Editor,
Going by the recent incidents of violence, harassment and intimidation of non-tribal labourers it appears that Meghalaya is slowly but certainly heading towards anarchy. The demand of legislation of more laws to regulate entry, visit and stay of fellow Indian citizens in Meghalaya ostensibly emanated from the perpetual fear of insecurity although that fear unfounded. This fear psychosis is perceived by a section of populace of the State right from the days when it was part of Assam. Normally, such sense of fear should have been reduced considerably in the last fifty years after formation of Meghalaya keeping in view the special protection and privileges such as Land Transfer Act, Sixth Schedule, reservation in Government jobs, education, reserved assembly constituencies as well as Income Tax exemption that have been granted to the people of Meghalaya.
Recently, almost entire State has also been kept outside the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to dispel any fear of settlement of persons seeking citizenship on the basis of the amended Citizenship Act. But sadly, these special laws have utterly failed to make the beneficiaries secure and accommodative. When so many existing special laws are perceived to be grossly inadequate necessitating demand of more isolation in this age of globalization, what is the guarantee that new laws, if enacted, will be able to make them confident, cooperative and stronger to face the real world?
Yours etc.,
D. Bhattacharjee
Shillong- 1
Why education is going downhill in Meghalaya
Editor,
The quality of teaching in Meghalaya is deteriorating due to several factors, including nepotism and favouritism. Through my recent RTI application, I uncovered evidence that many schools prioritize their own interests to favour preferred candidates which is a corrupt practice.
To address this, I recommend the following:
Implement a roster system for vacancies to ensure fairness and transparency in recruitment.
Consolidated advertisements for multiple schools, conducted once or twice a year, like MPSC, but with a more efficient process.
Conducting examinations and interviews for all candidates simultaneously.
Adopting transfer policies like Assam’s, rotating teachers across the state to foster exposure and improvement.
Currently, teachers in Meghalaya are often stagnant and lethargic, neglecting basic duties like correcting school copies. I offer my advice to the Education Minister to rectify these issues and enhance the education system in Meghalaya.
Yours etc.,
R Sarki
Shillong
Violence an inherent part of American politics
Editor,
The editorial “Violence antithetical to Democracy” (ST July 16, 2024) made interesting reading. The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is nothing new in the history of American presidents. According to Darlene Superville and Christina A. Cassidy, the former who covers the White House chronicles that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865 who was then shot and killed on April 26, 1865 when he was found hiding in a barn near Rowling Green, Virginia. James Garfield the 20th President was assassinated six months after taking office when he was walking through a train station in Washington on July 2, 1881 by Charles Guiteau who was found guilty and executed in June 1882. William McKinley 25th President of the USA was shot after giving a speech in Buffalo, New York, on 6th September 1901 by Leon F. Czolgosz, an unemployed, 28-year-old Detroit resident. He was later found guilty at trial and put to death in the electric chair on October 29, 1901. Franklin D Roosevelt, the 32nd President at a time when he was the President-elect, had just given a speech in Miami from the back of an open car when gunshots rang out. He was not injured in the February 1933 shooting that killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. Guiseppe Zangara was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to death. Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President was staying at a Blair House across White House two gunmen broke in in November 1950 but the President was not injured but a White House policeman and one of the assailants were killed in an exchange of gunfire. Oscar Callazo was arrested and sentenced to death. Truman commuted the sentence to life in prison in 1952 and he was released from prison in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas in November 1963. Oswald was arrested after police found a sniper’s perch in a nearby building. Two days later he was being taken from police headquarters to the country jail when Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald. Gerald Ford, the 38th President in 1975 faced two assassination attempts twice but was not hurt. Fromme a Charles Manson disciple Lynette Squeaky was sentenced to prison and released in 2009 while Sara Jane Moore who fired one shot and missed was sent to prison and released in 2007. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President walking to his motorcade was shot by John Hinckley Jr in March 1981 and recovered. Hinckley was arrested and confined to a mental hospital after the jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity in shooting Reagan. In 2022 he was freed from court oversight after a judge determined he was no longer a danger to himself or others. George W. Bush, the 43rd President while attending a rally in Tbilisi in 2005 with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili when a hand grenade was thrown toward him but did not explode. In this case Vladimir Arutyunian was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Theodore Roosevelt, presidential candidate, was shot in Milwaukee in 1912 while campaigning to return to White House. Folded papers and a metal glasses case in his pocket apparently blunted the bullet’s impact and was not seriously hurt. John Schrank was arrested and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital. Robert F. Kennedy, presidential candidate seeking Democratic presidential nomination brother of President John F. Kennedy was killed at a Los Angeles hotel moments after giving his victory speech for winning the 1968 primary. Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death that was commuted to life in prison and his petition for release last year was denied. George C. Wallace, presidential candidate was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was shot during a campaign in Maryland in 1972, an incident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Wallace was governor of Alabama known for his segregationist views, which he later renounced. Arthur Bremer was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to prison was released in 2007.
Extremist language fuels violence in Abraham Lincoln’s democracy therefore Plato was right in defining “democracy a flawed form of government that can easily descend into chaos and tyranny.” Plato’s point was that too much freedom can lead to tyranny. He saw democracy as inherently unstable due to susceptibility to manipulation by self-interests and lack of emphasis on political expertise. History points that violence, while indefensible, is also a quintessential scar on American politics. Violence is infecting and inflecting American political life.
Yours etc;
VK Lyngdoh,
Via email