Mizo youths in traditional attire. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

After two decades of insurgency and violence, peace has been sweet indeed for the Mizos

Mizoram has tasted and savoured peace for 17 years now. After two decades of insurgency and its related sufferings, peace has been sweet indeed. There is no more the fear of the insurgent’s gun, no more trembling at the sight of army uniforms. During those years of turmoil, fear was always in the air as many fell to bullets or even knives. Fear lurked at the back of everyone’s mind as a silent tormentor.

Mizoram has come a long way after the Peace Accord was signed on June 30, 1986. Peace was welcomed with great jubilation by the people who had longed for it. And perhaps it is because the Mizos really wanted peace that it has held so far. The living standards of the people have improved a good deal as compared to the pre-accord days. People live in better houses. Transport has improved greatly and travelling has become much more easy and pleasant. Many essential commodities that used to be in short supply are readily available now.

Education, including higher studies, has become more easily accessible. Mizoram University was opened on July 1, 2001. Before that, post-graduate classes functioned as part of the North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) campus. It was a dream come true for the young state to have its very own university.

The programme of environment protection has been taken up — it looks with seriousness — by the state government and other organisations. June 13 was observed as Green Mizoram Day for the fifth year running. Serchhip Young Mizo Association (YMA) recently opened a new sanctuary for wildlife near the village.

On the other hand, the forest department decided to stop all development works around Ngengpui Sanctuary to punish the villages for the death of two elephants in the sanctuary, the killers of which the villagers refused to divulge. The government also distributed free cooking gas to some villagers as a step towards environment conservation.

Peace has brought many blessings. No wonder Zoramthanga, the chief minister of Mizoram, is all out for peace in the whole of the Northeast. Having been an insurgent, he knows the difference between “war” and peace, and which is better for the people. It is another story that he has accidentally stepped on the toes of the Meghalaya government in his zeal! Relations with chief minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar does not seem to be cordial either. The latter has claimed that the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) has set up camps in Mizoram and the rebels are openly moving around. This, of course, has been denied by the Mizoram chief minister who is leaving no stone unturned in search of peace for the region. He believes that it is not enough to be an “island of peace”; peace in the surrounding areas also is necessary for it to prevail in the state.

Another vexing problem is the Bru issue. The Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) has been indulging in violent activities, including murder, abduction and extortion, against the people and the Mizoram government.

The Bru or Reang, a Tripuri tribe, had settled down in some parts of Mizoram. They are now demanding a separate autonomous district. A large number of them, reported to be 40,000, fled to Tripura in 1997-1998 where they were put up in refugee camps. It is alleged that they left because of a communal flare-up with the majority Mizos, but the latter claim that is was the Bru militants who had threatened and forced them to leave. Some of them have returned, but others are still residing in Tripura. There have been rounds of talks with the Mizoram government, but no settlement has been arrived at.

There are other challenges to be faced at home. One of them is the growing unemployment. With easier access to education, the land is now annually churning out a good number of graduate and post-graduate youths. But there are few employment opportunities in the state and there is no entrepreneurship to talk of yet. The number of educated unemployed is soaring. This is creating unrest, which may worsen with time — if some solution is not found in the meantime.

A big gap in Mizoram’s education is in language training, especially the spoken form. Though there is no dearth of English-medium schools, the students do not get enough practice in spoken English.

This is a handicap that stands in the way of finding employment, especially in other states or in central services. Hindi, the language spoken by a large chunk of Indians, also needs to be taught. Though Hindi institutions have been set up, they have not really caught on. The language needs to be promoted more seriously in the state.

Another blot on the fair face of peaceful Mizoram is the dissent by the Peace Accord Mizo National Front (MNF) Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) alleging non-fulfilment of some of the provisions of the accord by the Mizoram government. The former boycotted the celebrations of the Peace Day in 2002 and observed it as black day in 2003.

On August 14, 2002, they burned copies of the memorandum of settlement signed between the Centre and the then MNF underground leaders in protest against the “non-implementation” of the provisions of the memorandum. This matter is taking a serious turn, with even mention of taking it to court.

The Myanmarese nationals issue is also threatening to get out of hand. For years, there has been a continuous influx from the neighbouring country. The natives of Mizoram did not mind it much. But in recent times there have been complaints that crime has increased greatly because of the outsiders.

Things blew up when a child was raped by a Myanmarese national on July 17. Some locals served a quit notice on foreigners living in their area and many of them fled.

Opinions are divided on this issue, with some groups arguing that this is a violation of human rights. It is gratifying though to see that the Mizoram government has stepped in to find a humane solution to the problem.

Much has been achieved since the signing of the Peace Accord. However, the above problems and several others that normally riddle a state government need to be dealt with in order to maintain a peaceful atmosphere. Mizoram has to continue the fight for peace.