( Da ka nia ka jutang)
As an offspring of U Hynniewtrep, I along with others of my ilk, once again find ourselves wondering where have we gone wrong? As a society, we seem to have developed a new culture, the culture of confrontation. In the process the modern Khasi Pnars have apparently developed a new system of leader identification. Anyone bold or brash enough to call an agitation, throw a stone or take an issue into the streets, irrespective of the triviality, pettiness or frivolity of the cause, is immediately hailed as ‘u eh-rang’, or ‘a lion heart’. Perhaps it’s because we have yet to develop, in Khasi, an appropriate term for rabble-rousers or it might be due to the local print media’s over developed sense for the dramatic, but whatever the reason, it has played havoc with our collective sense of social and moral responsibility.
Hynniewtrep political leadership has been the biggest victim of this moral lapse. The profile of leadership has changed from that of a visionary thinker, a leader and a person of substance to that of a circus clown. Say the most illogical untruth, bang a table, make a fool of yourself, but as long as one is able to amuse, chances are 9 out of 10 such a person will be hailed as a leader. The ability to please and entertain by word, deed or money is preferred over the ability to think, to reason out and to speak the truth. Such are the untenable and flawed criteria for leadership we have chosen for ourselves. Any wonder then as to why as a Jaitbynriew we are burdened with so many problems but with hardly anyone with any viable solutions to offer?
If one were to take the trouble to study modern Khasi society; to interact with the various socio-economic strata that make up the community, the image of a divided people would not be far off the mark. Either that or one comes away with the impression of a deeply confused tribal populace. The latter perhaps would be closer to the truth but we also have to ask, confused about what? Fact is we are still struggling with history and time. Many have yet to make up their minds on their preferred identity status – should they return to the comfort of a mythical rosy past ( ka sotti juk) or should they be girding their loins to face the challenges of a turbulent present and an increasingly uncertain future?
Of greater concern however is the way we go about dealing / managing problems that confront us as a society. We always seem to struggle when faced with problem management issues. How do we deal with problems? Whom do we turn to for solutions on problems that confront us? As a community we face a dilemma whom to trust for solutions. The outcome of this trust deficit is in the knee-jerk, emotional and confrontational reaction we give to anything that threatens us. A reasoned and logical response is the last thing we can ever come up with. Again to state the obvious, the rapidly unfolding reality is that we are a society undergoing a leadership crisis. The fact of the matter is that the Khasi Pnars of today and the Achiks to boot, are a leader deficient community. We just don’t produce leaders anymore!
For indigenous communities of Meghalaya, there are four recognizable institutions on whom the community has faith and confidence in, albeit in varied degrees and levels of trust. There is (a) the established church, (b) Traditional Institutions (c) the ‘Sengbhalang’ (associations for the common public good) or NGOs as they are alternatively called and last (d) Politics and political parties, but not necessarily in that order of merit. Once upon a time, the church was seen as the harbinger of emancipation and hope. It led in social transformation through its quality based education and health care institutions. It provided that ethical anchor for all forms of social interaction. Sadly this no longer is the case. Church initiatives in Health Care and Quality Education, once driven by a missionary zeal to serve, have become skeletal replicas of fund oriented and target driven Government programmes. The Church as a moral beacon is on the wane as its clergy say one thing from the pulpit and do something else during the remaining six days of the week.
Traditional Institutions, once provided guidance and direction to the community at large. Today they stand forlorn and dejected; living in the glory of their past, betrayed and corrupted by the vote bank political system we practice. Today the void in institutionalised leadership capable of providing society with any sense of direction is excruciatingly acute. This has opened up space for the emergence of civil society groups- self professed entities to provide relief and a semblance of pseudo leadership through knee jerk and reactive responses to almost anything and everything under the sun. This does not bode well for the future wellbeing of Meghalaya, its people nor its future.
Then come politics and the political parties of Meghalaya who cannot absolve themselves from the blame of sabotaging their own efforts to provide the quality leadership so desperately needed. In aping western democratic concepts with their emphasis on electoral victory as the key to power, vote bank politics has been allowed to take centre stage. Vote bank politics in illiterate and poverty stricken constituencies, has managed to produce a plethora of powerful politicians who are there simply for the power but who are bereft of the vision and sagacity of statesmanship. In our blood and heritage as indigenous people, runs a strain of democracy where the interests of the community are placed above that of any individual or party. This system sustained itself through a leadership cadre nurtured in community values systems and ethics. This has unfortunately been replaced by the discredited system mentioned above.
The current turmoil of Meghalaya essentially springs from the above lacunae and lapses in our socio-political makeup. However despite the above existing flaws, the time has come for us to realise and accept some fundamental home truths that govern our day to day lives. For whatever it is worth, we need the Government and our elected representatives to legislate on Bills and Acts we believe are for the welfare and interest of the state as a whole. We and no else have elected the Government! At the same time any elected Government cannot and should never enact any legislation that is perceived to be against the will and interest of the people. This cannot happen in a democracy! The point is, we need each other and as a people now need to sit together, consult each other and collectively strategise on how Meghalaya deals with Influx! Divisive politics where the majority triumphs, irrespective of merit, must be dumped. The truth is no single entity (individual, party or group) is right nor has the correct solution to the problem. Collectively, we just might come up with something workable for all stakeholders.
As indigenous persons of the 21st century we often wonder how our unlettered forefathers managed governance throughout the ages. Let us not be so arrogant to believe they never faced threats nor were incapable of surmounting such threats. The wonder is on the strategy employed to survive those threats so that we are what we are today. It has now therefore become more and more imperative for us as their descendants to turn back to strategies and support systems that ensured our survival through the ages – the value systems and ethical wisdom of our ancestors and forefathers. To perhaps sit down together within the conceptual framework of the Dorbar system and collectively thrash out whatever bothers us. Such participation of stakeholders, would enable us to discard what is bad and to accept only that which is good. Relevant to our needs is the ancient Khasi proverb, ‘Ka nia ka jutang hadien ba la thew ka woh’ – to arrive at conclusions after reasoned debate and deliberation. For 40 years, confrontation has led us nowhere. It has delivered zero! The wisdom of participative consultation awaits exploration. Time to introspect and do a rethink.
(The author is President, ICARE)