By R Rynjah
I have been an ardent fan of Mr Mohrmen for a while now. His articles are very informative and have been a topic of animated discussion between me and my late father bringing back memories. I, however, was amused when I read his article, ‘Of God and Caesar (ST June 1, 2020). ‘ My father cautioned me to never make decisions based on feelings but on rational thoughts because feelings betray many of man’s basic instincts and some of them can even lead to people committing crimes. Not all criminal acts are premeditated.
There is no doubt to a majority of us who have studied the essence of a democracy that what Adelbert Nongrum the North Shillong MLA did (praying inside the Legislative Assembly) should not be encouraged. But then again there are many people who support him openly and still many who will not voice their support because it is not what a modern, secular and an open-minded society expects from them. Politicians have always been suspected of having ulterior motives and who can blame anyone for this? They have given us enough cause. It is very hard to believe, however, that Mr Nongrum’s action is foolhardy. Some say he misses the limelight and this certainly is the most talked about topic for now so we can tick that box. Others say KHNAM as a party has nothing going for it at the moment and with this pandemic causing people to turn to God and religion, this is the perfect opportunity for him to make an impression on his constituents, which I am sure he did; although to what extent we will have to wait and see.
Exploiting religious sentiments in our country is still the best bet to win an election even with all this talk of secularism. Still there are few who believe that he is following Jesus’s instructions in Mathew 10:32. If so, the follow up question to any man of the cloth is whether this is the right place or should I say the perfect place to do what Mr Nongrum did? Or am I taking this verse out of context because that would be a big mistake. I also have to agree with Mr Mohrmen when he raises the other issue of Mr Nongrum saying that this pandemic is a punishment from God. Every individual interprets their beliefs in different ways. I, for one, do not believe in a God who punishes. It is best for Mr Nongrum to keep this opinion to himself.
Mr Mohrmen, however, disappoints in the last paragraph when he wrote the following ‘ The first Corona case was reported in the state a day after the Conrad Sangma led Easter Service and now after Adelbert’s action in the August House more cases are being reported in Meghalaya’. This is similar to my Aunt telling me (with the confidence that people of her age have of certain things), that the Corona Virus came to Meghalaya as soon as the order was given for wine shops to re-open. Both statements were made by irrational minds that let their feelings control their thoughts; where is science here? So if these statements hold water then the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Mr Nongrum and wine shops are responsible for the spike in Covid- 19 cases in our state. Even the best of us have something or some idea or belief that we will try to protect once they are threatened. However, as long as it does not touch that raw nerve we remain unprejudiced and put on a façade to show to the world how liberal we are. Trump, for all his faults, has difficulty in hiding his bigotry but because of this the whole world now is witnessing what America has been hiding for so long behind smiles and talk of equality for all. They now claim to fight against systemic racism but a majority of the white actors who are in the forefront of this protest will show their true colours if they have to take second place to a black actor. Has anyone seen a black James Bond?
The Oscars 2020 was controversial because they say it was, ‘All White’. Is this not systemic racism? We heard protests after the Oscars but because it was done by opportunists and it quickly fizzled out. Any industry (more so the music and movie industry) that is fuelled by money and power will have opportunists lurking around every corner. We will have to wait a long time to see another Obama in America. We also see reports of a Korean band donating to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign and there is no doubt that the whole world was appalled by what was done to George Floyd. However, this donation will certainly expand their market base and that consideration was definitely the push they needed.
No act of violence should be condoned; the guilty should be punished but to solve this problem of intolerance we need to understand basic human nature and admit that even the best succumb when pushed to a corner. A solution to any problem is when we introspect and not put ourselves above others.