By Riwanki Suchiang
The General Election to the Lok Sabha is just around the corner. Candidates are busy with their campaigns trying to draw the attention of voters. Basically in their speech they would promise a lot of things mainly from their party manifesto and party ideologies. But most commonly, election campaigns are about fault-finding and finger pointing at other parties and candidates.
What disturbs me as a voter is why candidates have to campaign at all. I want to ask the readers of this newspaper and all voters one question. Are we not in the twenty-first century, where everyone knows what is right and wrong? Do we really believe that a campaign will whitewash all the candidate’s faults and failings?
Do politicians think that we the public are ignorant about the political parties in Meghalaya and their ideologies? The BJP has been ruling this country since 2014 and we know what the party has been doing and is aspiring to do. We can’t forget the Congress Party either. It has shown us by its actions all through its tenure by its work for this country. The NPP is a very young party but we have seen enough of them through their performance in our State. The VPP is the youngest political party in our State but of course some of the members were in other political parties earlier so we have seen how they work. About the TMC, we have heard and read about their performance in West Bengal which is not very different from other parties. The UDP has always been in alliance with other parties, and once even led the Government in Meghalaya through coalition. Hence we know all these political parties and what they stand for and they don’t need to preach so much about their ideologies. We need to judge their performance instead.
Have the candidates who are contesting from the above political parties in this MP election done something for humanity? Don’t we already know of them before they decided to contest this election? Have they contributed anything to society through their noble, honourable, upright, virtuous works? Were they or can they be in the future like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Malala Yousafzai, all of whom had done marvelous work through their service to the country through their ministry? If any of these candidates have contributed something for the society, through their humanitarian service using the right and honourable methods, I am sure that work itself will campaign for them. During the election campaign they don’t need to run around begging votes from the people thereby wasting their time and money. Allow us the voters to decide peacefully who we shall vote for. Politicians should not come and confuse us with empty words during the election campaign and forget us once they win the elections. .
Actions speak louder than words and we have not seen sufficient actions from them to prove their worthiness to be elected. We are still facing poverty and unemployment; our literacy rate is low; we are the third poorest state in India; many of our youth are drug addicts and alcoholics; people with HIV/AIDS are increasing in number. Our state is one of the most corrupt states in India. Our city and towns are very congested and we have no proper road network system. The resources from our state are not value-added and properly transported. Our forests are being cleared for quarrying; our hills are being cut-down unscientifically; our rivers are being polluted through man-made disasters.
Politicians, why do you forget that we live in a beautiful land which is rich in biodiversity and natural resources which have been misused. Our land is full of tourist spots which have been attracting millions of tourists every year and some of the tourists are not taken care of. You politicians forget the natural talents and gifts our young people have in sports, music and arts. You have shown us indirectly that you don’t really love our land. You only do everything for your own benefits while we the common people of Meghalaya are still struggling in so many ways. Do political parties really care about our State? Politicians ask yourselves these questions before you start campaigning again.