Staff Reporter

Shillong, Feb 16: Former chief minister Mukul Sangma today emphasized the need to allow the Meghalaya Lokayukta to function to its full potentiality.

"What is the purpose of Lokayukta? The whole state wanted  at least something that will act as deterrence. Therefore, allow it to function to its full potentiality. Let everybody at least realises the existence of a deterrence," Sangma told reporters.

"Now if it doesn’t perform, who will fear the law? Therefore, fear for law is crucial and the enactment of law is precisely for that purpose. It will ensure there is ultimate end result of enabling people to self regulate. When there is fear for law people will all be self regulated, when there is a fear for law, everybody including policy makers, we will all self-regulate," he added.

On the recent removal of the three retired officials by the  Lokayukta, Sangma said, "What is the intention? Intention is more important. You have to be more analytical, you have to be more investigative then you will have the answer. What is the intention? Was there any malified intention behind? Was there any reason which necessitated the government to change people?

"You know the Lokayukta is doing its job. Number of issues of corruptions has been already taken up by Lokayukta so you can understand the magnitude of responsibility and therefore, magnitude of responsibility by everybody concerned. So the sole idea and purpose of Lokayukta and various other laws which have been enacted do have the same objective," he said.

Sangma said, "So let see how we ultimately somehow instill this sense of responsibility in as far as politicians and all those responsible elected members of this House can really connect with this sole objective of the purpose for which we are here."