MEGHALAYA was created amidst great hopes that the state would do better than it did under the Assam Government. January 21, 1972 was a red letter day for those who struggled to make this tribal state a reality. During the statehood struggle it was not just the tribals who stood as one under the banner of the All Party Hill Leaders’ Conference (APHLC). It was a universal fight by all the people of Meghalaya which included at the time a large section of the non-tribal population already resident in this state and owing allegiance to it. That this fact is conveniently forgotten and that the Hill State Movement is given an ethno-centric colour is another matter. This is what historians call, “history and memory.” In this case, those who were born after 1972 cannot possibly be expected to remember the Movement or to locate its history as it happened. Yet much of what is happening in the State today is directed by these people who have no respect for history.
The task of building Meghalaya into a vibrant State with a robust economy and a secure eco-system where people of all communities would be respected, is not the onus of the tribals of this State only. It is the task of every person resident here. But after statehood, the dividing lines were clearly drawn with the non-tribal population being caricatured as the ‘enemy within.’ This creation of the ‘other’ became a pre-occupation of politicians who had to hide their own lack of statesmanship and failure to deliver. The students’ union and other interest groups were later used to whip up non-tribal sentiments. Thus began the saga of hatred and violence.
If politicians ruling this State had used their energies to envision a development goal that is inclusive and positive and had taken everyone into confidence without ‘othering’ anyone, perhaps things would have been different today. When a state is ghettoised into communities, religions and ethnicities and the difference are accentuated, the result is the Meghalaya we have today – a state where there is no shared history and no common endeavour to build an enduring legacy. The time has come to face harsh realities because exclusions on the basis of differences have yielded nothing so far. In fact it has only exacerbated our pain and agony.
