Scripting the price of peace :: Constitution and democracy
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 27 2011 -

Peace comes with a price and to the people of the North East no price may seem too heavy to pay for peace, for they have been at the receiving end of the two forces on either side of the Constitution of the country for too long. But it is important to separate the price that peace itself demands and the price that is exacted by certain interest groups for their own agenda under the cover of peace.

People in Nagaland and Manipur will have a fair understanding of what we are trying to drive home and sooner or later the people of Assam will also learn this fine point.

Peace bugles are blown not to herald the unfurling of the white flag, but to see how best it matches with the beat and rhythm sounded by the peace mongers who suddenly realise that rich political dividends can be reaped by donning the mask of peace champions.

Nagaland and Manipur, more so Manipur, because it is home to a number of disparate groups, have a surfeit of these elements and in most cases they comprise of the small time players or those who have always preferred to live on the fringes, having never had the conviction nor the honesty to wear their beliefs and ideologies on the lapel of their shirts.

Just as the proof of the pudding lies in the eating, the existence of this class of people is seen in the rhetorics and communally charged statements and public declarations they adopt from time to time.

The modus operandi is simple but effective in the sense that they appeal to the baser instinct of mankind and they are ready to call a spade an axe, if it means cementing their positions as socially important persons. Scruples and principles be damned.

In such a political climate, it is therefore not surprising to see this class of people suddenly realising the beauty of democracy as well as the sanctity of the Constitution of India.

To them the Constitution of the country is a political tool to be bandied about whenever it suits them and nothing illustrates this better than the argument that the map of Manipur can be altered according to the provisions of the Constitution.

This is interesting for it is still not clear whether the first advocates of breaking the territory of Manipur and submerging them under a Greater Lim have accepted the Constitution of India or not.

So when they talk about the geographical territory of Manipur, it is the Constitution of the country on which they bank and when they talk of the Plebiscite of 1951, which is considered the foundation stone of all their political demands, there is no question of accepting the Constitution of India.

Rather confusing but nevertheless just the right recipe for this class of people. For all we know, Delhi must be chuckling under their breath.

These rantings are nothing much more than the magic wand of the fringe and hitherto small time players but as we all know it is the inconspicuous elements who can cause the maximum damage and this is precisely what they have been programmed to do.

The alternative arrangement declaration may have come from a genuine want and desire for a better deal from the Government, for let's face it, the Government of Manipur cannot look beyond Imphal and maybe Thoubal district.

However the hands of this class of people become palpable when we hear them say that the demand is within the Constitution of India. No one has said that it is against the Constitution though it goes very much against the spirit of a Manipur in much the same way as the Government has been conducting itself.

It is like imposing a bandh and asserting that it is a democratic right, never mind the fact that vehicles may be torched or attacked for violating the bandh.

It is like allowing the security forces to release their wrath on the hapless villagers in the name of protecting the sovereignty of the country and under the legal immunities provided by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. It is like doctors staging a cease work strike or closing down the hospital in the name of their right to agitate.

It is very much like a group of armed militants serving extortion notes in the name of the land and the people and it is very much like blocking the road in the name of public interest.

It would be so much simpler, honest and more appealing if the demands are put up as it is, without taking recourse to the Constitution or the principles of democracy. At least some marks can be given for being honest and for having the conviction to state their point without taking cover under some high sounding principles.

It is all in the name of pursuing peace that these demands have come to the forefront and it is the erosion of trust and goodwill amongst the people, the growing animosity as well as the increasing distrust which sum up the price that is being exacted by certain interest group and not by the necessity of peace itself.

The decision is ours. It is our call for ultimately none of us can afford to let anyone decide our future.