Restoration of independence should be collective responsibility : RPF-I
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 24 2017: Asserting that the uprooting of Manipur's sovereign status by India in 1949 has been the fundamental moot point and cause for the armed liberation struggle, the proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) has categorically stated that restoration of Manipur's independent status ought to be a collective responsibility of every Manipuri .

A statement issued by RPF President Irengbam Chaoren on the occasion of the 39th raising day of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the outfit's military wing, lamented that till date only a handful of armed revolutionary soldiers have taken the responsibility and treaded on the path of liberating Manipur with an ambition to place it in the galaxy of prosperous sovereign, independent Nation states .

The outfit also paid rich tributes to the soldiers whose sacrifices and martyrdom continue to inspire and sustain the revolutionary movement .

"There is no denying the fact that each one of us have been incessantly contributing towards the collective cause from multiple fronts.

The peasants, the workers and the daily wage earners have never shied away from their basic struggle for survival and support for the downtrodden masses.

The endeavours of the artists and sports persons to show the world their worth have reaffirmed the inspirational Manipuri National pride .

"Mothers and sisters, fellow countrymen and friends, and the youth and students have proven records of being an interventionist and a participant role on the fast degrading morale, culture and political malaise that confront our society today with a sense of deep anxiety and concern for a better future," Chaoren remarked .

The longing for a better tomorrow is closely intertwined with the question of liberation struggle .

Only a mass movement can ultimately ensure the restoration of Manipur's lost independence .

Waging a revolutionary war against a numerically advantaged enemy has been an enormous challenge since the revolutionary army is constituted of a smaller size and strength.

Such a proposition has affected the effectiveness and impact of the revolutionary struggle.

In addition, the reactionary and counter-revolutionary activities of the native police personnel have equally come as a bigger stumbling block to the revolutionary struggle, said the rebel leader .

Their excessive indulgence in the suppression of the revolutionary aspirations has forced numerous patriots of the society, whose commitment are most significant towards serving the nation, to take refuge in foreign lands.

The reactionary attitude of the police personnel would surely affect the future of Manipuri society.

RPF considers the question of Manipur's independence and liberation as the most crucial question among other questions, says Chaoren .

RPF believes that liberation is the only option to ensure a dignified existence of the Manipuris .

"Today, our people are made to think as if they cannot survive without the grant-in-aid support system of India which is nothing but a colonial orchestration developed in the course of prolonged Indian colonization", the outfit alleged .

Rampant violation of human rights, deprivation of justice and infusion of communal distrust amongst the people have become the main characteristics of India's alleged colonialism .

The colonial designs have purposefully frustrated prospective youths with abundant distractions through easier access to drugs, alien culture and sustained economic disempowerment .

"Thus, reconstruction of Manipuri society shall never be possible as long as Indian colonialism continues to dictate over our lives and people", Chaoren continued .

The world has for ages lived through traditions of emergent collective selfhood which normally transform into distinct political bodies having its own culture, polity, territoriality and sovereignty .

Manipur's tragic loss of its independence at the hands of India in 1949 is growingly acknowledged by the world community as a violation of international norms and jurisprudences .

"This is an opportune moment for all of us to stand together and concretely raise our historical right to self-determination and its implementation", RPF asserted .

The time is ripe to unmask the puppet regime in the state constituted by fellow Manipuris whose fundamental role has been to implant the colonial slave-master, make-beliefs under the garb of developmentalism and progress.

It would be an utter misjudgment to delay the cognition of such a colonial reality.

The propagandist developmentalism, investments and policies are parts of colonial apparatus which is nothing less than a mirage that does not exist at all in actuality .

"There is an increasing need to prepare ourselves to be able to grapple with the new found trends and culture at the global terrain.

What should be the basis for our exposure to such global winds of change is hardly going to be a simplified equation", Chaoren remarked .

"A careful, cautious and protective approach for 'our economy' and society has to be worked out without any further delay.

In the wake of capitalist onslaught all across the globe, to work out a protective shield on the one hand and participation in the modern development roadmap on the other hand is to be carefully done as the onus lies with us", reads the statement .

Instead of showing plain apathy to globalization and liberalization, there is a call for critical relocation of Manipur's geo-strategic and economic centrality as it is located at the connect point between (Western) South East Asia and South Asian economies .

"The strategic location of Manipur is added advantage for us to salvage our own sense of economic growth and planning.

The emergence of Singapore as a great economy should be a referral case in point.

No Manipuri should continue to live with the false conception that Manipur would be unsustainable if it is independent.

We must remind ourselves that 21st century is a century of the Asians", the outfit asserted .

"The concept of trilateral highway that is expected to pass through Manipur must come as an opportunity for us to re-associate with the Asian powers for our economic growth and political recognition.

The national intellectuals of Manipur have a significant role to play to make the people acquaint with the centrality of Manipur in the growing trading prospects in the region", it continued.

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