By Babul Dkhar
SHILLONG:
Voice of the People Party (VPP) candidate from Mairang, Shanlang Warjri, has said that the reason the state is not getting leaders with a vision is because the electorate is yet to understand how to choose their representatives.
“So if the people are yet to have an understanding of how to choose their legislators we are not getting leaders who have the power to think how to uplift the state and, therefore, it still lacks development,” Warjri told The Meghalayan.
He said that this is the reason Meghalaya is still considered a poor state.
He said that Meghalaya is not a poor state since God has blessed it with mineral resources and natural beauty which can be a source of income for the people.
“But Meghalaya still lacks development because of corruption, not enough avenues for employment and no leaders who are farsighted,” he said.
Warjri also said that the issue of unemployment is a cause of concern for the state.
He said that most people are doing odd jobs and there is no stable source of income.
The VPP candidate said that in Mairang constituency too there are many who are poor and there are not enough jobs for daily wage let alone government jobs.
He said that due to the poverty that many people are facing, politicians who are rich are taking advantage of the situation and exploiting them and it’s a vicious circle.
Warjri said that if the people cannot sacrifice the temporary benefits they receive during elections, then they will lose a future which is shining.
“Our people should be able to sacrifice things which politicians give during elections. We have seen in the past politicians do not have the capacity or vision to remove these difficulties,” Warjri said.
The VPP candidate, who is pitted against United Democratic Party (UDP) president and Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh, said that unemployment affects the health and education of an individual.
He said that the education sector in Mairang constituency needs to be improved.
Warjri said that due to lack of employment and better education opportunities in the rural areas people are migrating to the urban areas.
He also said that he chose to contest from the VPP since this party stands against corruption.
Warjri said that the national parties, who have been ruling Meghalaya for years, have shamed the state with their indulgence to corruption.
He said that if he wins from Mairang he will ensure that in his constituency if any official indulges in corrupt practices such a person will have to pay for it.
“But this should start with me. If I am corrupt but ask others not to indulge that is wrong,” he said.
On the notion that elections have become an expensive affair, Warjri said that he does not believe that people want money.
According to him, the 2023 assembly elections will ensure whom the people of Mairang constituency will choose – businessmen who dole out money or the truth.
Asked how he is funding his election campaign, Warjri said that well-wishers donate money for fuel and other expenses without any expectations even as he added that if a candidate accepts money from moneybags then that person will be under obligations, which he is totally against.
“If the election campaign is corrupt we will never get good and transparent governance,” Warjri said.
He said that his budget for his election campaign would be minimal so that he can truly serve his electorate if he wins.
Warjri, who resigned as a preacher of the Presbyterian Church, said that he chose to enter the political arena since he found similarities in the work.
“In both the fields we have to be close to the public and people also love and trust you,” he said.
He said that when he was a pastor, he met many people who came to him with their problems.
He said that when he was a preacher he could understand the problems the people faced and he learnt a lot.
“When I was a pastor I was close to the people and I could understand their problems and after giving it a thought I realised the only way I can help them is by entering politics,” he said.