Editor,
I read with interest Patricia Mukhim’s “Traditional institutions: Anachronistic and incongruous” (ST dt 20/04.12) and I am amazed at her lack of knowledge (or her refusal to acknowledge) the role of the Dorbar Shnong in our society and that is why the role of the Dorbar Shnong is a vague one to her. Kong Patricia failed to mention that besides getting the Rangbah Shnong’s sanction and approval for every legal document under the sun, that you also have to register yourself with the Dorbar Shnong whenever you wish to reside in their respective localities and it is the Rangbah Shnong/Rangbah Dong who verify the credentials before allowing anyone to reside in their respective localities. She also failed to mention and to tell us why that whenever quarrels arise in the family or in the locality, that family or the involved or aggrieved party approach the Dorbar Shnong for redressal at any time 24×7. These are but a few of the responsibilities of the Dorbar Shnong.
Now Kong Patricia, if the Rangbah Shnong/Rangbah Dong does not identify who is who within their locality, then who will? Or are you suggesting that we allow all Toms, Dicks and Harrys to settle among us without verifying who they are or where they come from? Should the Dorbar Shnong be done away with so that all Toms, Dicks and Harrys can do as they please disregarding us, our culture and customs, our security, our peace and our safety? Let us know what do you suggest, Kong Patricia.
Now coming to the role of the Municipal, it is justified that the Rangbah Shnong should be paranoid, not because of the fear of losing power and authority but of the Municipal’s shirking away of responsibilities and of its insensitivity to our customs and culture. Recently, I happened to seek an information through the RTI Act 2005 asking whether the Municipal Board is bound by the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act 1979 and whether it is obliged to transfer holdings from a tribal to a non-tribal knowing that the submitted documents for such transfer violates the said Act. The cool and callous answer received is that the Shillong Municipal Board is not the implementing authority of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act 1979. So, it can be assumed that the SMB considers itself to be free from obligation of keeping the law and/or because another authority did the registration first. It can also be assumed that the SMB have transferred dozens of tribal holdings to non-tribals since 1979. So enlighten me, can we trust and thrust all responsibilities to the SMB?
Coming to the garbage issue, all residents within the Municipal areas are tax payers. They pay their taxes to the SMB and not to the Dorbar Shnong, to clean their locality. So the SMB is duty bound to clean our garbage as they have been paid to do so. Or is Kong Patricia assuming that I hand over all power and authority of my home to my house cleaner, whom I pay for the job she does, just because she cleans my house? If garbage is the problem of this city, then the SMB have not been doing its duty as it should.
Most Dorbar Shnong make it their responsibility to keep the locality clean. We even have the cleanest locality in Shillong but no thanks to the SMB but the Dorbar Shnong. We also have the cleanest village in our State and that also is not thanks to the SMB but the Dorbar Shnong.
To state that the Dorbar Shnong’s role is ambiguous and irrelevant and that it does not matter to us anymore and to imply that it should be done away with, Kong Patricia shows not only her disrespect to the Dorbar Shnong but that she has an axe to grind against the Dorbar Shnong. But whatever she feels or say about the Dorbar Shnong, they will still be here to safeguard our interests.
Yours etc.,
Edmund Kurbah,Shillong -3
Patricia Mukhim replies: The writer is presumably a member of the Dorbar Shnong and hence it is expected that he defends it to the hilt. We in Meghalaya need a grass-roots governance with a delivery mechanism, not an institution that reminds us of our oligarchic past. That body has to be elected through secret ballot in a free and fair manner. As far as the Land Transfer Act is concerned if the Municipal rules are skewed against our favour we should engage with it. How is it that beyond the SMB jurisdiction land continues to be parcelled out to non-tribals and by whom? Let’s answer these questions honestly instead of acting with paranoia about losing our land and our identity. I have raised a point of contention and if that is construed as disrespect, so be it. In a democracy dissenting views are important. Unfortunately, in this society going against the mainstream views or those of so-called elders has always been considered ‘disrespectful.’