By Prof. Lakhon Kma
“The ISBT episode, collapse of the dome of under-construction Assembly building, poor roadways almost across different parts of the State are few apparent examples. Moreover, the NPP giving the party ticket to a former engineer who supervised these faulty building structures, which has brought so much shame to the State and huge loss of already-depleted public money, only goes to show the lack of seriousness of NPP when it comes to accountability and corruption.”
As election 2023 to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly approaches, the question is where our hopes lie. A glance at the performance of the present MDA government does not instill any confidence of targeted development in the near future. But what options do we have as far as which party should lead us to a path of targeted development within a limited time span?
Let’s have a look at parties from a layman’s point of view. NPP: It is a party that believes to have an edge which gets exhibited in the language of its leaders with a disturbing sense of pride and arrogance. I hope they are mindful that in politics, things can change very quickly and often pride comes before destruction. It will carry a huge anti-incumbency factor and being accommodative towards deserters from other parties, is bound to add to it. People are yet to see innovative thinking on several fronts pivotal to overall growth of the State. Apparently, health, education, road transport, nepotism, corruptions, etc. did not receive serious attention under the current MDA. The ISBT episode, collapse of the dome of under-construction Assembly building, poor roadways almost across different parts of the State are few apparent examples. Moreover, the NPP giving the party ticket to a former engineer who supervised these faulty building structures, which has brought so much shame to the State and huge loss of already-depleted public money, only goes to show the lack of seriousness of NPP when it comes to accountability and corruption.
UDP: It has been part of several governments as small partners in the past and hence can’t shy away from collective responsibilities of the failures of different governments over decades. Being uneven partners have never allowed them to assert or provide necessary checks and balances and accountability to the larger partners in successive governments. In these circumstances, it’s quite perplexing to believe that it can deliver the much need development with transparency and honesty and should we put our faith in the party is a big question.
PDF: The new party is in power in MDA but it has not made serious efforts in the last 4 and half years to expand its support base barring the 4 constituencies where they have MLAs. A look at their profile and conduct, particularly in the Assembly proceedings, one finds them wanting on numerous occasions and therefore, failing to attract new energy in the party. Chances are very high that some of its leaders will shift parties in anticipation of greener pastures by the time election comes.
HSPDP, NCP, KHNAM: These parties are dwindling and its leaders are hunting as loners and hence do not find support in the absence of better preparedness on several serious issues which they have raised inside and outside the Assembly. It’s quite unlikely for them to make significant gain due to lack of outreach to new grounds since the last election.
Congress: The party is busy in rebuilding itself; from being the largest single party with 21 MLAs in the last election to virtually nil today is quite ironic and unique in itself. The party is a victim of the eternal restlessness of our leaders when they are out of power, catalyzed by some ill-timed decisions at the highest level. Party loyalty and ideology, particularly in difficult times, is a very flimsy and dispensable entity among our leaders across parties. What will be the elements of newness that Congress party will bring to the table, is worth speculating and can the current leadership in the State reinvigorate its cadres at the grass roots level is a million dollar question.
TMC: The party is the main opposition with 12 MLAs without even fighting the last election, thanks to the Congress party. While they have been very successful in West Bengal in spite of stiff resistance, TMC’s presence on a pan India scale is missing. Will they change the landscape of the polity in Meghalaya is a question that everyone is asking in day to day causal conversations.
BJP: This party has not been tested as far as governance in Meghalaya is concerned since it never had numbers to assert itself and thereby could not provide checks and balances to any government including the current MDA. Although, several Central schemes are highly successful, even in Meghalaya, the party failed to capitalize on them so far. Adding to their woes are the frequent unnecessary statements on Hindu/Hindutva/Hinduism by its leader and more so by its socio-political ideologue-the RSS, particularly in Meghalaya. In a constitutional democracy like ours, except the Constitution of India, nothing is binding on us. I hope the party realizes that for any average Meghalayan, Hindu/Hindutva/Hinduism/etc. does not require any definition or explanation; it is taken and understood as plain simple Hindu religion which might be different from other religions that one professes and believes such as Christianity, Seng Khasi, Niamtre, Islam, Sikhism, etc. Therefore, any effort to bring non-Hindus under the so-called Hindutva umbrella will always be strongly resisted and will be considered as an infringement of Fundamental Right-Right to Freedom of Religion as guaranteed under Article 25-28 of our Constitution. No one should be condescended to believe a particular ideology. What baffled me as an ordinary citizen is the unnecessary wastage of our precious time and energy in things that are unambiguously settled under the Constitution, which are binding on every citizen of our country.
This issue is not going to remove the apparently eternal problem of underdevelopment of Meghalaya in almost every sphere of life even after 50 years of its formation. We hold the dubious distinction of having a State for ourselves for more than half a century now with no State run-Medical, Pharmacy or Engineering college or a Uuniversity. Thanks to the Central government, at least we are getting some affordable higher education in NEHU, IIM-S, NIT, NIFT, etc. and Health care facilities in North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH). Our leaders seems to be keener to cater to casino lovers than focus on other pertinent issues such as ever-swelling unemployment among educated youths, rampant corruption, nepotism, unpaid teachers and health workers, plight of casual/adhoc workers, drinking water scarcity, polluted rivers and streams, poor roads, air infrastructure, etc.
Election comes and goes and Meghalaya remains where it was and in decades, you can count on your fingers what has changed over time. Perhaps, we have to blame our tribal mentality which does not allow us to think beyond mundane things that is localized within a small area rather than the holistic view of Meghalaya as one entity. Getting out of our primitive or medieval thinking and standing out firmly together as Meghalayans to fight for our share of rapid development is the need of the hour. Tribal mentality also does not allow us to raise critical questions to authorities who are supposed to carry the governance at every level and bring in overall development. The essence is, unless we get united as a community and raise serious questions on issues plaguing us collectively, we will continue to be like this in the next 50 years.
We have to realize that religion does not make good or bad leaders otherwise majority of our leaders in the last 50 years belong to a particular religion but look at where we are as a State, far away from average growth. Our SGDP is nowhere close to acceptable rates. However, given a choice, I would like to see the growth of the personal properties of our public representatives in the last 50 years, on election to election basis, and assess whether it matches with their known sources of income. Who is ready to bite the bullet and change the course of how we should do politics in the State, should be the question this coming election. So far none of the parties have come out with anything novel, imaginative and feasible which can attract our attention as voters.
Let us not allow money to do the talking and become smart voters. On this 51st year of our Statehood, we cannot afford anymore to prove people like Bah Prestone right, who publicly announced that people can be fooled election after election with a meagre sum of money. For once, can we have leaders and parties who can show us the roadmap of targeted overall development of all parts of our State with a timeline in exchange for our precious votes?
(The author teaches in NEHU and is the President of Meghalaya Tribal Teacher’s Association-NEHU (MeTTA-NEHU) and NEHU Teacher’s Association (NEHUTA).