Leaving the church for politics is not a transition but evolution, KAM Meghalaya candidate for North Shillong Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh said today after filing his nomination papers to contest the February 27 election.
“For me, it’s not a transition and I’m not the first pastor to enter politics and neither will I be the last,” he said, referring to Rev Jesse Evans who was a member of the Legislative Council in 1921 during British rule, Rev JJ Nicholos Roy, Rev LS Diengdoh and others.
Stating that he has been shaped by ‘public theology’, Pyrtuh said, “I come into the public square sharing my faith and belief, questioning the government of the day on issues that matter to society, especially the common people. And I’m rooted in my belief. I’ve evolved more, during my seven-year struggle with the street vendors and hawkers of Shillong and I have learned more than what I’ve learned in the church.”
Although not a resident of North Shillong, Pyrtuh was a pastor in one of the constituency’s biggest churches, Mawkhar, which makes him a known figure in the area.
Mindful that any hint of being a non-believer in what is still a very religious society could be disastrous, he made it clear that he left the Presbyterian church only as a minister but continues to remain a member.
“I left in July 2010 because there’s a rule in the church where pastors are not allowed to contest or even campaign for a candidate,” he explained.
On the unemployment issue, he said the rural employment scheme must be expanded into urban areas so that young people in the cities can be assured of at least some employment in a year.
He also stressed on the low minimum wage in Meghalaya, compared with other small states like Sikkim where the minimum wage is Rs 500 and states like Kerala where they pay Rs 700 a day.
