SHILLONG, April 2: A month after cobbling up the MDA 2.0 coalition, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has pitched for crafting a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) something which was missing in the last tenure.
The CMP is a document outlining the minimum action plans before a coalition government. It aims to chart out a road map and also create a sense of belonging among all partnering parties.
In its first avatar, MDA did not have a CMP and there was a feeling of lack of cohesion among partners.
The UDP seeks to amend the situation by making a common cause through words and action. According to UDP general secretary, Jemino Mawthoh, “We need to take the state forward and respect one another and the common concerns, agenda and issues.”
He told this reporter on Sunday that the UDP has been talking a lot about the CMP, and “we have to put the state in the front, the welfare of the people of the state in the front and the issues also which are common to the state whether you talk about development, law and order or anything”.
He felt that “if that Common Minimum Programme can take off in a proper way with the consent, mutual understanding and respect of all the coalition partners that is the way forward rather than thinking what post are you getting, what portfolio you are getting”.
Mawthoh stressed that the coalition partners can address (issues) collectively, including problems in the education sector, power sector, water crises, unemployment, and health issues.
Asked if the UDP was unhappy with the current allocation of cabinet berths and portfolios, he candidly said, “In coalition politics, the relationship can be very complex and it is not easy for NPP also to accommodate everybody.”
“They won 26 seats and think of the rank and file of the NPP and think of other coalition partners also who have joined the NPP bandwagon,” he added.
He said the people have given their mandate and the party must be satisfied with that.
The issue of creating a Common Minimum Programme is expected to be taken up with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma who is likely to be well dispensed to the idea.
