A crisis of confidence in the Government is what strikes at the very heart, soul and spirit of the people of Meghalaya today. The Chief Minister as the head of the MDA Government is not leading the state and its people. He is just managing the Government. This crisis is visible in the growing doubt that people of Meghalaya have about their futures and that of their off-springs. There is a loss of unity of purpose for taking the state to new heights. All these are shattered dreams. The erosion of public confidence in the future of Meghalaya is threatening to destroy its social and political fabric. People are beginning to question their own statuses as citizens and shapers of democracy. They see rulers and those in the power circuit and the cronies turning self-indulgence into a creed. In Meghalaya today human identity is no longer defined by what a person does but by what he/she owns. Meghalaya is in a state of paralysis, stagnation and drift.
The collapse of the dome at the Assembly building now under construction in the New Shillong Township is symbolic of the fall and decay of moral values that defined the people of this state. Now all those virtues have crumbled one by one to be replaced by crass opportunism and greed. All of these new character traits are embodied in the people who are put in charge of governance and of constructing the collective futures of the people of Meghalaya. When contractors are bled dry they will produce sub-standard buildings, bridges and roads. These second and third rate constructions have been exposed by the unprecedented heavy rains. Not that Meghalaya is stranger to such rains but that petty minds driven by greed forget that nature is unforgiving and will sooner than later catch up with the crime and criminals.
The engineer in charge of the Assembly building had the gumption to blame the design and weight of the dome. Why did the engineer not point out those problems at the beginning so that the weight of the dome is properly assessed and the structures on which it would stand could have been reinforced to take that weight?The Assembly is the heartbeat of democracy. The earlier building was gutted 21 years ago and the present one faces a shameful denouement. The question that arises therefore is – Can the Meghalaya Government not get anything right? From sports to education there is a crisis of confidence in the Government. Where is the anti-corruption bureau, the CBI and the Lok Ayukta in all of this?
