By Janet Moore Hujon
Those who hold the reins of power must know by now that in these hard economic times the glaring divide between rich and poor is becoming all too visible. And if private wealth is generated by dishonest means then dire consequences can only but follow. England’s summer of discontent did not come out of the blue – it has been brewing for a long time – the only surprise perhaps is that it took on such an extreme form. Similarly the present war of attrition being fought in Meghalaya against the GNLA is not unexpected. Corruption, nepotism and blatant favouritism in the corridors of power have given the militants a moral justification for their political stance even if these freedom fighters must surely know that violence is never a solution to social and political problems. Just as the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people have been destroyed by riots in England so also are the lives of innocent people caught in the crossfire that lights up the Garo Hills .
Every life needlessly lost in the conflict leaves a void in the lives of a parent, a brother or a sister and also in the community. It is therefore ultimately the responsibility of the government to conduct itself in a way that will ensure that in our daily attempt to survive on this planet we are not forced to take sides. This can only be avoided if the government reinforces that binding sense of shared values and aims that have contributed to our sense of community. Perhaps this breakdown in sympathy for the common plight and the death of trust in those whom we vote into power is the reason why there is now this need for socio-political bodies like NGOs to speak up for us.
One of the issues hotly debated in Britain at the moment is whether the culture of greed and the apparent equating of success with material wealth is to blame for the mindless violence that spilled out of young peoples’ hearts onto the city streets. “Looters are scum” says a woman’s T-shirt. And when one looks at the debris of broken glass, doors hanging by their hinges, shelves stripped bare; when one empathises with a man watching his 150 year old family business go up in smoke while his aging father watches this nightmare on television, one cannot but share the anger expressed by the woman through her T-shirt. Yet these incidents also contain another related story.
In helping themselves to what is not theirs, looters and arsonists are undeniably committing criminal acts but why cannot the same be said of those greedy officials and politicians who take what is not theirs and do so with total impunity? For if you can do it why can’t I? It remains to be seen whether the high and mighty in Meghalaya will look into their hearts to see how their actions spark off reactions that sap the foundations of our society. If they do so it will assuredly guarantee a future rich in respect within and for the State.
The ongoing political instability in Meghalaya where the game of musical chairs features prominently, not only means that we cannot trust those in power but neither can they trust one another. The fact that this game of musical chairs has gone on for so long points to one thing. Those who jostle for ministerial posts are happy to preserve the status quo because they each know who they are dealing with and to a certain extent can ‘trust’ each other. Better the devil you know, as they say. Theirs is an exclusive community where there is the odd cloak and dagger attempt but so far not too many fatal surprises. Ironically enough change does not then happen where it is needed most.
However the soul searching that is now going on in Britain has got to be replicated in Meghalaya. The word ‘community’ is now central to countless discussions in the media. It is clear that any attempts to define or re-define the word in the context of multi-racial and multi-cultural Britain, are going to prove difficult if not contentious. What everyone seems to agree upon however is that it is this elusive sense of community that prevents these acts of mindless vandalism and murder. And so in Meghalaya too we have to urgently look into our communities and into our hearts in order to rescue that which still keeps us together. What binds us as a community today has gone beyond loyalties to the family, the clan and our religious groups. Globalisation, the information highway and economics have long changed all that. The original mould has been broken and we have to find new ways to create it anew guided by a vision of mutual respect for each other and the environment we are blest with.
Facebook and Twitter may connect us to each other but are we really connected? Do we have time any more for the genuine smile and the warm word of greeting whereby we acknowledge our common humanity and our shared physical space? Or have we become so selfish that these basic niceties fall by the way as we reach out to take more than is our due because we are all buying into the idea that the most valid equation today is that wealth equals success and vice versa. Of course we all want to better ourselves, to keep rising. But acquiring wealth just for the sake of it is an empty exercise that can only lead to profound dissatisfaction once the stimulation and thrill of realising one dream after another fades away. Sadly however it is this image of power funded by wealth that is proving all too alluring.
A new city is now emerging in Britain and it is called Homelessness. Those with empty hearts and no vision of a personal future throng its dark alleys looking to form a community that will give them an idea of who they are and why they were born. Grudges against the establishment and figures of authority coupled with a bitter resentment of the wealthy who seem to have more than they need, unite this band of brothers and sisters. However negative the bonds that bind them, this family feels together – they belong to each other and they belong somewhere. They have carved out an identity and a territory for themselves winning attention as a new tribe to contend with. As our planet becomes more and more overcrowded and the resources to sustain this burgeoning population dwindle there will be many more such battles for survival. Then those who have will be forced to live behind heavily fortified walls continually wary of the other community outside planning a revenge that can only get sweeter the longer it is left to mature.
It is not an easy world we live in but I feel that we in Meghalaya still have a real community. Let us not take it for granted in case we lose it.
(The writer lives and works in Cambridge, UK)