“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” – Aesop
SKM’s decision to observe August 10th as Jan Unmukti Diwas is nothing but a scandalous political stunt that seeks to act as a cover-up of the obvious. Instead, it is a glaring reflection of the democratic ethics and morals of the SKM, which is hailing their leader who craftily profited and elevated himself to the pinnacle of power through the backdoor with the help of his masters from New Delhi.
Let us get our facts right. Mr. Tamang was not jailed for doing a revolution. The man was found guilty of corruption and was convicted by the trial court under the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988 in December 2016. He was given full opportunity to prove himself innocent, he went to High Court, and the High Court also upheld his conviction. Mr. Tamang was in hiding for quite some time and later surrendered himself on August 10, 2017, and was sent to Rongyek Jail.
This is an irony and a matter of shame for every Sikkimese that the day on which a Sikkimese politician was jailed for corruption is being celebrated as “Unmukti Diwas”. The release of a convicted person from jail can never be termed as “Unmukti”. This is a matter of shame for Sikkim that a person like Mr. Tamang, who himself surrendered to the judicial authorities, was convicted, and jailed over his long-standing corruption charges, and continues to occupy the highest seat of government. August 10th should be remembered as the “Prevention of Corruption Day” and every citizen should take the resolve to not elect corrupt politicians who consider themselves as the master of the people rather than being their servants which they as per our constitution.
The puppet SKM government has turned the state into the hub of corruption. Everyone knows about the Cut-Money culture, commission of crores in awarding government contracts, giving thousands in envelopes, bribing voters, etc in the state. Favouring the rich and corrupt while steadily dissolving the inalienable rights of the Sikkimese, Mr. Tamang and his rule reflect all the malicious traits that need to be rooted out to save our beloved state from further desolation and humiliation.
Hamro Sikkim Party will continue to oppose the unjust and undemocratic rule of Mr. Tamang and will not stop until justice is served for those who cheat the law for their greedy cravings of political power. Sikkim has already grappled with the rule of the powerful and corrupt for decades and until Mr. Tamang remains the Chief Minister, inefficient and corrupt misgovernance will only receive endorsement while the people continue to suffer.
“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” – Thomas Paine
– Bhaichung Bhutia
Founding Member, Hamro Sikkim Party