Citizens share their thoughts on the year gone by and hopes for 2014
SHILLONG: As we bid farewell to 2013 and welcome the New Year the residents of Shillong are hoping for a new destiny for the state and its people. The Shillong Times spoke to people from varied backgrounds and sought their experiences of 2013 and expectations for the year 2014.
Centre Point Entertainment Group Managing Director and MTDF president Larsing M Sawyan said, “I wish that 2014 will usher in a collective thought process of practical and rational thinking within our society where all genuine and important issues afflicting our state may be addressed successfully in a viable and appropriate manner and not be lost in the mediocrity of one- up manship.”
Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh termed the year 2013 as a year of learning and hoped that 2014 will be a year of growth and progress.
“I hope that we will build bridges between different communities and break down the walls between them,” Lyngdoh said while wishing that the state grows faster in the upcoming year.
A teacher Shabnam Parveen while sharing her thoughts said that she wants peace to be restored in the year 2014 as the state has witnessed enough violence in 2013.
“My wish is that peace should prevail in the state at all cost,” she said.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal batted for “Cleaner and Greener Meghalaya “in the year 2014.
He also wished that Meghalaya would develop and prosper and peace would prevail in the entire state in the year 2014 even as he hoped that people will achieve their targets individually.
West Jaintia Hills SP Herbert Lyngdoh said,” I hope we become more helpful towards each other, learn from our mistakes and become better citizens of Meghalaya.”
President ICARE, Toki Blah, made some salutary comments saying, ” The old year witnessed many a social lapse and break down of the social order .Emphasis has been too much on Rights and too less on duties of a citizen. Perhaps parents are more to blame than anyone else. The new year needs ILP. I mean ILP as in Intelligent Loving Parenting. The new year needs a breed of parents who are willing to spend quality time with their children to imbibe in them principles and values of good citizenship and the values of justice, love and peace.”