Editor,
The ‘encounter killing’ of ex-militant Cheristerfield Thangkhiew on August 13 , 2021 compelled the Government of Meghalaya to announce the setting up of an Independent Judicial Inquiry. Subsequently, the Government also announced that it would be headed by the Chairman of the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission( MHRC). Earlier , MHRC had on its own announced that it had taken suo – moto cognition of the incident. Few probing questions have arisen .
An Independent Judicial Inquiry means independent of the Government and intended for a specific purpose and for a specified period. Its report is expected to be totally independent. Its terms and conditions like monetary remuneration, allowances, secretarial support, perks etc., are separate and framed for a specific purpose and a specified period. MHRC is a quasi – judicial body and a regular institution established by an act of Parliament. The entitlements and terms and conditions of the Head of MHRC are similar to that of the High Court which is a regular body .
An Independent Judicial Inquiry is expected to come out with a report and findings of its own. MHRC will also come out with a separate report on its suo – moto cognition of the case . The Independent Judicial Inquiry being headed by the Chairman of the MHRC means expecting two reports from the same person performing dual charges. It doesn’t make sense .
Financially, the Chairman of MHRC enjoys the salary , leave , allowances , perks etc which equal to the Chief Justice of the High Court. He also draws a pension as a retired Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court. Over and above that he will be getting the remuneration, perks, etc., as Head of the Independent Judicial Inquiry . What a job !
I leave to the readers to draw the conclusion about the independence of the report – one from the Independent Judicial Inquiry and another from the MHRC, effectively being submitted by the same person!
Government may like to clarify in case the stated facts are incorrect .
Yours etc.,
Rudi Warjri,
Via email
Who will save us from ourselves?
Editor,
A news item which appeared in your newspaper dated August 28, 2021 under the heading, ” HSPDP for government resolution” reveals once again that all political parties are on a race to outdo each other to fulfil the wishes of vested interests who control our government and are out to destroy our state. This time, it is the HSPDP which has petitioned the Government to send an Assembly Resolution that would urge the Government of India to amend Para 12A(b) of the Sixth Schedule by replacing the word ” President” with ” Governor” so that it will be easier for Meghalaya to obtain exemption from the applicability of the MMDR Act, 1957 and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The HSPDP also lamented that the earlier Assembly Resolution to exempt applicability of the above Central Acts in the state had been turned down by the President of India. In this regard, we should thank the President for turning down the above proposal. His rejection amounts to a great benevolent act of Saving Us From Ourselves. Had the President given his assent, more forests would have been destroyed, more rivers poisoned and more mountains hollowed out for the greed of a few. Funnily, the HSPDP stated that the proposal has been made to “protect and preserve the unique identity, land tenure system and cultural and demographic structure of the state.” Very pious words indeed!
Not to be left behind, the UDP too wrote to the Chief Minister endorsing the suggestions made by the Autonomous District Councils to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Amendment of the 6th Schedule which sought exemption from the establishment of Municipal Councils and Village Councils in Meghalaya. For any average person, this proposal ostensibly to, “continue with the age old customary laws and practices in matters of governance…..” is an attempt to continue to arrogate all the power and resources meant for the people by entrenched interests because the 125th Amendment Bill, 2019 seeks to create grassroots democratic institutions under the Constitution and bestow them with direct funding from the Central Government.
Hence, for us the helpless and disempowered lot, we hope that the President of India will once again Save Us From Ourselves by rejecting both the above proposals.
Yours etc.,
Samuel Swett,
Shillong – 2.
UDP looking at washout in 2023
Editor,
Of the MDA coalition partners the UDP is the most talkative (without saying anything) and the most self-righteous too (always ducking from any charges of corruption). It orchestrated a drama after the August 13 killing of Cheris Thangkhiew by asking the Home Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui to resign, so as to dodge the blame and to prove his innocence. When things quieted down Lahkmen Rymbui was back to being Home Minister. No one knew this was a well written script to befuddle the public which anyway has too many things on its plate. But the UDP can fool some of the people some of the time and all the people some of the time but not all the people, all the time. Political chicanery can only travel so much and no further.
The UDP talks a lot about ethics in politics as if it’s a knight in shining armour but look at how they violate parliamentary democracy by remaining silent spectators when their Party MLA and also Party President is also the Speaker of the House. The Speaker is not supposed to belong to any Political Party because only then can he be fair and free from partisan considerations. But the UDP does not even have the backbone to ensure that legislative ethics are followed. So let not the UDP speak of clean politics. Now this Party is as bad as the NPP and we hope that in the next election its number is reduced to a cipher from the present 7 MLAs. For too long this Party has taken people for a ride by pretending to be the avant-garde of the tribal people as opposed to the national parties which carry everyone along with them and do not pretend to cater to only ethnic minorities.
The UDP continues to support the NPP because the latter keeps it in good humour. Why do we think Mairang has been made a district if not to humour the UDP President and Speaker? When the NPP is eager to bend over backwards to please the UDP why would this Party leave the coalition? So the self-justification offered by Jemino Mawthoh the UDP general secretary on the Congress’s allegations of the UDP betraying the trust of the people just does not wash. And what does Mr Paul Lyngdoh have to say about his Party which is daily losing the peoples’ trust? Why is he so silent when he used to be the most vocal on so many issues as the leader of a students’ union? Like they say the UDP is everything to everyone – its ideology all but washed down the drain of indifference.
Yours etc.,
Khraw Sohtun,
Via email