By Aristotle Lyngdoh
Party refers to an organisation of people whose association and dynamics is bound by the consensus on certain ideology or philosophy of governance. Politics on the other hand refers to the art and science of governance. In countries where democracy has become mature like in the west, party politics is more associated with the dynamics of party management and convergence in order to deliver a desired objective. This is very important in the context of governance because in a democratic set up governance issues come from collective decision and not from an individual. With regards to this young and small state of Meghalaya, peculiar in culture and traditions, heredity, land management and different layers of governance, the idea and concept of party politics is parochial and provincial where party affiliation is secondary and consequential and subjected to suitable conditions. Therefore, party members switching membership like players in the IPL and Ivy League Football teams, to the highest bidder is common phenomena. This shows that their affiliation at the first instance is not to benefit the whole society but themselves and a section of the society.
Interestingly, being a small state with a small population, yet the number of political parties is more in comparison to other states. This reflects a state of absolute freedom of individuals that may also lead to anarchy if no ideal political system emerges in the near future. This also indicates that most of the electorate are still ignorant and confused about what should constitute an ideal political system as well as the power of collective decision. The concept of liberty and freedom in a democracy does not entail the idea to be let alone like a wild animal. A progressive society or state is driven by certain philosophical and ideological principles of development based on which a collective decision is also arrived at. Therefore, when we vote, it implies that we are making a decision along with other fellow citizens of the society. But as of now representatives are elected not on the basis of a party philosophy or agenda but primarily because of personal relationships and other hidden connections or deals.
The other reason that has created this fractured opinion in decision making is the level of thinking of the people and the divisive approach by political leaders. When i say the level of thinking of the people it means that the choice of the people is different from one place to another and where personal and local issues are considered a priority by most of the leaders rather than the progress of the whole society. Another factor that makes political affiliation secondary is the fact that none of the political parties so far have been able to prove themselves on the principles they stood for. And therefore political affiliation is just like a rented house where students share the apartment for convenience sake. There is absolutely no sense of ownership and scope to promote such attributes within the party. This is the grey area that makes political activists and supporters to switch allegiance frequently. While some political leaders feel gratified because they believe they have engineered the concept of coalition politics, in reality this has not yielded optimum satisfaction to the citizens and the state in general.
The only situation where people gave a thumping victory in a collective pattern was the first general election to the state legislature in 1972 where the Association turned political outfit APHLC secured the mandate to govern the newly formed state. The reason for this was perhaps people at that time people had a hope on the philosophy and ideology of the movement of self-determination thinking that their leaders will further pave the way for a better future for the state and society. If those leaders at that time had stuck to their principles, APHLC could have been another Congress of this hill state. By dissolving APHLC and abandoning the core identity, a great blunder has been committed by our leaders just for the sake of power in the context of uniting people or regional factions. Therefore, the same culture and nature is perpetrated till date. The desire for power is strong but the direction to steer public opinion for a better future is absent.
For a state and society to progress, there is a set pattern that should be followed in an organised manner under the superintendence of a sound law making system. And the result of this is reflected in the increase of per capita income of the state. This can only come from regular employment in the organised sector. This means that irrespective of any job that a person embarks on, it should yield not only a sustainable income but surplus income and vice-versa. But as of now our government is always busy in promoting schemes and programmes that benefit only a section of the society in a particular period of time and in the long run does not have meaningful result. The best example of this is MRDS which has disappeared with no trace of its footprints. The organisation (MRDS) with a sizeable corpus fund could have turned itself into an institution like Grameen Bank of Bangladesh which is now a global institution but can anyone claim its credit or commemorate its service? Where have all the self help groups disappeared? The same thing might also happen with other schemes. Schemes and programmes are like critical care units for sick persons. The sad thing is that those in the political arena are following this pattern expecting an opportunity to grasp power in order to create another CCU or ICU for their own voters somewhere. The need of the hour is to inculcate and indoctrinate entrepreneurial concepts and skills in the minds of the people so that a giant leap forward can take place.
Party affiliation on the basis of societal perception of growth and development is a non-existent concept and no political party ever promotes such ideas. But satisfying and meeting voters demand and expectation in a particular area that constitutes a major chunk of vote bank has so far been the top priority of each and every representative. It is a common fact that most of the candidates get re-elected again and again mainly because people think that he or she has done something to their constituency. But in reality their contribution to the progress of the whole society is zero.
Whether voting trend continues in the next elections is a matter of conjecture.