By H H Mohrmen
Now that the election dates are announced, people are anxiously waiting for February 27; the day they will push the button to vote for the candidate of their choice, the question that comes to mind is, what is it at that the people look for when they vote for a candidate. What are their hopes and expectations? Or why do they even vote at all? Although there are no dearth of issues which demand immediate addressing by the next government, the question that begs the answer is do people vote on issues or do voters in Meghalaya vote for different reasons altogether?
There are loads of problems that the state and its people are facing and the fact that the financial position of the government is in shambles is one of them. With no foreseeable solution for the state to rid itself of this unfavourable condition, the next government is therefore in for a big challenge ahead. This also affects the services that the government is supposed to render to the public. Hence the services provided by the government leaves much to be desired.
The status of education in Meghalaya is in a pathetic state at the Lower Primary level. Most schools buildings in the rural areas are in a dilapidated condition. The only consolation is that the LP schools run under the SSA mission have brand new buildings and that is because it is also a new mission. The lack of sufficient classrooms to accommodate all the classes is another major problem that most LP schools now face and even schools run under the SSA mission do not have the mandatory one class one room norm. Classes are held jointly in one room and can be differentiated only by the different seating arrangements. This is because in the rural areas the teachers have to accommodate two classes or at a time and sometimes even three classes in one room.
There are plenty of colleges in established towns to cater to the higher education needs of the people in the urban areas of the state, but the fact is that even in some district headquarters there are still no colleges which offer even mainstream degree courses. Most of these colleges are also run by NGOs comprising churches and the community, therefore higher education becomes expensive and is beyond the reach of the poor. It is also true that all the colleges provide mainstream courses like Arts, Science and Commerce and the existing engineering and medical colleges are all centrally sponsored projects.
The state’s dream of having a medical or an engineering college of its own or even on a PPP mode still remains a dream which is yet to see the light of day. Some of the private universities that have comes up in the state are doing their part by not only offering mainstream programmes but also introducing courses of study which are job-oriented but the problem is even these private universities are beyond the reach of the poor because their campuses are all located in Shillong or adjacent to Guwahati and they also come at a price.
The state is yet to have its own technical college and medical college and for skill training there are not enough ITIs or Polytechnics to cater to the mounting needs of the growing young population in the state. Add to that the training provided is stereotyped and caters to trades like electrical wiring, welder, motor mechanic, beauticians, tailoring etc. There is no training provided on agriculture related skills nor is there any training on livestock management which is the need of the hour to enhance meat production in the state.
Healthcare is another major problem in the state. Even the Community Health Centres in the villages do not have the required specialists as mandated by the Indian Public Health Standard Guidelines 2016. The PHCs and Sub centres are also run with very limited staff and most of the time without medicines. The only health care facilities where the government can provide the required medical personnel to man are the different civil hospitals or district hospitals in the towns and cities. Whether there is running water or uninterrupted electricity supply to these facilities is another pertinent question.
Agriculture which is the mainstay of the people in the rural areas of the state has not been given the required thrust. The state government has announced its plan to embark on the organic mission but this remains an empty rhetoric. Animal husbandry does not get the much needed attention and rearing animals in the state continues to be traditional in nature and for subsistence only. In spite of the fact that we still import almost every kind of meat we consume the state is yet to see a farmer who would involve in large scale cattle, piggery or poultry rearing. And these are products which have readily available market.
Roads in Meghalaya are mostly of substandard quality because of the politician-contractor nexus and in some cases the politicians are themselves contractors by proxy. There are numerous reports of shoddy construction of roads and of bridges constructed which collapsed before their completion. And there are also reports of repair works which are of a very poor quality and the engineers and sectional assistants can do nothing because the contractor is a strong supporter or the right-hand-man of the politician or worse still the politician himself is a contractor. This is the state of affairs in the various government departments and they are all of our own making.
Another major issue that plagues the state is the frequent power cuts in the urban and the rural areas of the state. It is heart-rending to note that last summer we had reports that there are villages which did not receive electricity supply for months together. The fact that the state is facing power supply crisis despite the having huge potential to generate electricity is in itself a testimony to the failure of the successive governments in the state.
Yet the moot question is whether these issues will influence the voter when he or she casts his/her vote? Do issues determine voters’ preference for a candidate or the party they vote for? Are issues even relevant at all in the voters’ scheme of things when they decide who to vote for? Your guess in this is as good as mine.
The fact is that there are other factors which have direct influence on the voters to vote for a certain candidate and sometime it could be as flimsy as the fact that the candidate is one of us. People vote a person because they live in the same village; they belong to the same clan or even belong to the same faith group. Of late money has also become a major factor which influences voter behaviour and candidates use money in many ways to influence the voters. Candidates sponsor construction of roads, playgrounds and in some cases even church buildings. The expectations of the poorer sections of the society are different. They need money to pay for schools admission for their children, buying books and exercise books. They also expect the candidates to help foot their pending medical bills and there are also those who expect that the candidate will sponsor their leisure trip(s) and picnics and what have you.
That the incidents of money changing hands happened before the Election Commission announced the date for the election and thereby makes the Model Code of Conduct redundant is another trick that the candidates have played and played so well.
Finally, it is unfortunate that these are the factors that could influence the voters to vote a candidate or a party and nothing else. It is therefore impossible to expect any kind of change to happen this time around too. And as long as money plays a major role in influencing the voters’ decision, this state will not see any change at all. And if there is going to be any change it will be a change from bad to worse. Therefore it is money and not issues which are important in the election in the State of Meghalaya.