Shillong, Jan 5: The recent statement of Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong that the Meghalaya Residents’ Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is being allowed to “die a natural death,” has not gone down well with the Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) stating that the remark is not a political opinion but a self-indictment failure of the MDA government.
Tynsong had attribute the failure of the Residents Act to alleged mistakes of the previous Mukul Sangma–led Government
“A law does not die naturally. It is either pursued with legislative intent or abandoned through executive inaction. By openly acknowledging that the MRSSA Bill has been left to lapse, the MDA Government has admitted that it chose not to exercise its full constitutional authority to amend, strengthen, or reintroduce the legislation in the principal Act,” HYC President Roy Kupar Synrem said.
The MRSS Amendment Bill was introduced in the Assembly in March 2020 under Conrad K Sangma as the Chief Minister. In November 2023, the Bill was returned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for review.
“From that point onwards, the Government repeatedly assured the public of re-examination, legal consultation, and stakeholder engagement. Yet, despite enjoying a clear majority and ample time, no amendment to the principal Act was ever brought before the House. Shifting responsibility to the previous regime does not absolve the present Government. Legislative defects, if any, could have been rectified at any stage during the MDA’s tenure,” Synrem said.
The HYC said that there is contradiction between repeated claims that the Centre had “not rejected” the Bill and the present admission that it has been allowed to lapse. “These inconsistent positions only reinforce the perception of indecision and lack of seriousness on an issue directly affecting indigenous security and demographic stability,” he added.
While the Residents’ Safety framework was projected as a meaningful alternative to ILP, the HYC said allowing it to collapse without replacement sends a dangerous signal by the NPP-led government that the protection of indigenous people is “negotiable, postponable, and ultimately expendable.”
HYC has demanded the government to place on record whether it intends to pursue with the Government of India to get a strong law with enforceable provisions or whether it has formally abandoned the objective of a statutory entry-regulation mechanism altogether
“Silence and evasion will only confirm what the Deputy Chief Minister’s statement has already revealed. HYC will pursue this matter through all democratic and constitutional means until clarity, accountability, and action are forthcoming from this Government,” Synrem said.
