Manipur is burning again: hills and valley schism
By Yokhanan John Phaltual

There are no true voices of peace in the big messy little world of Manipur. They are more as loud as the shattering blast of the roaring thunder. Thanks to the social networking, people of Manipur and others around the world with access to the Internet are becoming members of 'concerned' to either protect or divide the 'Land of Gold' (Sanaleibak), on a scale that the challenges of the issue offset implementing solutions that would endure.

Protest and solidarity rallies were held from the remotest villages in Manipur to many major cities of India and across the continents as the solidarity rallies spread to Washington, London,Malaysia, Yangon (Myanmar) and even in the Holy Land (Israel) a condolences gathering was organized mourning the loss of nine souls. And, given the unprecedented nature of the mass upsurge, it is precarious and unpropitious of the naive attitude of 'The Three Bills' drafting committee and the legislative lawmakers to still assume that opposition to the bills as 'misguided' and 'miscommunication', and that they didn't infringe upon the rights or interest of the tribal people in the hill areas.

Now is not the time for unapologetic politics, rather the call of the hour is for resolution and rectification.

I studied the Bills and listened to arguments from both supporters and opponents. My judgement after balancing those two sets of information is that it's a pretty bad bills, misguided and passed impudently by the government.
The great concerned from the opposition is that the bills leave open a lane for the Government to create more non- tribal areas in the coming years. It's irony that the bills which try to protect the land of Manipur from outsiders by creating a bill in-lieu of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), try to turns the insiders (hills people) into an outsiders.

The sticking point is the cut-off year for identifying non- Manipur people. The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 defines citizens of Manipur as 'persons' whose name are in the National Register of Citizens, 1951; the Census Report of 1951 and, the Village Directory of 1951 and descendants who have contributed to the collective social, cultural and economic life of Manipur.

This will create many complications as many people and villages in the hills are not registered when in 1951, the first post- independence census and village registrar was conducted. Given the facts that most tribal chiefs are illiterate and not in the way of making written records, but settling matters by traditional and customary law, it is impossible for government agents (census enumerators) in 1951 to accurately record all people and all relevant villages in every corners of Manipur hill areas.

The hill tribes in the state were only given official recognition since the year 1956 and at that time all districts administration was controlled from Imphal by one single Deputy Commissioner. Further, the tribals are governed under the age-old traditional institution of Chieftainship which is hereditary. Their land documents were issued by competent authority and the village boundaries were well demarcated by the British administration. Besides, the tribal chiefs and their land remain outside the purview and were never technically a part of the Merger Agreement between the Maharaja and the Government of India in 1949. Hence, the alarm and fear that this could be leverage as a pretext by the valley based vested interest and the state to convert the hills people into foreigners, and that the chieftains power will be eroded and thereby losing their own land into the hands of the valley people.

As for the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms ( Seventh amendment) Bill, 2015 and its Principal Act, the MLR &LR Act 1960, it endanger the institution of Village Chieftainship administration in the hill areas of Manipur and also greatly affect their land holding system.The principal Act of 1960 has categorically exempted the Hill Areas from its application but in 1976 a proviso was inserted through an amendment which empower the State Government to extend the application of any section of the Act to any part of the Hill Areas, and the Government of Manipur using that proviso had extended the said Act to a vast tract of hill areas which is home to a large section of the tribals thus affecting their traditional village administration and land holding system under their Chief. The recent new bill (2015) seeks to insert another new provision in the form of regulating transfer of land where the Acts extends. The land belonging to the tribal has been protected under special provision, in congruence with Article 371-C of the Indian Constitution, of section 158 of the MLR&LR Act. However, the new insertion is taken as a ploy to defeat the provision for the protection of tribal lands as the new intended insertion, under Section 14A, begins with a non-obstante clause i.e. it begins with 'Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act...'.

In reference to the Manipur Shops and Establishment (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 there is no real threat to the interest of the tribals and hills area. However, the main issue is with the procedural lapses committed by the State Legislature in by passing the Hill Area Committee, as the Bill affects the entire State of Manipur, including the tribal areas.

And, last month on 22 Sept. when the Centre's government envoy, Ashok Prasad, Special Secretary (Internal Security) of Union Home Ministry visited Manipur, the various tribal apex bodies - Kuki Inpi, Zomi Council, Hmar Inpui and United Naga Council submitted memorandums highlighting the major concerns of the hills people and for Center's in intervention to resolve the issue. The JAC of Churachandpur, the prime center of agitations, also submitted a memorandum on line with the tribal apex bodies demanding immediate separate political arrangement for the hills people and the withdrawal of the three bills.

An alternative administrative arrangement for the hill tribes will be a very complicated and time consuming matter. At the moment it is sort of easier thought than done, even the various hills people (the Kuki, the Zomi the Naga and others) first have to set their house in order. So, the immediate need is to roll back the the anti-hills aspect of the bills and to adopt a new bill that truly safeguard the influx of outsiders (Indians or foreigners) which is commonly and equally bad and detrimental for the people of Manipur.

The natural roots of of Manipur problems is the division within the people of Manipur - valley and hills - and, the all-time failure of the Government to politically, economically and socially integrate the people of Manipur.The separation wall between the valley and hills people is not the wall here or the Berlin wall. The separation wall is when we do not talk to each other and consult one another and when we separate from each other. We always have a duty to found out the well-being of our neighbors with respect and humanity.

The hills people are not a stupid community. The Government were wrong due to their insensitivity. The people's MLAs gone too far this time. The Three bills is madness as it marked a capitulation by the ruling government. Struck on 31 August after months of negotiations to address the ILP, the bills goes up not for debate in the Assembly, when Chief Minister Ibobi Singh has secured full support by voice vote.

Despite the widespread protests, injuries and deaths, there is no signs of backing down and no words of consolations to the bereaved families and to the angry agitators from the Ministers and MLAs. If they can live with themselves and sleep at night and have blood on their hands, then so be it. That's their choice. They were self-serving politicians, a narcissist whose only concern is being re-elected. Not this time, Mantrijis and MLAs, for betraying the will of your voters.

It's time the state government with the Central government calls for an immediate dialogue of all concerned committees and apex tribal bodies in the state to resolve the core issue of the conflict. Peace is a collective process, a journey that must be taken together.Hopefully, with time and effort, we will develop an alternative bill that will attract all people of good faith- hills and valley- to sit down and do the hard work of engaging and wrestling with this controversial issues.

And when we do that, I hope we will announce it in the Assembly House together, and that it will have the name of the all the martyrs on it.