By Toki Blah
The demand for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system for the whole of Meghalaya is the most stringent demand resounding all over the state today. The demand for an influx regulating mechanism has always been there and various mechanisms, aside from the ILP, had been proposed, discussed and examined as Meghalaya, its politicians and its pressure groups, probed and searched for the best possible option. The peculiar nature and strategic location of Meghalaya within the political setup of the NE was not lost sight of in these debates. Then came the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 and everything changed overnight. The threat of influx was no longer limited to the shadowy confines of stealthy illegal immigration from across the border but suddenly became an uncluttered stark reality, encouraged and abetted by the Law of the land itself. That’s how the indigenous people of Meghalaya saw it and the inclusion of Manipur within the protective umbrella of the ILP only helped raised the pertinent question, “if it’s good enough for Manipur why shouldn’t it be good for us too ?” A Pandora’s box has opened ever since. One hopes that the Centre has the bandwidth of statesmanship to deal with the problem but frankly speaking it is a distant hope.
Let us within the framework of this essay assume that Meghalaya will be granted the ILP. What then? Placing emotional enthusiasm aside, one has to accept that things then will no longer be the same as before. An element of change with the potential to impact on the social, political, cultural and economic aspect of life would have been introduced into the system. The day to day lives of all the inhabitants of Meghalaya, irrespective of race, creed or ethnicity, will then have to flow along and adapt with this change. So as we clamour and demand for the ILP a question arises. Do we have a plan of action; a vision; a forethought as to what to do in the event of our ILP demands being fulfilled? Has a road map for the future been prepared? It is not without reason that a few discerning voices have also been heard asking about the future of a post ILP Meghalaya. Asking such questions is not to oppose the ILP but simply a recognition of the fact that life must go on despite whatever happens and that we have to prepare for it. The onus for such preparations will of course fall on the shoulders of political parties and politicians or those with the pretensions of being leaders of the state and its people. Of concern therefore is the absence of any preparation for such an eventuality. With the ILP, the self proclaimed saviours of the state would have achieved their objective but why this dearth of futuristic and visionary political leadership? It reflects poorly on those elected to power.
The unanimous resolution of the Meghalaya Assembly in its demand for the ILP is a clear indication that cutting across the political chess board, everyone is deeply apprehensive and concerned over the demographic mischief that the CAA is in all likelihood capable of introducing into the state and the region as a whole. It was realised that the ILP is the only protective mechanism available against such tomfoolery. This realisation should however be accompanied by the understanding that our ethno- political survival also needs to be supported by a robust and viable economic environment. Political self determination requires to be accompanied by self sustaining economic viability. One is incomplete without the other. Question is – does this combination exist in Meghalaya? Exploiting our coal and limestone resources has simply created wealth for a few without changing the fortunes of most. 80 % of the population are agrarian while this sector continues to crawl at 2% growth rate. Any pretext at industrial activity without the support of Central subsidies is unthinkable. Employment for our youth is still Government service oriented which now has reached saturation point. 48 years down the line as a state we are still dependent on New Delhi’s largesse for our economic survival. Even after 48 years of political self determination through statehood there is hardly anything new or exciting in the economic sphere to contribute to the GDP of the state. For 48 years we focused on political development alone. Economic development was kept in the backburner. Today our roads, highways and bridges are going kaput faster than we can repair them. The civic infrastructure of our cities have fallen into rapid disrepair. Our education system has more or less collapsed. Our health care system is on the verge of crumbling. The only visible growth is the growing number of incompetent politicians. With statehood we miserably failed to relate the significance of economic development and infrastructure development with the overall growth of society. Can we say we are paying the price for this oversight?
At this point one’s attention is drawn to an emerging enterprise which has been hailed as the most promising for job creation and income generation for our hilly landlocked state. Yes, we speak of the potential of Meghalaya tourism, an industry which has been identified as capable of meeting the economic expectations of both urban and rural areas. It was an activity beginning to bloom. Investments, largely private and thrillingly local were beginning to flow into this sector, albeit with rising concerns of its negative impact on the ecology and fragile eco-systems arising mainly out of the type and kind of tourists we were attracting. Expectations of a new dawn were however on the rise. Even a staid and unimaginative administration was beginning to take notice. Unfortunately the Corona pandemic has nipped this budding business in the bud but with luck this will be a temporary setback. Expressions have also been raised that the introduction of the ILP would prove to be an impediment to the growth and development of Meghalaya tourism. Perhaps, but again perhaps not. Perhaps the ILP would be a golden opportunity to curtail the entry of busloads of monkey capped visitors who hardly contribute to the economy of the state and who instead are the main contributors to tourism related traffic jams and pollution. Perhaps the ILP would be the opportunity to introduce high-end, low volume – high value tourism, the likes of which prevail in Bhutan and Sikkim. Tourists who then come will be visitors willing and capable of not only spending but also conscious of their environmental responsibilities, for in the final analysis that’s what sustainable tourism is all about.
Then there are those who sincerely believe that with the implementation of the ILP all of us will live happily ever after. Sorry to be a wet blanket but nothing can be further from the truth. We witnessed the same “No Hill State, No rest” euphoria during the Hill State movement. We got our hill state but look at the sorry plight we are now in. One has to accept the truth and admit that influx is not the only threat that Meghalaya faces. ILP or no ILP, these threats will continue to grow as long as we the people and the politicians we elect continue to ignore reality. Landlessness is now a reality which is bad news for a state whose identity is linked with community ownership over land. Where the Land Transfer Act is supposed to prevent the alienation of tribal land but where it’s District Councils turn a blind eye to a land grab by the tribal rich at the expense of the tribal poor. Poverty is on the rise in Meghalaya. The BPL census 2002 shows a staggering 48.90% incidence of poverty (Meghalaya Human Development Report 2008). God only knows but with the onset of the Corona pandemic and the recession in livelihood options, the Meghalaya incidence of poverty must by now have shot up to the high heavens. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing and this again is bad for a community that loves to showcase egalitarianism as the centre piece of its culture.
Government after government throughout the years has shunned the concept of good governance. Governance as we once knew it has all but disappeared. Others are aware of this and that is why investments into the state are so hard to come by. In the process Meghalaya has gradually deteriorated to join the other bimaru (sick) states of the NE. The ILP might save us from outsider infiltration. Yet what we should truly be worried about is how do we save ourselves from ourselves?
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