By Toki Blah
The political race to win and then rule after the 2023 Meghalaya Assembly elections has already begun. The buying and selling, wooing and embracing candidates with the potential to win has already started among the political parties of the state. Every party, except perhaps for the new born New Dawn Party, is putting its best foot forward to enlist the most likely winnable candidates. And there Dear reader ends the vision of our political leaders and political parties in relation to the governance, administration, development and growth of the state and its people. The approach and belief, by each party, irrespective of its ideology and composition, is how to win first and then, only then, shall they start the process of planning, visualizing and implementing any idea on how to serve the people. Party manifestos which encapsulate the vision and philosophy of respective parties are sorely missing. No doubt it will appear one week before the polls. To win seems to be the end objective of politics in our state. How to govern and serve will then, only then, appear as an afterthought.
The fact that the electorate has been taken for a ride, time and again by our political honchos, needs no further elaboration. It is there for all to see. Each general election is generally soon followed by a public feeling of having been cheated; of public disillusionment and discontent. Our “Knights in shining armour”, the pressure groups then step in and the whole course of governance is hijacked by agitations, demonstrations and demands on saving this much abused damsel called the “Jaitbynriew”. The fault is not of politicians alone but our electorate also carry a major part of the blame for the dismal performance of Governments in Meghalaya. As an electorate we have never taken elections and Government formation with the seriousness it warrants. Elections for most are seen as a time to make merry, to enjoy and have fun; a time to turn the EPIC card into a credit card; but most unfortunate it is also taken as the most appropriate moment to sell the future and hope of our own children and that of future generations to come. I say this with all the command at my disposal and my disappointment as to why the so-called “Saviors of the Jaitbynriew” have never seen fit to create public awareness over this regrettable perception on the Right to vote.
So let us not waste time but come to the crux of the matter and that is “What should the voter expect and demand from candidates and parties that come to solicit his/her vote for 2023”. Due to lack of space let me tick off four fundamental issues that affect us most. First and foremost is the plan or vision the candidate and his party have over education. Quality and appropriate education has always been Meghalaya’s forte and pride. A casual uninspiring approach to education by all Govts, that lacked intelligent foresight and imagination, has helped pull down this pride of Meghalaya from the pedestal it once occupied. The question to be asked by the public is very simple. What are the plans of the candidate or his party to revive the quality of education in Meghalaya? How appropriate is CUET for Education in Tribal Meghalaya ? How does he plan to enforce teacher stake-holdership in education? What are the plans for improving primary education especially in our rural areas? What life skills or livelihood options will his perception of education have for the students of the state? These are questions that I doubt have ever been asked by the public on campaigning individuals who come and seek their vote. My request to the enlightened voter is to please ask such questions simply because the prospects of future generations and of the state itself will depend on it.
Next should be questions on the priority the candidate and his party has on Public Health and general health care facilities for the people of the state especially our rural areas. This question should cut across both urban and rural sectors. Health and health care cannot be left to the mercy of Doctors alone but it needs a sense of dedication, commitment and a sense of direction which only a robust practical Health Policy can provide. Since politicians are lawmakers and policy makers, they should be ready to enlighten the public of their take on how to provide wholesome and effective health care to all. To march forward the state needs strong, healthy and educated citizens. The public should not miss this opportunity to make our legislators aware of the need for a viable Health Care Policy. Conjoined with health should be the candidate’s vision on social welfare, the provision of safe potable drinking water to all habitations within the state. A state policy on gender related ailments such as anemia among women and the raising social problems of abandoned single mothers needs urgent Govt cognizance. With a tendency of people to move towards urbanization, we need the politicians’ conception on how to deal with major urban issues such as waste disposal, traffic management, water and electricity supply and of course the equally important issue of urban housing for those migrating from the rural to urban centers .
Now 80% of Meghalaya’s population live in the rural areas and are dependent on Rural economic activities and agriculture to make ends meet for them and their families. We have noted with dismay the low budget allocation made to Agriculture and Rural Development. Successive state Govts seem content to let sleeping dogs lie as far as rural development and agriculture is concerned. For example 40% or more of our upland farmers depend on jhum cultivation for food security and this traditional form of upland agriculture continues to thrive despite Govt and ADC neglect. So does any party have an Upland Agriculture opinion on Jhum that is based on research to improve and stabilize Jhum rather than just ignoring the practice? Dr Dhrupad Choudhury a renowned International expert on Jhum is a citizen of this state. Has anybody bothered to get his views on a subject that affects our upland agriculturalists?
Now there is also this growing apathy and reluctance to question our politicians’ stand on the question of corruption in high offices of Government. We seldom hear of an enlightened electorate pushing for an answer from reluctant political candidates on this issue. It suits the politician well and he walks away to form the next Govt under the impression that the public is OK if politicians dip their fingers into the public exchequer. Perhaps this is what emboldens MLAs and Ministers to practice corruption; ignore governance; scorn the Rule of Law and more repulsive, the rising trend of businessmen turned politicians to turn the Secretariat into a “dukan” for buying and selling favours or unethical profits to enhance their personal businesses. The public must be tough and robust to root out corrupt practices in governance otherwise Meghalaya will continue to remain a ‘Bimaru’ state. Whether we want development or not will lie in our wisdom in choosing efficient leaders with foresight. We are in the mess we are today because of electing MLAs who are “banias” (traders) at heart who have no hesitation in buying your EPIC for Rs 10,000 and then helping themselves to crores from the Public Exchequer, from benefits meant for you and me. In the end it is amazing that dirty politics has managed to take root in a society that prides itself on the concept of “Ka Tip Briew, Tip Blei” (the ethos of being rational and sensible, the ability to tell apart Right from Wrong).
Perhaps it is unfair to term politics as dirty as all of us are social and political animals. Politics is necessary to promote the wellbeing of society and the community. The problem arises out of politics and political players who view politics only as a means to an end, on how to win and grab power. A lot of this kind of depraved politics prevails and is encouraged here in Meghalaya. The first casualty in this style of politics is the “mandate to serve.” It goes flying out of the window. Secondly it is a system of public service that shuns long term vision or planning, where visionaries and statesmen are rejected. Preference is given to people with short term goals where often such goals are based solely on self interest. So Dear Reader it is high time for us as an electorate to introspect as to the type of leadership we want for ourselves. Our fate is in our hands, not in our stars anymore.