Sadar Hills Demand - Winning Mantras!

Gitchandra S Oinam *

Hunger strikers demanding for Sadar hills Districthood at Kangpokpi on August 25 2011 :: Picture Credit - Kamboi

Since 1971, Sadar Hills Demand Committee respectfully beg something honestly for their local people to the government and people of Manipur, however, preceding government does not act honestly - had pass their time, and the present government over 9 and half years does not attempt to move their ultimate demand earnestly. Giving something to Sadar hills people does not mean depriving Naga political solution and peace dialogue. However, Government intension is unclear and remained in confused state of mind.

Freedom is not given easily---it is taken by force or defeating; it requires many attempt consistently, patience, determination etc. Win or defeat is the two face of one coin. Is your courage lost after your father falls in the battle field, asked in the American War of Independence? Spontaneous outcry of Sadar hills and Jiribam is the cumulative effect of failed promises made by the government from time to time and mishandling of the situations. Honestly, our people are not getting real freedom. We must fight for it!

History is for reference; we can learn our mistakes and achievements from history. If you are crazy, frenzy and psyche of land based on historical background, I said go back to China, Myanmar, and Thailand - your ancestral origin. Civilization of the past was very little. Our forefathers were nomad--roam from one place to another in search of food; finally learn skills of agriculture and settlement, chieftains' system existence and finally kingdom and now, democracy after prolong British colonial rules.

This is the time to know the difference between power of tolerance and power to face the challenges. We face challenges to free ourselves from exploitation and abuses but we tolerate all pains to achieve our goal. We feel pain when some objects hurt physically and emotionally. Somebody may win you physically but nobody can win your emotion. It is your emotion that makes you defeat yourself. Self esteem, motivation, determination and courage can overcome your emotional weakness.

Why and when child cry? Simply to give attention when s/he feels uncomfortable, pain, hunger etc. Bad parenting makes a child naughty and cries habitually. In such a manner, civil society launches strike and band/ blockade to give attention when government give less attention.

We hope, Sadar hills/ Jiribam people must knowing where and when to stop road blockade—you can't remained anger and hijack national highway all the time. I will ask you to break your fasting and road blockade- suffering of people is beyond limit and you will need other people help. Honestly, I feel pain to see your fasting ladies in newspapers.

And the time has come to change your game plan- i.e. advocacy, media promotion campaign, public debate, discussion, negotiation and interaction etc. You must be preparing fully for coming struggle and my tough questions; perhaps, I may not be the one to ask you tough questions but somebody (Naga brothers) will ask you very tough questions. Wish you all the best. Please accept it, Sadar Hills people have won one battle, government is defeated; further you have to fight for more tough two battles before bifurcation and up gradation of district.

Formation of Committee on Reorganisation of Administrative and Police District Boundaries is winning battle of Sadar hills people. Now, you have to face the administrative and police district boundaries reorganisation committee/ questions of Naga brothers and finally battle of assembly resolution and complete bifurcation drama. Anna Hazari won the half battle on Jana Lok Pal bill movement because team Anna's concept and philosophy is very clear. Research work, promotion, strategy, communication, management, mobilization, determination, team combination and team work, financial support etc etc, are outstanding. I was looking every step of team ANNA movement. I am not a member of team ANNA but I like team ANNA.

Today, Anna gives you a hope-- Lok Ayukta in state (similar to Lok Pal Bill at centre) to be implemented in every state of India beside citizen charter- to support public grievances while dealing with government offices. People will get information about the daily records of officials working and complain thereof. The idea of citizen charter was first propounded to me by late Sahib Singh Verma, former Chief Minister of Delhi and Union Minister of labour in NDA government. I met him personally many times in many occasions. He was trying his best to implement citizen charter in Delhi. But, after he was dead (road accident) his son was not given BJP ticket for election- million dollar questions remained unanswered to me.

It is true, District creation/ up gradation is a process; there is no short cut and magic formula to create a district. If somebody advice you a short cut formula, please don't accept it. Believe it or open your rules book, short cut formula will never last and eventually will derail all the process of district creation. Beside, one should not try to hurt others to please somebody; resolution shall be consensus. It requires a lot of dialogue, discussion, debate and advocacy to find out a consensus. Justice will be done finally and it is only matter of time-be patient; you have waited for over 40 years but why can't some months?

It requires official feasible reports which to be table on the floor of state assembly and finally budget is required for establishment, Chief Minister of Manipur said rightly to you. Officially, CM is not in position to declare Sadar hills as a district but congress party and any other political party can give assurance to the people as they did for Nagas. But nobody follow up further explanation of Chief Minister's speech. These are the weakness of team SPF. Commonly, CM office must be surrounded by experts, scholars and well wishers. Here in Manipur, CM/ all ministers' office are surrounded by percentage chamchagiri. I don't know who the media advisor of CM is and who are handling situation in case of crisis?

Silence becomes a problem; it can't be a solution. Wonderfully, powerful government have crunch of experts; nobody comes forward to help SPF team in critical situation of Manipur except UCM and some small organisations. Personally I have neither enemy nor friend of SPF. I agree with you; you have taught a good lession to SPF; government has damage severely- that's enough. However, damaging government and public properties are not solution; anyway, we have protest enough- centre has given attention about Sadar hills.

If you are local politician want to play some small tricks-- I warn you, stop punching to shadow. SPF government is dummy government of Dr. Manmohan Singh. That is why whenever you do verbal attack to O. Ibobi in Manipur, somebody will attack to Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. O. Ibobi Singh is the only CM does not face my tough questions in my time-empathy to him because I know how he had suffered during NDA period.

Gaikhangam, Phungjathan were his closest team mate seeks advice from Dr. Manmohan when he was remained as MP (Rajya Sabha) for financial help from centre. By the way, his intimacy and attachment with Dr. Manmohan has developed. One of my Tamil friends called me one day- your state CM came to my boss residence for a cup of tea, he is very, very simple I never expected.

Tamil Nadu CM will come to Delhi like Maharaja (national news) -50/60 Tamil Nadu securities will arrive as advance team before s/he arrives to Delhi. But today, O. Ibobi has changed. I talk to my clients that you will be faster taking appointment of PM than Manipur CM. One goodness of O. Ibobi is that he loves his loyalist very much. You can't defeat him in the area he knows.

One weakness is that he will not act immediately in the area he does not know; also, he has no time to learn new things. His strength is Dr. Manmohan Singh, among largest congress party fund raiser (Sanjoy Hajarika remark at Sunday Guardian) and his long service in congress working committee. His greatest threats are his MPs- most of the state MPs and ex-MPs are CM aspirants. His opportunity is new band of young candidates in the coming election.

May I advice the Sadar hills/ Jiribam district demand committee to look into administrative and police district boundaries reorganisation committee profile, methodology and objective carefully. So that past mistake in the time of Rishang keishing, W. Nipamach may not be repeated again (I don't know what are the methodology they had used and if any political will they had to create district).

Also, I don't know exactly how many officials / state researchers have involved /well experience in action research study, therefore, methodology and time table of administrative and police district boundary reorganisation committee must be open to public so that we can see if any loop holes are found in the methodology. Committee must be strong, independent and well trained personals only. Action research and ordinary research for academic degree are very different in methodology and time frame work.

Administrative and police district boundaries reorganisation committee shall not work like an enquiry committee; if so, committee shall be better to chaired by retired judges- I wonder public hearing at the first instance; are you listening? Your Bare Babu is calling you at state secretariat office for your opinion on fact finding about district boundary bifurcation. Bare Babu must go to the field- meet the real villagers and listen their opinions first for primary data collection. Action shall be taken on the spot if the case was minor.

The basic approach likely to be adopted for this study would be a 360 degree analysis, advocacy, group discussion, action taken on spot, action to be taken, to be disposed of; and starting with assessment of the status of the present, past and new district boundary etc. So, the basic approach will be combination of the qualitative and quantitative research and giving due diligence to the various aspect of district up gradation. This would mean studying the forward and backward linkages between the stakeholders and the efficiency of the process adopted. Hence, it is proposed to collect relevant information/ data/ views both of secondary and primary from various stakeholders, to accomplish this district boundary reorganisation committee report successfully.

Integrated approach to the study requires- literature review, secondary data collection, primary data collection, tabulation and compilation, amalgamation/ superimposition, analysis and draft report preparation, conclusions, recommendations/ strategy and finalization of the report. It will requires minimum 7-8 months but say one year in case of Manipur (please do not accept 3 months time duration proposed by state government- committee reports will finally put into refrigerator because it is impossible to prepare a feasible report within 3 months except desk works and there are many complicated issues to be discuss, debate and finalise and it requires consensus both from different stakeholders and finally, election notification will faster and reports will keep with held- I can bet because I was doing action research work)

Therefore, I suggest you again and again, don't believe in short cut, you will face trouble- there is no short cut and magic formula for district creation and up gradation at the present situation. Your agitation will required more energy to store, exposure, mental balance of your supporters, relationship preferably more levis style of protest may be expensive but necessary to bear and contribution from stake holders to success your mission and your game plan of highway blockade batter to change-- you will need support from other people. Please accept to my humble suggestion- forget for Manipur and India's experts; even Mr Obama team will speak the same or less! Victory will be yours!

I disagree with Rishang keishing opinion in case of Jiribam (realising inconvenience of district administration)--existing boundary and population of Jiribam is enough for district up gradation in case Tamenglong people objected to integrate some part of hill. The best practises to insure the people Jiribam/ Sadar hills district is to create as a model district--neither hills nor plain district (look for future). Hopefully, Tamenglong people must be part of it. Of course, Districts of Nagaland are proportionate in size and population and convenience for district administration. I know the benefit of district creation and you are the real beneficiaries but it requires- consensus, dialogue, discussion and reconciliation.

Mahe is the smallest district in India. It has an area of 9 sq. km. Mahe is geographically located in the state of Kerala, where as administratively it comes under the control of Union Territory of Pondicherry.

Mahe has the official name of Mayyazhi in the local Malayalam language. Mahe has a population of about 36,000 according to the 2001 census. The population density of the town is 4091 per sq. km. Males constitute 47% of the population and females 53%. Mahe has an average literacy rate of 85%. Mahe has two members in the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly, representing Mahe and Palloor.

Nobody blew "Brahmastra" to weaken your government; government itself weaken by differences in opinion among cabinet colleagues and congress party divided within-- wait for party ticket offering drama for coming assembly election, you will see the real picture. By the blessing of Lord Brahma, I was able to know what is Brahmastra mantra ( elite weapon/missile of mass destruction of Lord Brahma in Hindu Sastra) but, this powerful weapon should never be remember, mention, conscious and not for use in war.

This is the weapon for worshiping and decoration to show one's might. The fact is, SPF government is infiltrated in Chakravyuh (warfare of guru Dronacharya) but don't know where to exit. Unless government is trying honestly for a solution, government will remains at low level equilibrium. Still government does not know the big hole/gaps within, therefore, problems will come one after another and unfortunately, defence line is very weak.

Addiction have forgotten them how to speak 'Hare Krishna'or "Lord Jesus Christ" or "thank you" at their tongues. Say My Lord! Please forgive me, please save me; please bless me; God may kindly give you a small passage early to exit from the chakravyuh.

Interestingly, State has no opposition party at all-political situation is very confusing. MPP- MLA are seen in Congress party office; another MPP- MLA speak in favour of ruling congress; NCP role is unknown --whether they are opposition or ruling party but the leader of opposition is NCP. When state face a critical situation all MLAs will remain silent - turn into mouse in many occasions. People have divided into three- my people (ruling congress workers) your people (opposition parties workers) and majority others (civil society groups like team ANNA). Surprisingly, government has forgotten the role of parenting people, instead, challenge to civil society, and finally, civil societies beat government.

Election commission has to amend certain rules for effective functioning of MLAs/MPs. Presently simple majority of vote make them declared elected and enjoy the privilege of being elected representatives. How many votes they get-- may be 8000, 10,000 or 15,000 or 20,000 out of 40-50,000 voters. We are irritated to elected representatives'bossism and their public relationship style.

Our MLAs/MPs must get minimum 51% of the total voters to prove themselves majority voters representatives- defaulters must try to get trust vote within a year to get majority votes (51%) of their respective constituencies. Those unable to get majority vote shall not be eligible to withdraw Local Area Development Fund and other allowances of being MLAs/MPs. We hope Anna team will consider this proposal in their electoral reforms programme-"Rights to No Vote". ( if the numbers of" no vote" listed in ballot paper become highest- election shall be re-poll)

Finally, There is no justice higher than equanimity; there is no friend like associate of holiness; no piety like compassion; no sin like violence; no pleasure like quietude; no pain like debt, no purifier like knowledge, no deity like god, no wicked like sinner. Each one of these is great in the respective field. The ids whose grandfather always told them that one day they will become President of USA and gave them the confidence from their early childhood actually went to become John F. Kennedy.

At the same time, kids of an abusive family with constant negative reinforcements went on to become Lee Oswald, the man who murdered John F. Kennedy. What I am trying to say is that we are the one who will decide if tomorrow's world will be a happy world or a sad world. Future is what we made for them today!!