The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) has strongly criticised the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) for what it termed as inaction and political doublespeak over alleged anomalies involving the participation of non-tribals in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.
In a press statement, CoMSO chairman Roy Kupar Synrem said it was unacceptable that the matter remained unresolved despite the NPP being in power for eight years.
“At a time when the rights, identity and constitutional safeguards of the indigenous tribal people are under threat, the NPP has chosen to hide behind empty words, delays and calculated silence. This issue is far too serious to be reduced to another round of political drama and deceptive assurances,” Synrem said.
He added that the indigenous people of Meghalaya would no longer tolerate a government that speaks strongly in public but fails to act decisively when it comes to protecting the interests of tribal communities.
CoMSO stated that the NPP should not continue to “fool the people” with promises of merely looking into the matter while confusion, loopholes and legal uncertainty persist.
“If the NPP and the government truly respect the autonomy of the GHADC and the rights of the Achik community, they must prove it through immediate action,” Synrem said, adding that the continued delay raises serious doubts about the sincerity and political will of the NPP-led government.
The organisation asserted that a government that fails to safeguard the foundation of indigenous tribal rights loses the moral authority to speak about governance, justice or indigenous welfare.
CoMSO further demanded urgent and concrete steps to address the issue, stressing that the sanctity of the GHADC elections must be protected and any anomaly affecting the legal and constitutional rights of the Achik people must be rectified without delay.
“The indigenous people are watching, and they will not forgive leaders who choose convenience over conviction,” Synrem warned.
The organisation cautioned that patience among indigenous communities is wearing thin and warned that continued inaction could lead to growing anger against what it termed as a betrayal of the indigenous people of the state.
