Editor,
Let me clarify about the letter to the editor dated 30 January 2013 by Abraham Fancon who states that I support another party other than the Congress and the UDP. As a concerned and caring citizen of Meghalaya who is working abroad, I am only expressing my personal opinion and not canvassing for any political party. I did not realise that I have some powers to influence the public mindset through a mere letter to the editor. Secondly, from what I can gather, Abraham Fancon must be a die-hard supporter or a relative of the UDP Candidate (North Shillong) and hence it must have hurt him to see me place her in the third position. Abraham questions my audacity to place a person having the stature of a National Teacher’s Awardee in the third position! Well, congrats to her for the award, but she is not the first person from Meghalaya to win an award and neither will be the last. Moreover, the National Teachers Award has nothing to do with becoming a legislator otherwise every award winning citizen of Meghalaya would have become an MLA. Abraham even states that the general consensus is in favour of the UDP candidate. Well, my friend we will wait and watch whose prediction is right come the 28 of February. Last but not the least, credit goes to the Editor of the Shillong Times for giving a befitting reply.
Your’s etc
Manny Lyngwa
Middlesex, UK.
High Level Committees with low level agenda
Editor,
Whatever happened to the “High-Level Committee” that was constituted to inquire into the irregularities concerning teachers’ appointments perpetrated by politicians and bureaucrats in Meghalaya? So far, the Committee has kept totally mum on the subject. Their silence lends credence to the suspicion that this was the prime objective of the Government all along – to put a lid on the education scam, at least till the elections are over.
Other State governments however are not as nonchalant as the Meghalaya Government on issues of corruption and governance. The 10 year jail sentence handed out to former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son has brought the teacher recruitment scam back into the limelight, much to the chagrin of CM Mukul Sangma and his band of merry men who seek to make fools of the voting public with their high-level committees with low-level agendas! Not just this committee, but every other committee constituted by the State Government to inquire into alleged irregularities have met with the same fate. Or, they have tabled reports that can only be termed as pure fiction such as the Mining report.
Is it any wonder that people are clamouring for Section 49 (O) of the Election Rules which grants the Right Not To Vote? This shows that people have lost faith in the election game played by Meghalaya’s politicians which leaves the voting public holding the short end of the stick after elections! Nearly all our politicians are nothing but get-rich-quick hustlers who have made a life-long career out of robbing the State exchequer, subverting democratic processes and building empires. Even CBI indictments are not enough to stop them, as can be seen in the case of Ampareen Lyngdoh, Prestone, Tynsong, Charles Pyngrope, Sanbor Shullai and others indicted in the recruitment scam. They continue to be untouchables and are allowed to stand for elections despite CBI indictments. FIRs filed with the police by NGOs against these individuals have been gathering dust. One can say with utmost certainty that these FIRs will never be acted upon by the state police for obvious reasons.
It is time to do away with such high-level committees which are nothing but instruments of deception employed by the State for covering up scams. If and when such committees are needed, they should comprise of individuals across the political spectrum, retired Supreme Court judges and persons of high social standing with impeccable credentials. This is the only way to tackle the political mafia in the state!
Yours etc.,
Daisy Kharkongor
Shillong
Crore-pati politicians and governance
Editor,
Daisy Kharkongor’s letter “2013:Age of contractors and businessmen” highlights a deep-rooted malaise which has turned democracy on its head in the country. This problem is bigger in Meghalaya than elsewhere because of the backwardness of the state and the rich-poor divide that will never be bridged by crore-pati politicians. The state of affairs here is so bad that unlike other states we have nothing we can proudly boast of, not even scenic beauty. Bad, roads, undependable power supply, intermittent water supply, spiralling food prices, traffic jams, deforestation, river poisoning from mines, departmental corruption and apathetic Government have all contributed to our deplorable quality of life. As long as the freedom to loot exists in our state, the wrong (same) people will come to power and Meghalaya will continue to be backward and underdeveloped. Only the rich will become crore-patis while the poor become poorer. Vincent Pala is one good example of how politicians of today function. Business and politics is a deadly cocktail.
Yours etc.,
James Pariat
Shillong