Editor,
Apropos the news item on the issue of Khasi sentiment raised by one Allan Dkhar, the Secretary of UDP ( ST Oct 25, 2015), I am curious to know as to what mourning programmes the UDP and its people in Nongstoin have had or are planning to organize on the demise of Late Bah Hoping Stone Lyngdoh. The readers would be enlightened if the’ UDP could publicise the details. As per my limited information, there is not a single programme that has been organized by UDP in any form that relates to mourning the deceased leader. The UDP is in a dilemma as the party in Nongstoin is in total disarray. It takes some time for the party to pull its socks up and decide whether or not to fight the bye election and if yes it will take a long time for the party to decide on who will be the candidate, as there are more than five aspirants fighting for the UDP ticket, and subsequently it takes some time for this sleepy and lethargic party to organize election campaigns for the bye election.
Therefore the Secretary UDP could not help but come up with an excuse by bringing the imaginative, but irrelevant connotation “ Khasi Sentiment” to buy time for the disorganized party to get ready for the bye election. It may be noted that as per the Khasi practice only three nights is sufficient to mourn the dead, however the aggrieved families do quietly mourn their lost ones for some time but there is no specific period for the purpose. One month has elapsed from the date of demise of Late Bah Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, so may I ask the UDP how much time more should we mourn? Nowadays mourning a dead political leader has become one of the tools for electioneering.
Yours’ etc.,
Spenson Lyngdoh
New Nongstoin.
West Khasi Hills District.
Heights of Arrogance
Editor,
Apropos the news item “Jaiaw Durbar snubs Micheal Syiem” (( ST Oct 27, 2015) I would like to say that the action of the Jaiaw Laitdom durbar is to be condemned by all right thinking citizens of the state. The action of the Jaiaw Laitdom durbar reveals the immaturity and short sightedness of the members of the durbar. In fact Micheal Syiem the protagonist for strengthening the dorbar shnong has been tirelessly fighting for this cause since the1980s. The objective of the PIL is to bring clarity in governance in order to ease the citizens from various complications in the process of delivery of public services. Micheal syiem should be praised for his vision and effort in the endeavor to improve the Khasi society and to bring in reforms by doing away with those old and outdated practices to allow true democracy t( ST dt. 27/10/2015 ) under the caption to evolve in the traditional system to cope with this century so that we become a progressive tribal society. Strive ahead Bah Mike. You are a leader with a vision.
Your’s etc.,
Bandonbok Laloo
Shillong-2.
Impact of doing away with reservations
Editor,
Apropos the editorial, “SC and Reservation,” the issue should be carefully thought out because while reservations will have to be done away with at some point in the future, doing so without finding alternatives will lead to socio-economic and political chaos. This is not to oppose the idea of doing away with reservations but because of the ground realities among the neglected communities. While it is true that some communities are added to the reserved category because of vote bank politics it should be noted that that reservations for SC and ST communities makes up a minuscule number. Not only is it a fact that people belonging to ST and SC categories are still discriminated against but these communities are still confined to regions where proper education has not reached them yet (SC)or where education came very late (ST). While regions like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra etc. tasted the fruits of revolutionized developments such as the green revolution, better infrastructure, etc., much ahead, the SC & ST continue to remain bogged down by poverty and discrimination. The SC&ST population is so small that the seats available for jobs and education will never be dominated by these two communities even if the reservations were to be done away with. The crux of the reservation issue is that there aren’t enough education seats in proportion to the growing population of every community and because of this ground reality doing away with reservations, especially for the SC/ST will lead to a majority of the seats being taken up by the general category communities which already have better facilities and opportunities and slowly and surely the SC/ST communities will be sidelined. It is true that there are huge differences in economic status of individual families within SC & ST communities but the fact remains that belonging to a community that doesn’t have as many opportunities and facilities, coupled with the fact there is a lack of educational institutions at every level and also that certain communities have borne the brunt of societal discrimination for years, will only mean that it will further aggravate the socio-economic disparities in these communities unless more funding for educational infrastructure and proper fiscal policies are thought of to bring all communities at par with the advanced communities. I agree that reservations shouldn’t continue to perpetuity but doing away with it at this juncture demands a cautious approach. It is also a fact that the standard of evaluation between state and central boards differ greatly. Some Boards are stiff with their marking and this stands in the way of admission into universities for higher education, especially in renowned central universities which determine their cut- off marks on the basis of marks scored by students from central boards. Most students in central schools come from the general category hence they stand a better chance of getting into the best institutions.
Yours etc.,
Abner Ingty Watre
Shillong-4