Clutching at straws by drowning man
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 20, 2023 -

IN yet another attempt to internationalise the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities in the northeastern state of Manipur, the proponents of a separate administration for the supposedly prosecuted minority Christian Kuki-Chin people are learnt to have submitted a memorandum to Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz.

The latest memorandum submitted by World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) to the Chancellor of Germany has come after the earlier despatches sent to the President of USA and the Prime Minister of Israel seeking help and petitioning of the United Nations and European Parliament did not evoke the desired responses other than exposing the hollowness of the claim made by twisting the facts.

Though there is nothing new in the content of the memorandum, it seems that WKZIC is really desperate today.

By describing it as an "SOS Memorandum," submitted in "Reminiscence of Kuki-German Connection: WW-II", KKZIC has made it crystal clear what the proponents of the separate administration demand for Kuki-Chin people which was first raised by 10 sitting MLAs from Kuki-Chin community within days of outbreak of the current crisis, the first spark of which lit in Churachandpur district on May 3 evening, are upto.

In the memorandum, WKZIC said it is for "seeking urgent intervention for protection of gross violations of human rights upon the Zo ethnic Kuki people where 360 churches and 182 Kuki villages burnt and 127 Kukis genocided in Manipur, India against International Human Rights Paris Principles 1,2,3" or "creation of Kuki state in Kuki hills, outer Manipur, India under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution" or "Initiate creation of a country from Chin state (Myanmar/Burma), Manipur, Tripura & Mizoram (India) & Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh) in accordance to GA Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India, 1904, Volume 3, Part-Ill, under United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Right to self-determination, Autonomy, Self-Governance and Indigenous Institutions".

While the Federal Republic of Germany or its Chancellor of Germany is yet to give any response to the memorandum, the first question that comes to mind on learning about submitting the memorandum is why to Olaf Scholz of all the people in the world?

It is a well-known fact that Olaf Scholz, who was in New Delhi recently for the G20 Leaders' Submit and could not even create a ripple other than drawing unwanted attention to his eye patch, is one of the least popular leaders in the world today.

Confronted by many crises at home and abroad, Scholz is also losing the support of the German population.

It had been reported that around two thirds of Germans are dissatisfied with Chancellor Scholz and his divided coalition, which has experienced one crisis after another since taking office in December in 2021.

A survey conducted by the INSA polling institute for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper has also revealed that 62% of Germans have an unfavorable view of Scholz.

It is a major dip in support, compared to some 39% who said the same in an earlier survey. Since taking office, Scholz has had to grapple with the war in Ukraine, an energy crisis, rising inflation and now a crippling summer drought.

All these factors have pushed Europe's once largest economy to the brink of recession, and critics have accused him of not showing enough leadership.

So, what the proponents of the separate administration demand for Kuki-Chin people are going to gain from seeking support from such a leader, whose popularity is only going downhill and has become a butt of joke among his own people who feel that if the Chancellor of Germany were to be elected directly, then Scholz, who was the deputy chancellor under Angela Merkel in the previous ruling coalition, would have come only in third place after Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), and CDU leader Friedrich Merz.

Perhaps, this is the proverbial straws on which a drowning man would clutch onto for his dear life.