SHILLONG: While the ruling Congress is facing anti–incumbency factor, a similar situation is emerging as far as the Opposition is concerned since it did not take any aggressive stand to take on the Government during the current term.
Although there are many commissions and omissions on the part of the State Government in the last four and a half years, the Opposition was never eloquent enough to take on the Congress led government in the state and expose many short comings.
Former Home Minister and veteran politician from the state, RG Lyngdoh, while sharing his views on the matter said that the Opposition in Meghalaya could have raised many relevant subjects but it never happened probably because there was no coordination between the parties.
It requires a common forum for the parties to come together, he said while adding that their coordination has to be more effective as elections are approaching.
According to Lyngdoh, outside the Assembly, if they want people to vote responsibly, then it is the duty of the political parties to put forward viable options for the general public to choose.
“If we can’t put viable options, then how can we expect people to vote responsibly,” he said even as he added that the Opposition lacked coordination and did not work together which resulted in pressure groups becoming more relevant.
Since the Opposition, which was supposed to raise relevant issues kept silence, pressure groups had to take up those issues.
The former Home Minister suggested the political parties to work together in the future.
Former FKJGP leader, Joe Marwein, however, did not agree to the views of Lyngdoh, saying that the Opposition did raise many important issues such as influx and unemployment in the state.
However, sources said that the Opposition had very often dwelt with the clichéd agenda and did not look much into the genuine problems such as price hike.
CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing also said that the Opposition leaders were simply grappling for power and nothing else.
“Had they been serious, they would have realized that there are many Acts which had gone missing from the law department,” she added.
As the Opposition did not follow up important issues, KHADC CEM PN Syiem had to take up the role of Opposition as he frequently criticized the Chief Minister and the Government for which he faced suspension from the party.
MPF defunct
The Opposition was weak and it was visible from the fact that two Independent legislators John Leslee K. Sangma and Saleng A. Sangma in 2015 withdrew their memberships from the Meghalaya People’s Front (MPF), a combined Opposition, alleging lack of coordination and collective responsibility among members of the Front while taking up issues concerning the state.
Even Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) had distanced itself from MPF which only consisted of UDP and NPP members.