KYKL pleads for 'unified struggle' of WESEA groups
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 24 2015 :
On the occasion of 21st anniversary of the proscribed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), the outfit's Chairman N Oken has wished the peoples of Western Southeast Asia or WESEA region and stated that the success of liberation struggles in this region depends on the ability of revolutionary parties of WESEA to unite among themselves and put up a unified struggle, conducted under a comprehensive political and military strategy.
"History of these 60 years old armed struggles shows that without unity, our struggle will remain as it has been," the KYKL chairman insisted in an emailed-statement signed by Thoiba Mangang, deputy secretary, publicity & Research, KYKL on Friday.
The 21st anniversary of KYKL falls on April 25."In connection with the occasion, I, on behalf of the party, have the honor to tender our heart-felt good wishes to the peoples of WESEA region and all fraternal revolutionary parties of the region," N Oken said in the message.
Explaining in a nutshell the "process of ethnic mobilization" and the types of nationalisms prevalent in this part of the world, Oken said WESEA region is more or less coterminous with the so-called North East India cartographically and it is now a colony of imperialistic Indian union.
The main thrust of Indian policy in this region is cultural assimilation and ethnic harmonization of the diverse and distinct peoples of WESEA with the mainland Indians, foreigners in the eyes of peoples of the region, said.
"It is nothing less than ethnocide of the communities in WESEA, bloodless genocide through assimilation." He said armed struggle is the response of almost all communities in this region to this form of colonialism.
The KYKL leader advocated that success of this liberation struggles depend on the ability of revolutionary parties of WESEA to unite among themselves and put up a unified struggle, conducted under a comprehensive political and military strategy, adding that history of these 60 years old armed struggle shows that without unity our struggles will remain as it has been.
Revolutionary leaders show signs of believing in this truth and they have been trying to bring about unity but with little or insignificant success with main obstacle on the path of unification being the clash of nationalisms prevailing at present in the region, said.
He went on to say that ethnic landscape of this region is a mosaic of communities and peoples of different ethnic identities and that almost all of the communities in question have their own ethnic nationalisms.
Their political response to Indian colonial juggernaut and scramble for larger share of the cake bestowed by colonial administration spur the rise of this form of nationalism, Oken added.
"On the other hand, civic or territorial form of nationalism is also available in this part of the world.
The region is divided into a number of administrative units called provincial states to cater to political and administrative demands.
Some of these provincial states have long histories of having attained the status of established nationhood," the KYKL chief added.
He continued saying that the first model of clash of nationalisms prevalent in this region is the clash of these two forms of nationalisms that is, between the brands of ethnic and territorial nationalisms� clashes among ethnic nationalisms� and all types of clashes are manifested perceptibly in territorial claims and counter-claims.
These territorial claims and counter-claims are the tallest and largest hurdles stalling the process of unification of revolutionary parties, Oken maintained while adding that if the leadership cannot overcome these impediments, there is no possibility for unification.
"One irrefutable truth of our revolutionary politics is that if there is no unification, there cannot be victory," he asserted.
He stated that these territorial claims and counter-claims have firm and logical grounds, if Sviewed from different perspectives, adding that contradictory perspectives engender contradictory ideological logics and conflicting political dynamics and so the clashes of these nationalisms are inevitable, if stake-holders continue to cherish their own irreconcilable perspectives.
When outlooks change, the clashes can be reined in, Oken suggested.
"If the nationalisms, both ethnic and territorial, are subsumed under the supra-nationalism of WESEA, these clashes can be transcended.
This transcendence will solve the problems of clashes of nationalism, paving a smooth way for unification," he further proposed.
Oken said that supersession of the prevailing ethnic and territorial nationalisms by a form of supra-nationalism or neo-nationalism of WESEA is the panacea of most of the ailments of our present liberation movement.
"If nations are supposed to be 'imagined communities', why can't we imagine WESEA and imagination of WESEA has concrete foundations, ethnological, linguistic, historical, political, economic and social.
Even if nationalism in general is claimed to be an 'invented doctrine', the supra-nationalism of WESEA is not invented out of thin air.
The nationalism of WESEA is the 'spirit of the age' of present WESEA," claimed.
"We request the people of WESEA region to mull over this humble proposition and refine our line of thinking," Oken added.
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