Editor,
I agree with the points made in the letter by Clifton Lyngdoh “Pressure Groups are not NGOs” (ST July 21 2014). There is a fine line between agitation and calculated anarchy which pressure groups have crossed from time to time. I sometimes wonder why we call them by the respectable name of “pressure group” when they are vested interest groups. Anyone of average intelligence can see that society has been muzzled by groups who claim to speak in our voice. If today’s hot topics are ILP or NGT then tomorrow it will be some other excuse to call a bandh, damage property or burn a non-tribal person. The trend has been the same for several decades. In the meantime their leaders are getting richer but no one dares question the source of their mysterious wealth. Ultimately these leaders will join the political mainstream and do an about-turn on the same issues for which they made us suffer. If we look at the present crop of politicians, ministers, MLAs and MDCs, we will find that most were firebrand pressure group leaders in their younger days who betrayed their cause for power and money. How long can this go on? How can this social mockery be stopped? Clearly, our politicians will not do it since they use these groups for their vested interests. The initiative has to come from the Central Govt to shut down these questionable organizations. Society and the media must highlight how their leaders are accumulating wealth in the names of family members and under their own names. Let’s start with a few high profile names.
Eddie Swer
Nongthymmai
Shillong
Job scam after job scam
Editor,
Job scams have become the order of the day in Meghalaya. How long do we have to keep hearing such revolting news? It seems as if there is no more fairness and justice in the State. The latest news (ST 21st July 2014) about a job scam in the Soil & Water Conservation Department, shows that we the youth who expect to get a fair deal in selection to government employment in the state have no chance at all because of unscrupulous officials of the government. If the officers of the Soil & Water Conservation Department or those of any other Department can fill up the vacant posts in their Departments quietly without advertisements, then the government should do away with the rules and procedures for appointment and abolish the District Selection Committee and the MPSC as well as we do not need them anymore since individual officers continue to appoint their kith and kin or those whom they like simply because there is no penalty for doing do. In a small State like ours it is really unfortunate that such things are allowed to continue. The Chief Minister and Chief Secretary should seriously look into this matter to check further corruption. The youth are already very frustrated by these series of job scams!
Robert Sawkmie,
Shillong-4
Job scams and Govt apathy
Editor,
The news item “Another job scam in state” (ST 21st July 2014) came close after another news item “Adhoc , temporary appointments barred” published by your news paper on the 26th June 2014 where it was reported that the State Personnel Department has taken strong exception against those officers who made appointments to Government posts without going through the prescribed government procedures. As per your latest news it appears that the Soil and Water Conservation Department conducted an interview for a few people to fill up the vacant posts without an open advertisement which should be the normal procedure .Therefore there are obviously dubious intentions by the high officials of the Department who are involved in the matter. In fact, this is not the first time it happened in this Department if one is to go by what is much talked about by the staff themselves. According to them, the present Director of the Department had earlier appointed on an adhoc basis to a fourth grade post a person who has been living with him. Subsequently he got the appointment regularized by a Departmental Selection Committee headed by him without any advertisement for the post. This therefore deprived others as they were not given a chance to participate and compete in the selection process prior to the regularization. Now the latest episode shows that Government officers are still making a blatant mockery of the Government instructions and are not giving a hoot to reminders given by the authority concerned from time to time to refrain from breaking the rules. Now it remains to be seen if the State Personnel Department can really take the much needed penal action on such officials or whether it will simply keep issuing threatening circulars which are again flushed down the drain by those who dare . Let us wait and see.
Yours etc.,
Justiner Marak,
Via email