It is a giant step taken by the former minister and Chairman of the Mawlai Town Dorbar, SD Khongwir to lead the women of his area to the Khasi Hills District Council to demand that women be allowed to take part in the election of the Rangbah Shnong in the Greater Mawlai area. What is peculiar is that women are already electing their Rangbah Shnong in several localities (shnong) of Khasi Hills which means that the Council laws based on tradition are not being uniformly followed with each Shnong doing what it thinks best.
When the KHADC, CEM was asked if the Council would amend its laws, he said that such laws have been practiced since time immemorial. The question that arises is whether in other aspects of life we are still stuck in a time warp or we have moved with the times. The true spirit of democracy enjoins upon all institutions created under the Indian Constitution to ensure gender equality. There cannot be institutions that in the 21st century still disallow women from participating as equal citizens, especially as that concerns governance at the grassroots. The progress of every society is measured by how empowered its women are and whether they occupy decision-making positions. A lot has been said about why women not only must be able to elect the Rangbah Shnong but to also contest for that post if they wish to. Today women are as educated if not more educated than men. They know their rights and have the freedom to contest elections to the legislative assembly and parliament. It defies all logic that they should not be allowed to take part in the affairs of their village councils. Women have different sets of problems which are not well understood in a world that is still dominated by patriarchal values even in a matrilineal society. And to believe that men can represent women and their concerns is highly problematic.
It is unfortunate that every time Meghalaya heads for an election to the district councils, women do not make common cause about passing laws that give women equal status in all institutions, traditional or modern. Tradition cannot be the alibi to continue to keep women out of grassroots institutions and this should be communicated by voters loudly and clearly. For too long women in Meghalaya have been prisoners of tradition. They have been humoured by the idea that they carry the lineage and therefore have been given enough concessions. There can be no trade-off here. Women must take their place in traditional institutions and prove their mettle.
