KYKL chief shares thoughts on 29th raising day
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 24 2023: Sharing his thoughts on different issues and matters on the 29th raising day of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), the outfit's Chairman N Oken has categorically stated "We have lost sight of people and society" .

A statement issued by N Oken remarked that currently, revolutionary movement in WESEA is in a state of existential crisis and deep sinking.

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

Besides, there are a few revolutionary organizations waiting in line to join these groups who have already given up on the National armed liberation struggle.

A more peculiar trend taking place currently in Kangleipak is the split of an organization to further the goals of a few individuals who want to make it an organization that has ditched revolutionary politics, alleged Oken.

They are also planning to inflict physical and mental trauma on those organizations that refuse to give up on the real revolutionary movement, Oken said.

Currently, many middle-aged revolutionary leaders who have faced many ups and downs in the revolutionary movement over the past two to three decades within an organization, 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 on the movement.

Similar to the phenomenon observed in revolutionary organizations where revolutionary cadres thought they were defeated internally in their minds and psychology, 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 alleged neo-fascist organizations, said the KYKL Chairman's statement.

"Although we have often boasted that we have a written history dating back more than 2000 years, in reality we have always done things that threaten to destroy our identity.

Our words and actions are in direct contradiction to each other", he remarked.

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

"We have lost sight of people and society.

Rather than putting effort into productive activities, people do believe 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 into morally upright individuals who understand justice and are well-versed in social ideals", Oken said.

"It amounts to injecting the virus of corruption into the very core of the young minds.

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

Ours is a society without established standards for what is right and wrong", he continued.

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 be done.

"If we continue to live the way we do today, our society will not survive.

The dog-eat-dog mentality has taken over our 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; it is a collapsing society.

As documented in history, such a situation has historically led to the demise of several societies; we are heading towards the same fate today", according to the statement.

"As a society, we 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, we have been reduced to 'objects,' people who have limited agency and are manipulated by 'non-locals', unable to put their dreams into reality", it said.

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

This is mainly due to Indian economic policy, where the alien rulers planned to destroy 'our 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", it said.

The idea that the people of Kangleipak can survive as a people by converting into 'non-locals' cannot mean 'let's survive', rather it means 'let's become extinct sooner', Oken continued.

The real existence of a society involves resistance against the domination of others on the one hand and self-empowerment on the other hand.

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 asserted.

Getting rid of the sense of inferiority complex is the first step to resisting foreign dominance, he added.

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 this adage, the KYKL Chairman said.

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, according to the statement.

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

It would only benefit the particular community, Oken said.

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", he said.

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 warned.

He also conveyed revolutionary greetings on behalf of KYKL to all the revolutionary organizations and people, as well as the CSOs, public leaders, public intellectuals and media fraternity in the WESEA region and Kangleipak.

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