‘Terrorism or Revolution’ what should we refer to what has been going on in Manipur? Every other day reports on a grenade being hurled to the residence or office of so and so, XYZ people killed etc cover the news channel and the news papers. In the name of liberation, freedom, autonomy and sovereignty, our rights as human beings, our rights to live, have been suppressed. In the name of revolution, terrorism is being spread throughout the state. The media which has a great role to play in the development and upliftment of the society and the state as a whole are kept busy with issues such as these. If you say you are terrorising the people for a cause then for whom are you fighting the cause?
Killing anyone who raises his or her voice against you, threatening those who refuse to submit, hurling grenades at the homes of those who refuse to meet your demands, which of these acts identifies revolution? How long are we expected to struggle yet tolerate oppression, suppression and repression? The three words clearly signify the situation of Manipur and the plight of the common people. On one hand are the corrupt politicians who, at every possible and available opportunity, try to oppress us. On the other hand are our so called liberators who suppress and repress us with terror and fright.
There are two sides of everything, the good and the bad. Besides the clear cut demarcation between the good and the bad, there is a middle path which is often referred to as the socially acceptable irrespective of whether it is good or bad. Do you think the atrocious acts are socially acceptable? The killing of the father-son duo and the very recent incident where grenade was left at the office of a press, how do you identify this as an act of revolution? Recounting the happenings and incidents that have been taking place in our state, I would say nearly all such deeds are no where near humane, forget about being socially acceptable.
Very few people understand the actual difference between revolution and terrorism. There have been several instances where revolutionaries have been regarded as terrorists. It is actually the actions and deeds that identify one from the other. Some of you might argue saying that to achieve the goal for the cause a revolution, one makes use of terrorism. Then you must also have this clarity in mind that revolutionists do not resort to commit violence against the people and do not forcibly try to change the mentality of the people. They try to bring over a change by reasoning, convincing through their actions and thoughts. Destroying properties, killing people for no reasons, is not a revolution. It is terrorism. One cannot simply force down one’s ideologies on others. If one is true to the cause and is a true revolutionary then one would respect the people at large and thus would make an effort to make the state a better place to live in instead of resorting to coercion, homicide and destruction.
The activities going on in the state is a complete contradiction of the ideas of Revolution. The beautiful view of revolution and its glory has been nullified with the acts of terrorism being committed in the name of revolution. I wonder if there is any difference between once Taliban ruled Afghanistan and the Manipur of today. The state has been in turmoil with a complete breakdown in law and order. Instability is the word synonymous to Manipur now. If the idea of liberation is to add to the prevalent upheaval of the state, to disturb the peace of the state, rather than solving the issues and moving towards development then we do not want liberation. We want a place to live in peace and in unison. We are tired of the uncertainty we are in. It is a pity that at the end of the day we find ourselves fighting amongst ourselves for survival.
Everywhere in the country, media enjoys the widely known Freedom of the Press which no one can overrule but in Manipur, media is no longer an autonomous entity. Voicing one’s opinion is more or less like asking for trouble. The people of the state are rotting of poverty, corruption, lack of education, unemployment, etc. What is the use of liberation in such a scenario? When such questions are being posed, the only answer we have is that we have rich cultural heritage, we excel in sports, etc… etc. But the rich cultural heritage that we keep bragging about is a thing of the past now. We stand no where near development. And this is an attribution of the brain drain that has been occurring due to the instability of the state, slowing down in the progress of the state. The world, at large, has already gone way up beyond development and in Manipur we are still lagging behind, struggling with Terrorism/Revolution!
Courtesy: Editorial The Sangai Express.
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