Sankardev College held a symposium today that brought together seven political parties active in the state.
The subject was ‘Party Politics and Political Participation’ and was organised by the Departments of Political Science, History, Sociology and Philosophy.
College Principal Eureka FP Lyngdoh delivered the welcome address, which was followed by an introduction of the political representatives by Manbor Warjri. He stated that the objective of the symposium was for the participants to help members of the public to be informed as the state elections draw near. The moderator was S Maxwell Lyngdoh.
Although he was the last speaker, Gregory Shullai, of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said one of the more eyebrow-raising things when he stated that the people of Meghalaya need not be apprehensive of Hindutva, the overarching driving force of the saffron party at the national level, but which is the one aspect it tries to play down in Meghalaya. He also spoke about the uniqueness of the state’s people and the need to protect their culture.
Manuel Badwar, of the Congress Party, was the first speaker and he talked about the importance of taking care of people left behind and how corruption at the local level should be looked into in order to ensure transparency in governance. He also talked about how the government should be for the public and not the politicians. He added that the biggest problem in Meghalaya today is unemployment and the only way to solve this issue is either employment through the government sector or promoting self-employment.
Jemino Mawthoh, of the United Democratic Party, spoke about his experience in politics and how he had joined the UDP with fellow panellist Ardent Basaiawmoit in 2006. He talked about the ‘dependency syndrome’ and the urgent need to look at things differently and change people’s mindsets. He raised other major issues and concerns in the state, including urban congestion but still said we should look ahead positively.
Fabian Lyngdoh, of the Trinamool Congress, spoke about India’s multi-political party system as compared to other countries and how India as a democracy is still at an early stage and is still lacking social leadership. He disagreed with the Congress on employment, saying that jobs are not lacking but the skill to be employed is and, therefore, he urged students to think ahead with a new vision and promote skill enhancement policies that can only come from competent leadership and proper guidance.
KP Pangniang, of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party, who is also an alumnus of the college, talked about the progress of the college during the last 60 years and congratulated it on this milestone. He spoke about 50 years of the HSPDP’s journey, beginning with the late Hopingstone Lyngdoh. He talked about how the party stands for the protection of the rights of the hill people and time and again the leaders have given proposals to the government demanding the amendment of para 12A of the Sixth Schedule which is still yet to be fulfilled as this clause affects the uniqueness of our culture and people.
Bajop Pyngrope, of the National People’s Party, opened his speech by talking about the NPP’s steps to resolve different and sensitive issues, such as the boundary disputes and encouraged the youth to come and participate in politics. He also dwelt on development projects started in rural areas, such as the cultivation of ginger, turmeric, jackfruit and so on.
Ardent Basaiawmoit, of the Voice of the People Party, said that talking about Meghalaya invariably brings about issues that are problems and unanswered questions rather than success stories. He added that Meghalaya is facing these problems because it lacks visionary leaders. While talking of the political instability over the years and how that has deteriorated further, he stood firm in his ideology for clean politics and to protect the rights of indigenous people.
