It is good to learn that Centre is taking the back-channel route to broker peace between the Kukis and Meiteis.
We used to call it Track 2 process and such an unofficial channel always turns out to be the best way to bring even die-hard groups to the negotiating table. The first effort at peace turned out to be an embarrassment.
As both Meitei and Kuki groups off-hand rejected the Peace Committee initiated by the Union Home Ministry, it became a non-starter. We were sure the ministry had not done its homework and consultation process before constituting the committee or kick-starting the peace process.
We understand that, Union Home Minister Amit Shah after assessing various dimensions and the evolving scenario seeks to bring the warring groups to the table and thrash out contentious issues so as to usher in peace and normalcy in the state, then and there.
He or rather the thinking heads or mandarins working for him seems to have entirely misread the complexity of the situation. Passions and enmity had already reached a boiling point, at that very juncture. No one dared to talk of peace.
The Kukis were pushing for a separate administration citing, state government apathy towards them in the wake of eviction from forest lands, war on drugs and restrictions on entry of their kin and kith from across the border. While on the other hand, an assertion of Meitei identity not seen before has come to the fore as a result of the conflict.
Even politics have become so polarised that politicians and MLAs were forced to form groupings under ethnic identities.
Not only the politicians or representatives, even the civil society organisations are coming under the radar of public anger. In view of the charged atmosphere, nobody dares to speak of peace or against the ethnic assertions.
As we said before, the ghosts that vested interests had unleashed in pursuit of their aims and objectives had taken control now, and politicians and CSO leaders have suddenly become careful and cautious as not to antagonise the mob.
So, the rejection of the Peace Committee by COCOMI, Kuki Inpi Manipur and CoTU was not a surprise. It was a classic case of jumping the gun.
State Governor Anusuiya Uikey would have been certainly embarrassed by the turn of events, as she is by all means keen to resolve the crisis and bring peace and normalcy in the state. Now, she is already doing that.
She is meeting people from the cross-sections of society, including women leaders, peace workers, senior citizens etc and collecting their feedback.
For a peace process to work, for the present, we need neutral referees and persons who genuinely believe in peace and have wide experience in conflict resolution and conflict transformation.
We understand, it would be difficult to find persons ready to stick their necks out for the cause of peace between the warring camps as the level of political polarisation has reached a point where angels fear to tread.
However, we must understand that there are persons genuinely interested in peace in every community and what is required is the skill to find and identifying them.
In such a situation, confidence building measures and steps aimed at unwinding the trauma faced by the victims and their families as well as the collective trauma of the general population should precede any peace initiative.
We have been saying that, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be most welcome.
Since the outbreak of the conflict on May 3, wild narratives have been flying around and it is these narratives which have been constantly fuelling the public sentiment and anger.
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