People’s right to elect Syiem

SHILLONG, APR 5: Residents of Malai-Sohmat Hima on Tuesday urged the Meghalaya governor and District Council Affairs (DCA) department to set aside the bill of the hima recently passed by the KHADC for allegedly disrespecting and taking away the rights of the people.

Earlier, the residents under the banner of the ‘Synjuk Ki Riew Rangbah bad Khun U Hajar’ had also torn the Malai-Sohmat Bill as a mark of protest.

“We would soon meet the Governor and the District Council Affairs (DCA) authority to urge them not to clear the bill which is anti-people,” Synjuk chairman Hilarius Wanniang told reporters on Tuesday.He alleged that the bill has sought to take away the right of the people to participate in the dorbar and to elect the Syiem.

“Instead for the very first time in the history of the hima, the bill seeks to give the right to be electorate of only the seven clans,” Wanniang said. He claimed that in the year 1893, the Syiem of the Hima was elected by the people.

“This practice was again revived by the ARPA led by Ardent M Basaiawmoit when the people were again allowed to participate in the election process to elect the Syiem in 2014,” Wanniang said.

Earlier, the myntris of the Hima has claimed that as per customary practice of the hima only the seven clans are the eligible electorates in the election to the post of the Syiem.

According to them, only the Malai Clan and Sohmat Clan are eligible to contest the post of the Syiem.

However according to Wanniang, apart from Malai and Sohmat clan, the Iawrod Clan is also eligible to contest the Syiem’s post in the Hima.

The Synjuk has also slammed the KHADC chief PN Syiem and his executive committee for creating a ruckus in the hima by passing the bill without knowing the actual customary practices. He also alleged that the clan Dewsohbah, which was stripped of its right to elect the Syiem in 1903, was again reinstated by present KHADC CEM.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Synjuk also alleged the customary practices in the hima are not “consistent” and the KHADC should have conducted a study before passing the bill.  The rights of the people to participate in the election process should not at all get affected, he stated.- By Our Reporter