Editor,
It’s no surprise that the majority of the voters are gullible and easily forgetful of the acts of omission and commission of this present Government under the leadership of the NPP. And now behold the elections are knocking at our doors and MLAs are rushing helter and skelter to lay foundation stones in every corner of this God-forsaken state. Many don’t seem to question why this is happening only at the fag end of the 5-year term of the MDA Government and why this Government needs to shell out incentives in cash and in kind? Where is the benchmark to assess and quantify the cost of such projects which till date have not really reached the intended recipients and also the outcomes of short-sighted ventures like FOCUS or YESS and other things in the works. Might it not happen that when a new government is formed all these freebies would stop and an accountability mechanism will be put in place? For how long can a poor state continue to distribute freebies managed by loans of all kinds?
Yours etc.,
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar
Via email
If only foundation stones could speak
Editor,
The frenetic pace at which foundation stones and inaugurations of projects is being undertaken by ministers of this MDA Government is unprecedented. Where are the funds going to come from for the projects for which the foundation stones are laid? And why have so many schemes suddenly been discovered at the fag end of this Government’s tenure? It is all too clear for those that have eyes to see and the intellect to judge that the foundation stones are being laid so that the same ministers can tell the constituents that they should vote him/her once again in 2023 so that the project fort which the foundation stone was laid will be completed. In other words these MLAs/ministers are dangling a bait before the electorate if not outrightly blackmailing them. As one who has voted for at least five elections I have never seen a government that lays so many foundation stones worth crores of rupees just before elections are announced. The Chief Minister himself is moving from place to place via chopper because he is in too much of a hurry. What is happening to governance when all the ministers are hardly in their offices and are busy in their constituencies only now when elections are knocking at the door.
The citizens of Meghalaya are not involved or engaged with issues that matter. Everyone is busy ranting on social media only. Who is really keeping track of the number of projects that this present government has promised to different constituents including the different dorbar shnongs that are beneficiaries of such projects? Naturally the temptation is to vote for the same MLA since the project might be abandoned by the new MLA. This is a very clever ploy of the MDA Government.
In Meghalaya many foundations stones for various projects in the past never say the light of day. I suspect that the same might happen in this case too. Informed citizens should keep track of those foundation stones and raise the matter up until the project is executed and completed in all respects.
Yours etc.,
Bradley Nongrum,
Via email
Roads littered with party flags and flexes
Editor,
Each time a political personality comes to Shillong buntings are put up at the Police Bazar Rotary and all public places and no one cares to pick up those buntings and to dispose of them off the next day. First it was Mamata Banerjee the TMC supremo whose face decked the entire city. Immediately after comes the BJP’s turn with hoardings of Prime Minister Modi being flanked by JP Nadda the BJP President and the local BJP leaders. As of yesterday I saw that most of these hoardings made of flexes were half torn and the torn part of the flex with peoples’ faces was stepped upon by pedestrians. No political party ever takes responsibility for disposing off these flags and hoardings which invariably land up in drains and clogs them. This is the antithesis to the Swachh Bharat programme. I am surprised that the PM has not yet awakened to this crisis caused by these flags that are abandoned after the event. This is true of the TMC and the NPP too. Sometimes one wonders who pays for all those hoardings of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma across the State advertising the MDA Government’s achievements.
Students of St Edmund’s are told to internalize the motto of the School, “Facta non-verba,” meaning actions speak louder than words. Sadly even those former students of St Edmunds who are currently in politics seem to have forgotten what their Alma Mater taught them. One wonders therefore as to how much of the education imparted actually impacts on the behaviour of the students who go on to occupy positions of power and authority. Apparently the impact is NIL !
Yours etc.,
Alasandra Dexter,
Via email