The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) is less than satisfied with the state government’s plan for the roster system, describing it as an exercise in buying time.
Yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the cabinet will discuss how to implement the roster system that will be used to administer the job reservation policy. KHNAM vice-president Thomas Passah today said that this does not sound promising.
There has been much debate over the roster system, specifically whether it should be retrospective or prospective in implementation. Khasi-Jaintia-centric groups and political parties are against retrospective implementation, seeing it as an unfair way to benefit the Garo community.
“We would like to state that discussing the roster system in the cabinet alone will not solve or bring light to the problems,” Passah said in a press release. “The hopeful steps the government is planning to take on the issue, which includes, cabinet meeting, meeting with the MDA partners, all-party meeting, etc, as stated by the Deputy CM, seem to be a time buying tactic on one hand while, on the other hand, recruitment of various departments is being speeded up to capitalise on the current and illegal roster system to help one section of community.”
He claimed that there has been a flurry of government job advertisements floated of late, with some giving “more seats to Garos and fewer seats to the Khasi-Jaintia community”.
The party would prefer to see recruitment put on hold until a “proper and legal” roster system is in place.