Women oppose appointment of new Chairperson in Meghalaya

Shillong, July 8 (UNI) Synjuk Ki Seng Longkmie (SKSL), a women's group, today reiterated its demand to retain outgoing chairperson of Meghalaya State Women Commission Biloris Lyndem.

Hundreds of women's organisations from various parts of the state assembled at Malki ground voicing protest at the appointment of a new chairperson.

The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) coalition Government had constituted a Search and Select Committee (SSC) with State Social Welfare Minister Nimarson Momin as its convener to shortlist names for reconstituting the SWC.

Meghalaya is possibly the first state in the country where women's organisations will have the chance to choose their nominees for the Women's Commission.

However, members of the SKSL protested the formation of the SSC saying that the committee did not represent women from all seven districts of the state.

''The SSC is Shillong centric and does not represent women from all over the state,'' SKSL president Lucratia Laloo said.

Soon after the SKSL protested, the government inducted three other women Aruna Biswa, Lucratia Laloo and Wandana Jyrwa.

The SKSL, however, said the new inductees were not formally appointed. Ms Laloo said, ''We did not receive any confirmation letter to include us in the SSC, but, we were informed over telephone to attend a meeting to shortlist names of members of the commission.

The Synjuk Ki Seng Longkmie(SKSL) met Governor RS Mooshahary and Chief Minister Donkupar Roy, seeking their intervention in the matter.

Claiming that women of the state still needed Ms Lyndem, Ms Laloo said, ''Lyndem understands the issues of women and has been working hard to address their problems. Besides, she can converse with the state's women.'' Meanwhile, the organizations are all bent upon turning the women's panel cart upside down even as the government constituted Search and Select Committee (SSC) is awaiting the Centre's nod on the shortlisted names.

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