The KYKL chairman also pointed out that there are few armed groups “waiting in line to join” the bandwagon of “peace talks” and these groups have already given up on the “national armed liberation struggle”.
TFM Desk
N Oken, the chairman of the proscribed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) has stated that revolutionary movement in Western South East Asia or WESEA is in a state of “existential crisis and deep sinking”. Majority of ethno-national groups in the region that used to fight for freedom have committed to peace talks with “colonial rulers, thereby giving up their long-lasting fight”, he said in a message forwarded to media houses in Manipur a day ahead of KYKL’s 29th Rising Day on April 25.
N Oken also pointed out that there are few armed groups “waiting in line to join” the bandwagon of “peace talks” and these groups have already given up on the “national armed liberation struggle”.
Extending “revolutionary greetings” on behalf of KYKL to all the “revolutionary organizations” and people, as well as the CSOs, public leaders, public intellectuals and media fraternity in the WESEA region and Kangleipak, the KYKL chairman said that there is a peculiar trend taking place currently in Kangleipak and that is “the split of an organization to further the goals of a few individuals who want to make it an organization that has ditched revolutionary politics”.
He also warned that these groups are “also planning to inflict physical and mental trauma on those organizations that refuse to give up on the real revolutionary movement”. Currently, many middle-aged revolutionary leaders who have faced many ups and downs in the revolutionary movement over the past two to three decades within an organization, but have not yet given up on the revolutionary movement, find themselves in the dilemma of “choosing whether to leave the party or continue to shoulder on the movement like those who had already declared themselves defeated before they became truly defeated in the battle”, said N Oken.
He said that “prior to actual defeat on the battlefield, the majority of political elites and masses in society appear to have been encircled by an internalized sense of self-defeatism prior to actual defeat, believing that one’s society cannot exist without being part of Delhi sponsored neo-fascist organizations”.
The KYKL chairman claims that the “Kanglei society” now seems to focus more on the pursuit of personal interests than the advancement of collective social existence. “We have lost sight of people and society. Rather than putting effort into productive activities, people do believe more in collecting interests and rent-seeking” he rued.
The chairman also said that “corruption has become the basis of our culture. Ours is a society without established standards for what is right and wrong. Typically, people believe anything is right if it serves their own personal interests, which is not human. Nobody cares what should be done or shouldn’t be done”.
He pointed out that as history has shown, when everyone in society suspects everyone, and no one trusts anyone, the society will collapse. “As a society, we are no longer acting as ‘subjects’ who behave like fully human beings, equipped with high agency, and who can hold their own responsibility and realize their wills. Rather, we have been reduced to ‘objects,’ people who have limited agency and are manipulated”, said N Oken and cautioned that unless people intervene, “a society like this will become extinct; it is only a matter of time”
The KYKL chairman reasoned that what is happening now is due to colonial economic policy that has destroyed the economic base rather than build it. “The poisonous tree that they planted 74 years ago has grown tall and mature over the years: said N Oken. He added that the real existence of a society involves resistance against the domination of others on the one hand and self-empowerment on the other hand. “In the democratic world order, a great number of past events have shown that if a group of people resist, they do not end up becoming extinct. Getting rid of the sense of inferiority complex is the first step to resisting colonial dominance, he said there is a process of “internalization of oppression”.
“There is a trend where they are becoming less human; they no longer see themselves as humans; this is a sign and symptom of self-dehumanization. Or to put it another way, it is the same as giving up on history and on being human being. It is obvious that a society that is resisting colonial dominance would get brighter and more dazzling with time”, the KYKL chairman observed.
He also reminded that there are a number of resistance movements still going on around the world today. “The movement of Khalistan, which was believed to have withered away 30 years ago, has appeared all over again in recent times. The resistance movement in Catalonia is far from over. It is true that movements in Palestine have transformed but it is still alive. Movement in Scotland is also not extinct. In Quebec, the resistance movement is still going strong and continues to flow its course. The ember of Basque resistance movement still continues to burn. Their movements are still on and that is why they are able to protect their identities”, he said.
N Oken also asserted that protecting one’s own identity will not hinder the development of other ethnic nationalities or communities; this will not even affect neighbouring communities. He further said that there is a correlation between protection of identity and economic development of the communities. “Even the bare minimum of subsistence cannot be obtained without the protection of identity. If a society cannot protect its identity, the people will not have core resolve/value. Due to lack of this value and strength, they will eventually be marginalized; and the marginalized society is on its way to extinction,” further stated N Oken, the chairman of the proscribed KYKL.