By Toki Blah
The recent Meghalaya Government Cabinet rejig happened on September 17, 2025. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had dropped 8, very senior political figures, from his cabinet. The reshuffling caused some minor ripples of heartburn but apparently things are back to normal. Politicians in general, both in the ruling coalition and the opposition, appear to have accepted it as a fait accompli; the usual prerogatives of a Chief Minister. The reasons given for such drastic changes was the apparent need to ensure regional balance by giving fair representation from different districts. (difficult to understand, because one was always led to believe that Cabinet Ministers were there to ensure the development of their respective Departments in the state as a whole and not for the specific interest of any particular district or constituency. That’s how the common man interprets “regional balance” and “fair representation” ). Party loyalty; and long party association were also added for good measure. Politically valid reasons perhaps, but with governance apparently in the doldrums, this midstream change of guard is something hard for the common person to digest. One is yet to hear how the above changes are supposed to lift Meghalaya and its people from the pits we are in. People are skeptical! They are again suspicious of some high level trickery. So from a purely secular, non-partisan viewpoint of the ordinaryu citizen, I believe We The People have the right to question such changes. So shall we start?
Lets start, with what the electorate expect from the people they have elected? People generally expect good governance to deliver value in several key sectors, namely (A) Provide Quality Public Services, to the State as a whole and not only to their respective constituencies and districts. These Public Services cover a wide range of subjects namely (i) Quality and reliable education for all (ii) Accessible and affordable health care especially to the poor and marginalized (iii) Effortless and cheap transport (iv) 24 x 7 power and energy (v) Safe and clean drinking water (vi) Last but not least, viable livelihood and employment. Everyone is entitled- not just selected districts
(B) Provide, create, maintain and improve basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sanitation and internet services. Again for everyone not only to a selected few. Now in the 21st century, economically driven world order, Government and the whole political establishment (meaning the Legislative Assembly too as a whole) is expected to work collectively ( Ruling as well as Opposition) to bring about viable Economic Legislation where people can work, trade, innovate, and invest. Cabinet Ministers are expected to responsibly manage development so as to usher in employment, fair wages, and sustainable growth throughout the entire state, irrespective of their personal dependability on the district or constituency they represent. My point is, does the rationale behind the recent Cabinet reshuffle reflect these basic qualities for Good Governance? I think not. Therefore the Cabinet Rejig exercise is fair game to be critiqued.
The dismissed Minister Education, people believe, deserved to be dropped. He was a disaster for the Department he was in charge of, so he had to go. What is not understood is why then replace him with the present incumbent, who in his former avatar as Education Minister, had proved to be equally incompetent? He has now been reincarnated plus reinstated in his old avatar! Strange but true, our Education has been under tremendous pressure for its dismal performance. We were the lowest in the latest PGI ratings. Government was in a fix as to how to redeem the situation. Political gimmicks were resorted to ensure dramatic pass percentages, but on a serious note, the Government did also set up a Commission to go in depth into the reasons for education’s fall from grace. Now it seems the Report of the Commission is ready. In all this frenzy of anxious activities, one is yet to come across any expression of anxiety; concern; advice or offer of inputs by way of experience or knowledge by the newly installed Minister for this godforsaken department. Just because he wanted to represent his district? Is that fair to the rest of the state? At best this can be called the Joke of the Year! Then there is an equally non- performing Minister, yet he was not dropped. I refer to the Minister for Urban Affairs and Transport. Both the departments he is in charge of are in shambles. Things are getting from bad to worse. Another non- performing asset of the Cabinet. Another proven zero. Yet he is retained. Instead it seems he has been rewarded for his failures by providing him with more clout within the Cabinet. Shocking if not outright scandalous! Government needs to explain the above two mysteries to the public. I know, “Explanation for High Level tomfoolery,” is an unheard of expression in the corridors of power, but we simple folks call it Public Accountability. Can we have it please?
As if the above were not enough, the public was presented with another governing mystery to resolve. The public as mentioned above are more concerned with delivery and performance and there were at least three Departments that did show a glimmer of hope in performance. There was Tourism, Power and Health that as departments were exhibiting some form of animation and vibrancy. One of the reasons perhaps for movement and signs of life within these departments was the fact that all three were headed by ministers who were educated. They perhaps could apply their minds to what they were expected to do, not simply “Approved as proposed” LTI any files put up before them.
Yes, friends Education does count! The mystery mentioned above was that these performing ministers were dropped to be replaced by, let’s say, less educated and yet to be proven , political personalities. Again why was the Chairman State Planning Board moved to the Cabinet? The Planning Board has a very important role to play in shaping the vision and planning of the state. More I would say than any ministerial posting. We still all remember when PA Sangma held this chair (2008-2012 that ranked equal with the CM) and the enthusiasm, dynamism and sense of vitality he brought into the Government of the day through his efforts as SPB Chairman to (a) prepare an inventory of available and potential resources of the State- both capital and human resources and investigate the possibilities of augmenting and improving such resources. (b) to prepare a perspective plan for the State for the next 15-20 years for the optimum and balanced utilization of the State’s resources and indicate plan priorities. The present CM was Finance Minister then, he should remember. These are issues Meghalaya critically requires if it is to move ahead and progress. Now if a Chairman of the SPB, equivalent in rank with the CM, is unable to deliver there, then what is the rationale and belief that he would perform better as a Minister? Again the public I think needs an explanation.
I wish to conclude with the following remarks. Firstly, I am absolutely apolitical I.e. I do not belong nor support any political party and it is my personal belief that Meghalaya does not have any political party that is really sincere nor capable of serving the people and in providing the state with the Good Governance it desperately needs. Secondly, it is my experience from contacts with the so called “High Level” wallahs, that people contest elections simply to win; to be in power; but when handed that power , begin to gasp like fish out of water, because they are thoroughly unacquainted on how to use power for improving the lives of people. So they simply end up using that power to enrich themselves and it ends there. Thirdly, I have a growing suspicion that it is a well thought out, planned political conspiracy to keep the people as uneducated as possible. That is why most elections are contested based entirely on who can distribute the maximum amount of money or raise the maximum amount of emotional frenzy in an illiterate electorate. Manifestos are 11th hour afterthoughts that mean nothing. An illiterate electorate falls for this trick every time and thus each new Government begins with the actual dismantling of governance.
Fourthly, based on the above observations, I view the recent Cabinet Reshuffle not as a political necessity but more as a need to convert the Cabinet into a Business Cartel with the hope that it will pass public scrutiny. This is being said because most of the present Cabinet is composed of High End business men. Those that don’t belong to this “High Level” business class have been eased out. For those interested in knowing more as to what is meant by the term Business Cartel, please open your Google network, type in “Business Cartel” and then click the search button. The description is too horrible, shocking and repulsive to describe here. Yet when one analyses the rejig under discussion it fits in exactly as per that Google description. So who is to blame for the mess we find ourselves in? Take a look in the mirror to get the correct answer.
