BY J SAHKHAR
As our country marches into its 73rd year of independence, it is high time we realise that this is not the nation the people who fought tooth and nail for our freedom had dreamt of…
They say, “honesty is the best policy” but this isn’t really true in our Magnificent Meghalaya. Government servants suffer for doing their job with honesty and integrity. This is the cold reality here. For a “Christian State” supposedly tired of corruption in government, we do very little to hold elected representatives with vested interests, accountable. Instead, they suffer constant harassment, loss of professional perks and even death – for speaking the truth. But despite the existence of this dynamic, many conscientious government servants and citizens have bravely come out to present the truth.
As a reminder, in 2010, three women from Jongksha village – Fatima Mynsong, Acquiline Songthiang and Matilda Suting were ostracized for filing RTIs which unearthed wrongdoings in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. These women were debarred from drawing ration from fair price shops, availing benefits from the Anganwadi centre or use public transport. They were also boycotted by the villagers on the order of the traditional tribal village court. Ironically, many of those villagers who boycotted the three women, had been at the receiving end of corruption, allegedly being perpetrated by the village headman.
This is baffling, to say the least, as it seems clear that without courageous people who put the greater good above their own well-being should be admired and maybe even rewarded for speaking up – not reprimanded. I wonder if this mindset is based on a lack of knowledge and understand of what whistle-blowing actually is and the benefits that it can have on society as a whole. Our society appears to ostracise those who are brave enough to speak out when there is wrongdoing that needs to be addressed.
In 2015, a Sub-Inspector and Officer-in-Charge of Patharkhmah Outpost, Pearlystone Joshua Marbaniang was murdered for not submitting to corruption. The murder took place on the same day the SI detained 32 trucks that were illegally transporting coal despite the orders against such transportation in Meghalaya by the NGT. Coal mining in the state of Meghalaya has taken place at least since the late 19th century. What began as small-scale, artisanal rat-hole coal mining by tribes on their land has over time transformed into a large-scale operation where greed has overtaken grief. Marbaniang’s case threatens to unearth the nexus between corrupt police officers and coal mine owners. The then CM of Meghalaya had appointed a “Special Investigation Team” to investigate the murder, but so far only misleading information has emerged from it.
P J Marbaniang’s coalgate murder case was remarkable in duration but not in substance. Marbaniang was by no means the first or only person to fall foul of the MLP system. Indeed, his case highlights neatly one of the MLP’s dirtiest secrets: that its personnel are reluctant to report abuses or corruption within the law enforcement agency for fear of losing their jobs.
In another example of our state government’s failure to root out villains within its ranks is when in early 2019, the Director of NEIGRIHMS, Dr. Devinder Mohan Thappa exposed a nexus between a doctor of the cardiology department and pharmacies located outside the institute. Dr. Thappa alleged that on April 30, a technician working in the radio diagnosis department at NEIGRIHMS who is also the ‘left-hand’ of the Cardio Head was caught red handed taking possession of surgery equipments from pharmacies outside the institute. Though the entire matter was reported to the vigilance commission and to the Ministry, shockingly Dr. Thappa was asked by the Governing Council to resign or face ‘punishment postings’.
The damage the crossfire had done to the NEIGRIHMS governance is severe. Many of us are concerned about current governance practices, which are being influenced by decisions that appear to be politically motivated but have a long-ranging adverse impact on the system. But as seen time and again, such “honest” decisions has always been taken for “dishonest” purposes or they are not taken at all. The culprits get away simply because the enforcement machinery is busy chasing the honest and does not have the time, energy, or inclination to pursue cases against the real ones.
And finally in June 6 2019, a member of our clan, Ïohbianghun Sahkhar was murdered and her body was dumped in a forest outside the city. Two months later, a page on social media platform Facebook posted an anonymous confessional letter (by her colleague) which alleged that the MTDC employee was killed “for trying to expose the corruption and sex racket” in the Corporation of which she was the Assistant Manager. The Facebook page which uploaded the confidential letter was created in the month of August but sources claim the letter (dated 30 June 2019 and addressed to the editor of a local newspaper) had already surfaced on WhatsApp in the month of July. The letter also revealed the name of an engineer and a few others, including a father-daughter duo working as a casual receptionist and a boatman.
After several requests, a few employees of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation had spoken up about the incident but requested to keep their identity a secret. A reliable source from MTDC said that June 6, 2019 might have been the day Sahkhar wanted to reveal her findings as she had already planned to approach the media in order to expose the wrongdoings which cannot be remedied in any other way. She further stated that 90% of the information she knows is already in the public domain leaked out by the unknown co-worker who wrote the letter. But a glitch in typing down the letter has led the “suspects” to gain an upper hand.
While the CID started their investigation into her murder with the arrest of 2 persons with past criminal records, the miraculous disappearance of every single piece of evidence related to the case and the stunning drama from the “suspects” at the Shillong Press Club on August 17, 2019 however; indicated strong hints of a cover-up and raised serious suspicion of bigger and more sinister forces at play. Many see it only as a clever attempt to stifle an honest voice.
Despite the eternal tragedy of Sahkhar’s passing, what it did was really trigger outrage in the state of Meghalaya with the Sahkhar Clan, CSWO president Agnes Kharshiïng and MLA Adelbert Nongrum lashing out at the government for failing to properly investigate the various allegations. Besides inspiring others to show the same degree of courage, it even reminded us of the urgent need to demand the immediate implementation of the Whistle Blower’s Protection Act in Meghalaya. Cases like these reveal how corrupt practices have led to the dramatic breakdown of confidence and trust in our state – a state where corruption is the cancer at the heart of all our problems.
In an ideal government, leaders would pride themselves on a high level of integrity and would never give citizens reason to need to blow the whistle on malpractices or wrongdoings; however, it’s not realistic for us to hold our chests out and say this of our society with any degree of confidence. It’s important to keep in mind the bigger picture – and that is that whilst it can be an undoubtedly daunting process to enter into, we must think of the greater good of the state and the general public. As our country marches into its 73rd year of independence, it’s high time we realise that this is not the nation the people who fought tooth and nail for our freedom had dreamt of. We must put an end to the all-pervading culture of corruption. We must remain vigilant; and the sacrifice of these brave-hearts must never go in vain.
(www.facebook.com/JusticeForIohbianghunSahkhar .. www.facebook.com/Justice-for-Pearlystone-Joshua-Marbaniang-797434833644254/) (Email: [email protected])