Message to the People from Irengbam Chaoren, President, Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) of Manipur on the occasion of the 29th Rising Day of People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
My dear Countrymen,
First of all, I vow my head in veneration and respect to all my beloved fellow countrymen. Also, I offer revolutionary salute to all the martyrs who led the revolution from the front and sacrificed their lives for the revolution.
It has been now 58 years since Manipur has been under the colonial domination of India. But India has so far refused to recognize and admit that Manipur had been an Independent country that was forcibly annexed to her fold. Instead, democracy has been used as a powerful and effective weapon for drawing the people of Manipur in the Election process in an attempt to show that Manipur is a part of India. This powerful and effective weapon of democracy has dragged Manipur step by step towards India as an inseparable part.
However, Indian democracy and its election cannot be the real democracy and real election for Manipur. This is done only to force Indian democracy in Manipur. The real democracy for Manipur can be there only when Manipur becomes an Independent country. Accordingly those who are presently wielding power in Manipur through the Indian election process should never forget that they are ruling over the people of Manipur as a representative of the Indian State. They also should not forget that the people of Manipur suffer various inhuman atrocities under the Indian State just because they remain as a prop up of the Indian State. Hence they should take total responsibility for all these.
Right now, those wielding power in Manipur is using the plank of development as enticement to the people for strengthening the Indian Rule. Yet India, which itself is the home of more than forty percent of the world’s poor, can never make Manipur fully developed with her money. We can never believe that a country like India, which cannot develop herself and has tens of millions of her people starving, will be able to bring progress to Manipur. It can even be said that the little amount of money, which is being sanctioned to Manipur presently, is because of the Revolutionary activities. This will be clear once we look into the amount of money earmarked for Manipur in the period when there was not much revolutionary activity.
For this reason, to shape the future of Manipur through development achieved by our own efforts as an owner shedding the outdated idea of Manipur not being able to survive without depending on India, we should make Manipur an Independent country. Then only Manipur will be able to come up at International level and make considerable progress. To achieve this time has come for the people of Manipur to work united with the revolutionaries.
Revolutionary struggle can never be ended in Manipur unless the present Indian Colonial regime departs Manipur on its own will or is forced to depart. As the present turmoil in Manipur is related to this, it is not possible for the revolutionaries to bring a solution with India other than this. If India wants peace in Manipur as well as a long lasting relationship, then they should bring their colonial regime in Manipur to a close. India should take this seriously or else there cannot be any peaceful understanding other than a bloody war.
While pronouncement is for peaceful negotiations with the revolutionaries through dialogue, India adopts violence in action with its army in the forefront. From the increasing number of revolutionaries arrested or martyred in the hands of the Indian Army as a result of this tactics, it is presumed that the revolutionary struggle in Manipur can be finished off easily solely through the strength of their army. But what India should understand is that there is no sign of falling the number of revolutionaries compared to the past although there is an increase in the number of arrests or martyred. And so, as long as their colonial rule remains in existence in Manipur, the number of revolutionaries will be increased day by day even if more number of revolutionaries are arrested or martyred in the hands of the Indian Army.
Leading the life of a civilian by many revolutionaries after leaving or retiring from the party is taken by the Indian Army as a conclusion for the mistakes and misdeeds of the Revolutionary Parties. This is their wrong observation. The mobilization of the youth by the RPF inculcating them revolutionary thoughts besides giving them armed training is in a long-term perspective. Looking at the number of Party cadres who are now leading a civilian life after getting armed training by PLA, they should not judge it as a decrease in strength of RPF. The aim of training by RPF is to provide armed training to a maximum number of grown up youth so as to prepare them for an imminent war in future. As such RPF never considers those who are retired from the party and leading a civilian life as some one who has distanced completely from revolutionary struggle. One day or other they will definitely join the revolutionary struggle is our firm belief.
The Indian Army must not perceive RPF in the same light as they perceive other revolutionaries. The mere outward aspect they see cannot decide the real character of RPF. RPF has been built with the character of a true Revolutionary Party. The fact of building the Party without any division into factions in its more than 28 years of revolutionary history is the clear example of the ideal discipline and the mutual trust amongst the cadres of RPF and it’s army PLA. Because of this oneness and trust in the Party by the cadres while discharging their various tasks, RPF has now grown into one of the unassailable revolutionary Parties of Manipur. As such, the Indian Army should not undertake a flawed analysis.
RPF desires that the Revolutionary Parties in Manipur may come under one platform and work in unison. However, we cannot take it for granted that the revolutionary work in Manipur can be undertaken once a few parties with the same vision come together in one platform. We had examples for this over and over again in the past. Consequently, it is convinced that we must first of all endeavor to explore a path for the Revolutionary Parties, even with different ideologies and visions, for undertaking the revolutionary work together under a common platform. Yet it is not easy to bring up the issue of unity in the present different state of affairs prevailing within the revolutionary parties. Still we must contemplate on this problem for, effort must be first made to bring unity to the various factions of some revolutionary organizations. A big help or encouragement from other parties will not be enough to bring a long lasting unity unless they come to an agreement amongst themselves on their own will. For this reason it will be more rewarding that these organizations beset with factionalism be allowed to search the path for their unification on their own and thus in the process learning to discharge their duties responsibly.
There is no question of RPF recognizing or working jointly at present with the various factions of the revolutionary parties beset with factionalism. Because this will incense more bitterness and any work undertaken jointly will invite more quarrels amongst them. This has been a lesson for us from many experiences in the past. For this reason time has come that our people should stop supporting and helping the different factions and instead put more pressure so that the factions come together. Alternatively if one continues to support and take sides with the various factions then, there will be no end to the factionalism amongst the revolutionary parties of Manipur.
Besides the problem of having a large number of revolutionary organizations what is desired urgent attention is the works of various revolutionary organizations of Manipur trying build themselves to a powerful revolutionary party. It is now time that we should analyze the direction of our revolutionary works in the light of the whole people of the world undertaking a new united movement against the terrorists. If we do not take this issue gravely, we may fall prey to the propaganda of our enemy India attempting to portray the independence movement as terrorist activities and thus the revolutionary movement of Manipur may become one not supported by the international community. And so it is once more appealed to all the revolutionary organizations to desist from using tactics of terrorists while trying to build the strength of their organizations.
The present step by the Indian Army carrying out covert understanding with the rebel groups of the various communities of Manipur in the name of negotiation is a kind of destabilizing act by putting wedge between the various communities in Manipur. Unless the step of exploiting them using as a weapon to contain the revolutionary organizations through separate dealing and giving tactical support to their activities in the name of peace talk is taken back immediately, a communal war is certainly bound to happen in Manipur. We have witnessed the communal clash between the Nagas and the Kukis as well as the Kukis and the Paites in the past as an outcome of the instigation of the Indian Army. The recent fatal clash between the Naga rebel group and Kuki rebel group in Hundung is also an example. Therefore, on behalf of RPF, it is appealed to all the revolutionary organizations of various communities living together in Manipur to come together and work unitedly for Manipur with a new ideology and vision instead of working having faith in the poisonous evil policies of the Colonial India.
Here our brethren working in the media may effort to publish and broadcast only the truth while covering the news and events related to revolutionary activities in order not to put people into confusion. At present, the biggest dispute about the media internationally is regarding the biasness of the news and reporting. In the present confused situation of Manipur our Journalists must try to lead the people in the right direction by abandoning this predisposition of biasness in the media. Only then, those unwanted incidents happening at present in the media could be prevented. In the meantime, it is also appealed to persons of all sides not to intimidate and inconvenience the Journalists by interfering unnecessarily with the freedom of Media.
I want also to propose some task that must necessarily be taken up by the people of Manipur in the midst of the revolutionary struggle. A small country like Manipur may contribute very little to the global weather change or in the restoration of the global ecological imbalance. But then doing nothing about the ever-depleting forests and receding hills will be a great loss for the future of Manipur. So we must take up some measures in our capacity in order to protect, however little it may be, the future generation from the inconveniences coming from global change of weather and ecological imbalance.
In China where the percentage of deforestation is quite high, it is the policy of the Chineese government that all persons within the ages of eleven to sixty years plants five saplings each every year. According to the report of the Chineese Government, a minimum a billion trees have been planted every year since 1982. But it will be worth monitoring how the departments of Manipur Government are going ahead with planting of trees for forestation. Accordingly we have to make a concerted effort identifying our role to intervene at the areas where the government departments have failed. If we remain doing nothing saying that it is the Government departments that are not implementing, the loss will be for Manipur. And we all will have share in this loss. Therefore let us make it a duty for us to look out and execute works that government has not implemented or is not expected to be implement.
Right now, discussing the developmental programs of China and India is becoming an international topic. What our people of Manipur can involve in this debate of China forging ahead is to discuss focusing on the scientists and issues related to them. It is witnessed by one and all that because of the Research and Development works taken up by the numerous scientists, China is ahead of India in development. It is also estimated that India will take more than one hundred and fifty (150) years to reach the approximate one hundred and sixty thousand (160,000) scientists of China. One important reason for this is the working of most of the Indian scientists outside looking more for their own future and benefit.
However, most of the scientists of China work inside China, giving benefit of their work to China herself. This is because the students have been educated in China, sense of Patriotism being inculcated and preparing them to dedicate themselves to the development of China. In contrast, many students in India take their education outside India and also the sense of patriotism cannot be inculcated to them through education in India. Accordingly, they don’t find it difficult to distance themselves from their motherland once they become matured completing their studies. As their profession and knowledge is considered to be merely their personal property, many a good scientists left India for other countries.
Therefore like China while bringing up our children, we must inculcate the sense of patriotism and the ideology to dedicate their profession for their motherland while educating them in Manipur itself. For this we must not only have facilities of good schools and create a right academic environment but also make arrangements for methods of teaching, which could inculcate a sense of patriotism to our students. For a small and ever degenerating country like Manipur, where the people are even becoming indolent to pursue the footsteps of their forefathers, it will be a disaster for the future of Manipur to send indiscriminately students, who will be the pillars of the future society, outside Manipur for studies. As such we must make preparations from now onwards so that the fully developed students on completion of their studies will dedicate their work for the love of their motherland. Most importantly, discussing the specific issues in the classrooms, instead of dragging the schools with budding and young students in the ever going strikes and bands of Manipur, will be more fruitful and more rewarding. So it is appealed to our people to create in Manipur an appropriate academic atmosphere by bringing out their own ideas that will be helpful in molding our students.
Lastly, I want to remind our people that, living together in the middle of a revolutionary war, we do all exist as a part of this war. This condition will remain as long as the present Indian Colonial rule continues in Manipur. It would not be possible for anyone of us to remain isolated dividing into someone who has joined the war or someone who has not joined the war. One day or the other we all will be getting our due share of the revolutionary war. This has been witnessed in the various revolutionary struggles around the world. For this reason we must have various pre plans so that the revolutionary war is not put in great danger. Even in the face of such a danger it should not result in disaster. Let all of us prepare for this eventuality joining hands together and working as one.
Victory is on our side!
May the Struggle of the PLA be victorious!
Long Live RPF!
Yours ,
Irengbam Chaoren
President,
Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF)
25 September 2007.
