United Naga Council: Failed Report Card
- Part 2 -

Aheibam Koireng Singh *

UNC AND FAILED ATTEMPT FOR AFFILIATION TO NBSE

The issue of affiliating schools in ‘Naga inhabited districts’ of Manipur to Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) came into notice in 2001 as All Naga Students Association Manipur (ANSAM) met the Nagaland Chief Minister, SC Jamir urging him to facilitate affiliation of schools and colleges in ‘Naga inhabited districts of the Manipur’ to NBSE and Nagaland University.

The demand resurfaces under the aegis of ANSAM with the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BoSEM) prescribed text books consigning to flames in four hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul,Mao, and Chandel in the first fortnight of July 2006 with explicit endorsement by the UNC.

The slogans shouted are: “Bye Bye BSEM”, “Welcome NBSE”, “We want common educational administration” UNC justified it as inevitable for the resolute stand of the Naga people for common administration.

However, in the HSLC examination for the year 2007 staring from 12 March, over 23,000 students appeared matriculation examinations despite the “disruption” threat and avowed declaration of not allowing the BoSEM, to hold matriculation examination in Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong districts, the examinations was held at 80 centres across nine districts of Manipur with over 2700 students appearing the examination at the ten examination centres in the four hill districts, where over 2,700 students would appear in the examination.

One day ahead of the BoSEM HSLC 2007 examination, a senior official stated that there was no decrease in the number of students appearing in the BoSEM exam authenticating that most of the students, who appeared in the examinations in Nagaland, were also appearing in the examination in Manipur.

Due to the non embracement of issue by the public, the movement gradually loses steam by 2008, and in the succeeding years the issue is as good as dead.

UNC BAN ON MANIPURI LANGUAGE AUDIO/VIDEO CDs

UNC on September 6, 2006, directed the ANSAM to implement the ban on Meitei language audio/video CDs/cassette in the hill districts of Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul and Senapati with effect from September 17, 2006.

The UNC general secretary Azang Longmei later justified the ban imposed on Meitei films and songs by ANSAM, stating that it has become inevitable to check dilution of Nagas’ history from the impact of the ‘Meitei endeavors’ Meitei films, songs and script influence the Nagas’ identity, tradition and culture thereby evoking the prohibitions.

The ban is still in force. But everywhere in the district and Sub-divisional Headquarters in Manipur Hills we find selling these banned items in abundance.

UNC DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENT

Left with no other alternatives, they have even tried in electoral politics by fielding its own candidates indirectly and later directly, but peoples’ disapproval remains the same. It is at this stage the UNC initiated the demand for Alternative arrangement through a Naga Peoples’ Convention on July 1, 2010 at Senapati District, Manipur.

One of the main resolution was to severe all political ties with Government of Manipur and declaring the Autonomous District Council (ADC) election as ‘null & void” and filling up the vacuum thereby created because of the severing of ties with an alternative arrangement.

However, it was a failure in the initiation itself as none of the ADC members respected the resolution.

DECLARING OF WANTED FOR ACTING PRESIDENTS OF ANSAM, UNC IN JUNE 2010

The Acting President of ANSAM, David Choro and Acting President of UNC, Samson Remei was declared "wanted with cash rewards of Rs 1,00,000 each for their arrest/providing information leading to their arrest" as a fall out of imposing economic blockade by ANSAM and UNC on the national highways in Manipur with effect from April 11 causing untold hardship to the people of the state.

With it both of them, who otherwise were public figures, to mention Samson Remei once a functionary of Federal Party in its affluent times who also nurses political ambition disappears from public life with the wanted declaration still stands valid. How far the UNC stands for them is a question worth asking.

For the happening thing which we are experiencing in the form of ongoing economic blockade and the lost labour to stonewall the creation of new Revenue districts, the evaluation is left to public review. And also to judge who the victim is regarding the victim card played by UNC.

Again I am reiterating, this piece of writing is not to demonise but to humanise.

Concluded....