Editor,
After a high-intensity showdown at the GHADC elections, the UDP came out with empty hands despite being complacent enough to announce that they would claim stake alongside the NPP. Many learned commentators view this election as an indicator of the 2023 state elections of Meghalaya. That being said, things look quite grim for the UDP at the outset.
With stalwarts like Bindo Lanong taking the backseat after strong years in politics, the current leadership has not gone beyond radical regionalism and empty rhetoric to fulfil their publicity needs. Jemino Mawthoh has been shown the door on two occasions, in 2018 and 2019, and despite that continues to hammer on irrelevant issues for the public, leave apart his unfounded confidence on his political presence. Paul Lyngdoh stays deeply buried in the KHADC, peeping out in the media once in a while to make controversial statements.
If the UDP wants to avoid a GHADC like scenario for the 2023 Assembly elections, it needs to come down to community engagement and understanding the needs of people. Making comments from armchairs atop ivory towers, and holding a misguided empathy, does no good in the politics of today. In the current scenario the party can at best remain a coalition party, if not with reduced seats.
What the party needs at this point is to rethink strategies and make their prime focus of regionalism more substantive. The region has issues no doubt, but the party must deploy constructive narratives to talk about solution-oriented political goals. Using money power can go only a certain distance to capture a section of voters. But informed voters will always make decisions based on their assessment of impact, and hollow rhetoric is surely not amongst them.
Yours etc.,
Patrick Kurbah
Via email
Veiled threat by UDP unwarranted
Editor,
The letter to the editor written by senior UDP member BM Lanong (ST April 15, 2021) reeks of a petty and intolerant mindset that threatens legal action against anyone who ‘dares’ to criticise the Party. If the UDP is so hyper-sensitive to criticism then it should quit politics and become an arm-twisting pressure group. The public has every right to criticise every political party. That is a democratic right guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. BM Lanong believes that since he is a lawyer, he also knows the law better than ordinary citizens. Sorry but we can all read and understand the Constitution from which the laws of this country flow. Of course the UDP is hypocritical when it demanded that the MDA Government of which it is a part to take away the Home Department from James Sangma of the NPP and give it to their MLA, Lahkmen Rymbui. Has anything changed in the Home Department? Have the number of coal trucks not increased even though coal is still illegally mined and transported? In fact truck owners allege that the amount they pay today to get clearance for their coal trucks to move is higher.
Now the UDP want James Sangma to be removed from the Power Department just because of the electricity regulations. Wasn’t UDP part of the earlier Congress Governments too that allowed the MeECL to sink into the morass of corruption and incompetence? Have they ever said anything against the Power Minister, Mukul Sangma? So why only now? Is that not blatant hypocrisy? Why feel ashamed when you are being called hypocrites? It will be interesting to see if BM Lanong takes Albert Thyrniang to Court for speaking his mind. Instead of appreciating Thyrniang for having the courage to call a spade a spade Lanong is trying to intimidate him. This is not acceptable. All of us who believe in freedom of speech and expression should stand with Albert Thyrniang for he speaks for all of us.
Kudos to CMD, MeECL.
Editor,
MeECL is really fortunate to have the young and dynamic CMD Sri AK Kembhavi. Such proactive Chairperson shall be able to work against odds to bring accountability that is conspicuously missing in all the tribal dominated states in NE. The Shillong Times has done a great job in keeping an upright person floating; otherwise the pressure groups would, as usual, be successful in drowning him by painting him as a corrupt and inept officer in the eyes of the public.
However, while explaining the apparent irregularities, like SMART Energy meter procurement, I expected transparency by resorting to technical & commercial grounds in justifying the purchase, rather than citing the example of militancy infested Manipur where cut-money is required. I am curious to know as to who will ultimately bear the huge expenditure in installing SMART energy meters that will surely eliminate pilferage of energy, thus bringing down the tariff of electricity substantially, to the advantage of genuine consumers.
I also expect that expenditures on purchase of materials and award of contracts are incurred with due diligence, based on necessity and techno-economic viability for achieving the set targets. After all, there is no room for lavish expenditure.
Yours etc.,
Nikhil Roy,
Guwahati -1.
MeECL and the cycle of denial
Editor,
The public has now become very much aware of the seemingly bottomless pit of scams that have recently come to the fore at MeECL. Corruption, it is now clearer than ever, will destroy this state. This lack of electrical power supply is surely not a new thing and for sure the origins lie with earlier governments as well, that is clear. Mukul and his INC cannot go acting like angels suffering from amnesia. This problem did not simply come out of nowhere but took years and years of abuse and corruption. The end result is that we have finally reached a stage where we have been left totally and completely in the cold dark. But we hope that this lack of electricity highlights our lack of Political Power as well. It seems to have riled up a lot of feathers within the organization and is as gripping as any crime thriller! We sincerely hope that we can hear more and more of the graft and theft that has been committed and that sooner or later we can actually charge-sheet some of these crooks as well.
James Sangma, must step down as Power Minister and there must be an independent external inquiry into the Corporation and the Power department in general. A decent man would acknowledge his mistakes and resign. James Sangma cannot simply blame everything on the Congress mismanagement of the past! Does he honestly consider the recent Saubhagya Scheme scam a minor matter? This has happened right under his very nose. Any denial of responsibility is equivalent to hubris and we must as a community strive to see the eventual downfall that comes with such arrogance! James Sangma might be content to blame the demons of the past but the inexplicable and unjustifiable cost escalations in favour of firms, Satnam Global Infra and Onycon Enterprises, happened under his watch. This paper and others have reported this in numerous editions. This pricey misadventure has cost the state crores in unnecessary expenditure during its most difficult time, right during a pandemic. Our people are struggling even to make a meagre income while this unkind government plays a cruel joke on them by spending crores pointlessly! Channel this money into healthcare, into schools and into job creation. Stop wasting money and stop wasting everyone’s time, MDA!
Yours etc.,
Avner Pariat,
Spokesperson, New Dawn,
Via email