By Bhogtoram Mawroh
Meghalaya falls under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which is a special provision provided for creating a model of self governance for the administration of indigenous tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. While the concept and framework of the Sixth Schedule was the brainchild of BR Ambedkar (father of the India Constitution) and Gopinath Bordoloi (the first Chief Minister of Assam), Rev JJM Nichols Roy, a Khasi social, religious and political leader also played an important role defending special status for the indigenous tribal communities during the debates of the Constituent Assembly. He and Jaipal Singh of Jharkhand put up a spirited defence on the question of indigenous tribal autonomy when confronted by those who favoured assimilation of the indigenous tribal community into the mainstream. We must not forget that Meghalaya (except a few municipal areas) was exempted from CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) because it fell under the Sixth Schedule.
The Sixth Schedule provides for the setting up of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), of which there are 13 in number. Three of them are in Meghalaya, viz., Garo Hills Autonomous District Councils (GHADC), Khasi Hills Autonomous District Councils (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Councils (JHADC) are going to the polls in the next few months. Although these elections do not get the same attention that the assembly elections get, we need to pay more focus to them as well. This is because the District Councils have been given power to make laws on an exhaustive list of items, viz., land, management of forests, except reserved forests, regulation on trade by persons not being local Scheduled Tribes, appointment of traditional Chiefs and Headmen, inheritance of property, marriage, divorce, social customs, establishment and maintenance of primary schools, markets, taxation, issue of lease for extraction of minerals, etc. Many of these items are very critical. An accountable and capable District Council will go a long way in ensuring that citizens get their due rights. However, recent news coming out of the District Councils has been quite distressing. The recent Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report for the year ending March 31, 2018 has revealed significant lapses in the utilisation of funds sanctioned under the “Special Town and Rural Welfare Programme” by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC). The audit discovered 15 members of the District Council (MDCs) had not submitted utilisation certificates (UCs) for Rs 68 lakh in grants disbursed in March 2018, raising concerns about transparency and accountability. What was most shocking is that these 15 MDCs remained non-compliant despite repeated reminders. It is surprising that no political party has tried to reveal the identity of the 15 MDCs, considering the District Council elections are just around the corner. One can easily file an RTI and find out the name of the MDCs who did not submit the utilisation certificates. Such a revelation could easily open up the contest in these 15 seats, especially if the same MDC is still the incumbent one or if the same party was in power in those seats. Why would someone miss this splendid chance of challenging their rivals? Why is no political party, even those who are trying to win the election for the first time, not revealing the identity of these 15 MDCs? What are they hiding? The answer lies in the list of the 2014-2019 KHADC members list, which has some prominent names that are still around. Some are part of the present KHADC while others are playing an important role in state politics. The membership list is easily available online and I would encourage others to look at it themselves. In the meantime, it doesn’t look like the voters will get to know the identity of these 15 MDCs and the same people could very well win the election this time as well. So, whichever party wins, a business-as-usual scenario is what we are looking at for the next five years.
It is highly likely that efforts will be made to divert public attention, preventing any scrutiny of the potential illegality that has occurred, which may continue into the new session. There is a strong possibility that certain theatrics by the outgoing District Council will be repeated, either just before the elections to secure votes or after the elections to consolidate their control. When Titosstar Well Chyne was about to be removed as the CEM (Chief Executive Member) of KHADC because of the Congress and NPP combining to bring down his Executive Committee, he went around checking the trading license of non-indigenous shops in the city. Why does the head of the KHADC have to check licenses when any other official could have done the job? It was all meant to create a perception amongst the people that he is the most jaidbynriew loving politician and that he was about to be wronged by those who are against the jaidbynriew. After Pyniaid Sing Syiem became the new CEM he also engaged in the same theatrics: he also went around checking the licenses in order to create the same perception, i.e., he is the protector of the jaidbynriew. Such theatrics aren’t exclusive to politicians seeking to improve their image. Pressure groups then took over the mantle of checking licenses leading to harassment of migrant workers and a murder in Mawali-Mawroh. Therefore, I suspect that the weaponising of jaidbynriew politics to harass the non-indigenous residents of the state and migrant workers will continue this year as well. It will in most probably start just before or after the District Council elections.
Jaidbynriew politics and anti-immigrants sentiments, therefore, will again be prominent this year with the outcome of the District Council elections (whoever wins) being an important catalyst in strengthening that perception. This is despite the fact that there is no evidence of any large-scale illegal immigration into the state. Meanwhile, officials will continue siphoning public funds while falsely blaming non-existent illegal immigration for people’s problems. We will not be a minority in our homeland, but we will soon be the poorest.
Another concern with the upcoming District Council elections is whether the upcoming Executive Committee can function smoothly. I will look forward, and I hope others will do the same, towards the road map that those aspiring to winning the District Council elections propose. Of particular importance will be plans to make the District Council more financially autonomous. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the financial year ended March 31, 2019, revealed that the KHADC depended highly on state government funds to meet its financial needs. It could generate only 30% (Rs. 19.25 crore) from its own sources while 55% came from the state (Rs. 35.46 crore), 15% (Rs. 9.95 crore) as grants-in-aid from the central and state governments, and Rs 10 lakh as recovery of loans and advances. This dependency becomes even more critical considering that the total revenue receipts of KHADC decreased 49% from Rs 127.85 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 64.66 crore during 2018-19. There was a shortfall between the Budgetary Estimates and the actual collection of revenue, showing that the KHADC could not make its revenue collection mechanism effective. This made the District Council highly dependent on the state government.
This dependence on the state government will become a big problem if a non-MDA party were to win the elections. In such a scenario, it is very much possible that will be delays in disbursement of funds which will affect the functioning of the District Councils. This has been a constant complain of the District Councils in the past as well. However, this does not mean that the same party should get to rule the District Councils. People should choose those who are actually going to work rather than those who only make hollow claims and siphon money meant for the people. It is therefore absolutely critical for the citizens to know if those who want to rule have any plan to counteract any such impediments that are going to come their way. Or are we going to have a blame game for the next five years? Is this going to be the destiny of the people of Meghalaya? We are faced with a choice between being governed by the corrupt or by the incompetent. The outcome is the same: lack of any improvement in the well-being of the citizens of the state.
The upcoming district council elections are therefore going to be highly crucial. It will lay the groundwork for the next assembly elections. But beyond the political manoeuvring of power-seekers, we must not ignore the plight of ordinary people. The District Councils were established to protect the interests of their citizens, and it’s time we held them accountable for fulfilling their mandate.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)