By
Nisser Dias
With
the announcement that Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president is going to
contest the Assembly election from Navelim constituency by his man-Friday Moti
Dessai, Congress seems to have started digging its grave deeper.
One
of the reasons that the Congress had fared so badly at the 2012 polls was
because party tickets was being allotted to the same old fogies (faces). The
party does not seem to have learnt its lessons.
Worse
still is the recent statement of the GPCC vice-president Moti Dessai that
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro to
contest from the Navelim assembly segment. This is akin to the old shepherd
leading his old flock from the front thereby denying youngsters to lead from
the front.
It
might be a tactical error by Dessai by blurting out part of a strategic plan but
the damage is already done as intentions or willingness to contest seems to
have exposed.
If
the president himself indicates his willingness to contest how can he convince
old faces to hang their boots is the questions that comes to mind. What is the
message that is being sent to the youth who maybe inspiring and even preparing
to throw their hat in the ring.
Undoubtedly,
given the present scenario, Luizinho Faleiro has a good chance of winning back
the Navelim seat for the Congress as the constituents are dis-enchanted with
the present incumbent as he does not show the leadership qualities required for
the job.
For
the last three years at every national function where he had to hoist the
National Flag, Navelim MLA and Fisheries minister Avertano Furtado has been
promising to complete the south Goa District hospital but it is still lying in
ruins. He has also been promising support for English as one of the choices for
Medium of Instruction in school but it remains only on paper. He fails to
compel or coerce powers that be to do his will. Basically Avertano Furtado
cannot assert himself and ends up calling ‘Sir’ to government rather than
demanding respect and authority.
On
the other hand Luizinho Faleiro has tendency to be the absolute ruler and
rough-shod not only his constituents but also public servants. Lest we forget
that he was nicked-named ‘Salazar’ during his tenures as chief minister.
Winning
or losing the seat is another matter. The most important exercise that the
Congress must undertake is to redo its image which has been damaged by the old
guard of Congress legislators. As long as these veterans have a say or are
allotted tickets, corruption, nepotism will continue and hence the image of the
party is unlikely to undergo any transformation.
Instead
of announcing that Faleiro will contest from Navelim Assembly segments,
Congress should have show-cased their gen-next candidates. Campaigning for them
should have been underway so as to field strong candidate.
This
does not seem to be the case. It seems that GPCC’s hidden agenda is to allot
tickets to the same old legislators including defeated ones by later stating
that they youth did not come forward.
For
a moment, let us assume that youth are not coming forward to join the Congress
party in Goa. The reason for the draught is that their voice is never heeded by
the old order which is still ruling the roost.
And
Luizinho Faleiro is also one of the old faces. By now he should have handed the
reins of GPCC to younger generation so as to salvage the almost buried ship.
There seems to a cardinal rule in the Congress party ‘Never let the younger
generation come-up’.
After
all said and done Moti Dessai blundered and the price to pay will be heavy.
GPCC might have clarified that Luizinho is yet decide to contest but the damage
is already done and this very statement is going to alienate the youth further.
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