and trust in it is lost, it would be indeed a monumental opportunity lost to rectify the mess that political establishment had created over the decades since Manipur attained statehood in 1972.

The UCM should not fritter away the rare leveraging ability that that the June 18 2001 had gifted to it. Not that it is doing a bad job of safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur, if anything, we only wish it to continue the good work on behalf of the 2 million Manipuris who feel orphaned and lost in this country.

However, as a humble observer of the course that the UCM is taking, undoubtedly, in good faith, I think one can be forgiven to surmise that the organization tends to be sometimes lacking in strategy and foresight in action plan. The organization seems to be following a systematic policy of wait and watch over the crucial issue of peace talks between NSCN (IM) and Indian government, rather than a proactive policy of strike-before-your-enemy-does.

Instead of merely reacting from time to time and waiting for the outcome of the secret talks between Muivah and Indian government, it should have pushed more vigorously for inclusion in the talks. After all, what is at stake is the fate of 2000 years old territorial heritage of Manipur. The people of Manipur have every right to be in the process that could have direct repercussions on them and their posterity.

This author is deeply saddened by the simplistic argument given by the UCM that it is not obliged to beg the Indian government to be included in the talks and that rather the latter should take the initiative in this regard. Our contention is that if the invitation is not forthcoming, then we should demand it as our birthright. In fact, the Indian government won't be doing us any favour by inviting the Manipuris to be part of the talks; if anything we are one of the reasons for the talks. Instead we are left in the dark about anything that has transpired behind the cloak of secrecy that the so called peace talks have become.

To be fair, the UCM has admitted as much, but what perplexes us is the lack of any appropriate lobby at any level to gatecrash into the negotiating hall. Nowhere in the various memorandums and petitions from the UCM that have reached the hands of Prime Minister and President, does the demand for inclusion of Manipuri representatives in the peace talks figure. This is a tactical folly that can hardly be overlooked.

We don't expect the demand to be met with alacrity but had it been raised, it would serve the purpose of mounting more pressure on the Indian government to weigh the apprehensions of Manipuris more seriously.

One area where the Manipuris have lagged far behind is the propaganda. It is a sad commentary on our media management skills that our point of view is always sidelined in the national media. The result is that more people know about NSCN (IM) or Muivah than Manipur, not to talk of our apprehensions about any likely agreement that could be hammered out between Naga extremists and the Indian government at the expense of Manipur's territorial integrity.

Such an indifferent treatment to propaganda will not in the long run reap us any benefits. We know our stand is right, but there are other 1000 million people in this country who needs to be educated and convinced. These people have to be won over to our point of view and made human ammunitions to fire at the Indian policy makers. India may not give a damn about us Manipuris, but it can hardly afford to antagonize the nation.

A state assembly had been razed to ground, political heavyweights have kissed the dust in the elections, 18 courageous patriots have laid down their lives and many other massive struggles launched by the people of Manipur-all for protecting the unity of Manipur. Any of these events are not your everyday bazaar gossip materials; they are historical turning points of great importance. But when the rest of India seems unaware of the injustice inflicted on us despite everything that had happened, it is time for a reality check.

To position our stand more prominently in the national media, UCM or for that matter any other allied organization can place advertorials in leading media outlets like India Today, Times of India, Hindustan Times, STAR NEWS, AAJ TAK (watched by more viewers than any other news channel), etc. Of course, we can take media by its horns through traditional means of humouring (read gifts, free dinner, flight tickets, even bribe) eminent journalists into writing on behalf of our cause.

International support should also play a great role in building pressure on the Indian Government to honour our stand on the Nagalim issue. Dismissing the route of marshalling the opinion of international community as following the "yardsticks of NSCN(IM)" (as one spokesman of UCM told me at a press conference) reflects shallowness of strategy. In this regard, the NSCN (IM) does a better job by appealing to the Christianity brotherhood of the world. Being a Christian might have helped them in securing international support, but there are other ways to achieve the same results. See how Dalits received worldwide support and look no further then Tibetan struggle who hogs the international limelight spearheaded by their charismatic leader. They are not Christians.

While the UCM is at it, it can also, by virtue of its clout, can directly cleanse the Manipuri society of traces of corruption. The public goodwill and support is with the UCM and it should not fritter it away. To begin with, tell the politicians and bureaucrats to stop their corrupt ways. Give warnings, call for social boycotts of erring Ministers, make appeals, move courts, thrash up corrupt officials-do anything to put an end to this bulldozer called corruption.

Intellectuals of Manipur also have a chance to put their thoughts into action at this juncture. When the political tribe is at their lowest ebb, what better time are they waiting for to experiment their seminar polished philosophy. As far as I know UCM's door is open to anybody. But, where have all the intellectuals gone?