Shillong, July 20: The Conglomeration of NGO’s from Garo Hills opposed for the demand of separate district council by the Hajong, Rabhas, Koches, Boro-Kacharies and Mann tribes in the meeting the DoNER Minister, Mr Jitendra Singh and demanding a separate District Council for them we the GSU, FKJGP, ADE & AYWO out rightly rejects and condemn all the demands made by those organisations.
These organizations and their demands are unfounded and irrational let alone reasonable or worth reckoning. Neither, does these tribes, have evident number of population to demand a separate District Council nor reservation in the existing District Council. And regarding the Job Reservation Policy these organizations are barking up the wrong tree, if they want more reservation in Government Jobs, they should rather approach the state and central Goverments.
Perhaps these organizations are living in a world so disconnected to reality that they have not noticed that the GHADC have more than 1 year’s salary pending to be paid to its employees. The concern at the moment is whether a blanket ban on any appointment should be made in the GHADC, let alone job reservation for any Tom, Dick or Harry. The GHADC have not and should never introduce any job reservation policy in future as well, as it will set a wrong precedence, affecting all other District councils and Territorial Councils, in the whole of North East India.
These organizations also advocates concentrating powers on Gaonburas (Village Headmen), which is, an act trying to undermine the power of the Traditional heads, which is the Nokma. This suggestion will never be tolerated by us, and thus neither will we tolerate the organizations which suggested the same. The Garo community has always respected other STs living in Garo Hills but, such unacceptable demands by a few group of people is testing the patience of the otherwise tolerant Garos.
These so called organizations, seems to be agents, working to create disharmony in Garo Hills. We consider the action of these organizations as a provocation against the Garo community and will not remain as mere spectators if they continue with their malevolent designs. These organizations should be rooted out of Garo Hills if harmony is to be expected.
The conglomeration of Garo NGOs; GSU, FKJGP, ADE, AYWO & FAF have in the past vehemently opposed the participation of non-tribal in the GHADC yet, never have these organizations questioned the participation of other STs in the GHADC elections, but, the current insensitive actions of these few unscrupulous organizations is forcing us to reconsider our stand on who should be legitimate voters and contestants in GHADC elections.
The conglomerates of NGOs will never allow any of the demands made by those shady organizations to materialize and we also seek explanation from the leaders of these communities whether they support the demands of these organizations or otherwise. We the conglomerate NGOs will construe silence as the leaders of these communities being in support of those organizations and so we will act accordingly.
