KYKL Raising Day today, people greeted
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 24 2023: On the eve of the 29th Raising Day, which falls on April 25, Kanglei Yawol Kan -na Lup (KYKL) chairman N Oken has extended revolutionary greetings to all the revolutionary organisations and people as well as civil society organisations, public leaders, intellectuals and media fraternity of WESEA region and Kangleipak.

Along with extending the greeting, the chairman also shared some thoughts to the masses so that the same could be critically examined in an effort to better understand the stage of revolutionary movement in Kangleipak (Manipur).

N Oken said that the revolutionary movement in WESEA region is in a state of existential crisis and deep sinking at present.

Majority of ethno-national groups in the region that used to fight for freedom have committed to peace talks with the occupier thereby giving up their long-lasting fight.

Besides, there are a few revolutionary organisations waiting in line to join groups who have already given up armed liberation struggle.

A more peculiar trend taking place currently in 'Kangleipak' is the split in the organisations to further the goals of a few individuals.

They are also planning to inflict physical and mental trauma on organisations that are refusing to give up the real revolutionary movement.

Currently, many middle-aged revolutionary leaders who have faced many ups and downs in the revolutionary movement over the past two/three decades within an organisation but have not yet given up on the revolutionary movement find themselves in the dilemma of choosing whether to leave the party or continue to shoulder the responsibility for carrying forward the movement like those who had already declared themselves defeated before they became truly defeated in the battle.

Similar to the phenomenon observed in revolutionary organisations, where revolutionary cadres thought they were defeated internally in their minds and psyche, prior to actual defeat on the battlefield, the majority of political elites and masses in society appear to have been encircled by an internalized sense of self-defeatism prior to actual defeat, believing that one's society cannot exist without being part of Delhi sponsored neo-fascist organisations, Oken observed.

Although, the Kanglei people often boasted of having a written history dating back to more than 2000 years but in reality, their conduct and activities threaten to destroy own identity as their words and actions are in direct contradiction to each other.

The Kanglei society begins to live a life more focused on the pursuit of personal interests than the advancement of collective social existence and have lost sight of the people and the society.

Rather than putting effort into productive activities, people started believing more in collecting interest and rent-seeking.

It is almost as if parents are appearing for their children's academic examinations rather than shaping their children to become morally upright individuals who understand justice and are well-versed in social ideals.

As a matter of fact, it amounts to injecting the virus of corruption into the very core of young minds.

Nobody acknowledges the value of morality and acting morally in all aspects of life.

There is no doubt that corruption has become the basis of Kanglei culture.

Ours is a society without established standards for what is right and wrong.

Typically, people believe anything is right if it serves their own personal interests, which is not human.

Nobody cares what should be done or shouldn't; if we continue to live the way we do today, our society will not survive.

The dog-eat-dog mentality has taken over Kanglei society.

Therefore, everyone in society suspects everyone, and no one trusts anyone.

People who live in such a society are unable to cooperate or unite as it is a collapsing society.

As documented in history, such a situation has historically led to the demise of several societies and the Kanglei society is heading towards the same fate today, the KYKL chairman said.

As a society, Kanglei people are no longer acting as subjects' who behave like fully human beings, equipped with high agency, and who can hold their own responsibility and realize their wills.

Rather, Kanglei people have been reduced to 'objects', people who have limited agency and are manipulated by 'Mayangs' at their whims, unable to put their dreams into reality.

Unless people intervene, a society like this will become extinct and it is only a matter of time.

This is mainly due to suppressive Indian economic policy, where suppressive rulers planned to destroy native economic base rather than build it.

Their economic policy aims to take away every means of production from us and to make the people entirely dependent on Delhi's economic doles.

The poisonous tree that they planted 74 years ago has grown tall and mature over the years, Oken said.

While maintaining that the real existence of a society involves resistance against the domination on one hand and self-empowerment on the other hand, Oken said that the idea that we can survive as a people by converting into 'Mayang' cannot mean 'let's survive', rather it means 'let's become extinct sooner'.

In the democratic world order, a great number of past events have shown that if a group of people resist, they do not end up becoming extinct, he added.

According to Oken, getting rid of the sense of inferiority complex is the first step to resisting dominance and the idea that we cannot exist as a people without joining Mayang people's neo-fascist organisations may be called as imposter syndrome.

In other words, it is what is referred to as internalization of oppression.

While stating that the trend where people are becoming less human and no longer see themselves as human is a sign and symptom of self-dehumanization, Oken said that it is the same as giving up on history and on being human being.

It is obvious that a society that is resisting colonial dominance would get brighter and more dazzling with time.

As the Kanglei adage goes 'Icha Khomdon Meiroubi, Chetna Yaallu', revolutionaries must not give up on the revolutionary movement and be steadfast in the fight by remembering the adage, Oken maintained.

According to Oken, the rationale of Kanglei people and WESEA leaders at present is similar to saying 'There is no future for us, the conflict between Mayangs and Us is no more, there is no need to resist them, our history is ended'.

As a matter of fact, it is incompatible with basic human nature.

For the sake of generations to come, we must let history move forward.

Like our forefathers sacrificed their lives so that Kangjei history could be protected, we should not conspire to put an end to our history today," Oken observed.

There are a number of resistance movements still going on in the world today.

The movement of Khalistan, which was believed to have withered away 30 years ago; has appeared all over again in recent times.

The resistance movement in Catalonia is far from over.

It is true that movements in Palestine have transformed but it is still alive.

Movement in Scotland is also not extinct.

In Quebec, the resistance movement is still going strong and continues to flow its course.

The ember of Basque resistance movement still continues to burn.

Their movements are still on and that is why they are able to protect their identities.

Protecting one's own identity will not hinder the development of other ethnic nationalities or communities; this will not even affect neighbouring community.

It would only benefit the particular community.

There is a correlation between protection of identity and economic development of the communities.

In a society with strong sense of identity, the self of an individual integrates with the collective self of the society.

Without protection of identity, it will be hard to unite members of society; if not united we lose our strength.

If there is no strength and unity, there will be no resultant economic development.

Even the bare minimum of subsistence cannot be obtained without the protection of identity.

If a society cannot protect its identity, they will not have core resolve/value.

Due to lack of this value and strength, they will eventually be marginalized; and the marginalized society is on its way to extinction, the KYKL chairman added.

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