Cabinet minister and government spokesman, Paul Lyngdoh, today called out the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) for allegedly playing political games when it comes to the issue of the Lokayukta officials.
The VPP has been trying to stir up the public over the matter of the Lokayukta officials who were sacked by the state government in December shortly after they had acted against the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law over a supposed scam in Garo Hills. However, the government maintained that the removal of the officials (who were retired civil servants acting as temporary appointees in the Lokayukta) and replacement of them with serving civil servants was by the book.
The VPP fears that serving civil servants will be susceptible to influence from their political masters and will therefore not be able to hold them to account. Lyngdoh, though, said that retirees do not have the same clout as serving officials, making the latter more effective in the role.
The government had already tried other justifications for the rules that mandate serving officials hold the posts in the Lokayukta, with the CM using a laughable excuse that retirees would have to be paid remuneration while sitting ones would only draw their existing salaries, so they would not cost the exchequer anything extra.
Lyngdoh’s arguments were more succinct, though doubtless will not sway the VPP.
He did not hold back against the opposition, saying that it is misleading the public on the matter. “It is also an attempt to deflect public attention from the issues which are important,” Lyngdoh said.
The Lokayukta legislation clearly states that retired government officials cannot be appointed to the ombudsman body, he said, and if one tinkers with the law then the government will be accused of violating it. “First you say that you want transparency in governance and at the same time you want that the government to violate the act. How can we do both?” Lyngdoh said.
“This is fundamental for the existence of the act because the power and influence of people who have retired is far lower than that of officers who are in service. It is on this principle and we cannot deviate from the act,” the minister added.
Lyngdoh said that the VPP could bring up the issue during the upcoming budget session of the Assembly but is choosing to hit the streets instead.
He also said that the Lokayukta is not under the direct control of the state government and since it is not a government department, it cannot be influenced. Other safeguards are in place to ensure that the officers appointed to the role are protected from influence – namely they have a specific tenure and cannot be removed at the whims and fancies of the state and they also operate under a particular code of conduct.
The commission is also open to public scrutiny and so are the minutes of their meetings. Members of the opposition are also important members of various committees constituted by the Assembly, he pointed out, like the Public Accounts Committee, which is regarded as a mini assembly and sits whenever the house does not sit is chaired by a member of the opposition. Therefore there is adequate room for the opposition to address all their issues within the four walls of the Assembly and within the confines of the various committees constituted by the house without having to take to the streets all the time, Lyngdoh said.
