Editor,
It is indeed a happy occasion to note that the learned Division Bench of the Hon’ble High Court of Meghalaya, by virtue of its Judgment dated March 26, 2021, in the MCS recruitment case, was pleased to dismiss and set aside the appeal by the unsuccessful candidates who had participated in the MCS Junior Grade Preliminary Examination, about 3 years ago. According to the said Judgment, it was observed that there was no merit in their appeal, which challenged an earlier judgment of the learned Single Judge delivered on January 27, 2021, and that through well settled pronouncements of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and various High Courts in the country, it is a laid down principle that unsuccessful participants of any public examination, cannot, after their participation in the examination process, turn around to challenge the method of selection and procedure adopted by the authority conducting the examination.
Further, the Judgment has reaffirmed the previous judgment of an earlier learned Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya, dated December 10, 2019 (also affirmed by Supreme Court of India on January 09, 2020), which had implicitly considered the question as to whether the rules of the game were changed after the game had begun, and specifically on the question of the MPSC notice dated October 22, 2018, which was actually the primary point of challenge. Overall, in the final judgment of the learned Division Bench ( March 26, 2021), it can be safely inferred that there exists no legal challenge whatsoever of substance to the process of MCS recruitment examination and thus, the entire examination as it is stands, which makes the procedure very lawful and legal.
I, on behalf of all 576 successful candidates, express our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to the Hon’ble High Court of Meghalaya for such a cogent and justifiable judgment and we are thankful that justice has been delivered to us at last.
Yours etc.,
Jeremiah S
Via email
On being Khasi and Indian
Editor,
Joining the discourse initiated by Dominick Rymbai, ‘On Being Indian and Khasi’ (ST Feb. 17&18, 2021) I would like to take a page or two from the Maitshaphrang Ideology as posted on our website which begins with a quotation by Enro Rubik, “No one can change their origins; if they do they become foreigners for the rest of their lives”.
Moses who had a chance to live and become an Egyptian Pharaoh if he renounced his origin chose to identify himself according to his origin and to live like a Jewish slave. Moses never denied his Jewish origins. He lived like a slave but he finally led his people to freedom.
In recent years, Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin was questioned and opposed yet till date she did not renounce her Italian origins although she is an Indian citizen and till a few years back she was one of the few powerful women in the world. Many Indians are also elated that Kamala Harris the newly elected Vice President of the United States of America is (if not fully) of Indian origin.
We belong to the Hynniewtrep/ Khasi nation ( u Khynriam, u Pnar, u Bhoi, u War, u Lyngngam, u Maram, u Mawsynram, etc.) by origin and we cannot do away with this fact of life even if we change our names, our titles, our citizenships or even our faces through plastic surgery. The Definition of a Khasi is anyone whose both parents or either one them are Khasis and who proudly identifies himself/ herself as a Khasi within the state and outside the state as well, and who is ready to fight and defend the land and the rights of the Khasis, irrespective of his/her religious or non religious affiliations .
Hence in this world today that is being increasingly divided and identified along community and ethnic lines, the identity issue is becoming increasingly important. When we go outside India and we introduce ourselves that we are from India, people will want to know from which part of India and what community we belong to. When they learn that we are from the Khasi community, how would we like the world to respond and react? Positively or negatively?
To ensure that we receive a positive response, the vision of the Maitshaphrang is to aspire that one of the historic moments of the Hynniewtrep people will be when we declare one day that in terms of quality and merit we do not want reservation. We will compete and contribute with the rest of India and the world on an equal footing and scholarship will be based only on merit (without leaving out the economically weaker sections of our community). This in turn will further strengthen our fighting spirit. Reservation will only be in terms of quantity/population, because being a small populated community surrounded by much larger populated communities, we need 100% political reservation.
Another historic moment is when we declare that in the near future for those among the Hynniewtrep people who have reached a certain level of income, we will pay Income tax and contribute to the growth and progress of India like any other Indian who pays Income tax.
One day when our people have reached this level of achievement, I am sure then, that when our children and their generations go outside the state and introduce themselves as Khasis , India and the rest of the world will be proud to make their acquaintance.
Yours etc.,
Michael N Syiem,
Via email
Positive steps by Govt of Meghalaya
Editor,
The entire world is struggling to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Vaccination drives are being carried on, and people are constantly advised to wear masks and use hand sanitizers. Mental, physical and economic stress is witnessed among a large section of the public because of numerous reasons after the outbreak of the pandemic. Keeping in view the present situation of uncertainty, the recent decision of the Meghalaya Government to reduce the prices of RAT( Rapid Antigen Test ) from Rs 500 to Rs 250 and RT-PCR Test( Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Test) from Rs 1000 to Rs 500 is a welcome step.
To ensure the safety of the public, COVID tests were conducted at entry points of various states and it was the need of the hour that the COVID tests be set at a standard price that the common man could afford. The initiative taken by the Meghalaya Government in this regard will bring great relief to the common man. Moreover, it will also attract many tourists to the Scotland of the East. The government has taken the above action keeping in mind the “Below Poverty Line (BPL) section” and “high risk individuals in containment zones,” and made the COVID tests free for them. This must be applauded. Overall, the active cooperation of the Government, the medical and paramedical staff and the frontline workers will help us control the spread of the disease.
Yours etc.,
Partha Pratim Duarah
Via email