Editor,
Apropos the article, “Non tribals in Meghalaya – non citizens or half citizens?” (ST March 22, 2013) by Patricia Mukhim, I want to congratulate the writer for this wonderful and enlightening article which powerfully and very vividly communicates the importance of living together as one family in the society.
Over the years, the concept of non-tribals has become a platform for various tribal political leaders, NGOs and student’s union to win over the hearts of the ordinary and simple local people. Many of the NGOs in the state make use of this concept of non-tribals, from time to time, for their own vested interests. They may not know what they are talking about. The ordinary people in the interior villages and educated people in the towns and cities co-exist as citizens and not as tribals and non-tribals. Most of the problems and the unrest created in the society are mainly because of this bias and prejudice towards non-tribals by the various so-called NGOs and political leaders. Recently this notion of “non-tribals” has been brought to light during the election of Mr. AT Mondal as the speaker of Meghalaya assembly. Do the various NGOs in the state know what the real function of a speaker in the assembly is? He is meant to conduct the proceedings of the assembly in a smooth and decent way and not necessarily to represent the State or to express the sentiments of the people in various other forums. That is the duty of the Chief Minister and others. An elected legislator can take up any post in the state if he/she is an Indian and so there should not be any further hue and cry on tribal or non-tribal issues.
But the issue of tribals and non-tribals is not the headache of the NGOs alone. Even in educational institutions this is prevalent and active. When a non-tribal person is appointed as teacher in a Deficit school, his/her problems begin thereafter. The tribal teachers think that the government salary should be given only to the tribals and not to others and so they begin to persecute them. They very seldom realize that tax is paid by everyone in the State whether one is tribal or non-tribal. The school is not meant to generate employment for people but to educate the students for a better future by employing good, efficient, dynamic and broad-minded people. The school management will not be so much worried about whether one is tribal or non-tribal at the time of appointment but whether he or she is capable of teaching and educating students in the right way. Besides, each person in this State, contributes his/her share to the growth and development of the State as a whole. I remember some years ago when the Director, Don Bosco Youth Centre wanted to rent out the building for people to run a few shops, immediately a delegation from Laitumkhrah, met the in-charge and told him not give them to non-tribals. But they conveniently forgot that many buildings in and around Laitumkhrah are rented out to non-tribals and the house owners are earning huge incomes from them. A survey of the number of hostels and rented houses that have come up in recent years in Laitumkhrah and elsewhere will reveal that tribals make good incomes by renting out rooms to non-tribal students and workers and from hostels as well. Another area where the tribal and non-tribal bias persists is among the Catholic priests and religious congregations who are running schools and colleges in the state. Until a few years ago, most of these institutions were run by foreign missionaries and later by those from other parts of India. But now there is a tug-of-war among the priests and religious to fight for these coveted positions in the name of tribalism. Priests and nuns too claim their space by virtue of being tribals. Everyone wants to occupy the chair of the principal of a school or the director of an institution. In many of these Church run institutions and schools, the transfer of a principal/director/parish priest is done on the basis of his/her tribe. As result of this bias and the selfish desire to occupy positions in the religious circle based on tribal identity the quality and standard of the institutions has deteriorated.
When Amit Paul was contesting for the Indian Idol few years ago, I remember one priest in Mawlai telling that we need not support him because he may be a Meghalayan but not a tribal. Is this attitude part of his many years of priestly training and formation? Is this what the church teaches the faithful to differentiate between people based on colour, caste, language and tribe? This kind of attitude, expressed by priests and religious, speak volumes of their personality and their hidden agenda for self-promotion. All want to talk about their identity as tribals in the state and these conversations arise only when there is fight for positions and glory. When Mr. Purno Sangma stood for Presidential election in the country, many came out with the idea of supporting him just because he is a tribal. When Dana Sangma the niece of Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma, died in north India, many became furious and said she died because the tribal students are discriminated against and treated badly. In the recent past, when there was violence in Bodoland between the Muslims and the locals, the outcome was that many tribal students from south and central India created panic and there was a big hue and cry in the entire country that the tribals are looked down upon by the rest of the country. As mentioned above, the question of tribal identity comes only when there is a craving for power and position. If a person wants to keep his/her identity as a tribal, he or she should not be saying it only in words but it should come through the person’s dress code, eating habits, relationships, cultural practices etc., Therefore my request to all in the State is not to make a big deal of the tribal and non-tribal issue but to live as citizens of one country – India. Let’s together march ahead and thereby bring about development and prosperity in Meghalaya. Let’s work together for peace and harmony. Let the vested and selfish interests of the few and the NGOs not take away the peace that is prevailing among the various sections of society. All are created as human beings and not as tribal or non-tribal. Let peace reign in our hearts and not anger and jealousy for one another.
Yours etc.,
Steven Jyrwa,
Via email