The MDA Government is evidently operating in silos. Clearly, many important decisions are taken by the major partner in the Government – the National Peoples’ Party (NPP), while the smaller parties that are part of the Government have little or no say, or their voices are stifled. Thirty six months after the MDA took over the reins of governance in Meghalaya we are yet to see a Common Minimum Programme that accommodates the electoral promises of coalitions partners – the UDP, BJP, PDF, HSPDP and Independents. The coalition partners too seem to have forgotten their election manifesto which, hopefully, will be reminded to them when they come back to the people for votes. Those who promised roads, schools and healthcare to their constituents have forgotten those promises. People who voted on payment of money realise they have lost the power to speak.
The disjointedness of the Government is visible in project implementation; to be more specific the Barik beautification project which was initially supposed to be driven by the Urban Affairs Department but which has now changed hands and in the process the vision as well. A smart city is not a city of malls. It is a city that can demonstrate its ecological vision which would mean more green areas within city limits. Shillong and its suburbs already resemble a concrete jungle with no laws in place to control crowding of buildings and encroachments into public spaces, roads and highways. There appears to be no political spine to correct this dysfunctional building spree.
The Barik Project which was earlier envisioned on the sound ecological premise of green park with provisions for artistic pursuits, and a generally a pleasant surrounding right in heart of the city, is now being hijacked by a proposed mall. The new proposal has raised the hackles of Shillong’s opinion makers who feel cheated out of their right to breathe clean air. As it is the rapid dwindling of green spaces in and around Shillong and the encroachment even into forested catchments is posing a threat to ecological sustenance and water availability. A mall in the middle of the city not only sounds grotesque but will also signify the victory of a cabal of moneyed influencers who pull the strings in this government.
The common and oft repeated attributes of good governance include participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus based, equity concerns, effectiveness, accountable and strategic vision. Does the MDA government exhibit any of this? Governance is larger than government and envisages a role for civil society and citizens at large because people and civil society institutions themselves form an important link in the governance chain.
The MDA Government will do well to abandon the mall misadventure.