Leader of the Maitshaphrang Movement, Michael Syiem, has called for public support in order to get an amendment inserted into the Meghalaya Succession to Self Acquired Property (Khasi and Jaintia Special Provision) Act 1986.
Syiem wants the law altered so that it also covers ancestral property and not only that which is self-acquired.
“The system of inheritance in our society is that in a family where there are no daughters and only sons, when the mother and father die, the claimants from the mother’s side will come and snatch away all the property and leave the boys literally on the street,” Syiem said at a press conference today. “That’s why we feel that this law is urgently required.”
In Syiem’s example, when a family has no girls, the female relatives of the mother can claim a right to inherit ancestral property.
Stating that a strong economy makes a strong nation, he said that the economy of the Khasi-Jaintia community will remain weak unless this amendment is made.
The existing legislation only covers property that a woman (again according to Syiem’s example) had acquired during the course of her lifetime and not that which she had inherited from her mother or other ancestors.
“We have launched this campaign to garner support from the public and various public meetings will be held to create awareness among the masses. It is high time that this amendment gets public support so that all the children get equal benefits,” he added.
