Editor,
This refers to the feature story ‘Lessons learnt from 2020’ by a few prominent ‘personalities’ of Shillong published in The Sunday Shillong (ST, 3 January 2021). The views of one ‘international’ personality as mentioned in the Sunday Shillong edition are deeply critical of the way the “ruling political class” has not “realised the magnitude of the impact of volatility/ uncertainty” of the Covid pandemic. The State and Central Governments have done fairly well in handling the unprecedented pandemic situation. During the lockdown one could witness the orderly manner in which rice, edible oil, sugar etc were dispensed to thousands of people who lined up in taxis/ tempos/ autos in front of FCI godowns in Shillong. The line of taxis/ tempos extended many kilometres on the roads towards Sohra and Jowai- and mostly the needy common people’s needs of essential items were met by the Government and it’s officials. The workload on the Government machinery in heavily populated states like UP, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Bihar, etc was much higher. But there too the Government machinery has done reasonably well. No doubt, with the advantage of retrospective introspection we can comment that there are many things which could have been handled better- that criticism is needed but in a balanced manner, without giving it unnecessary ideological/ religious twist. Even the moon has its dark spots. But perpetual critics forget that!
It takes effort, energy and time to study the situation and the Government’s response to it, and then critique it properly. However, the easy way to cheap publicity is to criticize the present Government on the basis of what the author thinks is it’s “religion centric” priority! These are subtle ways in which many of the so called ‘pressure groups/ unions/ social/ religious organisations scare the common people against the ‘other’ and then go on to control the society/ common people to serve the private interests of the leaders of these organisations.
Another aspect of the views of this ‘international’ personality is the jaundiced view of “political priority” of our governments. The “political priority” of the central government is labeled as “religion centric”, whereas the Meghalaya government’s has been labeled as “populist centric.” However, when the PM called for ceremonious public applause for Covid warriors in the midst of the pandemic on March 22, 2020 he said these words – “On March 22, at 5 pm stand on your balconies for 5 minutes and clap or ring a bell to salute people who are serving the nation tirelessly.” Please note that he did not ask people to perform any religion-specific activity. You could clap your hands, or you could beat your dinner plate or you could do nothing! When the Meghalaya CM announces a similar initiative (labeled “Meghalaya Prays”) he asked everyone (especially those from North East India) to sing “Amazing Grace” and “How Great thou art” as if the entire North-Eastern India follows the same religion! The ‘international’ personality does not smell any ‘religious’ rat in this ‘Meghalaya Prays’ initiative where in the state government blatantly promoted the single dominant religion despite Meghalaya having a significant minority of Khasi, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Sikh religionists. Instead the central govt is criticised as being “religion centric”.
In the broader context the following articles/ letters to editor published in The Shillong Times are very informative: “Our fascination with the West” – Shillong Times, Jan 4, 2021; “Much ado about preserving culture” – Shillong Times, Jan 5, 2021 by NK Kehar; “Meghalaya – a Christian state?” – Shillong Times, Dec 5, 2016 by Keith Nongsteng. With such brilliant, stimulating and realistic articles The Shillong Times proves itself to be truly a mirror of the mind of Meghalaya’s people. Keep up the good work!
Yours etc.,
HK Phawa,
Via email
Install fully functional video cameras
Editor,
This is to request the State Government to install “Functional Video Cameras” in the interview rooms of the MPSC so as to ensure transparency, accountability and to remove any dispute from the aggrieved candidates arising from the interview as was witnessed in the previous notable cases highlighted in the all the newspapers several times. The process was eventually stayed by the High Court. Even in the 2018 MCS Preliminary exam results, 8 or so candidates filed a case in the High Court and the case is ongoing. Hence to avoid any problem arising from the interviews of any post, it is imperative that the government installs fully functional video cameras in the MPSC interview room to effectively ensure that such disputes are disposed off immediately because of the video proof which can be produced in a court of law by the MPSC when challenged by any aggrieved candidate about the personal selection process. This is also something that past legislators have raised in respect of all MPSC posts from Grade 3 gazetted posts to Grade 1 posts in the future with the exception for Grade 4 posts and Grade 3 LDA scale pay equivalent posts or LDA in the Heads of Offices/ Secretariat where written exams are marked on merit basis sans “personal interviews.” For DSCs, personal interviews should be banned for Grade 3 and Grade 4 and also at the MPSC for Grade 3 LDA and Grade 4. The exams for these posts at the 11 DSCs will be purely merit based with the marks attained and cut off marks displayed at the DSC websites just like in the MPSC.
Yours etc.,
M Lyngdoh,
Via email
Kudos to Pakistan Supreme Court
Editor,
Kudos to the Pakistan Supreme Court for ordering reconstruction of a century old Hindu temple that was vandalised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa just a couple of weeks ago. Also it has instructed the authorities to recover the money for the restoration from the attackers. This is true sense of justice which the whole world is required to learn from this sane humanitarian verdict of the Pakistani Supreme Court. If religious shrines of any particular religious group get demolished by miscreants of any communal outfit, justice can be adequately served only when the miscreants and their leaders are awarded exemplary punishment and they are made to pay for reconstruction of the shrine at that very spot where it stood for centuries.
What are the illogical thoughts, beliefs or sentiments of the goons and communal forces are secondary; rather the Court of Justice should see the hard realities of the existence of the concerned shrine whether for a year, a decade or centuries. Indeed Pakistan’s Supreme Court has transmitted a brilliant message across the world by according supreme place to truth, sanity, equality and neutrality.
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Via email