By Aristotle Lyngdoh
Doordarshan Kendra Meghalaya has always made good attempts in educating people of the state on the importance of quality leadership in governance. Recently a live telecast of a panel discussion on the topic ‘Important qualities of leaders in the 21stcentury’ was being telecast by the same channel. This is a noble and commendable effort. Panellists of the opening episode vehemently broke their silence on the nature and types of leaders that are being elected and projected throughout these past few years which has really damaged the image and quality of governance in the state as a whole. If this trend continues, I am afraid that democracy too will be in great danger and capitalism will replace the system of governance in the state.
The greatness of Indian democracy can only remain vibrant and grow stronger if all the citizens of the country realize the meaning and purpose of a good governance system and to be able to differentiate the interrelationship of these three aspects i.e. governance, leadership and politics. Lest we forget, that the goal of governance is to keep the people informed and aware of all that is happening in the country and the universe so that no one should be left alone in the journey of development and this is what DDK Meghalaya is doing as one of the organs of the Central Government.
It is high time that the general public have clarity on the concept of governance including the application and implications therein. Governance should be people-centric rather than leader or party-centric. The classic example of leader and party-centric governance is the Communist Party of China. But the sad thing is that there are political parties in India that try to replicate the system through political manipulation taking advantage of people’s ignorance. In the Indian democratic system we cannot separate the interrelationship between governance and political parties. The fact is that most of the Heads of State in the Country are produced by Political Parties. But people should be able to draw the boundary when it comes to the governing process for the entire state or country.
Coming to the concept of leadership, people should also understand who a leader is and what type of leaders the state or country needs. Here again I can say that good governance or people-centric government educates the public from time to time about the true nature of leadership; it also promotes and prepares youngsters for the future as well. It is very sad to see that in our state most of the leaders that people have elected to the State Legislature or those self-styled leaders did not emerge from any school of thought or from an appropriate nurturing environment of experiences. They are made leaders or public representatives simply because they have the capacity to buy voters. And others call themselves leaders simply by arousing the emotions of the uninformed mob on a particular issue.
A leader in fact is a person who can make things happen; he/she must have a vision or be able to see beyond and what lies ahead. Leadership is always associated with development therefore leaders must be able to bring development in the lives of citizens and the surrounding environment they are living in. Only then will the goal enshrined in the Constitution of India be realized. It is the duty of the Government to make these things happen. To get the type of government we need it’s the people who will decide what type of representatives we should elect. As a common citizen, I will always look to a person who wants to be a leader from this perspective besides measuring his/her capacity from the three aspects of valuable importance. First, I will look to a leader from the technical aspect or that capacity and capability of a person to deal with and handle issues successfully and to resolve crisis. This also implies that a person should be loaded with knowledge and skills or be a knowledgeable person acquired through education, experiences, etc. Secondly, I will gauge a leader from the social aspect or the relationship that a person has with the society or community. A person may be highly qualified and educated but if that person is at odds with the society and people around or in isolation from the common public, it is meaningless to project such people. Thirdly, leaders may possess both these qualities but unless they have good ethical and moral reputation, they will hijack the trust of the public just for their personal benefits. The moral aspect of a leader is very important because it proves that the leader is a trustworthy person free from any immoral and corrupt practices and habits. Thus, a quality and righteous leader is one who satisfies these three aspects. The people should measure the quality of their leaders from time to time. This will make our democracy more vibrant and the governance system more people-centric.
There is no doubt that political parties are vital in the political system of the country because they provide leaders to the legislature and government and they derive that mandate from the people. But as time passes by, most political parties have become party-centric or founder-centric. On the contrary, we the people in Meghalaya have never understood the importance of party politics and party ideology. People have voted during every general election for individuals, irrespective of his/her party alliance. This on the other hand has greatly affected the nature of governance because the government formed is a fractured one and ultimately the general public will suffer. As often said that people in our state vote for a person and not party, and the danger is that these elected representatives becomes lone rangers who will never care for the welfare of the entire state except his/her own constituency and that section of the electorates who have voted for him/her. They are not under the control of any party and its difficult to tame or discipline them against any misbehaviour or misconduct whether in the House or outside it.
It is high time that party politics should be encouraged and built up and at the same time to make the public aware about such a system and its importance in the governance of the state. Political parties too should prove that they are professional political institutions and not only a club of aspiring candidates. They should have a stance with sound principles and meaningful ideology and most importantly the vision, mission and strategy on how to develop the state and its people.
Unfortunately here in Meghalaya things are just the opposite. The situation is so glaring that the intention of all the political parties is just to win a sizable number of seats by nominating candidates whose criteria is ‘winnability-monetarily’. There is no effort from the party leadership to go to the grass roots and build the support base by educating the people on the policies and programmes that the party intends to adopt if voted to power. This is politics in Meghalaya and I conclude by appealing to the people to stand together and decide what type of future we want for our children and our state. It’s up to the people to make the right decision.