Editor,
Elections to the two Parliamentary Constituencies of the state are to be held soon and the people are ready to elect their choice of representatives to the House of the People. However, many voters are confused about the MDA common candidate from Shillong, Dr. Jemino Mawthoh and NPP candidate from Tura, Ms. Agatha Sangma. The cause of the confusion is this: if they are to win the elections, who would they support at the Centre. It is quite obvious that if the Congress wins then Dr. Mawthoh and Ms. Sangma would be in the opposition, but what if the BJP and the NDA win? What would they do if there were to be a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha?
The fact that Dr Jemino is from the UDP, would obviously mean that he will vote against the government, since the UDP has distanced itself from the BJP. To be a “non-BJP, non-Congress” MP at the Centre, with a single seat from the North East makes it insignificant since Parliament is all about numbers. Voting against almost everything done by either governments (UPA or NDA) would make things infructuous. MDA partners such as the HSPDP and the PDF are certain to not support the BJP at the Centre; however it is the chief member, the NPP which may be at loggerheads with the others. We can point to the fact that they are alliance partners with the BJP in Manipur and are also part of the NEDA (their membership of this convention is also very unclear) and also, the BJP is a part of the MDA Government. The NPP might say that it doesn’t support the BJP but it has to make its stand clear as to what action it will take if it wins many seats from all the states that the Party is contesting in the North East. Therefore, in order to clear the air, I would like them to tell the voters of not just Meghalaya but the entire North East, their future plans in the Lok Sabha and whom would they support and what would be the issues they would present and confront in the Lok Sabha.
Yours etc.,
C.H. Caren,
Via email
MSC Mains exams just a distant dream?
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I wish to draw the urgent attention of the Hon’ble Chairman and Members, Meghalaya Public Service Commission to an important matter mentioned hereafter. When the results of the Meghalaya Civil Service (Preliminary) Examination were declared on October 5, 2018, the 576 successful candidates were ecstatic not because they qualified for the next round (Mains), but because the results were declared two months after the Preliminary Examination conducted on August 4, 2018, thus giving the candidates immense hope that this time around, things would be different with the MPSC in so far as conducting the MCS examination is concerned because it was said that this particular examination would follow the UPSC pattern. Hope however, was short-lived. Problems first arose when applications for the Mains Examination were called on October 25, 2018. Citing various reasons, MPSC extended the application period for a very long period of time i.e till January 15, 2019. Ideally, 30-45 days would have been sufficient to complete the entire application process for MCS Mains (as is the case with UPSC which handles tens of thousands of applications for the IAS Mains) but to allot 75 days for 576 applicants is rather amusing. Furthermore, though it is now past two months since the January 15, deadline, the candidates have so far received no news whatsoever about the dates for the Mains Examinations. So six months have elapsed without any word as to the status of the examination. The “powers that be” in the MPSC and by extension the state government should understand that this illogical delay is taking a toll on the candidates mental state. Many deserving and brilliant candidates by virtue of this delay will become age- barred, thus depriving them of the golden opportunity to serve in the state bureaucracy and make a change in society. With regards to the common excuse given by MPSC staff about the delay by blaming the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, many of us strongly believe that Lok Sabha elections should not have been an excuse to begin with. With just a meagre 576 candidates, two halls (one at Shillong and the other at Tura) would be more than enough to accommodate the examinees! Manpower to conduct the examination would also not have been a problem as MPSC has been conducting many other examinations since October last till date. Interestingly, the calendar of the upcoming screening tests for the month of April shows that MPSC will be conducting two major examinations.
Perhaps it is the lack of political will to complete the recruitment drive to appoint MCS officers or maybe there is a greater political motive behind it. Those are things that we as common citizens will never know.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Don’t misread facts
Editor,
Apropos the rejoinder to my letter by M Khyriem (ST April 3, 2019), I would like to state that in my letter of April 2, 2019, I never ever used the term, ‘a particular party.’ My intention was to project the woes of the middle class in this country and also to critique the mindless pre-poll announcements by our politicians/political parties which hardly benefit anyone. I request the writer to revisit the contents of my letter. I would also like to clarify that I would neither support nor oppose any particular political party. I have always preferred to vote for a party or alliance, either national or regional, which shows/has shown its grit to deliver to the people irrespective of caste, class or religion.
Yours etc.,
PS Gupta,
Via email
