IMPHAL, December 10: The 1st North East Peoples’ Parliament organized to open a new chapter in the struggle of the indigenous peoples of Northeast India for their rights, dignity and identity today adopted to constitute a working group to look into the various issues raised in its first session.
The parliament session held at the Kangshang Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal was jointly organised by the Coalition for Indigenes’ Rights Campaign, Manipur, Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha and Assam Meitei Apunba Lup.
The House which will continue for three days will delved into certain ‘challenges faced by the peoples of the region’ including demographic conflict as a result of the continuing inflow of disproportionate migrants, economic underdevelopment, globalization, survival and environmental threats following unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, social dis-organization or unrest, corrupted governance, Policy paralysis including saturated education system and mounting unemployment, AFSPA and HR violations, Drug abuse and HIV/AIDS challenge confronting our society, Fragmentation of the body politic on ethnic lines.
The House agreed to constitute a working group comprising the leaders of participating States as members to look into various issues raised in its first session and other relevant issues for further elaboration and adoption by the first session of the said parliament.
Stephen Angkang, former president of Tangkhul Naga Long, was the Chief Guest and Hidangmayum Dwijasekhar Sharma, former principal DM Collage of Science, was the president of the inaugural session of the parliament.
In the inaugural session and 1st session delegates from Bodo, Jayantia, Tripuri, Reang (Bru), Deori, Karbi, Khasi, Moran, Kom, Aimol, Vaipei, Leianmai, Thadou, Kom, Kabui, Chothe, Kharam, Hmar, Zeme, Chiru, Meitei Pangal, Paite, Koireng, Meitei and other indigenous tribes from North East India attended the Parliament.
H. Dwijasekhar Sharma chaired the first session as the speaker. Jalendra Reang from Bru community, Gandadhar Ramchiary from Bodo, Angam Zatung Chiru from Chiru, Erwin K. Syiem Sutuga from Jaintia community, Ratan Moran from Moran community, Ram Singh Kathar from Karbi, Punya Dhar Ariyo Deori from Deori, L. Mary Kom from Kom community, Th. James and Ab. Tangamang from Liangmai community, Abdul Hakim Shah from Meitei-Pangal community and other delegates delivered their views on the agenda “Challenges & Survival of each Tribes”.
The second session of the Parliament also resolved to recommend that the recommendation of the 2nd Administrative reform commission dated June 25, 2007 in its 5th report on public order and the recommendation of Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee 2004 with respect to AFSPA 1958 be implemented by the Government of India.
According to a statement of the organisers, the parliament is organized to open a new chapter in the struggle of the indigenous peoples of Northeast India for their rights, dignity and identity as a collective, given the ineffectiveness and failure of isolated ethno-exclusive movements.
It added, the future destiny of the peoples of this region is bound together not only by history and geography alone but also by their existential realities. We are confronted with these internal and external challenges and hence felt the need to collectively struggle together, it said.
The parliament is ultimately expected to develop into a mass movement capable of challenging and asserting these suppressions, divisions and rights in a paradigm of ‘one country two systems’, it said.