Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 09 2008:
Announcing a major change in policy, the proscribed PREPAK has today declared that it would stop seeking monetary help with immediate effect.
Coinciding with the 31st raising day of the outfit, a statement issued under the name of Chingkhei Konthoujam, publicity and propaganda secretary in charge of PREPAK said that since October 9, 1977, the outfit has been waging a struggle to win back the lost sovereignty of the land with the help of the public (Hills and valley).
Greeting the people on the occasion of its raising day, the outfit said that it will henceforth stop seeking all monetary help including percentage cuts, tax etc in line with the earlier promise made to the public.
Outlining the reason for the change in policy, the outfit said that financial strength is very much needed to carry on the struggle, but on the other hand, the monetary drive launched by the revolutionary outfits since the last 20/30 years has only made the cadres lose sight of their real ideology and has instead corrupted them.
Admitting that it would be false to say that whatever money is collected from the public actually reach the fund of the party, the statement said that no outfit will be able to give a true and correct account of the money collected.
However account for the money that actually reach the coffer of the outfit can be produced, it said.
The proof of this can be seen by just observing the change in the financial status of some family members of cadres of underground outfits, in a short span of time, said PREPAK.
This shows the mammoth loophole in the process of collecting money from the public.
It is this loophole which hypnotises the cadres making them forget their real aim and aspiration and instead make them believe that being a cadre means living the life of the privileged class, reasoned the statement.
This mindset has also driven a wedge amongst the cadres, with the really committed ones made to look like losers, said the outfit and added that this has also made the cadres unable to face the enemy.
It is not the case of lack of weaponry or training but lack of the qualities of being a revolutionary.
Squabblings over financial matter is also a big factor for the rise in factionalism as well as driving a wedge amongst the revolutionaries, added Chingkhei.
Everyone knows that victory can be achieved only when the different revolutionary organisations unite as one, said the outfit and recalled how the MPLF consisting of PREPAK, UNLF and RPF was formed on March 1, 1999 .
At that time it was agreed that the three would unitedly take up all financial related matters, recalled the statement and added that the public was also assured that the three would merge as one in phases.
However when the matter for taking up the financial matter unitedly came up for discussion, no consensus could be reached as one of the groups, which had the highest revenue was reluctant to do so, said Chingkhei.
Since then MPLF has been slowly fading away, it observed and added that misunderstanding between different outfits over financial matters far outweigh any other reason.
Citing an example, the outfit said that confrontation and use of harsh words between cadres of different outfits in different Government departments over financial matter is common.
Such a trend has driven a wedge amongst the different outfits.
Protests against monetary demands have become a daily staple of news in the newspapers and TV, said Chingkhei and added that the seed for such a trend was sown, some time in 1992/93, when the Class enemy, the moneyed babus and Ministers, who ill treat the down trodden section of society, put on the mask of nationalists and started using the outfits for their own ends.
This can be proven by the simple fact that when any one of the groups place their demand on someone (class enemy), another group will come forward and urge the other to withdraw their demand as the person in question is their man.
This does not necessarily mean that all the moneyed people are Class enemies, clarified the outfit.
Since the moneyed people (class enemy) started enjoying the patronage of one or the other group, the burden of meeting the financial need of the revolutionary organisations started falling on the middle class.
This is one reason, why there is a growing chasm between the revolutionary outfits and the public, it maintained.
The outfit also wished that all genuine revolutionary organisations which have the interest of the people (Hills and valley) in mind will stop seeking monetary help from others.