By Toki Blah
The 2018 Meghalaya Assembly Elections are scheduled for sometimes next year but might come even earlier. The eager anticipation that usually precedes such political events is however missing. Nervousness has replaced enthusiasm. The whole state and the public at large is tetchy, anxious and fretful about the coming polls. Strangely the public worry is not so much over the change of government that the polls might bring. The concern of people is actually over the thought that even if a new government were to come to power in 2018, for the man in the street, there is hardly anything worth celebrating about. Nothing will change. There is nothing to anticipate. In a nutshell the general public has become indifferent and apathetic to elections! In the light of 45 years of mal-governance this is understandable. From the parliamentary democracy point of view however, this is a calamity of the worst kind. For an electorate to lose faith in the election of democratic leaders is an indication that parliamentary democracy has become redundant in Meghalaya. People no longer consider the adage Of, For and By the People as the panacea for democratic governance. Political credibility is at rock bottom. The way ahead is dark and foggy.
Meghalaya was conceived because of an assumption that our own elected tribal leaders would give the indigenous people a better deal than our erstwhile Assamese rulers. We went about it with the famous ‘No Hill State No Rest’ slogan which after 45 years, in the final analysis, was an emotional war cry that simply heightened our sense of tribal unity but bequeathed precious little else. Emotional politics caused us and our leaders to lose sight of the fact that power is a means and not an end in itself. Statehood found us totally devoid on what to do next; ignorant of our own borders; short of foresight; badly in need of visionary leadership. Sadly this continues till today. Our politicians love to talk development but few have the gumption for it. Totally dependent on central assistance for survival, our elected leaders viewed governance simply as another word for distributing money and that is how they continue to approach the electorate and all elections. In the process Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg address has been made to stand on its head. In Meghalaya democracy is now defined as “For the Power (to grab power by hook or by crook), Of the Party ( party is crucial for promoting personal interests) and Buy the People (people are cheap purchasable commodities. No need for vision, or planning. Give them money and be done with it.)”. That’s Meghalaya’s political ethics. We continue to survive by God’s mercy and nothing else!
No wonder therefore that all of us are looking at the approaching 2018 Assembly elections with such trepidation. Change for the better is yet to make an appearance. People see no light at the end of the tunnel irrespective of who comes to power. No doubt Meghalaya is spoilt for choice as far as number of political parties and politicians are concerned. Choice however is severely limited as far as parties or individuals with political ethics are concerned. Everyone appears to be a chip of the same block irrespective of the party symbol. Indications are that the Congress will come out as the largest single party but Congress political ethos and their single minded dependence on money alone to bring them back to power is no assurance of better things to come. Their preference for winnable candidates will continue. (a favourite turn of phrase of the MPCC President and if you think the bloke is referring to ability or charisma, you better think again). The Congress will continue to view elections as a pure sell and buy economic exercise. Only money bags need apply for tickets. This totally debunks public service as the goal of politics and simply pushes corruption to the forefront of governance. The motto seems to be “Invest to win then grab power for self aggrandisement.” It will simply be a replay of past non governance. Is public disillusionment therefore to be wondered at?
The Regional Parties are no better despite their ‘holier than thou stance.’ Fact of the matter is they are as clueless, as the next person, as to what to do if they ever came to power. The regional ideology no longer sells and the fact that they are usually regarded as B teams of the National Party has hardly helped matters. As of today all regional parties seem to be driven by the individual personal agenda and ambitions of their top brass, the most inhibiting factor for the growth and development of the party. The old guard refuses to make way for young blood and fresh ideas. Stagnation is the result. Then the refusal of the regional parties to come together for a pre-poll alliance simply enforces the view that everyone thinks he /she is CM material and no one is prepared to sacrifice this potential (however bogus it maybe) through any premature tie-up. That everyone is a leader is the biggest tragedy of regionalism. In a hung Assembly situation, post poll bargaining is preferable to any pre poll agreement. The possibility of back door entry, to the CMs chair, then has more than distinct possibilities. Hope reigns supreme for CM-ship by default. It has happened before so why not again. Why not indeed!
There are two new entrants into the 2018 political arena. One is the BJP and the other the NPP. As far as the BJP is concerned, the goings-on within the state unit of this entity, if one is to believe the media and the press, hardly gives any assurance of its ability to provide the leadership nor the governance expected. The state unit walks in with the baggage of its parent body. The one food habit, one faith, one ideology, one language, one identity, one culture for all, is something that will require real skilful marketing. The party declaration to contest all 60 constituencies is to be admired but to accompany this with a threat to lodge FIRs against anyone who dares criticise the party, was simply astounding. For any party, on the eve of an election year, to threaten the electorate with such drastic retribution, is simply unheard of. Innovative perhaps; but unheard of all the same. One has heard of shock treatment but it’s the first time it’s ever being applied in electoral politics. Must be some new fanged strategy to win hearts and minds but it takes the cake, let me tell you. Important to remember that – impulsive outbursts can often produce bovine like reactions where one can chew the cud of regret at one’s own leisure.
Then there is the NPP, a party which has captured the interest of the Meghalaya electorate. In the Garo Hills, it is expected to give the Congress more than a run for its money (no pun intended). And here is where the catch lies. Eye brows are being raised as to where is the presence of the party in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills? Why this interest of keeping it strictly as a Garo party? Don’t the other major Meghalayan tribes flicker on the NPP radar screen? Conrad and James, the two young dynamic Sangma brothers at the helm of NPP affairs are well known and respected with a huge non- Garo fan club outside Garo Hills. The refusal of the party to expand beyond Garo Hills makes no sense. It simply enforces public suspicions that politicians are there for their own selfish interests and nowhere for the good of the common man. The prospects of positive change in 2018 recede even further.
Time for us the people to force our politicians to flag people’s concerns in their manifestoes. First is the lack of vision on education. Meghalaya needs an education policy where students and their welfare remain the focal point. All other aspects, teacher benefits; political vote banks, ministerial chairs etc., remain secondary to the focal point. Meghalaya also needs a transparent policy on how its scarce fiscal resources are to be managed. A non transparent; non accountable; non productive political extravagance like the MLA scheme is anti people. It should be immediately done away with. The scheme is a waste of public money; it serves no purpose except to encourage corruption. The funds squandered could have been better used to build our woefully deficient infrastructure. Meghalaya also needs a dynamic leadership that encourages and promotes leaders and leadership qualities. A leadership that simply fosters more followers is an inward looking selfish leadership, the last thing Meghalaya wants in 2018.