M Kharsyntiew
The Khasi Lineage Amendment Bill 2018 has shaken the Khasi foundation with a tectonic force like never before. Even as we read this, debates on this issue is alive in many Khasi kitchens and living rooms, street corners and bye-lanes, coffee shops and restaurants. Every individual of every thinking Khasi family has something to say on this matter … some simplistic and direct, and some argumentative. Every Khasi person concerned with their well being is pouring forth their concerns and opinions either in public domain and print media for all to see, or in muted silence in the privacy of their homes at this definitive moment kick-started by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council CEM, Mr HS Shylla.
In one sweeping stroke the Council, under the CEM’s guidance, blackened and tarred the faces of Khasi womenfolk accusing them of bringing catastrophic misfortune to the Khasi community. His acerbic allegation is that our fairer sex is prone to and/or are indulging in benami businesses with non tribal men specifically through marriage. Women have always borne the brunt of male subjugation by means of planned craftiness or by sheer might. But, in the annals of world history, I am yet to find another parallel of such preposterous singling out of its own womenfolk
for all its ills and misfortunes by any other community … male centric or otherwise. Kudos to the Khasi community for hitting a ‘First!’ The fuming rage in the condemnation of any Khasi personality debating against the motion at this juncture points to the great rot that has set in amongst the Khasi people. Rationality of thought is being thrown to the winds. It is a sad reflection of our society that Khasi male pride has degenerated to such levels of fear that they now kick the very wombs that have successfully propagated the tribe for centuries.
However, taking stock of the current situation, initiatives must be taken to find out the percentage population of non-tribal men and Khasi women marriage alliances. This should not be difficult since the government has with it updated voters’ lists in digitized form of all constituencies of East Khasi Hills District and also of the entire state. Census must be carried out to find out the number of businesses carried out by non-tribal males in their Khasi wives names. This work also should not be of any difficulty since the Rangbah Shnongs of all localities know of such families residing in their areas. Such statistics are imperative and of prime importance to reach definitive conclusions. However unregistered marriages of conveniences cannot be stopped by any Council.
During my childhood days I used to accompany my grandmother to lewduh. This market was a buyers’ delight. Spices, vegetables, heaps of hand milled rice, fruits, beef, pork, chicken. You name it was there. All generally manned by traders of Khasi origin. The time I speak of was when Meghalaya was a part of Assam. This marketplace has always been under the aegis and sanctity of the Syiem of Mylliem. Now what has happened after Meghalaya was born? How have
Non tribals taken over this sacred market? Can the KHADC answer? Can the CEM say all the non tribal traders of lewduh have Khasi wives? Or can the CEM say that all the business premises in lewduh belong to Khasi women only and are being run by their non-Khasi/ non-tribal husbands? What percent of the stalls belong to Khasi males and how many of them are sublet to non-tribals? How is it that the District Councils during the Assam period was more effective in protecting tribal rights then than now that we have our own people at helm of affairs. Does it not stink somewhere? Some say that the Autonomous District Councils in Meghalaya have become as redundant as the human appendix.
Even while accepting the fact that Khasi women are to be blamed for such serious misdemeanours, are they to be crucified like Jesus without any judicious hearing. Like Pontius Pilate, can the CEM, Mr H.S. Shylla just wash his hands and say there are no Judases in the Khasi community? Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into the numbers of Khasi indigenous males who have lent their names to non-tribal contractors. Scan the paper trails in various PWD, PHE, Health, MUDA, Supply, Excise and other Govt Departments. Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into how non-tribals get trading licenses from the District Councils and how many of those have Khasi wives responsible for holding such licenses. Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into the number of times non-tribals have been benefitted with mega projects in Meghalaya and how many women ministers vis-a-vis males of the Khasi community were involved in granting such permissions. Let there be a fact finding committee to confirm how many shops belonging to the Khasi male community have been sub-let to non- tribals in the Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department, Khyndailad, East Khasi Hills District, and also are all such shops having Khasi women owners or Khasi women who have non-tribal husbands.
As in lewduh, in the MUDA Shopping Complex, Khyndailad, most of the shops are leased out to Khasi males. Now who will dare table a bill to ostracize these Khasi males who have sublet their stalls to non tribals and are thereby involved in benami transactions and businesses .. Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into the affairs of the Supply Dept. to ascertain how many Khasis are selling their names to non-tribals and what percentage of them are Khasi men. Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into the number of timber mills (legal and illegal) in the Khasi hill District to find how many of them are benami and what percent of the Khasi Timber Mill owners are Khasi women. Let there be a fact finding committee to delve into how many wine store licenses have been bartered away to non-tribals by Khasi males. I will prudently say that more than fifty percent of the culprits doing benami business will be the Khasi males. Can the HS Shylla led Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council even dare to expose and legally ostracize these Khasi Judases with the arrogance and impertinence demonstrated in demeaning the Khasi womenfolk?
For reasons that need no guesswork his answer will be a resounding “NO”. The administrative authorities, be the government or the KHADC, must come out with a white paper on all the above. The Government of the day must place the findings of the above for scrutiny in the public domain, failing which grave injustice would have been done to the womenfolk of our community. And if judicious enquiries are not their forte for fear or otherwise, then let the Income Tax Department or the CBI be entrusted to bring forth the data for the public to peruse.
There are a gamut of laws to check benami businesses. Full page adverts are placed in newspapers warning the public of benami practices and of the resultant penalties but have the KHADC or the government (Central or State) authorities ever tried to implement them with any degree of eagerness? Had they done so such a pass would not have come to scar the Khasi womenkind.
The insinuations that Khasi women entering into wedlock with non-tribal men is the root cause of all Khasi ills has to be judicially examined by His Excellency, the Governor of Meghalaya, now that the Bill is lying with his Excellency. And if Khasi women marrying non-tribal men are singularly at fault for all the alleged ills of the Khasi community then the Bill should be passed. If not then the allegations brought forward by the CEM must be withdrawn and the Khasi women so insulted must be exonerated and their honour returned by the KHADC.
Public memory is short but it is worth mentioning that during his last stint as CEM, KHADC, in 2006, the same HS Shylla was a votary for granting Uranium mining rights to the UCIL even when the Khasi community did not wish so. Why he did do so? No one has, till date, unraveled the mystery. And ,this time round, he conjures forth this agenda purportedly to save the Khasi community from being erased from the face of the earth. Now, for his part the CEM must be answerable to the jaidbynriew and take his baby, The Khasi Lineage Amendment Bill, 2018, to the truthful and logical conclusion for the benefit of every member of the Khasi community. Or else, of Mr HS Shylla we will have the future children of our tribe asking, “Who was he?”