THE POLITICS OF PARTITION

THE POLITICS OF PARTITION Leading to Culture of Hatred I N politics, a partition is a change of political borders cutting through at least one territory considered a homeland by some community. Perhaps the first partition in modern history was that of Poland in 1772. Ostensibly, partition offers a better prospect for the reduction of conflict. But what is the result of the politics of partition? Experience tells us that almost all the cases of partition have proved to be counterproductive. In the period of pre-partition, people were living with high hopes that partition would improve their lives. But in the post-partition period they found that this was not so and suffered the frustration of having to settle for a lesser degree of well-being than they had anticipated. Sudan, in north eastern Africa is a case in point. The Sudan liberation movement started in 1983, with intense fighting between two groups right up till 2011. The final outcome was that Sudan was separated into South Sudan and North Sudan. But what was the result of this partition? In neither country has there been any substantial development. According to the latest international survey, both parts of Sudan have been declared failed states. Two other countries, namely, Somalia and Congo, fall into this same category. In reality, the whole idea of partition is wrong. There have been a number of cases of partitions throughout history but events have shown that no such step has ever led to any positive outcome. Territorial divisions of countries have repeatedly had negative consequences. Why does partition lead to an undesirable result? It is because, as a political strategy, partition is unnatural, and in this world, any scheme which is unnatural has little chance of success. If developed countries have achieved great things, it has been by following the laws of nature and not vice versa. From the very outset, the politics of partition is wrong, because it stems as a rule from hatred, and any plan conceived in hatred for other people is bound to result in an intensification of that hatred. It may safely be said that opting for partition can only lead to unending hatred Experience tells us that almost all the cases of partition have proved to be counter-productive.