Editor,
I am pained to read the hate statements made by Ardent Bassaiawmoit and Adelbert Nongrum from time to time in public platforms and in the media. Their statements have shown the Khasi society in bad light. Khasi society, has since time immemorial been known to be a simple and God fearing tribe ( Ka jaitbynriew tip briew tip Blei ). If your ideas and beliefs have to be followed by mankind, then there would have been mutual wars and fights between different types of people that God has created in this universe. There has not been a single occasion where you had spoken about peace and harmony, honesty and tranquility. Wherever and whenever you have spoken it is only to spread the message of hatred and communal differences. In this way you have misled the people and tried to create vote banks. The rallies and meetings that you convene blended with toothless governance in Shillong are horrific and create insecurity in the minds of the society at large. Many organizations that are wrongly called NGOs, be it the KSU, FKJGP, etc. are minting money out of the prevailing situation, This is too much. I urge you to be sensible and good Christians. The Khasi society is a progressive society that wants to adapt with the time. We are now in the 21st century and we believe in democracy, liberty and fraternity, development and co-existence. We want to move ahead for a bright future. We do not want to follow you to the caves, to be governed by undemocratic, half literates, high-handed, self styled and power hungry headmen. The majority of us do not want to listen to your gimmicks. We are civilized and educated enough to understand the law. We are aware that the Sixth Schedule is only a fraction of the Constitution of India which is the law of the country we live in. We are not to be carried away by the Sixth Schedule; we have to obey the law in its entirety. Please do not fool us. Allow us to live in peace. I can foresee the days when the society will get fed up of you and that is when you will cry in the wilderness ( pyrta shla ha ri khlaw).
Yours etc.,
Batkupar L Mawlong
Shillong-8
College recruitment anomaly
Editor,
Further to the letter in your paper, “College of shams” (ST, 8/5/2015), now, I too feel the need to add some more news for a somewhat similar situation. Two years ago, I applied for a post in the Biotechnology department of a college in Laitumkhrah. Having fulfilled all the required qualifications under UGC norms with specialization as per the advertisement, my expectations were sky high as my application was accepted. While I was preparing myself for a possible interview, to my disbelief, I learnt that the interview had already been conducted. I was awfully disheartened and somehow decided to console myself by looking for answers regarding the screening/recruitment processes. In the process, I got to know that my application was no longer considered only because of the fact that I graduated in Biochemistry and not Biotechnology. Thus, the conclusion was that the applicants who were interviewed had a PURE Biotechnology background. Hence, for the longest time, I was calmed, though depressed. Conversely, after reading the aforesaid letter, I did a thorough research and I realized that the writer and I share something in common. We had both applied for different posts BUT in the same college! Therefore, I am in a state of shock and disbelief to know that the same strict rules of a legendary college are not applied in the same manner to all applicants. My questions are: how on earth is it possible for a department (Biotechnology) with a stringent system of recruitment to have such a faculty with an “unadulterated” Biochemistry background? Was it a recruitment blunder that couldn’t be rectified or was there something more behind that was unfathomable? Answers, of course, only the concerned department and college administrators would know!
Yours etc.,
M Kharkongor,
Shillong-6
Meghalaya does not need a populist Govt
Editor,
The news about the Ordinance for guiding the functions of headmen is nothing but a mutual back-patting exercise. The Ordinance is fraught with dangers not only to the public at large but even for the political masters. It is a genie in a bottle which even if they would want to push back at some stage, would not be possible. Should the Governor give his assent to the Ordinance, the Bill would have to be passed by the Assembly which is not a problem. The real problem is after having passed the Bill and it becoming an Act. Then it would give unbridled powers to the headmen that could take away even the power and authority of the legislators, for the public at large will need the signature of the headman more than the signature of the legislator. The question of regularising every little thing would have to go through the headman creating another parallel government at a times when we already have one too many. I am writing this from Chautara in Nepal where the earthquake has killed more people than anywhere else. It exposed the fact of the Government of Nepal has played around with populist policies and failed to address the practical needs of the people. The human tragedy here is not so much the earthquake as the fact that the authorities have no concern about the individual citizen. At least the Chinese realise that Modi is a pragmatic politician but do we in Meghalaya have one. I hope the Governor does not put his signature on the Ordinance without referring it to legal experts, not of the state but of the best legal minds in the country, for the sake of the citizen.
Yours etc.,
D Kitbok Ryntathiang,
Via email