Editor,
With majority of the electorate now realising the need for lawmakers and policymakers to represent us in the legislative institutions of the parliament and the State Assembly, we also see in the social and print media where many candidates interviewed by the press and even in their campaign trail, picking up this trend and echoing the same ‘concern’.
While there are some candidates who have spelled out the laws and policies they will introduce once they are elected, there are others who are just parroting this public concern that the state urgently needs lawmakers and policymakers if the State is to move forward and progress without elaborating what are the laws and policies they will initiate be it on critical issues like health, education, employment, economy, sports and other issues if elected as an MLA.
It is high time for our friends in the media and also the electorate to ask these candidates to spell out just one or two laws and policies that they will help introduce and frame in the next 100 (hundred) days once they are elected to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly so that the public can judge and vote accordingly or else this sudden ‘concern’ will become just a slogan for someone’s political gain.
There is also much talk about the importance of a ‘corruption free government’ but there is no mention about fully implementing the provisions of the Meghalaya Lokayukta Act 2014 which was campaigned for many years by the Meghalaya Right to Information Movement. This Act is a powerful weapon and is one step to bring about that ‘corruption free government’ which many of these political parties and candidates are promising the people of the State. If they are really serious about this, then they should assure the people of Meghalaya that they will implement all the provisions of the Meghalaya Lokayukta Act 2014 once elected or else the promise of a ‘corruption free Meghalaya’ will not have the desired result as expected by the citizens of the State.
May the political consciousness of the electorate in Meghalaya be raised a notch higher.
Michael N. Syiem
Jaiaw, Shillong.
