By Our Special Correspondent
SHILLONG, Oct 14: The Seng Longkmie Umpling (SLU) on Saturday brought the curtains down on their silver jubilee celebrations with a cultural programme, which also saw the felicitation of founding president and secretary of the organisation, Felicita Kharbithai and Mabis Pyngrope respectively.
What is commendable about the SLU is their commitment to empowering women to think beyond pedantic issues of home-making but to also contribute to public discourses. On October 11, the SLU organised a panel discussion on the theme, “Use of money power to influence politics and governance and how to contain it.”
Elizabeth Pyngrope, the present secretary of the SLU, explained that “the reason for such a topic is because women form the bulk of voters but the question is whether they are informed voters.”
The panel discussion moderated by Editor of The Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim, saw a galaxy of participants including Dr Moses Kharbithai, Professor, Assam University, Dr Veronica Pala of NEHU, representatives of the Taxi Association of Umpling, Seng Samla and Seng Longkmie Umpling, besides Marius Kharkongor and Rodrick Lyngdoh, both members of the executive committee of Dorbar Shnong Umpling.
The discussion that lasted over an hour saw deliberations over many critical issues, primary among them were the need to develop a scientific temperament and to critically question all government decisions but above all to vote wisely using the yardstick of reason instead of emotions. Dr Moses Kharbithai stressed on the need for all bureaucrats and politicians to declare their assets upfront so that their acquisitions during their service tenure can also be tracked. He said that the fear of losing power is the course of corruption.
Dr Veronica Pala stressed on the lack of credible candidates and informed voters, both of which push people to vote for candidates that lack the merit to be elected. She spoke about the need for an economic roadmap so that people can develop their skills accordingly.
Rodrick Lyngdoh reiterated the need for skilling the youth in different capacities and also to use mechanisms like the Right to Information to get information and start a public debate on issues that merit to be debated. He pointed out that the fault of the public is that while they follow the candidates for their meetings they do not ever follow the election monitoring team and also do not delve into election expenses of candidates and political parties and their sources of funding.
Other panellists also spoke about the members of the MPSC never declaring their assets although the concerned clause is very much there in the rule book, and how that leads to corruption. They also pointed out that corruption in Meghalaya is normalised and that nothing gets done unless money changes hands.
Responding to this, Rodrick Lyngdoh said that there is the Meghalaya Public Services Act 2020, which guarantees that citizens should receive government services within a specified time frame. The Act establishes a Commission to oversee the implementation of the rules and to penalise public officials who fail to deliver services on time.
Members of the taxi drivers association felt that it is high time to cleanse politics of corruption and that political parties, which promise clean governance, should be brought to power and that people should stop accepting or demanding money from candidates before elections.
One of the outstanding contributions of the Seng Longkmie Umpling is the opening of a crèche in 2003, where working mothers can keep their kids under two responsible caretakers at a nominal cost of Rs 1,000 per month. The crèche, which now has 30 inmates, has helped young mothers pursue a livelihood while their babies are taken care of.
The SLU led by its present president NR Lyngdoh is also among the first to demand for inclusion of women in the Dorbar Shnong. After much struggle and writing to the Syiem of Mylliem and the KHADC, the executive members of the SLU are now part of the Dorbar.
Speaking as chief guest, Rangbah Shnong Umpling, SF Pyngrope rued the rise in POCSO cases in Meghalaya and urged the womenfolk to demand fast-track courts to solve POCSO cases. He also felt that substance abuse has to be dealt with collectively by all residents of Umpling and government authorities. He wished the SLU many more successful innings in the years to come. It may be mentioned that the plot of land on which the crèche is set up has been handed over to the SLU by the Dorbar Shnong. The SLU in turn has been able to access several government schemes to improve the infrastructure in the crèche.
A well-wisher of the SLU, who donates a monthly amount towards payment of salaries to the caretakers of the crèche, W Chyne, who is also the Secretary Dorbar Shnong of Mawkasiang, also spoke on the occasion and said he was envious of the manner in which the SLU functioned in such a vibrant manner. He promised to support the crèche during his lifetime.
The closing ceremony also saw the presence of the members of the Lympung Ki Seng Kynthei headed by Padma Shri Theilin Phanbuh, MPR Lyngdoh and Nilofer Laloo among other members.