Editor,
The year for laying foundation stones has begun. On Feb 9, Sniawbhalang Dhar the Urban Affairs Minister laid the foundation stone for the Rs 28.84 crore Laitumkhrah Municipal market in the presence of the Laitumkhrah MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh of the Congress. The deadline for the project is 24 months. These foundation stones would multiply during the course of 2022. But is the Urban Affairs Department worried about the stench of Marten in Mawlai and the woes of the Jaintia people with the dumping site at Krem Mynkjai and recently the attempted dumping at Nartiang which was luckily thwarted by vigilantes.
The River Myntdu ignored by successive governments might, with heavy flow of funds, from Delhi, bounce back but only if it is not left orphaned like the poor Wah Umkhrah over which our rich politicians have built cemented pillars right from the office of the Military Engineering Services to Polo bazar. They have built right on the middle of the river with no sales deed to brandish.
We hope to soon see grandiose roads all over Meghalaya connecting villages and the district headquarters. My wish and hope is that anything attempted during this one year should not go the way of the Crowborough Hotel with bricks as red as that of Red Fort in Chandni Chowk, from where on August 15, loudspeakers in all four direction give billions of Indians hope of better health care with cards, better road services and religious harmony among all, better education and more funds to the MGNREGA to lift billions of poor Indians.
Yours etc.,
J.Kharmih
Via email
Whither Christian state?
Editor,
Apropos of the letter, ‘The Church is not infallible’ by Glenn C Kharkongor, (ST 10 Feb, 2022) I fully agree with the writer in all respects. There is a saying, ‘ The man of God need not necessarily be the man of the church.’ I am reminded of the poem by F.R Powell – ‘They are slaves who fear to speak/ For the fallen and the weak/ They are slaves who dare not choose/ Scoffing anger and abuse/Rather in silence shrink/ From the truth they needs must think/They are slaves who dare not be/ In the right with two or three.’
The writer had in few incidents that demands of the church of both the grand dominion to act had narrated everything in details so let us be contented with that. That John the Baptist was to be beheaded is a clear conviction that a man of God cannot be a slave but has to point out the truth even if it courts death.
Why is the government in what we call the Christian State of Meghalaya amongst the worst in India? It is because we are slaves who fear to speak and act. That incident at Wapung where a coal-laden truck fell into someone’s home and illegal coal-mining and transportation should have received wide condemnation from the church but sad to say all were silent and silence means consent. Our CM in the heat of spring of Lucknow escorted Mr Rajnath Singh to a convent to seek votes for him in the last Lok Sabha election but when Catholics in South India were accused of forced conversion, our CM did not speak a word. Fr Stan Swami was in jail for almost a year after being charged under UAPA. The Catholic Church hoped that the people of Meghalaya would at least express solidarity. But there was only silence. There was no condemnation from the leaders of the Christian states for the 9-month long detention of Fr Stan without trial. Fr Stan died without bail and was not even given a sipper to be able to drink water and juice as he suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
The church has a role in policy making too. When Prime Minister Modi pushed his CAB agenda, no leader could read between the lines as to why Hindus, Sikhs, Parsees, Jains, Buddhists and Christians were included in the list. No one saw that the ploy for including Christians in the list was to win the avalanche of support from the Christian – majority states. We were duped heavily.
On Aadhar, there was a suspicion among few faithful that it represents the number of the beast (666). But that aside, no one realised that the Supreme Court slammed Modi and Amit Shah for pushing Aadhar to be linked to bank accounts and mobile phones. The duo had to remove both. Hence in future any view on any new policy can never be hurriedly and randomly sold. Justice Chandrachud who dissented that Aadhar should be linked to bank accounts for targeted delivery of services, said, “One right cannot be taken away at the behest of the other. The State has failed to satisfy this Court that the targeted delivery of subsidies which animate the right to life entails a necessary sacrifice of the right to individual autonomy, data protection and dignity when both these rights are protected by the Constitution.”
Let the write-up awaken all of us to speak out and act and let us pray that Meghalaya as tainted as it is right now will gather enough courage to repent and there is no better time than now as 2023 is drawing nigh.
Yours etc.,
F.Lyngdoh
Via e mail.
Party versus individuals
Editor,
Shall we call it a “change of heart” or “change of priorities” that five Congress legislators suddenly decided to declare their ‘allegiance’ to the ruling MDA coalition government? But this comes as no surprise. When an individual who professes his/her faith in a particular party decides to jump ship without consulting the voters, is that person not betraying both the Party and the voters? Let’s not even talk of principles here. These five Congress MLAs went hammer and tongs over the fact that 12 of their colleagues joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). What principles are the five applying now when they have actually agreed to cover the back of the MDA government? I think voters should read between the lines that the battle lines between the AITC and NPP led-BJP alliance are now clearly drawn. How 2023 will usher in a change will greatly depend on how wise voters are in bringing about that change and not succumbing to monetary inducements.
Yours etc..
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar,
Via email