In the human milestone, 47 years is when a person has settled into parenthood (for those who are married) and a more or less stable existence. It’s a time when the futures of adolescent children are planned by both parents. In a sense this is an exciting stage of life since the resources for establishing that future growth path also has to be carefully charted out if not already done. This enables a smooth take-off for the children into a challenging future. What about the status of a state which turns 47 this year? Does it have anyone to plan out its growth path? Who should be doing it and what is that growth trajectory?
Democracy envisages a participatory model of development. This means that people should decide the development priorities through a robust system of consultations and discussions. But that would mean an informed and educated electorate that knows what sort of representatives would best serve their interests. Has that happened in the case of Meghalaya? Those who led the struggle for statehood wanted only one thing – a state to be carved out of the erstwhile state of Assam – so that the tribes could chart out their future course of development. Since Assam was seen as a state with a majority non-tribal population it was believed that the tribal states needed a more nuanced development in tune with their cultural milieu. The autonomous district councils created vide the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution were not considered strong enough institutions for speedy, all-round development. It was felt that a full-fledged state alone would serve that purpose. It needs to be reminded that in the fight for statehood it was not just the tribes that stood as one for that demand. The non-tribal residents of the state too stood shoulder to shoulder with their tribal brethren in this struggle. This common fight for a shared future has alas has been lost sight of by those who led the state thereafter. The fault-lines appeared and led to violent events that shook the state from 1979 until the 1990s and which created the “other” as a bogey for all the failures of the political elite.
The repeated failure of the elected to provide a blueprint for development has created the need for an issue before every election. And this “other” has provided grist for the election wheels. Its time people called the bluff and realize that a state can only progress if all its citizens irrespective of their caste, ethnicity and religion, work in tandem. As of today there is not much to celebrate about Meghalaya. The important development milestone in health, education, employment generation, power, agriculture, etc., are far from being achieved. Poverty is on the rise. Time for people of Meghalaya to take ownership of their own future! The political class can no longer be trusted with that future.