By H H Mohrmen
It is a little more than a year and half since this coalition government was formed and the indication is that this government will last its full term in office. This coalition government which comprises of two national parties and few regional parties also supported by some independent MLAs has its own internal wranglings, but it has been able to overcome those discordant notes. The credit goes to the captain of the ship who has been able to steer it through the rough waters.
It cannot also be denied that although all the parties which are part of the coalition government are equal partners in the government but the major players in the alliance are the NPP and the UDP. The arrangement in the coalition looks like the NPP is the pilot on the driving seat and the UDP is a co-pilot whose duty is to help the pilot with the directions. It has been one and half years since the results of the assembly elections were declared and that is not too long a time so one hopes what has happened is still fresh in the readers’ mind. No doubt the readers still remember that the UDP has a trump card and became a king maker after the result was declare and role the party played after the election result was declared was very crucial because it also decided who form the next government in the state.
For this the UDP has to only admire and be grateful to the wisdom and farsightedness of their former leader (L) Donkupor Roy who decided to extend the party’s support to the NPP in forming the coalition government after the election was declared. Dr Donkupar definitely has his reason to side with the NPP and reject the offer made by the Congress. What are the advantages and disadvantages that Dr Don saw in supporting the NPP as compare to the Congress when he made this decision is now safe with him in the grave, but one thing for sure is the fact that he had made a right decision by deciding to extend the party’s support to the NPP.
If one is to judge the performance of some of the MDA’s Ministers especially in the floor of the house, it can safely be said that their performance is way below the mark. And at time scenes of what happened during the session on the floor of the House (now that clips recorded during the session were almost instantly shared on the internet) resemble a comedy scene. But the performance of his fellow cabinet colleagues (particularly on the floor of the House) is another issue which is beyond the Chief Minister’s control. If we are to blame anybody for the performance of the MLA, the blame should squarely be on the voters for the kind of under-performing MLAs that we have. It is the people who elected the kind of MLAs we have now and it is the voters and no one else who have to take the blame.
The major factor which led to the poor performance of the particular minister in the August House is the level of education he has had and again in a coalition government this is not in the hands of the Chief Minister. Every coalition partner insists that their elected leader should be in the cabinet and this in a way ties the chief minister’s hands and he does not have the freedom to choose the members of his cabinet. The Chief Minister is compelled to accommodate even fresh and inexperienced MLAs with education levels which are not up to the mark, as ministers, and that is why we saw that the Chief Minister or the Home Minister had to come to the rescue of the ministers during the debate in the house.
No doubt the MDA is being led by a strong leader but the performance of some of the cabinet ministers is less than satisfactory. However, the big question is whether the few leaders at the helm of power carry the government. What can we expect from the government when judging from their current performance of many of the ministers below par?
The government has done a commendable job in certain fronts. To encourage entrepreneurship and create employment in the state, the government led by the young Chief Minister is encouraging entrepreneurs by recognising the efforts they have made. What would be interesting to look at is the proposed smart village project which is being ushered in the state in collaboration with the University of Berkeley. One hundred villages were selected for the project and it will be interesting to see how this program will impact on the overall development of the state. Hopefully the smart village project will also help solve one of the biggest problems of the modern times and that is to curb urban migration.
Whatever the government has achieved so far and hopes to achieve in the next three and half years time is going to be a major factor in getting the coalition partners elected to power once again in 2023. But before that the MDA government will be able complete its full term because NPP has proven itself to the UDP that it is a true partner and the party is committed to the alliance.
That the NPP was able to convince the coalition partners to support the new president of the UDP to assume the post of the Speaker of the House shows that the party respects the commitments that it made with the UDP’s late leader and this will further strengthen the alliance. And allotting the cabinet berth to the MLA from the party is another indication to fact that the coalition which is being led by the NPP is in safe hands. But the final factors which not only prove that the NPP is a true friend of the UDP and that the party respect its commitments, is the by-election to the Shella legislative Assembly.
The NPP is not only concerned with winning elections, but it also keeps its promise by not putting up a candidate in the ensuing by-election to the Shella constituency which was left vacant due to the unfortunate death of the former president of the UDP, Dr Donkupar Roy. Surely leaders of the party and even local units would try to convince the leaders of the NPP to contest the by-election, but they decide otherwise. True to its words the NPP also promised to give it’s all out efforts to see that the UDP candidate who is also the son of the former MLA retains the seat that his father once occupied.
These few incidents bring out the true face of Conrad Sangma. He is not only a charismatic leader but trustworthy leader too. He has demonstrated at least to the UDP that he is somebody who can be trusted. Except for the defeat of the UDP candidate in the last general election to the Lok Sabha, the coalition is experiencing a smooth sailing and this is because the NPP did not betray the UDP’s trust in the party. With the kind of partnership model that the NPP is leading the coalition, there is no doubt that the MDA government will sail through and will be able to complete its five- year term.