Editor,
As the State Government has revived the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) and fresh enrollment is under way, it seems some street smart politicians are trying to take undue advantage of it.
At Laban we heard repeated public announcements that the Scheme is in collaboration with Sanbor Shulla, the sitting local MLA . An impression is being created that the scheme has been co-sponsored by the legislator. I checked with an official of the Directorate of Health Service whether it was true that the scheme has been launched in “collaboration” with Shullai. The officer scoffed at such an idea and said that there are 60 MLAs in the State and it should logically mean that all MLAs have co-sponsored it. Far from it! No other MLA is making any such claim. The truth is that the Scheme is being funded by the Government alone.
Therefore, it is a shameless attempt on the part of the MLA concerned to have tried to gain political mileage when elections are only a few months away. Such trickery will not erase the litany of accumulated public grievances about the lack of performance and the stark failure of the MLA in addressing the persisting civic problems in Laban in particular, not to speak of the rest of the constituency. I strongly demand that the MLA apologises to the electorate for trying to hijack a Government scheme for his own selfish political ends.
Yours etc.,
B Wahlang,
Shillong-4
No-confidence motion without sting
Editor,
The much publicized No Confidence Motion (NCM) jointly submitted to the Chairman, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council by UDP and HSPDP was a non-starter because it was immediately recalled by the movers due to lack of the magic numbers required to topple the PN Syiem PDF Executive Committee. This has boomeranged for both the parties. In fact, the parties have missed the opportune moment when Mr HS Shylla had appealed to them to withdraw from the EC of Syiem on February 22 when he had tabled the NCM against the EC. This has already embarrassed not only the MDCs but the MLAs and the rank and file of both the parties and it will have a telling effect for the parties during the coming elections.
On the other hand the Congress MDCs in the opposition benches were just observing the fun while quietly and eagerly waiting for the opportunity to support the motion when it is moved in the House. The only good thing about them was that they remained low profile and kept quiet all along.
In fact, UDP and HSPDP and others who did not approve of the misuse and defalcation of funds from the Professional Tax of the KHADC, for conducting the Monolith festivals and perhaps many other irregularities, commissions and omissions which perhaps, were not reported in the media, should have supported the NC tabled by Mr. Shylla in February. Perhaps the UDP and HSPDP, have contemplated this move in view of the coming general elections as they see that PDF as a local political party, is a threat to their prospects and will intrude into their territories and eat into their vote bank. They should be extremely careful, lest they fall prey to the machinations of the Congress, as they are already accused of.
Yours etc.,
Philip Marweiñ,
Shillong-2
