How will we rate our MLAs?

Patricia Mukhim

Why do we elect representatives to the Legislative Assembly? And I am asking this question because I suspect that many MLAs do not yet know or care to know what representative democracy is. Many are in this game of politics to serve their selfish interests. If there is something left behind in the kitty then the constituents gets the crumbs. After the MLA scheme was increased to Rs 2 crore annually many MLAs have used this money as capital investment in their businesses. They only start implementing schemes after they have earned their profits. Few actually utilize the money judiciously. There may be just one or two MLAs who do so.

Apart from legislating laws and advocating for policies that can provide a coherent roadmap for the state and its people and thereby charting out a vision which can be assessed periodically through clear and measurable objectives, the MLAs are also tasked with looking after their constituencies by way of providing drinking water, motorable roads and footpaths, schools and colleges, through government schemes. And the MLA can claim no credit for doing this job since he/she is paid for it. During elections the person cannot go around saying he/she has done this or that for it is a responsibility they have chose. The rules of this game have to change in 2018. Social organisations cutting across ideology should get together to prepare a report card of every MLA. The MLA is not meant to give personal help to constituents but to make their lives easier by providing the basic necessities that they can access, such as health care, education et al which are public utilities. Trying to bribe voters on the eve of the election means only one thing- the MLAs have not done their work in all the five years that was given to them.

MLAs that are in the opposition have to be the eyes and ears of the people they represent. They should be taking regular stock of the performance of the Government and check corruption at all levels. They should be questioning why there is delay in implementation of schemes. They should make a list of delayed projects and do an RTI to find out why the delay and how much the government is losing in such delayed projects. Are the MLAs actually doing that? Has any MLA done an RTI yet? I don’t know of any opposition MLA who has taken the RTI route. Most of them depend on newspaper reports for raising questions in the Assembly. And because they are remiss in doing their homework they are quickly made to take their seats by a Government that has learnt every trick in the trade to obfuscate issues. It is painful to see that no one has yet been able to put the state chief minister in the docks! He almost appears like a political saint about to be beatified so that he can continue to lead Meghalaya in 2018- 23.  

Many of us are still unaware of the ramifications of the MLA scheme and except for the late TH Rangad and Ardhendu Chaudhuri and after him Manas Chaudhuri, no MLA till date has had the courage of conviction to give a report card of how they expended their MLA LAD funds.  Just to rejig our memories let us take a look at what the MLA-LADs is meant to be and what it has turned out to be.

Important Features:

1. The type of work under this scheme should be developmental in nature based on locally felt needs
2. The work should be such that it can be completed within one financial year and lead to the creation of durable assets.
3. Minimum of 10% fund allocated should be utilized for capacity building and training of unemployed youth in the state.
4. The work to be taken under MLALADS should not be under Rs 1 lakh in each case.

Works that may be taken up under MLALADS:

1. Construction for buildings for schools, hostels, libraries and other buildings of education institutions belonging to government.
2. Construction of village roads, bridges, public irrigation channels and public drainage schemes.
3. Providing drinking water to the people in the area by digging tube-wells or other works that may help in this respect.
4. Construction of public health care buildings, public toilets and bathrooms, footpaths, pathways and foot bridges. This should include residential quarters for the ANM.
5. Construction of common gobar plants, non-conventional energy systems/devices for community use.
6. Bus Sheds/Stops for public transport passengers.
7. Social forestry, farm forestry, horticulture, parks and gardens in government and community land.
8. Construction of Crèches and Anganwadi centres

Each MLA will give a choice of works to the concerned Deputy Commissioners and also choose the Government agencies for implementation of the scheme in the districts as per established procedure. The Deputy Commissioners will get them implemented through the Govt. Agencies as desired by the concerned MLA. The purpose of the schemes is to create durable assets. Funds provided under the scheme should not be used for incurring revenue expenditure. The sites selected for execution of works by the MLA shall not be changed except with the concurrence of the MLA himself.

Among the important features of the MLA-LADS point no 3 merits attention. It says that a minimum of 10% fund allocated should be utilized for capacity building and training of unemployed youth in the state. Is this really happening? How and where? Can civil society use the power of social audit to find out which MLA allocated funds for skill building of unemployed youth in their constituencies and how many have since found jobs. If we are all looking at the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihoods Project (IBDLP) as the only magic wand to create employment and to skill the youth then all the MLAs should be giving their share of the 10% of Rs 2 crore annually which is Rs 20 lakh per MLA x 60 MLAs or Rs 12 crore annually to the IBDLP. It might make more sense and allow for better monitoring. As of now I have not heard of any social audit being carried out on implementation of MLA Schemes in any constituency.

A critical point for judging an MLA is to go into his/her constituency and check out the roads. At no point in the history of Meghalaya have roads been as decrepit as they are under the MUA-2 regime. But let me point out to one critical road link and that is the one going towards the Union Christian College, Umiam, ione of the premier colleges of the state of Meghalaya. That road is a killer. It hardly exists now and yet that area has some of the best social institutions such as Siloam, an institute for the hearing impaired and a Jesuit institution. On that road is also a premier 5-star resort – Ri Kynjai and several other much sought after, guest houses. All these institutions claim they have written several memoranda to the Chief Minister but have got no response. The coal trucks carrying coal illegally from West Khasi Hills and violating the NGT, have literally killed this road. Yet the MLA, Ngaitlang Dhar is not only all set to contest the 2018 election, but his brother, Sniawbhalang nurses ambitions of being the next Chief Minister (from Jaintia Hills)! If that happens and these contractor-businessman and part time MLAs become part of the ruling clique then as the Khasis say “Lah jah kwah artad” and the Jaintias even better “Da chem ka bei.” I don’t think these phrases need interpretation. They mean “nemesis.” And nemesis is where we are headed for, unless, we the people, get real, forget our differences and come together to defeat these depraved forces!