Editor,
It is an embarrassment when grown-up men behave like small boys. The heated verbal duel between the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and the MLA from the Shillong North constituency brought to light one very import factor that is lacking in the leadership of our state. This can be summed up in one word, “Character.” Borrowing a famous quote from the 1800s, I think we can all agree that,”Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” One thing that is certain about our elected representatives is that they usually behave like servants before the elections, but usually act like monarchs for the next five years. There is nothing wrong with monarchy, provided we have a king or a queen who is willing to lay down his or her own life for their subjects. In fact history has proven time and again, that some of the best periods have been during the rule of a good king. Unfortunately, history has also proven that some of the worst periods have been during the reign of a tyrant king, or dictator. Hence we are stuck with democracy, which is at the lower level order, between the best and the worst form of governments.
If this government wants to prove that it truly has character, then it will have to begin to deliver on its promises, and come up with more creative ways on how to bring an end to corruption. If the government is really serious, then it has to seriously consider ,how deeply corrupt all of the departments have become. We might just end up having a government that is famous for saying a lot of things, that it never intends to do,and dreaming big dreams, without ever having a clear vision on how to accomplish those dreams. Mr Adelbert might have not been as eloquent in a foreign language, as those who have had the privilege to study abroad, but I guess his question is seriously valid, ” “MDA Government, are you really serious about the welfare of your subjects?”There is no point dreaming about electric cable cars when there is no proper electricity even to recharge the battery of an ordinary Nokia handset.
Yours etc.,
Pyndapbha Warjri
Shillong-2
Tourism yet to take off
Editor,
The Shillong times carried a news report captioned ” Ampareen wants more flights to Delhi” (ST March 13, 2021). I have views on the matter because my friends and I have traveled several times after the pandemic but the number of passenger to and from Kolkata via Umroi airport are on the lower side. I have spoken to local drivers, hoteliers and even hawkers and they all say that Government should encourage the tourism sector because the economy of large sections of the people of this State are dependent on tourism.
The State Tourism Department should take the initiative to create an attractive environment for travelers, so that they can enjoy the beauty of Meghalaya. Travelers from outside state have been eagerly waiting for almost one year to come to Meghalaya. The ordinary people of Meghalaya are hopeful that the Tourism sector will continue to thrive in the state as before.
Yours etc.,
Mithun Sikdar
Shillong -1
Decrmimilize sex work
Editor,
You probably don’t have any idea of who we are. Many of us have children; while some are divorced or widowed. A prostitute is not by definition an alcoholic, a drug user, or a victim of a trafficking gang. Some of us even have diplomas. We are not in this trade for pleasure, contrary to popular belief. And we do not do anything wrong; we only satisfy our needs but we are not against the law. Things were fine until a clever comment by one of our “respectable lawmakers” who stated that “Khyndai Lad has become a pick-up point of sex workers” hit the headlines.
To be exposed as commodities in a market; to be publicly humiliated; to have a hostile establishment and a very tense climate; discrimination from many politicians who do not respect the limits of their job; a lack of consultation from the authorities; the “don’t care anymore” attitude of our human rights crusaders and the fact that we are not let allowed to do our work at ease, which has strong consequences on our daily life; that our situation is worse than before and no alternative has been offered to us are stark and painful realities. We have decided to write this letter because our voices are not heard anywhere. Though we are the first respondents we are barely considered as human beings in this affair.
What makes us furious is not the state of our situation, but the fact that our State Government is not making any effort to do anything to make it better for us. The fact that political leaders like Adelbert Nongrum, HM Shangpliang, Lahkmen Rymbui and Ampareen Lyngdoh aren’t working together to solve our problems infuriates us sex workers — as it should. Adelbert Nongrum’s rather naïve hope that he could change the atmosphere in Khyndai Lad and get warring sides working together was part of his enormous appeal. But instead of taking the hint that constructive compromise would be popular, politicians like him have spent most of their energies blaming each other for obstructionism.
For once in their miserable tenures, MLAs could help their fellow MLAs understand the difference between dialogue and debate and the importance of dialogue in solving problems including interpersonal problems or political ones. In a debate, you are trying to win. In a dialogue, you are trying to find common ground. Part of the experience of being in the Assembly should be to practice understanding what another person’s point of view is. If lawmakers were encouraged to practice dialogue frequently, we would train a whole generation of problem-solvers.
All this may sound hard, but without an effort to get the political system working thoughtfully again, we will miss the opportunity to enjoy a potentially great economy with rising prosperity. We prefer to remain anonymous. An interview is possible if the interview remains anonymous. For ten years the Rot Association of Meghalaya (RAM) has always offered support to fellow sex workers but we are still unknown to many. Sex work will always exist, and it is irresponsible to avoid making progressive change. The way to protect disadvantaged citizens like us and tackle the deeper problem is simple – decriminalize our work. Decriminalize sex work! Fellow sex workers can share their grievances at our Telegram messaging platform (@RotAssociationOfMeghalaya).
Yours etc,
- Kharmuti (President),
- Mylliemngap (General Secretary),
- Mawlong (Publicty Secretary)
Via email