Dear Editor,
Arunachal is dying not because of violence but because of silence. Even after all the hue and cry witnessed in the past few months in our state we are still chanting about the goodness of corrupt and devious leaders. It’s more saddening that well-educated people are silent when it comes to speaking up against what’s wrong in the society.
Anyone can give a speech, but there is a big difference between lecturing and making good on one’s promises. Only those who can go beyond their comfort levels are called true leaders and game-changers.
In Arunachal, politicians have turned into businessmen and businessmen into politicians. Learned men have turned blind and deaf, and unlearned men are leading the society. More hilarious are the youths, the so-called backbone of our society, who are becoming James Bonds of violence in the ongoing election campaigns.
We know that democracy is at stake when the concentration of wealth is in the hands of the few. This is a disease corroding the system not only in our state but all over India. Today we stand at a turning point in history, and we must prove whether this nation can endure – whether our society, with its freedom of choice, its breadth of opportunities and its range of alternatives can compete with those of other advanced states?
Look at China today. The country which had once been exploited and torn apart by imperial nations has risen to become one of the fastest growing economies of the world. China provides 50,000 jobs per hour to its unemployed youths, in comparison to only 450 jobs per hour in India. What a shame!
The irony is that the party which boasted about creating a corruption-free India and promised to provide two crore jobs to its youths, the government which promised to bring back all the black money from foreign banks in two years of its rule, making us vote for a change five years back, is nothing but one with a similar gimmick, only with a different brand name.
The ongoing rat race for the thrones is no longer for public service. The scheming Congress blaming the BJP and the jumla BJP blaming the Congress, the hapless PPA moving about clueless and the sudden eruption of the JD(S), the JD(U) and the NPP have infused confusion among the masses. As we have witnessed, the various political parties in our state are running short of clear ideologies and are in dire need of a moral compass.
This is the right time to choose our leaders wisely for the next five years, lest we regret. Instead of complaining and whining, let’s make the right choice today by not indulging in money culture but casting every single vote decisively. No matter which party comes to power, unless we choose a leader with true conviction, a vision, and empathy for their people, change will remain a mirage in this land.
Sincerely,
Ngurang Meena,
Ngurang Learning Institute