By H H Mohrmen
The delimitation of constituencies to elect the Members of District Councils (MDC) to the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council replicates an incident that happened more than 200 years ago. The process has invited many criticisms because of the alleged unfair and undemocratic methods used in the delimitation of the constituencies. In 1812, in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America, constituencies were rearranged in a way that benefited the ruling party. This incident gave rise to the term “gerrymandering,” named after Elbridge Gerry, then Governor of Massachusetts, who was responsible for the reconstitution of the constituencies to give an unfair advantage to his party.
What Does Gerrymandering Mean?
Britannica defines gerrymandering as the practice in U.S. politics of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage over its opponents. It is also the process that dilutes the voting power of members of ethnic or linguistic minority groups, which can be called racial gerrymandering. Wikipedia describes gerrymandering as the political manipulation of the boundaries of constituencies with the intent to create an undue advantage for a party, group, caste, creed, or other socio-economic class within the constituency. It is any kind of manipulation of boundaries of constituencies or districts or any voting entity to favour one party over the other.
The Origin of the Term Gerrymandering
Wikipedia also states that the term gerrymandering is a portmanteau of “salamander” and “Elbridge Gerry,” who was the Vice President of the USA at the time of his death. In 1812, while he was the Governor of the State of Massachusetts, Gerry signed a bill that created a partisan district in the Boston area that was compared to the shape of a mythological salamander. The term has negative connotations, and gerrymandering is almost always considered a corruption of the democratic system. The constituencies that are the result of the manipulation are known as a gerrymander.
Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, enacted a law in 1812 defining new state senatorial districts to his party’s advantage. The law gave disproportionate representation to the governor’s party. It is said that the outline of the constituency resembled a salamander, a cartoon character by Elkanah Tisdale published in the Boston Gazette. The term is a combination of the governor’s surname and the cartoon character. Elbridge Gerry transformed the map of the constituency to resemble a salamander, thus creating the term “gerrymander.”
Delimitation of the 29 Constituencies in the JHADC
The delimitation of the 29 constituencies was due, and the Executive Committee of the Council constituted a Committee to do the needful. After the Committee completed the process, the new arrangement of the constituencies was brought to the knowledge of the public. Unfortunately, the EC and the delimitation committee have drawn more criticism than support in the two hearings conducted in the East and West Jaintia Hills District.
Threat to Boycott MDC
Election in the East Jaintia Hills
The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council comprises two administrative districts, the East and the West Jaintia Hills Districts. Hence, the two hearings were held at Jowai and Khliehriat, but in both hearings, the committee received more brickbats than bouquets. Criticism for the delimitation came from all directions, which included many community leaders who represented their community, the Waheh Chnong of different villages, groups, and individuals.
Of the 29 constituencies, 10 are in the East Jaintia Hills, including Muthlong-Sohkymphor, Tuber, Musniang-Rangad, Rymbai-Khliehriat, Sutnga-Narwan, Sutnga-Nongkhlieh, Sumer, Saipung-Nongkhlieh, Narpuh, and Bataw-Lakadong. For the constituency in the East Jaintia Hills, the hearing was conducted at Khliehriat on July 6. It was reported that there were many protests against the new arrangement of villages at the hearing in Khliehriat.
One classic example is Chiehruphi, which is a village under the eleka Narpuh included with Sutnga, which is not contiguous as there are many more villages in between the two. The dorbar chnong of Chiehruphi is one of the dorbars that threatened to boycott the election if the committee does not pay heed to their demand to maintain the status quo. There are many more instances of constituencies not drawn contiguously, which shows that the process was not fair and, most of all, undemocratic.
Threat to Go to Court in the West Jaintia Hills
A basic objection to gerrymandering is that it tends to violate two tenets of electoral apportionment: compactness and equality of the size of the constituencies. In the case of the delimitation done by the JHADC, the main complaint was that the territories of the constituencies are not contiguous. There were many constituencies where the distance between one village and another village within the same constituency is too far apart.
The other 19 constituencies are in the West Jaintia Hills District, and the hearing was conducted on July 9, at the District Library Auditorium, Jowai. The 19 constituencies include Amwi-Khliehtyrshi, Mukhla-Ummulong, Moodymmai-Nongkhroh, Wahiajer-Kyndong, Moodop–Umladang, Mynso-Nongjngi, Mynsngat–Khanduli, Shiliangmyntang-Namdong, Barato-Mukroh, Mowtyrshiah–Saphai, Sahsniang-Mowkaiaw, Raliang, Shangpung, Jowai–North, Jowai–Central, and Jowai–South constituency. There was only a little support for the delimitation in this district too.
It was reported that more than 80 percent of those who attended the public hearing expressed their dissatisfaction with the new constituencies. In some cases, big villages were divided, and one part of the village was included in one constituency, and the other was included in another. The complaint was that the division of the village or the community was done purposely to benefit certain candidates.
Never in the history of the council has the delimitation invited so much protest from the public. In the hearing at Jowai, dorbar chnong like Ladthalaboh threatened to go to court if the JHADC proceeded without addressing their grievances.
The Committee, however, reported that there was no complaint about the delimitation of constituencies in the Amlarem area. There are three constituencies in the area: War East, War West, and War Central.
Racial Gerrymandering
The complaint made by the people of Saipung is that the delimitation not only gave its opponents an unfair advantage but also diluted the voting power of the Biate people, who are members of ethnic or linguistic minority groups in the state. The Biate of Saipung belong to the Kuki Chin tribe and are ethnically different from the Pnar, so the treatment meted out by the delimitation committee to the people of Saipung can be called racial gerrymandering.
Arborhima Darnei, the leader of the Saipung area, said that the area received a special status from the governor of the composite state of Assam since 1967 because they are ethnically different and it is the most neglected area in the state. He states that the rearrangement of the constituencies will definitely jeopardize the special minority status that they enjoyed in the district. The demand of the people of Saipung is to maintain the status quo and let the constituency remain as it was.
Gerrymandering is abusing power
Gerrymandering is also considered a corruption of the democratic process where those in power abuse their power for their own benefit, which is exactly what happened in the new delimitation of MDC constituencies in the district. The delimitation done by the JHADC is corruption of the highest order, in which those in power abused their power for their own selfish interest.
Can the members of the delimitation committee arrange the constituencies at their own whims and fancy? The question is, what are the criteria by which the villages are included in the constituency? In the delimitation done by the EC of the JHADC, there does not seem to be any yardstick or rule by which the constituencies are rearranged. The entire process seems to be done in haste and without proper consideration of the territorial integrity, population, or ethnic or racial aspects of the society.
What transpired from the entire exercise was like what Wayne Dawkins, a professor at Morgan State University, described: “Gerrymandering, as a process, is when politicians are picking their voters instead of voters picking their politicians.” How ironic and unfortunate that this is happening, and it is a sad time in the history of the District. The ADC, which is always in the news for the wrong reasons, needs to have MDCs who have the vision to chart a new course of action for the Council, but the incumbent members are only interested in ensuring they return to power again.
Thombor-mandering the JHADC’s Constituencies
The Thombor Shiwat-led Executive Committee of the JHADC has succeeded in doing what Elbridge Gerry did exactly 212 years ago, so he deserves to have the term coined after him which is “thombor-mandering,” after Thombor Shiwat, the Chief Executive Member of the JHADC. The incumbent CEM should be ashamed of what happened to the ADC and withdraw from the election because he has failed the Council and its staff as their salary has been pending for more than ten months.