Political

AFSPA & New State Forces
Published at http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/sangai-express-news.php?newsid=6923

After the “Candle Light Vigil” for Irom Sharmila on 25^th June, 2011, I was on my way home, sitting in a DTC bus. The CLV was a symbolic event. It was organized totally by non-Manipuris. The idea of the event was to give solidarity only. The speeches contain many thought provoking ideas. For instance, one speaker said, “People in Manipur are always special, only special rules are applied there”. Another said, “AFSPA undermines democracy, it is an issue for the whole India. Sharmila is fighting for the whole India”. Another blames the ignorant crowd, “There is India beyond Madhya Pradesh in south and West Bengal in east”. “Before AFSPA, there were two/three insurgency groups, after AFSPA there are thirty/forty insurgency groups”. The speeches go on. The hues and cries of Manipuris has remain unheard for the past several years. It ostensibly becomes a local problem when only the Manipuris put forward the Irom Sharmila’s demand. Now, it becomes a national demand.

In all these years , the blames goes mainly to Government of India. We must not forget that the repeal of the Act is a two-way process. What is the deal in this two-way process? It is the deal between GoI and Government of Manipur. If GoM gives just one assurance that it can contain the “regional aspiration” of the state, AFSPA automatically dies. Regarding AFSPA 1958, there should be more responsibility to GoM than to GoI. The cause of the imposition of the draconian Act goes to the deficit in “confidence building measure” between two government. GoI still lacks confidence to GoM. The Act is not repeal because of the lack of the “political will” of the state government to overcome this confidence.

Actually I am wrong. The state government is working on it but the “political will” is actually being distorted. In order to be able to give systematic assurance to GoI that GoM can solve insurgency problem, it started increasing its military might, the recruitments of Manipur Polices, Indian Reserve Battalions, etc. AFSPA becomes a boon to Manipur Inc, as for each recruitment in Sub Inspector level, an entry bribe of 20 to 30 lakh is imposed. This new “development” is crushing the “progress” of the state. Firstly, if entry is done through nepotism and bribe, the quality of the personnel is below the expectation level, a common sense says it. Secondly, the immaturity forces become an impediment to the civilians. They defy police norms and act at their own will. They dictate a public display of terror. Thirdly, will they be able to get promotion? Because of the lack of competency, when they do not get promoted, what will happen to their motivation? Without motivation, what are the unintended ill-effects that a force can render to the society? Fourthly, how can 20/30 lakhs that he have borrowed in high interest rate be repay with just his salary? What anti-social transaction does he will start to commit to recover the debt? Lastly, most surprisingly why are surrendered insurgents being recruited in state forces? The distorted political will is in a complete mess. Can GoM solve the insurgency problem only militarily? I doubt it. Worse, what if the state forces becomes a new insurgency group? It is not a surprising idea, we have seen Mujahideens and Talibans. Without a political solution, a slime of insurgency will remain.

There is one historic “progress” recently. It was “23^rd July 2009, Fake Encounter” case that actually relieved the civilians to some extent. When such similar barbaric incident used to happened surreptitiously, then openly even in broad daylight, a saturation has reached. The source of fake encounter expose is anonymous. After the breakthrough journalism, people feel a little more secure when travelling at late hours or with some money in hand. This can be codify as a “lesson learnt”. On similar approach, if one reveals the corruption case in the state forces recruitment, the future recruitment will have much responsible police officers and it will also help the corruption to wither away. With mature police and certain reforms in the Police Act, the prevailing egos between the self-proclaim government actors and the state actors, mainly the forces fraternity, will subside. When egos subside, reason can be a medium in dialogue. The talks will bear fruit. This utopian state will make AFSPA redundant.

I am not supporting the centralized tendency of the GoI but when everybody is blaming the Center, I wanted to blame the State instead. This article is a voice towards the state government for the repeal of AFSPA. We have brave history, we have the highest dreams, we love peace, please protect us!

Insurgency on Osama's death.
Publish at http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/sangai-express-news.php?newsid=5489

It was September 11 2001, popularly known as 9-11, when I came to know a person name Osama Bin Laden. His name had carried such bad impression that after few years when I heard of a person called Obama, campaigning the US presidential election, I thought Obama must not be a good guy. That was my first instinct and it is not intended to judge or compare the two persons.

As soon as Osama's death is confirmed, Barack Obama gave a ten minutes inspirational speech and broadcast on internet. He proudly said that he gave the authority to execute Osama. The West are not saint states too. The proclaimed new world order for peace and human dignity is being processed only half-heartily. Their national interest and national security are always on priority. However, there is no wrong in supporting the counter-terrorism measures being conducted.

The definition of terrorism is still a debatable thing, but an obvious attributable fact is, its symbolic target and non-distinction between target and audience. In our own soil, the insurgency groups of Manipur, are gradually embracing terrorism. Theoretically, an insurgent should not display a terror image publicly. The insurgents emerges in the hope of improving a prevailing condition. It should compromise its target for the audience (the common people). In other words, the armed rebellion against the constituted authority should not be conducted at the cost of civilians, notwithstanding the intensity of crisis. In practice, the word 'audience' has become obsolete from its dictionary and the 'target' becomes more and more symbolic.

Some say, when fundamentalism practices obscurantism, terrorism is born. Luckily, there isn't much acclaimed fundamentalist but very unluckily there is enough obscurantism. The knowledgeable and the educated insurgents are sitting on the high post, radicalizing the young bloods based on ethnicity difference with the Indian race, narrate about the corruptions and favoritism of government officials etc, all of which could also to be told in a tolerable tone and not racially (read obscurely). They also obscure the very idea that it is merely a business and percentage negotiation of the government funds with the government authority.

Fascism can be remembered in relation to the present scenario. Numerous unrelated and fanatic thoughts are put in to contain the organizations with time. For instance, 'social equality' will be put forth and projects a Marxist class-struggle; at the same time, its authoritative and coercive ideology will also be seen in action. Worse, it ignores the difference between 'private' and 'public' and tries to put everything under its ambit. This is a very totalitarian view and the growing despotism needs a constant check. In a nutshell, prediction is near to impossible and therefore, trust is zero.

The question, whether or not insurgency is necessary in Manipur, has to be taken up elaborately. The article is about the insurgency vis-a-vis terrorism. In relation to the event of Osama's demise, the head of one of the most dreaded terrorist network, Al Qaeda, may God bless the humankind and give the strength to wave goodbye to terrorism forever.