Editor,
Meghalaya being a unique matrilineal society has not only flaunted its fame and popularity simply of its inimitable landscape and its panoramic topographical composition, but most importantly of its complex and distinct ethnic cultures and traditions. The land has three beautiful and distinctive State’s festivals showcasing the uniqueness and richness of its divine traditions and heritages while each exhibiting its religious and cultural significance.
Every resident of the State feels proud to be the son and daughter of this land embedding unison and oneness with peace and harmony amidst diverse customs and practices. However, others in power are playing governance favouritism at their own will for their political and business interest.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his government are all set to achieve ‘another feather in the hat’ out of all the false claims and fake promises fooling the residents with nothing but false hope. The Chief Minister while making his presence felt in all the three State’s Festivals viz: Behdeinkhlam Festival of the Jaintia, the ‘Shad Suk Mynsiem’ of the Khasi and the Wangala Dance of the Garo, however failed to equate the cultural importance’s of all the festivals besides others main festivals being celebrated by other communities in the State.
In the modern days of western influences, preservation and conservation of the indigenous practices and traditions is of utmost urgency besides popularising and displaying its singularity to the rest of the world. Government aided and financial grants for such festivals should be prioritised irrespective of ethnic differences.
The Chief Minister in his latest visit to the Wangala Dance Festival celebrated a few weeks back handed over a special assistance of Rs 50 lakhs as a means of popularising and preserving the festival of which personally I extend my warmest regards to all our dearest brothers and sisters in Garo hills. But the question is, what about the other two State’s festivals? Aren’t both festivals also equitably entitled for the special assistance Mr. Chief Minister? Is favouritism being played here?
The two other State festivals of the Jaintia and the Khasi Hills which have been collaborated in synchronised with the grand celebration of the Nation’s 75th years of Independence along with the Meghalaya 50th statehood however remain unaided by our State government. Thanks to our honourable Chief Minister for all the lip services that he has rendered towards us.
As a veteran and a concerned citizen of the State, I failed to understand as to why our Chief Minister chose to open his eyes in Garo Hills while closing his eyes towards Jaintia and Khasi hills? Being a secular state, why is such an unjust and biased act being played by our Chief Minister and his government even in promoting our very own cultures and traditions which in other word is our sole ‘identity’?
I personally felt ashamed and humiliated to witness the drama being presented by the Chief Minister. Where are all the legislators from Khasi and Jaintia Hills? What are you all doing? I appeal to all the members of the house from Jaintia and Khasi Hills to at least for once in the history of politics stand together and fight for the same cause. If the legislators of the Garo hills all stand in unison for the progress and development of the region, I wonder what our Khasi and Jaintia legislators have been doing all these while. Stop playing the ‘Yes card’ as you have all been doing till date.
Apart from the above cultural agenda, this government is regularly practicing and indulging in partisanship while appointing or assigning officers based on the ‘puppet centric mode’. While some District Heads or Departmental Heads remained untouched and remained in the same spot for a long number of years, other ‘not so obeying’ officers get premature punch at a regular interval of their service years even in spite of being the fittest in their line of work.
The latest development is witnessed in East Jaintia Hills district with the recent premature transfer of its Deputy Commissioner who barely got to serve for a mere one year and two months due to reasons best known to the Chief Minister and his government. This very practice has deteriorated the progress and development of the general public and in turn, flourished the business interest of the people in power.
It is high time for those ‘Puppet Officers’ who have been playing a marionette role to realise their very own self respect and dignity and to start independently working and serving the State for the interest of the people and not for their political masters.
