By Paul Lyngdoh
The Clean Politics Campaign, spearheaded by Nongkrem MLA, Ardent M. Basaiawmoit, culminating in a public rally on January 30, could not have come a day earlier. That it evoked the response it did is a welcome sign : public consciousness over larger issues that affect governance is a sine qua non of a successful democracy. The influence of moneybags in determining the political fortunes of Meghalaya is a fairly recent phenomenon. But the worrying fact is that the trend is showing an upward surge and, if not controlled, we may very well pip Arunachal Pradesh to the post to be rated as the numero uno in the North-east where currency notes decide the fate of all our assembly constituencies.
Attempting a critique of the factors contributing to the phenomenon can be quite complex, but, nevertheless, necessary for a more objective perspective. For one, few would contradict the fact that elections in Meghalaya have become an extremely expensive affair. Gone are the days when voters would pool their meager resources in order to prop up a candidate of their choice. It has been a 360 degree shift- in certain constituencies it is an auction house- like situation where voters would hesitate to come out till the appropriate amount is quoted! The cancer is now spreading to hitherto unaffected urban constituencies in Shillong as well, with candidates propped up by corporate houses going all out in an obscene display of their might to purchase and manipulate voters. A bleak scenario for a fledgling democracy- for the future of the state indeed!
Again, the steady erosion of all institutions that would have helped curb the menace on the one hand- and the absence of some vital organs on the other (the Lokayukta and an independent ACB, for example)- have exacerbated matters. The legislature, for instance, meets for barely 40 days in a year. Yet it is expected to keep the Govt. on its feet and rap on its knuckles at the slightest hint of wrongdoing. Then there are the other agencies: the media, the interest and pressure groups, the courts of law, religious bodies, whose success rate in containing venality in public life ranges between below average to average.
This is not an evaluation of the performance, or lack of it, of the institutions named above. If anything, one must give credit to certain media houses and NGOs for battling the odds to bring instances of corruption and abuse of power at various levels. But what is absent is synergy, focus and a single-minded pursuit of the stated goal. Very often, one sees an obsession on the part of certain self-professed public-spirited individuals to focus attention on themselves, to wear the halo which loudly proclaims, “I am holy, are you?” Very soon, this degenerates into vicious rumour-mongering targeted at certain individuals and there are hushed whispers of unholy deals and shady real estate acquisitions, however unfounded they can be in most cases. The sublime becomes the ridiculous. That is when the fight is lost, the momentum is lost, the priority is lost.
But to come back to Ardent’s campaign. I am in agreement with him when he underscores that politics need not be and is not a dirty game. Change the rules of the game, make them foolproof, do anything it takes , but do not allow cynicism and a disdain for the processes of representative democracy to seep it. That will be the greatest disservice one can do towards the cause they profess, a major problem I have with Team Anna. Having said that, I am yet to comprehend why members of the political tribe are consciously kept out of the campaign. Certainly a campaign for better and cleaner governance requires the involvement of the primary actors, in this case the politicians? And since the prime mover himself is in active politics, does not distancing members of his own tribe imply that the entire class, Ardent included, cannot be trusted with initiating and sustaining such a meaningful campaign?
If politics is not dirty, as Ardent maintains, then it makes complete sense that politicians must be involved for at least two reasons: a) to sensitize them about the winds of change blowing across the country for a qualitative improvement amongst the political class and b) to exert moral- even electoral- pressure on them to subscribe to the ideals of clean politics or get jettisoned in the next elections. Exchanging notes (not currency notes, mind you) and engaging with all sections of stakeholders, thought leaders, community leaders on this vital issue would make more sense with the involvement of the most important ingredient of the jigsaw puzzle- the politicians- rather than make them listen to someone who could be very good from the gallery but would be an abject failure when fielded as a player in the football ground!
PASSING THOUGHTS
The baton-passing ceremony- the swearing-in of new and farewell to outgoing – leaders of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on February 4 last was a remarkably impressive show. It was the second time I had attended such a ceremony after my exit from the premier student body in 2002. The last time around was to witness the induction of Samuel Jyrwa and Hamlet Dohling as the President and general secretary respectively. This time was the turn of Daniel Khyriem and Auguster Jyrwa, who were unit leaders during my stint as President. Time has flown by: a decade has elapsed! Listening to Samuel and Daniel that day, I could not help but feel the rush of pride at having , through a curious turn of events, been partly responsible for moulding them into the top-rung leaders they were to graduate into later. I was genuinely touched and elated, more so when I realized I was the only leader from the group that helped revive the Union in 1991 who was around for the big day( Nobody was willing to acknowledge this since I have become a politician and the Union has to be seen as totally non-political) . But time has also taken its toll : I could discern the absence of camaraderie- and warmth- with certain former colleagues. It can be very awkward when one has to struggle to find the right words to speak to someone with whom one has shared endless talk-time over the years. There is nothing one can do about it but to accept that life and things around us are in a constant state of flux. That people do change. That you must live life in your own terms and not just to please anybody. And that you always have to move on in order to grow.
CLUB ANTHEMS
With football reaching a feverish pitch in the city, here’s an exclusive peep at what our corporate club-owners would like to adopt as the club anthem for the current season:
Lajong : Some days are diamond, some days are stone
Langsning: Go West
Ar Hima : Bridge over troubled waters
Royal Wahingdoh: Where’s the party tonight?
PARTING SHOT
I am in Thailand for a brief vacation. Remarkable amongst their practices is one where drivers do not honk or blare their horns, no matter how much the amount of traffic. Not even ambulances or police vehicles. Yet they have far fewer traffic jams and waste much less time on the roads than we do! It set me thinking: are we In Meghalaya too fond of making noise that it is often distracts from our ability to move ahead? And I am just not talking about the traffic here!