Name: Empower Warbah
(Age: 29 years)
Occupation: Social Activist
(A National Youth Awardee)
Eradication of poverty among people in the rural villages, providing of proper drinking water for the rural masses should be the top priority together with an overall development of infrastructure like construction of roads and footpath as villages are the backbone of the State. Creation of more job opportunities for the educated youth is the undeniable need of the hour.
Name: George M Kharwanniang (Age: 25 years)
Occupation: Bank employee
There should be a regular check on Illegal Immigrants to the State which will be beneficial to the whole State and at the same time generate employment opportunities for the local youths in Govt. as well as Private Sectors which will indirectly reduce criminal activities. An uninterrupted power and water supply should be ensured. Construction of roads in rural areas and supporting people from low financial background should also be the focus this time.
Name: Allan West
(Age: 39 years)
Occupation: Journalist and
Documentary Filmmaker
The focus this time round should be at bringing in a strong mining policy to check unregulated and unscientific mining in the state which will also safeguard the rivers and aquatic life of the state, ensuring political stability which is a must for ensuring overall growth of the state and providing basic needs of the people in the rural areas like Road communication, Healthcare and education. Improving the law and order situation in Garo Hills, introduction of a strong system (maybe the 3 Tier ID card) to check influx and a strong Lokayukta should be put in place to check corruption are other important facets that needs to be considered.
Name: Section Syiemlieh
(Age: 26 years)
Occupation: Senior Journalist
Power supply has been a cause of concern and an effort has to be taken to ensure its uninterrupted productivity. Rural villages must be provided with clean drinking water and should have access to better facilities like roads and services. Financial assistance and support should be given to the orchard farmers from Mawsynram since it is their main sources of livelihood and the State can benefit a lot from its exports. Setting up of more health centres in various parts of the State for the benefit of the people in the rural areas should also be stressed upon.
Name: Ksanborlang Pathaw
(Age: 37 years)
Occupation: Teacher
Political parties should include corruption in their manifesto as an issue and a menace which requires immediate attention. A proper and transparent mechanism must be put into place to eradicate corruption right from its root and every party should come up with a complete and people-oriented manifesto. Development should be one of the issues which should find space in every party’s manifesto since without development, the long cherished dreams of forefathers and forerunners of the hill state movement to see Meghalaya as a prosperous state, will remain a dream.
Name: Bivan Rodriques Mukhim (Age: 30 years)
Occupation: Salestian Brother
The most important thing that every political party should include in their manifesto is equal development in the rural areas. Development should not be Shillong-centric but the same should move to the rural areas where a lot remains to be done. The simplest thing that should come about is politicians implementing what they promise before being elected. Development of tourism is an equally important component for every political party to include in their manifesto. This is one sector which could boost the revenue and economic income of the state, so the same should be looked at from every aspect. There should be a proper utilization of centrally sponsored schemes as it is regularly seen that on many occasions, the Meghalaya government could not fully implement or utilize the funds sanctioned by the central government for the state and the funds amounting to crores of rupees had to be sent back to the centre.
Name: Pramod Kumar
(Age: 28 years)
Occupation: Shopkeeper
MLAs can change the future of any constituency by implementing the various Government schemes in its right perspectives. Political parties should highlight the sectors of education, sanitation, employment, roads and communications in their manifestos.
Name: Anthony Raphael Mawrie (Age: 27 years)
Occupation: Senior sub-editor at
a multi-national company
The state often gets a bad name due to its pathetic road conditions be it in the urban areas or the rural areas. This has to be worked out as it hampers development in the tourism sector. Besides, water scarcity is another problem which hits every household not only in the city but also the suburbs. Also, Shillongites needs to grab hold of all the traffic rules. It is for the traffic branch to keep check and sort out a proper mechanism to manage traffic congestion which is becoming a headache for the people. Unemployment has also become a major problem in the state and the political parties should keep this in mind while drafting their manifesto. There is a need to promote the skills development and capacity building programmes in the State.
Name: Premankur Dam
(Age: 32 years)
Occupation: Teacher
Expectations are less as fulfillment of promises can be negated. Youths should be the focus of any political party or any candidates as young people can change the destiny of the state.
Name: Jhuma Barua
(Age: 26 years)
Occupation: Student
The exercise of franchise is the most powerful tool of a citizen in building a developed state. The issue of Wahumkhrah must be the agenda of any candidate who is contesting from Pynthorumkhrah as though various discussions have take place but the river continues to be in the same condition what it was before.
(Compiled by Lamphrang Nongspung/ Aafaque Hussain/ Ibankyntiew Mawrie)
Legislators and new contestants have always tried or rather struggled to meet the growing expectations of people,
not to forget that on most occasions they have failed in the process. Citizens hold legislators to account principally for the services that they are able to deliver outside the Assembly, not for their law-making role or their ability to oversee the Executive.
Alongside development one should notice that despite a new government coming to power every five years, or less in case of Meghalaya, the general situation has continued to deteriorate and people have not seen any improvement in their lives. Even with ample time, roads (by-passes) were not opened, projects failed to be implemented, armed rebel groups were not brought to the negotiation table and other problems have remained.
‘Development’ remains the one big word that can raise a government to the pinnacles of success and ‘Failure’, the foundation shaking jolt. Once again, the power is in the hands of the public to elect proper representatives who can take their aspirations forward and improve the scenario that can, at any given moment, be game for a face lift.
The voices of the public or in proper terminology, ‘the receiving end’ grows louder as the final attempt to at least see their problems being taken up in upcoming manifestoes, implementation of which has a five-year deadline till 2018. These are the voices that matters the most, because the government is not only for the ‘high and mighty’. Change could be brought about with the push of a button but the button should be linked to a chain of fulfilled promises.
The Shillong Times contacted several citizens of Meghalaya drawn from a cross section of the society to draw up a People’s Manifesto and to know their expectations from the new government that will be in the helm of affairs post Feb 28.