By Toki Blah
Front page news, comments and editorials of all local papers are focused on one single topic – the Meghalaya Assembly elections of 2018. Who said what; who accused whom; who is bad and who is good; who will win and who will lose; who has deserted whom and who has moved in with whom becomes the news of the day. It’s a circus. I mean it’s the tamasha that hits town once every five years and no one, absolutely no one, wants to miss the show, however macabre it may be. With less than a week from the day of reckoning, the political atmosphere has not only heated up but has definitely degenerated into a foul mouthed slanging match of language usually picked up from the gutter. In some instances deeds have followed such words to make this election more reminiscent of the gang wars of UP or Bihar rather than the civilised exercise of electing leaders for the state of Meghalaya. It speaks volumes for a community that prides itself with the outdated adage of “Ka Jaitbynriew Tip Briew Tip Blei” (A Humane God Fearing Community). Many of us want change little knowing that this is the type of change the politics of the day has bestowed upon us!
Kong Patricia Mukhim in her engaging article “Election 2018: repeating the rhetoric“, ST 16th Feb 2018, has really put into words the feelings many of us have towards the Assembly elections of this year. Media reports on what the parties and candidates are coming out with is disappointing to say the least. There is no substance nor reflection of public interest in what we hear except for the vision document of the BJP which touched on some relevant points of interest. Please go to social media to see what people really expect and the disappointment when they realise what they are likely to get instead and the senseless direction this election is taking. Promises, vague empty words of a paradise to come (lawei ba phyrnai) is all that the public is being fed with. Choose us; elected me and my party; vote for me and for no other and I will turn Meghalaya into a paradise. Politicians and their parties shamelessly ignore and forget the fact that it was they and their selfish visionless actions that has turned Meghalaya , once upon a time a paradise on Earth, into the hell hole that it now promises to be.
The BJP has promised to bring back coal mining if voted to power. Frankly speaking, is that such a good deal for the state and the paradise that was once Meghalaya? Let me remind the reader that it is rat hole coal mining that has converted large portions of Meghalaya into an environmental death trap that will take another 1000 years to recover. Simply for the benefit of a few rich coal barons. It has turned many of our major rivers into dead, lifeless water bodies. The poor in these mining areas drink poisoned contaminated water. Their votes count but apparently their health and lives are unimportant as no one seem bothered about it. It is unscientific rat hole coal mining that has sponsored and supported militancy, crime and underground activities within the state. Extractive coal mining resulted in the emergence of rich, selfish, illiterate, opportunistic and unthinking coal barons who then metamorphosed into politicians, the likes of which were never seen before. The power of money and not the power of the people has become the profile of Meghalaya politics. The NGT ban on rat hole mining promises to cleanse the rot that has set in! A second look at the idea of reintroducing coal mining is called for. It definitely is not in the real interest of the state and its people.
Has anyone cared to listen to the election speeches made at campaign meetings? They seldom vary from each other in theme and content. Speeches usually can be divided into three parts. The first is the “there are bad guys out there, so be wary ” part. Every opposing candidate is branded a fool; a criminal in the making; a crook out to hoodwink the innocent and the guileless. So people beware of the wolf in a sheep’s clothing. The speaker then warms up and makes his pitch which forms the second part of the speech. It’s the “there is one and only one good guy; the Hero and his party who will save the doomed community from certain calamity. So people if you want salvation you better vote for me”. The last and third part of the speech is the sweetener. The speaker now begins to elaborate the benefits the constituency will get from voting for their hero. He promises water; better electric supply; better footpaths; community halls; fish ponds; playing fields; school fees for the poor; blankets for the winter; umbrellas for the monsoons; dinning sets ; tea sets; pots and pans and what have you! He neglects to inform the ignorant public that all of these will come from the public exchequer but will in no way help in the development of the state. He conveniently sidesteps the issue that he is basically propagating feudalism by way of patronising a few at the cost of many.
The emergence of illiterate businessmen in the guise of politicians has shifted the focus of politics from the general interest of society as a whole to the selfish interest of both the individual candidate as well as the individual voter. The needs of the individual voter has now taken precedence over the needs of the state. Nearly all parties and candidates refuse to address important and substantial concerns of the state. Take for instance the issue of influx and the outsider problem. It has caused law and order problems; loss of man days not to speak of loss of precious innocent lives. It is a problem that is bound to pop up once again sooner than later. Linked to the problem of influx is the opening up the economy of Meghalaya through the introduction of a railway; the establishment of a firm tourism policy and the access of the state to the potentials of the Act East Policy. The very foundations for all round development. Yet everyone maintains a strict silence over the issue. It’s now obvious, except to the blind, that the outmoded ILP control mechanism is not going to work and that insisting on the ILP will only cause further law and order issues. Meghalaya needs a modern, practical and workable influx control apparatus. Surprisingly every politician in this election pretends the problem doesn’t exist. Mums the word! Everyone prefers to play safe. Or is it because no one has a clue on what to say and do. With the type of candidates in the fray this appears to be more the reason than anything else.
The other important issue which the current elections have bypassed is the economic upliftment of the state. Meghalaya is in an economic slump. Everyone has conveniently blamed the ban on unviable coal mining as the cause, forgetting that for 60 years we never even thought of alternate means of revenue generation. Today tourism is rapidly emerging as the most viable sector for both revenue as well as employment generation. The tragedy of the hour is that the focus of the political system is on something else than solace to the people. Calling the Congress bad or the BJP wicked or that regional parties are better then national ones is the political menu for the current polls but it’s not going to bring bread to the table for the common man. We need visionaries who will speak about the future of this state. Sadly they are missing! Again Meghalaya is urbanising at an alarming unplanned pace. It needs laws and regulations to enable its people to sustain themselves in a safe, humane and sustainable urban environment. Yet we have idiots who are against any Urban law that seeks to bring urban uniformity and safety. The tragedy is that such people are there, in the electoral forefront, befooling the electorate, posing as saviours of the Jaitbynriew, spouting nonsense from the rooftops. “I lift up my eyes towards the mountains, whence shall help come to me the voiceless commoner?”