By Our Special Correspondent
Shillong: Setting a precedent the State Government on Friday bade farewell to outgoing Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary who served Meghalaya for a full five year term. Invitees to the small but impressive gathering included ministers, MLAs, senior bureaucrats, senior officials of the defence forces and a few members of civil society.
Speaking at the function Mr Mooshahary said he enjoyed his tenure but was also sad at the haphazard manner in which Shillong is developing. Pointing to the Ward’s Lake and Lady Hydari Park which close their gates by 5 pm, and which are cordoned off by iron walls, Governor Mooshahary asked, “Who are you protecting? The fish in the Lake? Why are we spoiling the aesthetics of the place?” Mr Mooshahary said elsewhere such parks are open to the public and become a place of recreation and evening walks.
Pointing to the principle of governance Mr Mooshahary said, bureaucrats should not be bound by procedures because dealing with people is like dealing with invariables and therefore to be rule-bound is to fail in governance. Pointing to the recent disaster in Uttarakhand, Mooshahary said, “If the people working to save lives after the present devastation in Uttarakhand were to wait for procedures many more people would have died. If the motives are good procedures don’t matter but if the motives are bad then no matter procedures you follow the outcome cannot be good.”
Mr Mooshahary lamented at the traffic jam that bogs down travel on the Shillong-Guwahati highway and the city and said some strategy ought to be devised to address the issue of growing vehicle population in a city that has no scope for expansion.
Pointing to the huge potentials for tourism in Meghalaya, Mr Mooshahary said that Meghalaya should try and emulate some of the examples of Kerala for tourism promotion and do this on a private-public partnership mode. A visibly emotional Mooshahary shared how he completed his school from Shillong under very trying circumstances and later completed his graduation from Union Christian College. He said he was leaving Shillong and the people of Meghalaya carrying with him many happy memories. His wife Dr Rima Mooshahary and daughter Tamanna were also present. Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma presented the Governor and his wife traditional woven silk and souvenirs on behalf of the Government.
Delivering his farewell address, Dr Mukul Sangma said he has learnt much from his interaction with Governor Mooshahary. “He would call me and say, you have to share with me the subjects you will be legislating in the Assembly well ahead of time. He guided me and we would spend hours discussing different subjects. Time would just fly,” Dr Sangma said, adding that he hopes to meet Mr Mooshahary in different circumstances. Sangma was hinting at Mr Mooshahary joining politics and contesting the 2014 MP election. What gave grace and dignity to the occasion was the presence of the Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC) which gave a scintillating performance and delighted the audience and Mr Mooshahary in a special way. Neil Nongkynrrih, Director, SCC paid glowing tributes to Mooshahary. Earlier a traditional cultural troupe presented a brilliant medley comprising Khasi, Jaintia and Garo songs.
Dr AK Nongkynrih spoke on behalf of NEHU and civil society.