Is The Imphal Based Media Inadvertently Leading The Disintegration of Manipur?

By Dr. A. Kateipfona

Because of state wide readership, the Imphal based media enjoys the rare privilege of being objective in its perception and understanding of issues and transmitting the same to the readers in the entire state of Manipur for their consumption.

It is also business sense actually, to be impartial when   sections of its readership are placed on different sides of the issue.

The Imphal based media has not capitalized on the fact that there are no tribal or Naga based media which has a state wide readership Thus assuming upon itself the responsibility of projecting only the dominant Meitei perspective, the valley based media have become a party to the debate, a respondent to the charge of being persistently partial and biased and so have in a way been responsible for fueling the so called paper war.

That the news and views that they carry are the tools with which the public forms “the informed opinions”  must be the major consideration and social obligation of media.

They should therefore not muffle or filter the views of one party to the issue while highlighting that of the other side alone.

From the divergent views the general public has the faculty, at least grant them that, to discern the truth from among the many untruths that invariably creep into both sides whenever  there is a ”fight.”

At the present moment, a simple cross check of Imphal valley papers and Nagaland based papers will stand proof to this contention. Important and time sensitive statements of UNC and ANSAM and other important Naga organizations are either not published in the Imphal dailies or delayed even when there are visibly no space constraints as borne out by the news content of the day.

The media therefore has become a tactical tool for muffling up the voice of the Nagas, whose voices are not heard in Imphal valley. It is important that the views of Nagas, however angry or hurt (or “venomous” as Imphal editors would have it) should be heard in Imphal.

Then only will understanding dawn on the general public to make space for the voice of sanity to emerge.

It is the tribals and the Nagas who are angry and hurt because their rights to their land and the primacy of their traditional  institutions and customary practices, which gives them their identity, are being stealthily diluted through the imposition of the District Council(Hill Areas) 2008 Act.

This Act, to all intent and purposes had been rejected by the hill people of the state for the last twenty years and for which reason there had been no self governance in the hill areas during that time. In stark contrast, there are 18 Nagar Panchayats and 9 Municipalities fully operational in the Imphal valley.

This time around, sensing an opportune moment of a divided tribal house (tribal MLAs) and the bad blood between  Nagas and Kukis and  the Kuki and Paitei who had been in the recent past engaged in ethnic conflicts, the Govt. of Manipur after years of assuring that the 6th schedule would be extended to the hill areas of Manipur with some local adjustments, came up, with the same act that had been rejected 20 years back. When the Act was introduced in the Assembly, the tribal and Naga MLAs protested and staged a walk out.

This Act, which concerns the hill areas and the tribals had to be approved by the Hill Area Committee comprising of all tribal MLAs as per the provision of 371 C of the Indian Constitution. To circumvent this, a 5 member Select Committee on the Manipur Hill Areas Autonomous District council, 2008 was instituted with 2 tribals MLAs including the Chairman of the Hill Area Committee and 3 non tribal MLAs.

The design of this move of the State Government became obvious and Mr Thangminlien Kipgen, the Chairman of the Hill Area Committee resigned from the Select Committee. 

The Select Committee went ahead with its recommendation and got the Manipur(Hill Areas) District Councils(third Amendment) ordinance promulgated by the Governor on the pretext that the Assembly was not in session. That the constitutionality of this Act and the way it was  enacted is being challenged in the law court is another matter.

The way it was rushed through when for 20 long years it was delayed with manipulations, was by itself indicative of anxiety to clinch the issue, with the dominant community’s interest addressed and this was further confirmed when the State Government with the same pace proceeded to impose the ADC election under the 2008 Act in the face of protest of the tribal people. The tribal people are no more simplistic and ignorant and have felt very insulted at the blatant disregard for their expressed opinion.

Thus the fear that if given autonomy, as per provision of the constitutions, the tribal would drift away and identification with Manipur become reduced in them, has been the guiding factor for the Manipur Government in handling this particular issue.

What is wrong if the fact that tribal have a strong desire for autonomy for the hill areas is acknowledged and accepted as natural by the Imphal valley people, who holds the State Government with the 40 MLA majority? 

What is wrong in accepting the fact that the Naga movement has been there since the late 1940s and that Nagas, wherever they may be, present state of Manipur included,  have been active stake holders in that movement  all through this period ?

What is wrong in accepting the fact that the beautiful culture, literature and history of the Meitei people have all positively impacted upon the tribals of the state and were a civilizing influence on them but that it is not natural, fair or justifiable to subsume them and their inherent rights under the interest of the dominant Meitei people?

When these things are understood and accepted, then the possibility of peaceful co-existence will emerge. The mutual benefits that appeals to both the parties involved in such an arrangement must become the bond that uphold and strengthens the union. 

Even if that union cannot be mutually upheld and fences have to be raised to demarcate ownership, good neighborliness must be secured with understanding. T

he nature of political, social and economic intercourse which will be sustainable and meaningful to all will emerge from that frame of mind putting an end to the land, benefit, privileges and opportunities grabbing rat race that has engulfed the communities in the troubled water of the State of Manipur. Meiteis and tribals alike must think now outside the box.

If this is not recognized and the only actions of armed forces alone is relied upon to quell dissensions, Manipur will always be a time bomb. Tribals will block the highways in the north, south, east and west. Imphal valley, sadly cannot be connected with super flyovers to the outside world. It is just not possible even with the genius of the Meitei's minds and skills. “Chingna koirabanina”. Muivah may go away.

The issue of ADC may cease to remain relevant.  But others will come and refuse to remain silent. The issue have to be addressed squarely and fairly. The message must dawn clearly and unmistakably on all the stakeholders and in the true spirit of give and take, the new sustainable and viable arrangement must emerge so that posterity will inherit a new page in history.

To this end, the Imphal based media and also in Nagaland and every concerned citizen who pens his or her opinions on the present crisis in Manipur have a special responsibility and moral obligation.