Editor,
In drawing your attention to Patricia Mukhim’s column captioned “No-confidence motion looses teeth in Meghalaya” (ST Sep 16, 2016), the writer’s analysis on the capacity and ability of the present Leader of Opposition as the then Chief Minister in 2008 with the incongruent elements on board, is not only irrational but reeks of an attempt to throw poor light on a Chief Ministerial alternative the opposition has. This is politicking if not politickling. It is irrational and highly unjust to compare the CM who had only 11 MLAs and lasted a year against a CM who is backed by 43 + 2 MLAs along with the blessings of the Congress High Command from Delhi.
One ought to consider the historical fact, that not being the largest party in 2008, Dr. Donkupar Roy still rose to the occasion and took on the challenge with all that he could sum up. The incongruous element only added up to his unquestionable experience and it will be the saving grace that will bring the alternative to the fore come 2018.
Coming to the writer’s assessments over his standing with his own Party MLAs, I find it naive to bring this up especially, in the present political scenario. To target the opposition as being without leaders fit to occupy the Chief Minister’s chair is highly questionable when opportunity has not been provided and hence your discounting of the opposition force holds no water as such. If one were to look back at history, one would undoubtedly realize that regional parties have performed better in trying times despite obstacles galore. However, regional parties have yet to embrace the factor that will unite them and this is a valid criticism for all to dwell and delve upon.
The writer has always been bowled over by charm, charisma, wit and the modern looking youth leadership but experience, knowledge base, level mindedness and above all integrity has always withstood the test of time. To speculate on the available alternative’s capacity is immature and can be read as a biased effort, considering the fact that it was made crystal clear that the No Confidence Motion’s objective was to have an opportunity to raise burning issues afflicting the state. Hence, I would like the readers to have a clear perspective of things and not be swayed by the opinion of one person..
Yours etc.,
Allantry Franklin Dkhar,
Shillong- 1
The MCCL impasse
Editor,
The Executive Committee of Mawmluh Sirdarship expresses its loss of confidence in the Office of the Managing Director (MD) of the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Limited. The Committee views all statements from the said office regarding the commissioning of the new plant as an attempt to hoodwink the people, a rhetoric, a tale of sound and fury bearing no practical meaning, with reasons best known to the incumbent. Time and again the MD has given media bytes with soothing words of hope to the victimized workers and the residents of Mawmluh and Sohra in particular and to the public in general that the commissioning of the new plant is imminent but till date, the catch-phrase in the site and around it is “on a trial basis”. Smooth functioning of the factory is still a far cry, with technical snags hindering the process, apart from uncoordinated inter-departmental issues. Add to this the frequents frequent power trips that brings the factory to a grinding halt.
When a delegation from the Mawmluh Durbar had sought audience with the MD in June 2015, he had categorically verbally revealed that it was the unwillingness and lack of co-operation of the workers (who were then on strike against the non-payment of their salaries) that stood as a hurdle for commissioning the plant. He assured us that the moment they resume work the plant would be ready to kick-start in two or three weeks. Within a few days the workers went back to work but it is now more than a year and the hopes fuelled by the MD’s assurance are in vain.
As per the report in this paper (ST April 7, 2015) “… a new dry process plant of the company will be commissioned post the completion of the trial run by the end of this month.” Such promises were repeated in different media. To say the least the MD’s beating of the drum has misled the public in general and the stakeholders in particular. The question is how could he have made promises and assurances like these when the workers have fulfilled their part of the bargain and some production has taken place but the finished product cannot be despatched because of due clearances that have not been obtained from certain authorities. Is it naive to presume that the MD wasn’t in the know about these clearances to be obtained? To repeat the points made above, full-fledged commissioning of the plant is still a distant dream, the main factors contributing to this fiasco being the apparent ineptness of the officers and the seeming lack of mutual understanding amongst them, which, the MD appears to have failed to address.
The Executive Committee of Mawmluh Sirdarship (Mawmluh being a major stakeholder in the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Limited) takes strong exception to this strange drama where the MD of the company keeps giving misleading statements about the proposed take-off of the MCCL plant. We have lost confidence in him on grounds of inefficiency, his lack of interest to restore the workers and their families to normal economic health and his reluctance to alleviate the suffering and gloom of the people of Mawmluh and Sohra, leave alone to restore the lost glory of the oldest Public Sector Undertaking in the State which hitherto had been the main flagship of Meghalaya.
Yours etc.,
PS Lyngdoh
Sirdar
Mawmluh Sirdarship