Editor,
Here I go again on my own – a song by the rock group Whitesnake which was popular in 1987″ does sum up the mood of the electorate who had been taken for a ride in these last few months culminating in the recent government formation.
Elections are undoubtedly fought on many factors such as Issues, Ideology, Religion, Promises etc. The central theme this time was a vote for change and governance. In every rally and in every speech, all of the NPP’s main allies the UDP, PDF, and BJP went hammer and tongs on the misrule of the NPP. Speeches were pregnant with anti-NPP misdeeds, misgovernance, corruption, high-handedness, scams and the list goes on. The clarion call was for a dire need for regional parties to come up strong. They even batted that’s it’s time for a Khasi/Jaintia CM. Allies who were part of the MDA-1 claimed they were suffocated to voice their opinions. Some threatened to pull out ( all bark no bite), and confessions of being offered handsomely to be part of the NPP party. In fact, if one were to scan all the pre-elections interviews of these candidates it was just one recurring anti-NPP theme played over and over. The electorate danced to these tunes with the expectations of an NPP-free government in this new term. Talk on the streets among us commoners was if we have another 5 years of the NPP-led government, we are doomed.
People who voted for other parties apart from the NPP and BJP voted for this belief and expectation. The absence of any prepoll alliances also cemented this fact and assured the people, that this time they meant business. BUT alas…
The question that comes up now is that when representatives have won on this mandate, it was an acceptance by the people on the foundations and ideology for which they have stood for and garnered votes on. The pact was forged. When you now make a U-turn and defy your own electorate, can you really not be held accountable? By which stretch of imagination can you still claim to be the people’s representative when you have gone against what they have believed in your contract with them? Can we then still say that this is a government by the people, for the people? The warning was given that we are fooled every five years; we heeded it; we acted on it and yet we were betrayed. Should life go on for another five years? Should this anger that was building up when the HSPDP representatives who took the initiative to support be doused? Excuses and explanations will camouflage this main act in the coming days and in the end, the bare fact is, we are left high and dry.
The irony is that these representatives will address each other with the prefix honourable minister in the assembly, and the icing on the cake is that they will still be harping that they did it for the tribe. At the end of the day, it is always the people’s fault, ‘we did it for you’.
Oh, Meghalaya who have we voted for !!!
Yours etc.,
Robert R Khongwir,
Via email
What’s the real mandate for 2023?
Editor,
Let’s introspect with maturity of thought on Gregory F Shullai’s: The Great Anti-Christian Rhetoric (ST, 7th March, 2023) write-up. Strangely, I too have wondered how political parties so readily and hastily bandied together! All the filthy mouthing, shameful accusations and disgusting finger pointing have all come to an abrupt end under a convenient but false bonhomie! Will I be politically correct to assume all parties that have joined the coalition are clandestinely BJP hardcore supporters now? And so I’m in agreement when he states, ” that in essence sums up the character of the electorate, the elected and the elections.”
Expediency makes the elected sit in the same boat as the ones they declared as anti-Christian… ”
Now the new government must prove itself worthy and honour all the promises made to the people in the spirit of sacrifice that he mentions. Let the State roll on in all areas of social development!
Yours etc.,
Kevin Phillips
Shillong – 19
Meghalaya Govt formation
Editor,
In the recent elections to the Meghalaya Assembly some have endured, some have succumbed and vice versa. Its good to see new faces springing up. Be it money power, people’s power or otherwise the die is cast. About the fractured mandate, some are happy, some are sad, while most are perplexed. About the Government formation? All are confused.
Mud-slinging, slandering in the election campaign apart, most parties naturally want to be in power, which may not necessary be bad considering that that the promises to the electorates must be fulfilled. The expectations of most if not all, who have been part of the electoral process is for clean governance; to provide infrastructure in all fields that will bring forth over-all development of the State devoid of corruption and misusing of tax payers’ money.
In the conglomeration of political parties that form a coalition government, the power lies with the leader of the political party with the highest number of MLAs. He is to lead the Government along with leaders of other coalition partners.
My humble request to all political parties that are part and parcel of the soon to be ‘Government of Meghalaya,” is that we deserve to be governed by a Government ‘of the people, for the people and by the people,’ led by capable legislators who have in-depth knowledge with requisite credentials who can frame policies in their fields as ministers without considering seniority or other criteria.
Kindly pick the best out of the lot.
Yours etc.,
Kharwanlang,
Shillong – 14
Where’s the strong Opposition?
Editor,
UDP too have joined the NPP wagon. The question is why have they done that when they had enough numbers to form the government. According to my understanding, a strong, vibrant, intellectual Opposition is the foundation of democracy and the UDP has got all the above criteria and perhaps more. With the UDP in the Opposition, I was hoping that we’ll have a good and interesting time during the Assembly sessions. Alas! This is not to be for the UDP has tagged along with the NPP. Is it for fame, status, rank, power or prosperity? Or is this a strategic planning by the UDP from the beginning to reap what they had invested in the elections with huge interest and that too for another five years. While you enjoy let the state meet its doom.
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email