By Barnes Mawrie
Incidentally a cricket-crazy friend of mine on hearing of ILP asked me if this was a new formula of cricket tournament like the IPL. In my discussion with some enlightened Khasi people, we are all of the opinion that ILP is a lose-lose situation for the State. We are going to isolate ourselves from others and ruin all steps towards development. The State needs a lot more investors especially the tourists, to boost up its economy, but who would venture to come if restrictions like the ILP are imposed. When investment is absent or tourism is crippled then the rate of unemployment will shoot up which consequently will result in greater poverty and more social unrest. First of all, fighting for ILP today is like a chain smoker deciding to stop smoking when he has already developed third stage lung cancer. ILP would have been effective and meaningful if it had been implemented in 1972 when Meghalaya got its statehood. Thinking of ILP today is rather a wasteful exercise a remedy for a terminal illness.
Secondly, we would not need ILP or anything of the sort if our District Councils were to function justly and effectively. All the trading licenses and work permits to the outsiders are being issued by the District Councils and so they have the mandate and are the right authority to check influx into the State. However, it is a known secret that the District Councils are badly infected with corruption and inefficiency. These are the constitutional bodies created by the Sixth Schedule with the sole aim of safeguarding the identity, survival and integrity of the tribal people. I firmly believe that if the District Council authorities live up to their mandate and carry out their responsibilities with a sense of honesty and service, we would not have experienced so much influx in the State. It is their failure to carry out their duties that has brought us to this state of affairs. Remember the words of Emperor Marcus Aurelius to his son Comodus who said “your failure as a son is my failure as a father”. I am afraid to say that many of the politicians who are behind the ILP today, were once or are still members of the District Councils. So who is to blame for the impasse we are in now?
There is another vice known as the benami system which has corroded our society from inside. This has been responsible for the inflow of outsiders into the State. It is a fact that no outsider would venture into the State if not for economic purposes. So the benami system that many Khasi people indulge in has become a point of entry for the outsiders. How many petrol pumps, shops, workshops etc, are being run by outsiders but in the name of Khasi proprietors? It looks like our people are willing to sell their birth right for a bowl of soup. It is a fact too that many village headmen give residence certificates to outsiders because they are well paid for it. Let us not forget that local contractors who employ a great number of outsiders, do so not because they are unpatriotic but because their businesses have to go on. They know full well that employing local people alone who do little work but demand high wages, will lead them to bankruptcy sooner or later. This is what happened to Assam where Muslim labourers from Bangladesh came in because the Assamese did not want to soil their hands with menial jobs.
Another reason is our lack of entrepreneurship which has encouraged outsiders to do business in our State. I fail to understand why the rich Khasis or Pnars do not take up to trade and commerce. Jaintia Hills has got so many crore-patis yet it is dismal to see that 99% of the shops in Khliehriat or Lad Rymbai are run by non locals. Perhaps Mawlai could serve as an inspiration in this regard. Therefore my conclusion is that, all this present problem is self generated or self imposed. The problem lies deep within our own society. We need to correct ourselves and set our value systems right. Let us not waste our time and energy fighting for ILP instead let us try to get rid of corruption and greed at all levels and promote a work culture among them. If our village headmen, our NGOs, our District Councils and our Government shun all forms of corruption and work with selfless motive for the good of our people; if our wealthy people take up business in their own hands and if all of us develop a spirit of hard work, then we would have a tackled the influx problem at its root. We would not need to have recourse to non-constructive measures like bandhs and road blocks. All these extreme measures are destroying our own people many of whom live from hand to mouth.
At this time of the year when our students are close to their examinations and the teachers are trying to complete the syllabi, these bandhs are preventing our children from going to school and the loss is irreparable. There is another ugly side to a bandh. It makes people lethargic and easy going. Thus office workers become lazy and students begin to lose interest in studies. If I am a school student I would be happy to have more bandhs because I could play endlessly. But is this what we desire for our children? The future of our community is built on education and not on recreation. Our prosperity lies in hard work and not in time passing. I fear that the more bandhs we have the greater problems we are churning out for ourselves in our society.
It is my humble opinion that the NGOs like the KSU and the FKJGP are the right pressure groups to evaluate the performance of the District Councils, village councils and of the government at large. In fact they could be watchdogs on these authorities to ensure that they function as they should. These NGOs could also initiate a movement to abolish all forms of benami system and to conscientize people regarding work culture and entrepreneurship. Of course this will work only if these civic groups are sincere in intent and transparent in action. All said and done, I hope that good sense prevails over all our leaders so that the peace of our State is maintained.