Editor,
North Eastern Police Academy at Umsaw in Meghalaya has been in news for arbitrary actions of its authorities. The same was clearly reflected in the speech of the Director of the Academy on the 65th Republic Day Celebration. In his speech addressed to the gathering in NEPA parade ground he openly criticised his employees for taking legal help to resolve their problems. He further opined that seeking any sort of legal remedy like approaching the court of law, seeking information under the Right to Information Act etc. are acts of criminal nature and they do not affect him. If approaching to court of law or seeking legal remedy is illegal nobody can get justice in the world. The ancient theory of “survival of the fittest” or the rule of the jungle will return to society. Through yours esteemed daily we would like to request the NEPA authorities to be impartial, judicious and transparent in their actions. This will not give room to its employees to approach the court of law for seeking any legal remedies.
Yours etc.
Julian Shylla & William Kharnaior,
Umsaw
Recruitment in NEIGRIHMS
Editor,
With regards to the advertisement No. NEIGR-E.II/9/2012 dated 16th July 2013 of NEIGRHIMS, Shillong for the post of Curator of Museum, its is surprising to know that the interview for the said post has already been conducted nearly a month ago without publishing the eligibility list in the website as was done for the other posts. As per the advertisement for this post, the educational qualification is Graduate in Botany/Zoology/Human Biology with 5 years experience as a curator from any medical institution. After thorough enquiry, it is learnt that most of the candidates who were selected for the interview are already working in some capacity at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong. Are they the only ones qualified/eligible for all the posts at NEIGRIHMS? Or is it because there is already a candidate favoured for appointment to the said post?
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Pots calling kettles black
Editor,
The trading of charges between different political parties at this juncture is banal. No politician in this state has a clean slate. Each one is trying to build a corpus for their respective business empires by looting the State treasury. Who are they trying to befool by trading such charges? It is a well known fact that the PHED is a money making Department. So is the PWD. What we should have got by way of good roads, clean drinking water etc. has all gone into the pockets of these so-called leaders who people continue to elect because most of the voters especially those in Pynthorumkhrah are so beholden to their MLA for things like medicine, school books, medical treatment etc,. that they will never elect anyone who cannot fulfil their personal needs. In Meghalaya the voters have not been able to think through issues. During elections it is the poor and deprived voter who decides who wins and who loses. It is not the educated, articulate, thinking voters who can change the fortunes of Meghalaya. Unless we get someone like the much vaunted Kejriwal who can rally the voters around a cause such as eradication of poverty and the issue of landlessness amongst other things.
But things are changing fast. Today people have no zest for election speeches. They know that all promises are short-lived. Some will never be fulfilled in their lifetimes. The elected will get richer. They will corner all the businesses in the State. We have so many examples. Look at the brothers Ngaitlang and Sngiawbhalang Dhar and David Nongrum and his father who corner all the contracts from the Meghalaya Government Construction Corporation. Do any of the so-called NGOs with shrill voices who level charges of “people looting” Meghalaya dare to take on these mighty forces? What has happened to the SCAMOD? Did they not ask for an enquiry into the involvement of Thomas Nongtdu into the infamous jail break case? How did the terms of reference change into establishing whether Fullmoon Dhar died in a fake encounter? Reading the newspapers of that year one recalls that the fake or genuine encounter which led to the death of Fullmoon Dhar was never part of the terms of reference of the judicial enquiry.
There are many in Meghalaya who are as alert as some of the over-smart NGO leaders and who are watching their shenanigans. Where is the Justice Rajkhowa enquiry report? How much money was finally spent? What is the outcome? And how did Agnes Kharshiing manage to take the enquiry into areas beyond the terms of reference where Thomas Nongtdu and his links with the jailbreak case got completely covered up? Come on we are not fools. Too often NGOs pick on easy targets and very selectively. We have not seen them meticulously getting RTI on politicians and their wealth acquisition projects. How come? Who are they trying to fool?
We have had enough of politicians and pressure groups. Now is the time for people without borders; people without labels or fancy acronyms to come together and fight the battles before us one by one. We need some barefoot leaders to lead the fight.
Yours etc.,
SN Marbaniang,
Via email