Former MLA, Ardent Basaiawmoit formally launched his political party, the Voice of the People Party (VPP).
The creation of the party was announced last month but formally got going today.
Basaiawmoit, who has previously been with the HSPDP and UDP, has been in the political wilderness since losing the 2018 state elections, though that has not stopped him attempting to launch grassroots movements since.
The ex-MLA is the president of the nascent party, with other leaders comprising academics Kara H Shen (vice-president) and Ricky AJ Syngkon (general secretary). These three were formally elected to their roles at the first general meeting of the party today.
The aim of the VPP is to make politics in Meghalaya “clean, ethical, responsible and accountable”.
There is an absence of good legislators and serious lawmakers in Meghalaya because of the corruption wrought by “money bags and businessmen”.
The VPP intends to contest the 2023 state elections and will put forward candidates who are educated and who have integrity.
Chief among the issues that the party will fight on are the economy, livelihoods, Inner Line Permit, border dispute with Assam and recognition of Khasi in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Basaiawmoit also said that a committee of economic experts has been constituted by the party to study the unemployment situation in the state and the means to combat the problem.
“People are experiencing a lot of hardship. They have seen the failure of this government and the failure of existing political parties in the state,” he said. “There is a general opinion and feeling among the masses that they are fed up with the existing political parties and they want to see a new political party, which is fresh and clean.”
