Chief Minister Conrad Sangma likes to make a point of making it to his appointments on time.
The news around the Meghalaya Games has been so negative in the last 24 hours that he could have been forgiven for skipping the opening ceremony altogether but, instead, he was punctual to a T. The programme was meant to start at 10am and Sangma was present at the stadium on time.
However, it could not begin on time because Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh only showed up 15 minutes later.
As ex-officio president of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association and minister in charge of Sports and Youth Affairs, both of which are organising the Games, Lyngdoh should have, if protocol had been followed, been present at the ground to receive the CM.
Amusingly, Sangma made it a point to refer to his punctuality, which he put down to a good habit that is part of his self-discipline, while speaking of its importance to the young athletes gathered at the stadium. Though he did not mention Lyngdoh by name, no one present could have missed the remark and its connection to the minister.
