By Morning Star Sumer
In an article, “Is this Govt a one-man army?” (ST. July 27, 2012), Patricia Mukhim had succinctly characterized the august personalities of the powers that be in Meghalaya from the level of Dy. CM, Bindo M Lanong down to the Home Minister, HDR Lyngdoh. Though I can add personal anecdotes to each one of them I would only do so in that of the Home Minister, HDR. The paragraph devoted to this worthy ended with a sentence, “Sometimes I wonder if he even reads the newspaper!” I dare say, he won’t understand even if he does! I would like to narrate here an anecdote which may help reveal the true character of this personage.
After having been granted the favour of meeting the Home Minister I, along with a senior citizen, Spiton Kharakor and an academic from NEHU were ushered into his (HDR’s) chamber. He spoke not a word to even greet us: he just remained seated and gestured at us to take our seats. After presenting my petition to him we sat facing him while he remained seated in his chair reading (presumably) the petition with unseeing (?) eyes for close to half an hour with nary a word spoken by any of those present. Finally, he uttered ” Ngan sa peit” (I shall see). So, ended my one and only episode of an audience with the respectable(?) Home Minister of Meghalaya. Nothing came of that encounter till today. This may be just one of such a drama played in the minister’s august chamber.
Mukhim’s “…analysis of the functioning of this Government is that the chief minister is a tireless runner with adrenaline pumping his body…” and ended with “It’s a wonder he has not lost steam”. That is dangerously close to sycophancy, if it is not already there! Having personal experience about the way he seems to work I have to disagree with her analysis. Why? To begin with, the present CM has, in my opinion, not shown, by way either of speech or of visage on the media screens that his adrenals are pumping any adrenaline in his body. He seems diffident while bravely pretending to be confident. I suggest that those who disagree with this characterization of the CM watch his visage and listen to his speech on TV as he mouths platitudes and ponderously announces his discoveries in the field of governance, especially when he recently revealed that he has discovered a mechanism better and stronger than the much touted ILP to contain influx. That mechanism, the CM triumphantly announced, is the institution of Rangbah Shnong or Village Headmen or Gaonburas – take your pick. A wee bit of intelligence is sufficient for the listeners to this declamation to see its hollowness if not irony. In case any reader finds it difficult to understand this statement I would merely state the fact that in the administration of a village in the state of Meghalaya the standing edict is that no stranger, should be allowed to enter, least of all, stay overnight, without the knowledge of the Headman or whatever designation one may give a person chosen or selected to administer the village. As far as I know even in Shillong town, each Kyntoit or unit forming part of Shillong has rules or Ki Adong Shnong to prohibit strangers from committing offences in the locality. People in Shillong are lax in observing this rule; even in villages people are almost unaware of the rule because of laxity of enforcement. It was effective when the people thought they were uncivilized and had to be guided by the civilized ones for their own safety. Nowadays, especially in Shillong and other towns people think they are civilized so these ancient and archaic concepts of village administration are redundant.
In 2010-2011 there was a debate about enacting the Meghalaya Municipal Act when some knowledgeable ones among us derided the suggestion that headmen should be involved in Municipal governance saying that it is a retrograde step. Yet, Mr. Toki Blah, one of those who had been ridiculing the idea, later did a U-turn in a write-up “Selective tradition and civilized urban existence – part I and II” (ST. Jan 18,19, 2011) to suggest what I thought was a plausible solution to the problem: I said as much in my response “Plea for Embodiment of Indigenous Traditions in Municipal and Land Acquisition Acts” (ST. Sept 3, 2011) to that write-up. Unfortunately, the Meghalaya Municipal Act appears to have become still born.
So, it is an insult to his own intelligence for Dr. Mukul Sangma to state ponderously, “What we need is to ensure an institutionalized mechanism which is structured and put in place in such a way to ensure influx into the state can be addressed in the right perspective” (Mawphor Today August 31,2012) A meaningless statement which only proves his ignorance about indigenous people’s tradition. How, then, can an ignorant person govern a state the traditions of which he does not know. This also speaks volume of the non-committal attitude of his “one-man army” to any issues and problems that the state is faced with today. Every single one of his constituent colleagues ought to know that the headmen are the lynch pins in every village in our state: without them success of any undertaking is doubtful. That is the truth that I have been trying to drill into the heads of those who can read and understand what I write; even now. Now that he has discovered the truth which is old hat, can we expect to see a profusion of that adrenaline that Kong Patricia had espied in him, to accelerate things up? I doubt it.
A question, his discovery begs, is, how can a traditional practice like the institution of headman be better than any laws, regulation etc? He is ignorant that we already have an institutionalized mechanism in the village Durbar: What other mechanism is he talking about that needs institutionalizing? The problem is that neither the present CM nor his predecessors in office had bothered to consider using that institution for any activity in the governance of the state. Also they never understood the difference between a law, regulation etc. and a mechanism like the one the CM seems to be talking about! Presuming that we are on the same wavelength on this mechanism thing, I feel constrained to enlighten him on what the ILP is. Pure and simple it is a provision under the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873 commonly known as Inner Line Regulation, which was adapted successively under the Government of India Act, 1935, Adaptation of Laws order 1950 and the North Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Act, 1971. It was introduced to protect us (the people of this region, including Meghalaya) from increasing social and economic exploitation and to prevent the prospect of incessant invasion into our independent domain. If that statement is not clear enough I would elucidate by asking – a la Socrates – who are the would be exploiters and invaders? The answer is, the numerous. It was designed to prevent the numerous exploiting the few and likewise, to prevent incessant invasion of the land of the few by the numerous. So, the ILP is the shield we may provide for ourselves to protect ourselves under the provisions of the Regulation.
If the shield is not used we become vulnerable to exploitation of our resources as well as to invasion and occupation of our land by the numerous. The ILP, as a shield should be made by us: the materials we may use to make that shield are in the hands of the powers that be headed by our CM. Those materials are the guidelines to be shown/given on the ILP. The mechanism to enforce those guidelines are the government enforcement mechanism which should include the people at grass root levels. If the CM had grasped the import of this Regulation and the ILP thing he would not have sung the dirge for the untimely demise of the ILP under his stewardship. Nor would he have even suggested that the ILP may be substituted by any stronger mechanism like his proposed institutionalized thing which we do not understand.
I hope the anti-ILP lobby would react to help me see where the flaws in my arguments are. For their benefit I would like to aver that their apprehension that implementation of the ILP would deter foreigners from visiting and investing in the state is not supported by anything that may be found in the ILP. Foreigners’ entry and activities in the state are regulated by the Protected Area Permit (PAP) under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 issued under the Foreigners Act, 1946 as well as by the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963 which are not applicable in Meghalaya.
The current turmoil in Bodoland is not a consequence of communalism. Anyone who has studied the situation there would be aware that it is a consequence of infiltration and illegal immigration which have impacted the land holding system there. The governor, RS Mooshahary had stated as much recently. That kind of turmoil may spread and engulf Meghalaya too, and, very soon, if ILP is not implemented now. However implementation of the ILP will not be effective if the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971 as amended to date is not repealed and replaced by a strong and purposeful one as suggested by many and by me especially. The CM had been approached by letter dated Dec 8, 2011 to grant an audience with our group of responsible persons – not NGOs or political parties – to enable us to hand over our petition for enactment of the Possession and Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, to repeal the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971, but the CM has not granted us audience till date. He has not even acknowledged receiving our petition, even after I had personally visited his office on several occasions to get a written acknowledgement. This is one of the many of his acts of commission and omission whish expose his unsuitability to head a responsible government.