SHILLONG, Feb 20: Electioneering in Meghalaya has always been devoid of the usual heat and fury unlike elsewhere in the heartland. Not this time. Suddenly corruption, loot, lack of development etc have become the buzzwords.
BJP, Congress and TMC — all rival political forces — are speaking the same language. Some of them are promising a judicial probe into the scam-ridden tenure of the outgoing coalition.
All these are meant to awaken the community to end the era of anarchy that became order of the day.
Even before Home Minister Amit Shah’s blitzkrieg calling Meghalaya the most corrupt state in the country, there was a helpless undertone of public discontent about brazen corruption in high places. Over the past fifty years, the public has seen it through how the elected representatives have swelled their coffers or gone on acquiring immovable assets and constructing swanky houses for themselves. As it were, getting elected to the legislature can be a life transforming opportunity for making “progress”. Hence there has been a tearing hurry of wannabes to join the rat race.
So far, the high decibel thunder against corruption and misgovernance is largely confined to Garo Hills where the two Sangmas are locked in a gruelling battle for power. By publicly targeting Conrad Sangma and his predecessor Mukul Sangma, Amit Shah did what nobody else ever dared to do so. The mask is off and the underbelly of politics is getting exposed.
What impact these polemics will have on election results is a different story altogether. The proverbial silver lining is that there is a slow awakening among a good part of the silent civil society. The bluff was always suspected, now it is being called out a little openly. Most people think the scourge needs to be fixed. But there is no road map.
The good news is that for the first time in five decades, some political forces have pledged to upturn the system. Some individuals have taken up the cudgel to stand up against this cycle of thuggery inflicted on the state. The emergence of VPP, which vows to ensure clean politics, is a faint ray of hope. Also, the moral courage and spirit of public service displayed by candidates propped up by new bodies like “KAM Meghalaya” cannot be ignored. These forces are making the right noise. Even a youth group named HYF (Hynniewtrep Youth Forum) has embarked on an ambitious task to educate the people about ushering in clean politics. This is another new.
These may be too insignificant steps for now but its value will not be easily lost. With media adding grist to the mill, the battle for a new order may not be too farfetched.
Some political observers here empirically claim that come February 27, a large section of informed but reticent voters of greater Shillong area is likely to spring upsets in some of the constituencies by voting for a change. Whether or not this is going to come true will be known for sure on March 2.
Regardless of the poll outcome, the informed circles here believe that the newly elected representatives, who seem to enjoy unbridled autonomy, may still turn out to be the incorrigible animal in the political zoo. One thing is for sure, if the votaries of clean politics let their guard down after the election is over, the seemingly utopian dream of ensuring a scam-free political ecosystem will be in jeopardy.
