Former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong has offered his supported to the demand for inclusion of women in decision making particularly in the traditional institutions such as the dorbar shnongs.
“Our society cannot alone stand without women’s participation and I fully agree that they should be part of the decision making in the dorbar shnong,” he told Highland Post.
When asked why not the district council passed a law on this, Lanong said that women participation is not barred and they are participating in most of the locality and village dorbar shnongs.
“We under Malki which falls under Hima Mylliem, women are participating in dorbar shnong including during the election of the rangbah shnong. Likewise the same is in most localities,” he said.
Lanong chose to disagree on women contesting the highest post as that of a rangbah shnong but was open to accepting it if there are suitable ones.
The Lympung Ki Seng Kynthei (LKSK) had recently demanded the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council to include women in decision making in dorbar shongs.
The LKSK, an apex body comprising 28 women’s organisations in East Khasi Hills District, has been raising this issue since 2011 and wants the district council to come up with a law so that things are streamlined.
The organisation felt that the time is ripe for change since the Seng Kyntheis/ Seng Longkmies of various dorbars do lend a hand in any issue concerning their respective dorbars.
The issue of female representation in Dorbar Shnongs and other traditional governance bodies of the Khasi community has been a vexed one for many years now. According to custom, women are not allowed to participate in the local dorbar.
