By Patricia Mukhim
For some weird psychological reasons men seem destined to be afflicted with impotence at some point in their lives. That this affliction can visit the most virile Alpha male is again a long explanation that psychiatrists give and which I am sure is no secret. That is why Viagra with all its side effects is still consumed by a large number of males. This article is however not intended to delve into male sexuality or its dwindling powers which is most often related to age, alcoholism, stress, work pressures, some illnesses and a series of other unknown factors. One can imagine how helpless a person feels when some of the critical functions that should keep the adrenaline pumping begins to show signs of degeneration. The question to ask is whether such biological malfunctions affect decision making in the public sphere. Male Impotence is a secret known only to the man’s better half or his secret female friends. The rest of the world is not privy to such details. Unfortunately, that sense of powerlessness could affect those in positions of self- acquired authority or authority by selection.
Anyone who has witnessed the shenanigans of the Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong…. (the name is too lengthy anyway) would agree that they suffer from the inability to articulate what they actually want and why they want it. In the book, Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury the authors speak of different problem solving strategies. One important point they note is that both sides in a negotiation should look for mutual gains. There is no such thing as, “I win, you lose or vice versa. Fisher and Ury speak of shared interests which can help the parties arrive at an agreement. The present imbroglio over a framework which the Government is told to come up with for regulating the functions of the Rangbah Shnong should not pose any obstacles if the key stakeholders of the grassroots administration system – the people – were to have been the focus. The problem is that the Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong want to be power brokers. If this is a democracy then power should reside with the people. As of now the large swathe of Khasi population is powerless to articulate what they want. No platform has been created for alternative views. People are expected to rally behind the Synjuk and anyone who has other views is considered a traitor to the cause. But whose cause are they talking about?
Just as religion takes a grip on its adherents by creating a fear psychosis and by making it appear that only a certain path leads to salvation, the Synjuk and many other interest groups too, use the same tactic. Today people are told that they are at a crucial junction; that they might lose their identity and culture if the Synjuk ki Nongsynshar Shnong were to be brought under a law (haven’t we heard this refrain since 1979) The Rangbah have not taken the trouble to explain how that could possibly happen. No single leader in this state has till date told us how to get out of the hell-hole of fear. For if people stopped being afraid and decided to talk back and fight their own demons then all the self-styled leaders would be out of jobs. So these leaders derive a sense of importance when they co-opt us “the people” and co-opt our voices (even when we have not spoken) and say they are speaking for us.
I have some very pointed questions to ask the Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong because my voice too has been co-opted as part of the mindless flock which is too lazy to think for itself and therefore simply says “Yes” to every constructed viewpoint. What exactly do these Rangbah Shnong want? Do they want to provide village/locality level governance which essentially means (1) pushing the MLA/PHE to provide drinking water (since on their own they don’t have the wherewithal, neither financial or human resource or expertise) (2) to push the MLA/PWD to provide good roads (3) to ensure that garbage is collected and dumped somewhere on payment of a fee (4) to facilitate implementation of a plethora of Government/MLA schemes etc. Of course the Rangbah Shnong used to have the authority to certify who a permanent resident is and based on this certificate many residents are able to get a Voters ID Card. There are other residents who require an NOC so that they can apply for a Trading License from the District Councils. For a long time the Rangbah Shnong operated outside the purview of any Constitutional authority because the District Councils had not come up with a regulatory framework on the powers and function of the Dorbar Shnong. Interestingly this laissez faire climate is what the Rangbah Shnong feel, ought to continue. And of course their only weapon of defence is good old “Tradition.” Never mind that tradition has been discarded in all other areas of life; the Rangbah Shnong want to wield power by this ‘Tradition’ and they are using this instrument like a double edged sword.
In their own homes and families, tradition has long been discarded. Otherwise tradition used to be that we sat around the kitchen fire to have our food (bam ja sngi, ja step, dih sha, not lunch or dinner which are western concepts), with the mother/wife serving all the family members. This tradition is no longer seen in any urban household. Today in urban Meghalaya the families have graduated from the kitchen (iing shet ja where we all sat on the lyngknot and therefore we never could carry too much weight on our bodies) to the dining table. Conversation around this table is greatly reduced for every family member has his/her own timing. We adjusted to this huge change because it works for us. We are using sophisticated kitchen gadgets, have graduated to smokeless kitchens and have all kinds of machines at home to reduce the drudgery and physical strength of the home maker (woman). Did we even for a moment question ourselves on why we discarded many of the old ways of doing things? No we did not because it served a good purpose. So why are the Rangbah Shnong insistent on taking us back in time when it comes to governing our villages/localities? Why are they afraid of having to act within the boundaries of the Constitution? Why are they comfortable with exercising arbitrary powers? Is it not because they want to be the power centres and to make the MPs/MLAs and MDCs dependent on them during elections? And yes, as has been stated by many individuals in their letters to the editor, many Rangbah Shnong also want to exercise a tight control over the sale and purchase of land in their respective localities/villages. So it’s all about wielding power. Public service is farthest from their minds. If their intention is purely public service why would they challenge the government?
The fact that the Rangbah Shnong have been fishing with different political parties and are willing to align themselves with the Party that sings the same tune as them shows that they don’t even have the wisdom to put forward their points cogently before the Government and have been constantly sulking (walking out). This is not a very comforting thought for the large population that has thrown its weight behind these Rangbah Shnong.
Today there is an educated, articulate and far sighted section of the Khasi society which demands that these Rangbah Shnong adapt to the changed circumstances. But there is still a huge chunk of the population which has allowed others to think for them. They rest in the lame excuse that the Rangbah know best. But aren’t we all gifted with common sense? Must we allow someone else to decide our fates forever even while we crib behind the backs of those who do so? It’s time for alternative voices to emerge and for those with strong views within the society to synergise those voices. We cannot allow ourselves to be stuck in a pathetic rut and for a group of intellectually bankrupt people to continue to lead this society, because frankly, we are getting nowhere. The traditional institutions as they are today are failed institutions which need to be injected with a strong dose of reforms. Those who reject this idea are a bunch of insecure people. I have said this before and I reiterate that insecure people make the worst leaders. We cannot march into the future with unfounded fears and anxieties of stepping outside our comfort zones. This unfounded anxiety will render us impotent and incapable of claiming our legitimate rights in this country through the process of dialogue.