Editor,
As election day draws near more and more fun is being added by the politicians against our desire. Topping the entertainers is the National People’s Party. It has some of the most unfavorable characters and more and more are being added as the D-day approaches. It has among its candidates someone who believes in openly fooling the public by offering money and offering cosmetics to make people in different constituencies look attractive in exchange for votes. It also has a candidate who has already declared that he and his family members are guaranteed first row seats in Heaven. I don’t understand what else he wants to achieve by being in politics except to plunder this adorable State of ours and reduce it to abject poverty and lawlessness before occupying their high seat in Heaven.
Then there is the candidate who has been charged by CBI in the education scam and is trying to avoid censure by associating with anyone in power in the State. Now she is invoking the judicial system to bail her out of that mess. Recently, another candidate joined the troupe and ignorantly compared the election of MLA to the election of Pastor or Rangbah Balang/Tymmen Basan, ignorantly. First thing first, Pastors are not elected; they have to qualify and undergo a rigorous course, pass it and then be ordained as a Pastor-it’s a long process. Secondly, I wish the election of MP/MLA/MDC are done like the election of Rangbah Balang/Tymmen Basan. In that election, the total bonafide members (Riewdkhot) have to be at least 50% present and voting and one must secure 2/3rd votes to be elected as Rangbah Balang/Tymmen Basan. My humble appeal to all voters in different constituencies is please reject these vainglorious people. We don’t need people who are only catering to their constituencies, families and their businesses and are least bothered about the overall development of the entire State of Meghalaya. How many of them have ever opened their mouths in Assembly in the last 5 years? The answer is big fat zero.
Let’s get rid of NPP otherwise Meghalaya is guaranteed to be the next Bihar of 15-20 years ago where the politicians have sucked every flesh out of the State and left it with only the skeleton during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s regime. Most of the NPP leaders are so soaked in money and intoxicated with power that they are ready to sacrifice the State for selfish gains. Voters, let’s be smart and throw them out!!
Yours etc.,
Prof. Lakhon Kma,
Shillong -4
Real change is just a distant dream
Editor,
Elections are just round the corner and the whole state is in election mode but the million-dollar question is whether real change is round the corner?
In the last election, excitement was in the air since the electorate felt that things were going to change for the better but sadly in the last five years, the high hope and expectations have vanished into thin air.In the last decade or so, our state has been in a downward spiral marked by soaring youth unemployment and a stagnant economy. The education system has now become redundant and Agriculture is still the main sector of our economy.There’s no sign of our economy transitioning from a rural based agricultural economy into a modern economy.
In other states of the country especially the southern states, manufacturing has slowly but surely started becoming the pillar of their economies equally supported by a booming service sector but in most North eastern states including Meghalaya, Agriculture is still the dominant sector marked by subsistence farming, low productivity, small land holdings, disguised and seasonal unemployment. Adding to our woes is the outdated education system that the British left us.Since education is in the concurrent list,the onus of transforming the education sector falls equally on the shoulders of the state government.Our education system has been churning out thousands of graduates every year with low levels of employability.Unless there is a transformation of the education sector,Meghalaya and other North Eastern states are staring at a bleak future.The current education system must be dismantled and focus must immediately shift to the vocational and technical sector. If leaders with a vision are not forthcoming in the next election,then the future of our state is really bleak.
Yours etc.,
Gary Marbaniang,
Via email
Elections & a level playing ground
Editor,
Democracy is the soul of the Constitution but democracy is compromised if the election of legislators to the temple of democracy is not on a level playing ground. Your editorial column (ST/31 Jan) is right. “The MLA schemes have been largely abused and the bulk of it is used at the fag end of the MLA’s tenure when he/she seeks re-election.” I read somewhere that PM Modi had plans to abolish the MP scheme because of such abuse. It’s time that we take a relook at the MLA scheme. If I’m not mistaken the MLA scheme in the state was first introduced by late BB Lyngdoh. Lest we forget, all along we had only Government programmes/schemes implemented by different departments Originally the MLA scheme is envisaged to be a people’s programme to create community assets and capacity building in the constituencies. The MLA is only the channel to make the funds available to the community. Its misuse and abuse have blinded the people to think that it is the MLA’s money. No, it is the people’s money gathered from their taxes. It would be worthwhile to place this fund at the disposal of the village durbars which in their collective wisdom according to their needs use it for creating community assets and capacity building. Of course there should be rules, regulations and social audits to prevent its misuse.
In the state we have 5780 villages(Census 1991).One constituency will have approximately 97 villages. The MLA scheme at present is Rs.2.50 crores per annum, In five years the fund available will be Rs.12.50 crores roughly Rs.13 lakhs each village. Imagine what a transformation each village in the constituency will experience if the funds are judiciously used in the villages by turn. In order to ensure a level playing field in elections, the MLA scheme like other sanctioned schemes of the Government should lapse if they are not implemented within a financial year.
While talking about a level playing field, in life rarely do we get a level playing field except in the salvation plan of God where whoever believes in the Son of God is saved irrespective of whether the person is rich or poor, literate or illiterate, master or slave, healthy or sickly. Amen.
Yours etc.,
Torist Mark,
Via email