By Avner Pariat
I had forgotten how misunderstood and loathed Socialism still is in this state of ours. Most people still consider it to be synonymous with Stalinism, Maoism and other extreme forms of Collectivist Communism. It is easy to hate these ideas for they are often presented to us as cold, lifeless and brutal. And they were in many ways. But Socialism is a much older system than Communism. It is a more universal idea and can shrug off any accusations of being a Western invention. Socialism (much like Feminism) is not some weird and scary disruption to a perfect and well-oiled system. It is a system in itself and must be recognised once again as a valid alternative to the status quo. Maybe people who work in a government job, nine to five, might not think there is a deadly and massive rot around us and in our society but I think most people under 30 can see that inequality and open theft of community resources is taking place right in front of us. When will we act to stop this? When we have attained the age of retirement and got a fat and healthy superannuation package? Will we act when all the skies are choked with ash from unregulated cement factories? Or maybe it is when we are given some time off from our busy lives as useful tools in the machinery of the rich?
Socialism is an old, old system. In many ways it was the only system and we as tribal people lived under it for the longest amount of time. To me, claiming my tribal birthright is also claiming my Socialist birthright! Why do I say this? Because the fact of the matter is that the History of these Hills is a history of Socialism. Of course it is not a simple and easy history to understand, it has other elements as well; oppression, exploitation and poverty were around back in the old days as well. But we seem to have recently forgotten that words like “imlang sahlang” (live together, stay together) carry with them a deep-seeded meaning about sharing and looking after one another, which is what my idea of Socialism is about. Being a tribal I should think that Socialism would go hand in hand with our ways of living. Do we not pride ourselves in looking after our own? Do we not boast about having better moral values than the Plainsfolk? Or are these just empty hollow declarations that we tell each other to boost our inflated ego?
People in the state are facing a very difficult time under the Covid 19 Pandemic. It has reduced us to a husk but it could have been different. An all-encompassing and inclusive Healthcare system could have rendered calamities like this disease less powerful. It could have brought out the best in everyone with little stress and strain but instead we are chaotically running from pillar to post trying to tend to the new and swiftly emerging contingencies. Yes, it could definitely have been much worse and so far we have managed to act in time. That being said let me not lull you into a false sense of complacency. These events must show us the failures of the old system.
Covid 19 has jolted us from our daydreaming. Had we tended to Public Health issues more religiously from before we as a country might not be in the situation we are in today. If we had prevented the corrupt nepotists from sucking money and authority from our Public Health System we might not be in the situation we are in today. If we had stopped Private companies from buying up our Healthcare system we would not be in the situation we are in today.
Some people will say, “Yes, I agree but we need nothing new now, we must simply reform the system”. Reforms, alas, have been tried and tested and they can be implemented on paper everyday if a government so wishes but while the corrupt are still powerful these will be empty gestures with no weight in them. Public Health cannot be decided by people who have vested interests and that is why I go back to my advocacy for my version of “Tribal Socialism”.
I like this word: Tribal Socialism. Maybe it can be my tagline. But what does it mean? Well it might allude to the fact that we must dig deep to reconstitute the vital (and relevant) lessons from our Indigenous past. We must listen to the folk stories once again and go back to the basics of societal interaction that they teach us. These old tales are filled with moments of cooperation and solidarity. For instance, the flight of Syiem Latympang from her enemies was eased by the love and companionship of her subjects, friends and family. On another front, the hunters from the Khyndai Umtong, did not simply rush in to kill Sier Lapalang when he transgressed. They consulted with the Spirits of the Wild first before embarking on their faithful path. Also note that they never thought of themselves as outside of the authority and sway of Nature. They were human beings, yes, but not distinct from other creations.
In reality though there is no such thing as Tribal Socialism. It is just a version of Socialism for us, we few, we Khasi few; we who must decide now how to address the future. Will it be for the few who even in this crisis continue to rake in the big bucks from public coffers? Or will we snatch the whip away and install instead a government for the people, by the people and of the people. These are very widely used words and many a politician throws them around cheaply but no one can rob them of their power. We have lost the plot in the last few decades- consumed as we have with trivial and petty pursuits that make no mark on the world – but maybe this disease can bring us out of it and if not at least start the good work by drawing us closer to one another.
(If you want to gossip about these people (maybe thwart them), please reach out to me in email. I can be reached at [email protected] which is linked to my Youtube channel, Ban Khan which I hope you will deign to check out!)