Editor,
As an avid reader of your esteemed daily, I have noted with great concern the matter relating to the sordid affairs in Mawkhar Presbyterian Church, Shillong. Differing and contrasting views have been expressed on it, which is fair enough. However, being a member of the Christian community, though of a different denomination, I am a little perplexed that the unsavoury affairs of the church had to be raised in public by its own members, which is invariably unheard of and therefore very unfortunate. Some of the church members might have felt so right and justified in lampooning the church and its leaders the way they did, but their actions and motives might not have the effect of achieving anything except surely hurting the church and sowing the seeds of dissensions among its members in the process. Perhaps, it may have given a sense of gratification and vindication to the protagonists of the whole episode.
Alleged misappropriation of church funds of any proportion cannot and should not be condoned nor allowed to be brushed aside just like that, much less kept under wraps. The truth must be unearthed. However, I am of the view that the matters that were raised are part of the institutional problem of the church that can and should only be addressed and fixed internally through the institutional process and mechanism which I hope the concerned church has got in place in accordance with the ways of God and not of men (world). What is needed is divine intervention and retribution which is far above all human discourse and contrivance.
I fervently hope that the church, in the midst of this fiery ordeal, would find ways to set its house in order, the sooner the better, and get everybody especially those discordant and recalcitrant members to the right path of rebuilding the church and preserving its sanctity.
Yours etc.,
S F Diengdoh,
Via email
Polite request to perpetrators of violence
Editor,
The recent incidents of harassment and assault of the non-tribals are both sordid and casual. Sordid as usual for the victims. Casual because bashing of this victimized section is normal in Shillong and its vicinity and murder of a few may be a little serious. Never mind. But its horribly shameful to see all the proverbial ostriches (read Ministers) of the Meghalaya government hiding their heads in the sands of crisis, whenever such occasions come without any warning. The only news of the Chief Minister, we saw recently, is his donning of ‘Kurta & Pyajama’ and running to New Delhi to plead for funds, meeting various Central Ministers for ‘development purposes’ while the State’s Home Minister is in deep slumber who certainly is not to be disturbed at this critical juncture of his valued siesta. But when he is awake, on selected issues, he shows his acumen of being the most talented elocutionist exhibiting shrewdness galore. One of the Ministers spoke very diplomatically, passed the buck on the head of the Home department particularly the Deputy Chief Minister since he probably did not want to land into a sticky wicket, by condemning all such dastardly activities, because he too was once in the shoes of the ‘jaidbynriew lads’ The Meghalaya Police needs to be applauded and awarded for their patience and gallantry, since all these days they had been waiting for the victims to come forward and at least file an FIR(s), since common sense tells that without a potent FIR, their hands are tied and they remain helpless in such matters of lawlessness. Here is the icing on the cake “State govt tells pressure groups to act responsibly amid attacks on non-tribals” Will it now be a little too much to ask to ‘act a little gently’ when someone’s life is snuffed out?
Successive state Government(s) of Meghalaya have proved that since the state attained its statehood fifty years back, it has only turned a blind eye towards all racial atrocities committed on its soil and which always went unpunished. Is it some kind of a tacit understanding to continue with this recurring abominable intolerance whenever peace returns? Today’s ‘fear psychosis’ amongst all sections, even affecting the entire Government machinery, as we see today, has encouraged undesirable and violent elements to rise and sustain. Law and order is a state subject and for the past fifty years we are witness to the low standards of efficiency in this domain. Racial discrimination is something which India has fought to eradicate in South Africa and Namibia; but in its own backyard the fire of hatred is burning bright. To put it simply – law and order has failed.
Yours etc.,
Name witheld on request,
Via email
Gunda raj is blooming
Editor,
Apropos the letter captioned ‘Complete absence of rule of law’ by N.K.Kehar ( ST July 10, 2024) all like-minded citizens will applaud the writer for having the courage to call a spade a spade. Time and again through this column many tried to highlight the illegal and arbitrary actions of the dorbar shnong. In complete absence of rule of law of these so-called village institutions continue with their diktats and the government seems to pay no heed at all. Despite the administration’s crackdown on illegal collection of money the dorbars openly loot the public in the name of dorbar funds and upkeep of the locality.
In municipal areas where citizens pay taxes for civic amenities, the dorbars also collect monthly fees, registration of tenant’s fees, residential certificate fees, witness to land sale fees and many others from time to time. The citizens are made to suffer deliberately especially the non-locals as they cannot participate in any dorbar meetings but pay whenever forced too. All these actions by dorbars in urban localities are in total violation of the fundamental right of an individual. And the irony is nobody dares to complain nor raise voices as in dorbar system ostracization is common and no one will step forward to support even if the cause is genuine.
The state government of Meghalaya has failed its common citizens miserably to uphold the rule of law while those who escape from harassments are the handful few high level individuals but undoubtedly the common man faces the brunt on a daily basis. It is a common state of affairs that the government is scared of taking action against anyone be it dorbars or pressure groups and as we are witnessing in the last couple of days the members from different self-styled unregistered organisations are now out in the open like wild goose. They erect check gates at their fancies, they can check papers at their whims and police are just mute spectators. Genuine citizens of the country face embarrassment unnecessarily when people who are not law enforcers check documents? Aren’t these actions demeaning and worth condemnation from law abiding citizens?
The CM boasts of making Meghalaya a tourist hub but how and when will that materialise? Don’t these daily drama scenes of harassing travellers, tourists, and visitors on the pretext of checking documents by non-state actors not affect the industry in the long run? When will our society evolve or when will dorbar shnong become facilitators instead of issuing diktat?
It is worth reminding all readers that when Dr. Mukul Sangma was the CM. Such abuse of the law and state machinery was seldom heard, but for the last 6 years in Meghalaya law and order is collapsing and gunda raj is blooming.
Yours etc.,
Ibalamon K.naior
Shillong -1