The business of civil society in North East India

Roluahpuia *

Political events in the North East have shown that civil society plays a crucial part in the day to day politics of the region. Experience in the North East reveals that civil society has been the forerunner in many of the ethnic movements by articulating ethnic interest or ethnic aspirations from the colonial period itself. This reality till today remains unchanged and as an ethnically sensitive region with a high degree of ethnic politicization, these scenarios generate a more intense mobilization of civil society that actively shapes the nature of politics in the region.

In the North East in particular, majority of the population are still governed by local based institutions whether of tribe, religion, ethnicity, or village. They are seen to play a key role in performing certain social functions that tightened the social bonding among the communities. At the same time, due to the numerous problems that plagued the region, civil society groups play an important role in mediating between the state and citizens, and among ethnic groups in times of conflict. Also, they play a major role in right based movements and at times come in direct confrontation with the State. It is an undeniable fact that they act as an agent for limiting the arm of the State against human right violation when the military of the region are endowed with excessive rights to use and abuse the law.

It is also due to this that studies of civil society in the region often concentrate around the issue of peace building. And it is an undeniable fact that civil society in the region has been playing a fundamental role in fostering peaceful co-existence and ethnic reconciliation among the different ethnic communities of the region. In too many instances, they actively engaged in bring parties in conflict and pave the way for bringing about peace and tranquility.

The state of Manipur reflects one such example where civil society acts as an importance peace builder or peace building agent. This paper therefore intends to unfold the nature of civil society in the region with a special reference to the state of Manipur. The intention of the paper is not to castigate the civil societies nor brushed aside their importance, rather, argues for a more democratic and secular civil society that promotes collective peaceful existence and provides space for democratic dialogue.

One important characteristic of civil society in Manipur and elsewhere in the North East is that they are highly ethnic based. This implies that they are directly apart of the ethnic movements and a forerunner in articulating ethnic based interest. Mention can be made of United Naga Council (UNC), Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), Zomi Council (ZC), and United Committee Manipur (UCM). Therefore, there is always a clash of ideology, objectives or say agenda among the civil society of Manipur.

Under such circumstances, civil societies in the state have an altogether different agenda and in too many instances, they are found to be in direct confrontation against each other. It is therefore not surprising to see tensions among civil society groups themselves. To put in clear terms, tensions often arise among the civil society groups particularly in matters concerning political aspirations.

At the other end, we have civil society having a completely contrasting agenda and interest. While the valley based groups are against the imposition of Sixth Schedule or any other form of territorial autonomy other than the current district councils in the hills, most of the civil society based in the hills are in favor of the implementation of Sixth Schedule. The reverse is in the case of the implementation of Meitei Mayek which again received opposition from the hill based groups or the extension of the Manipur Land Reform and Revenue Act, 1960 in the hill areas.

Despite of being vocal in their own ethnic interest, civil society too in many instances has been the guardian of the communities. As a militarized region, they in many instances constrain specific governmental actions and play a key role in peace building in situation of ethnic tensions. Even in post-conflict situation, they are actively engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation process.

At the same time, numerous right based groups tirelessly worked to protect and safeguard the rights of the citizen. Civil society groups, particularly women groups act as vigilant groups on issues such as drug marketing, its smuggling and other practices that seriously harm the society. Apart from this, they uphold unity and integrity among the community they represent and operate in a very supportive way.

Yet, while civil society are actively seen to be promoting their own ethnic interest, there are certain matters of critical concerns that they unaddressed publicly or openly. In other words, civil societies of the state so far has remain silent on many other critical issues that today is the concern of the public, particularly the socially and politically marginalized and the economically poor. For example, they almost are silent on holding the state accountable and transparent when there is a global movement for the demand for good governance. Corruption and other malpractices are now the mode in which the state government and its apparatchiks (machinery) run and administered the state. They have reached the level of being a norm and are considered as normal practices by the common people.

On the same line, when the employment market in the state almost functions like an auction market, such practices are allowed to be continued without any hindrance and disturbances. In such situation, there is no question of merit or qualification nor is experience considered, what matter is money and unholy relations. The worst casualties of it are the economically poor and this have touched upon everyone cutting across ethnic groups.

Part of the increasing outward migration of the youth in particular has also been contributed by such practices as the chances of getting oneself employed in government jobs are highly minimal. The list may be long and can be added to pages, yet, these two examples given above also is enough to illustrate that certain critical issues are overlooked or put aside at the cost of narrow parochial ethnic interest by civil society of the state.

As I put again, this is neither to imply that civil societies in Manipur and elsewhere in the North East are destructivist nor to be judgmental about them. Rather it is an attempt to further strengthen civil society of the state and the region and argue for the need to look into matters that affect the major public at large. As much as civil society has the potential to create conflict eruption and resolve it as well, civil society I believed has the strength to bring a much desired change by not limiting its operation to ethnic based interest, rather worked on issues which affects the collective public.

As of now, the state has almost no legitimacy in ruling over the people nor do the people have much hope from the state. Such trends are allowed so long to survive and it is a public agreement that we need change and transformation and end such practices collectively. The time is ripe for such changes to happen and civil societies do have a major role to play to take the state into a new and brighter era.