Editor,
A government riddled with charges of misgovernance, scams and corruption is re-elected and is back in the driving seat of the ‘bus’. As prophesied, it’s a jam-packed ‘bus’ with some of its associates standing on the footboard and some clinging on its roof. A newbie creates a sensational debut – hums the right notes, the right tune (pun intended) and raises the decibel levels at the altar of the State’s democratic setup. The opposition parties are opposing each other. The debutant, also in the opposition, thunders to take matters back to the streets after its President claimed that the government is not giving the Assembly a chance to discuss the Roster System issue. If issues can be resolved and won in the streets, what is the need to have elected representatives in the State Assembly?
The State Reservation Policy and the current Roster System are issues that need to be deliberated and must take priority in the political discourse of the State. But looking at the demography of our State and the extent of the Roster System affecting the political aspirations of an individual/party, it’ll take a number of Solomons to come out with a pragmatic solution to the issue.
We need to establish a ‘fair’ and a ‘just’ society which provides equal opportunity to all and sundry. As some political parties and individuals are drooling on how to milk the issue in their best interests, why not also explore the idea of the creamy layer (when the annual income exceeds a certain amount) of our society forsaking reservation and thereby provide a level playing field for the less fortunate. As in the case of OBCs, the creamy layer of the OBCs cannot stake claim to any reservation.
Successive governments in our State have failed to create large scale employment in the public sector. So even if we eventually have an accepted form of the Roster System, unemployment shall continue to bite our backside. The State players need to stress on the importance of providing uninterrupted power supply, high speed internet with increased bandwidth and find ways to attract investors to support young entrepreneurs and to open up new avenues for the educated unemployed youths. Issues like the current Roster System should take centre stage but we cannot be blinded by it and allow other opportunities slip past us.
Banphira Lang Basaiawmoit,
Nongkseh, Upper Shillong
