Editor,
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding recent developments in the Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya government following the latest cabinet reshuffle, in which as many as eight ministers were dropped from the Council of Ministers. While such reshuffles are a part of democratic governance and may be necessary for administrative efficiency or political realignment in a coalition led government, I am alarmed by growing speculation that these dropped ministers might be reappointed in some capacity with full cabinet rank with designations that carry equivalent status and privileges.
Such a move, if implemented, would not only undermine the spirit of accountability and performance-based governance but also directly contradict the intent behind the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003. This landmark amendment explicitly limits the total number of ministers including the Chief Minister to no more than 15 percent of the total strength of the Legislative Assembly, subject to the minimum of twelve Ministers including the Chief Minister. The rationale behind this restriction was clear. To prevent unwarranted expansion of the council of ministers, curb fiscal extravagance, and promote smaller, more efficient governments.
Meghalaya, like other states, is bound by this constitutional cap. Reappointing dropped ministers under alternative titles while granting them cabinet rank and associated perks would effectively circumvent the ceiling imposed by the 91st Amendment. It would be a mere exercise in evasion preserving numbers under different labels thereby defeating the very purpose of the Constitutional Amendment.
Moreover, each ministerial position entails substantial financial burden on the state exchequer: salaries, allowances, official vehicles, security, staff, and administrative support. Appointing additional people with cabinet status regardless of their titles or designations will place an unnecessary strain on public funds at a time when resources are urgently needed for health-care, education, infrastructure, and rural development. Meanwhile, thousands of educated youth in Meghalaya sit at home, waiting endlessly for a job, their dreams gathering dust, while the state spends more on political positions instead of creating opportunities for the unemployed.
I urge the state government to uphold the principles of transparency, fiscal responsibility, and constitutional integrity. There should be no fresh or reappointed positions created after the cabinet reshuffle. Any attempt to bring back dropped ministers under new titles or designations violates both the spirit and letter of the Constitution. The size of the cabinet must not exceed the 15% cap mandated by the 91st Constitutional Amendment, and no post-reshuffle appointment should be made merely to pacify political allies or for political rehabilitation.
While the government is busy finding new ways to rehabilitate rich, dropped ministers with fancy titles and fat salaries, thousands of educated young people in Meghalaya are struggling to find even a single job interview. These youth, many of whom have degrees, dreams, and desperate hopes for a future, are being ignored while the same privileged few are handed safety nets made of public money. Is this justice? Is this development? When will the government stop protecting the powerful and start empowering the powerless? The youth are not asking for privileges, they are begging for opportunity. Why are we so eager to bring back ministers who already have wealth and power, while our youth suffer in hunger, live without hope, and cannot even afford food or shelter?” The people of Meghalaya deserve a lean, accountable, and effective government one that respects both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution.
Yours etc.,
Marbiang Lyngdoh Rymbai,
Via email
Tears in Heaven (And Earth)
Editor,
Eric Clapton wrote the initial lyrics of “Tears in Heaven,” which his co-writer Will Jennings improvised to finally give an immortal song that is deeply personal and ephemeral. Clapton, who was trying to heal from the untimely demise of his son, sings – “Would you know my name/If I saw you in Heaven? I must be strong and carry on/’Cause I know I don’t belong/here in heaven.” This song has gone on to become an eternal reminder that loss can happen to anyone and that we finally must come to terms with it by being ‘strong’ and ‘carrying on’
It’s such an irony that Zubeen Garg sang this song as perhaps his last song in Singapore, a day before his demise. Was there a message hidden by the Universe for all of us who have lived and breathed his songs that even Zubeen is finite, and the ultimate truth is after all death.
Zubeen has himself spoken of the unpredictability of life in an interview with NewsLive referring to the incident of his sister Jonkey’s death in an accident. That he believed life is short and unpredictable reflected in the carefree manner in which he lived. Everyone who knows or heard of him, knows of his rebellious and carefree spirit. And that made him more endearing than many other artists of this era. Zubeen, perhaps knew that death would only take his physical presence. His soul was immortal. It is his soul that he leaves behind with millions of his fans in the music that he created. It will rest in the lyrics and music of all the songs he has sung in multiple languages. In his own way, Zubeen for me was no less of a philosopher. A philosopher-poet who wrote songs that made up for our inadequacies of expression. A poet who rendered songs that have calmed our aching hearts, made us smile and kindled hope when there was none. Poets never die. They just pass on from one dimension to another much like Zubeen has. In his own poem titled “Water,” he writes: “I may go from river to the sea/ I can come back to the river/ Only my colour will change/ Only my taste will change/ Be Water. Be Shapeless.” Zubeen left for the eternal cosmic ocean on Sep 19, 2025, but he left a message for all of us in poems and in his last song – only his ‘colour’ will change, only his ‘taste’ will change as we begin an era with him, without him. We must “carry on.”
Yours etc.,
Binodan K D Sarma,
Via email
