India-Myanmar conference: Better late than never
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 12 2019 -

‘Better late than never’ so says an old adage. But quite often the same adage is cited and misused to vindicate or ameliorate negative effects or impressions created by one’s inefficiency, non-commitment and lack of vision.

The same adage fits quite well to the Government of India’s policies vis-a-vis the North East region.

For decades, India never bothered to engage its eastern neighbours politically or economically except Bangladesh which was created only in 1971.

It was only in the late 1990’s that India realised their folly of completely neglecting its eastern neighbours.

China’s growing clout over its neighbours did a great deal in re-shaping India’s foreign policy.

Again, it has been decades since the Government of India formulated the much publicised Look East Policy (now Act East Policy) but no tangible progress has been achieved on ground to bring the South East Asian countries closer to the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fag end of his term coined a new acronym ‘New Engine’ for the North East region.

He said, “NE will not be known as North East anymore, but New Engine which will drive India’s economy forward”.

It has been almost two years since the catchy acronym was coined but very little has changed on the ground.

A critical analysis of the ground reality would render the Prime Minister’s acronym bombastic.

The North East region still remains quite backward in all aspects of socioeconomic development parameters.

Although the Look East Policy has been renamed as Act East Policy, the policy is yet to take off in the real sense of the term.

Yet, the Prime Minister seems committed to put the backward North East on a new trajectory of development and progress.

Infrastructural issues and connectivity problems persist to this day more or less to the same degree.

It is here that the India-Myanmer conference held today assumed great significance.

The broad theme of the conference ‘Connecting India’s Northeast with North West region of Myanmar: Roadmap for all-round prosperity’ is also equally interesting as well as fascinating.

Such conferences or engagements were long overdue but one can always cite ‘better late than never’.

Yes, many development projects including construction and expansion of roads are being implemented across the region but they are too little and too late.

For too long, the Government of India neglected the region and blamed the region’s underdevelopment on its geographical features such as land-lockedness, hilly terrain, remoteness etc.

The Prime Minister may have his own vision to transform the North East region as a new engine of growth and development for the whole country.

But the bitter truth is, a lot more needs to be done, that too expeditiously without bureaucratic or political hassles in order to tap the potential and opportunities provided by the region’s highly strategic location, and transform the region as India’s gateway to South and South East Asia.

As far as Manipur is concerned, the Government of India’s Act East Policy continues to be impressive power-point presentations at New Delhi.

We hope the bilateral conference held here today does not end with impressive speeches, well drafted power-point presentations and exchange of pleasantries between dignitaries of the two countries.

India can learn a lesson or two from China which has quite successfully constructed all types modern infrastructure in Yunnan province within the shortest possible time to boost the country’s connectivity with Myanmar.

At the end, much to our chagrin, we cannot help saying ‘better late than never’.