ILP: FKJGP willing for a discussion

***A girl walking on the empty toad during the night road blockade called by the pro ILP ngos.***

Shillong, October 31: A day after deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh said that the present MUA II coalition government’s door is open for discussion on the ILP issue with ngos, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia Garo People (FKJGP) said that the organization is willing to come to the negotiation table with the state government to break the current impasse over the demand for implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya.

FKJGP is one of the thirteen ngos who has been agitating for the implementation of the ILP in the state.

FKJGP general secretary Welbirth Rani said that the ngo understand that there cannot be a stop gap arrangement to resolve the demand for protection for the local people.

In a press statement issued on Thursday, Rani said the ngo is willing to come to the negotiation table and expect the government to also show its goodwill gesture by curbing down on the arrest of its members. Speaking about the Tenancy Bill which government intends to implement in the state to check influx, Rani felt that the government need to come up with a more comprehensive mechanism if not the ILP.

Rani also wondered why the ngos concern’s for the welfare of the indigenous people receives such a cold response from those who are responsible to safeguard the interests of the people they govern.

Rani recalled that the standoff between the government and ngos on the ILP issue was sowed a year ago when chief minister Mukul Sangma was not willing to spell out a comprehensive mechanism of controlling influx and instead was buying time. He said this later led to the deadlock between the government and the ngos when both met to speak on the influx issue.

Rani said that the he wanted to be candid before the people and the government that the ngos stand is aimed towards the protection of the local indigenous because of the influx into the state as the indigenous tribal were in a danger of being reduced into a minority because of the sudden economic globalization.

Rani also clarified that the ngos proposed introduction iof the ILP was not aimed at the genuine Meghalaya citizens who have contributed to the socio-economic development of the state and the local people.

Rani, however, lamented that the state government has so far been rather hazy about the comprehensive mechanism to stop influx into the state.- By Our Reporter