Goans unhappy with present administration – By Jose Maria Miranda

Jose Maria Miranda

As Goa goes to the polls in less than five months to elect a new Govt. the talk in our “balcaoes”, market places, roads and offices is obviously about elections and the prospects of various political parties and candidates. While, in the last elections, Goans had very little choice, this time around, both in terms of parties as well as candidates, we are a bit better placed, though the choice still appears difficult. However, what seems clear is that  just like people, in a strong anti-incumbency wave, decimated the powerful Congress, leaving it with a few seats, mostly won on personal popularity of the candidates, the electorate, this time, they are in similar mood towards the BJP. How far this attempt will be successful is to be seen.   

Election time needs also to be introspection time. The political parties and the MLAs need to introspect into their lapses, failings and particularly their deliberate wrong doings, which are sometimes prompted by compulsions but also often for own selfish gains. As humans, we are all guilty of sins of omission and commission. We may be liable for punishment for the latter but perhaps not always for the former. However, when such acts are committed by those in power or those duty-bound to safeguard the interests of their constituents, they may often escape the law, but perhaps not the wrath of the people. Accountability is generally a dead word in our system and no Party wishes to enforce it, because it suits them. And elected representatives fail to be accountable to us too. The voter is generally ignored and even forgotten for almost the entire period of five years, but, in the last few months suddenly turns into a VIP. Even a bankrupt government, which fails to fulfill commitments of doles, payments of debts, etc. and indulges in large borrowings, turns over-generous and offers all types of sops to the electorate, without bothering about denting the exchequer further.

The BJP had played fairly well its role as Opposition, though in most shameless U-turns, it eventually went the Congress way. Similarly, it was expected of the Congress to go all out to demolish the BJP inside and outside the Assembly, through RTIs, Courts and Lokayukta by exposing its misdeeds. However, its weak role, perhaps because it lacked moral authority, will again go against the party. In fact, the Opposition must always have a dynamic, vociferous and tenacious team that will investigate every move of the govt. True, that with the type of courts and judicial system we have, this is not an easy task, but it would help keep the rulers on their toes.

If corruption and family raj played a big role in the drubbing of Congress, failure to adhere to the Manifesto, highly dictatorial rule, trampling upon people’s wishes in servile submission to Delhi’s bosses, destruction of environment and suspicious deals indicative of cuts and corrupt practices are issues that BJP cannot get away with. Hence, despite a few development projects, like bridges, new or broader roads, etc, which the BJP needs to be credited with, the people of Goa rightly consider them worse than the Congress and will never pardon them particularly for their autocratic ways, bordering on fascism. While

Despotic attidude and dictatorial instructions

Parsekar and Parrikar’s most despotic attitude on Defexpo is still fresh in our minds, Parsekar’s latest threat to take out “his weapons” against panchayats and dictatorial instructions for installation of mobile towers, overriding people’s concerns shows his degree of intolerance, which Goans should not tolerate anymore.

Leaving aside Mopa, which is the biggest scam in the making, with waivers and compromises with GMR, obviously at a price in nick of time for election funding, another source for this, among the many, is the BRICS mummit, where preparations appear to have been deliberately delayed, so as to allow sub-standard and hastily executed works, thus enabling better profits. Watch the Margao-Colva road by next monsoon, if not before. The road widening near the traffic circle in Nagoa was being done with hotmix poured over plain mud, as I myself witnessed and I understand this has happened at various places. One also wonders whether felling of dozens of trees to widen roads was necessary for a one-time event and whether damage to the environment is being compensated by planting trees elsewhere.

One could fill volumes with exposures of misuse and wastage of public funds by BJP. Their authoritarian decisions on various issues like IPB, Panjim ODP, where FAR is proposed to be increased, dredging of rivers, Tiracol and Tuem projects etc. are all either money making rackets or servile submission to Delhi’s dictates, which go against local people’s interests. Despite these and CM’s protection of his bro-in-law, caught in bribery case, beach cleaning scams, Parulekar’s Serula Comunidade issue, etc yet BJP MLA Dr. Pramod Sawant’s has the audacity of proclaiming that his party is not involved in corruption. 

While all this ought to have dented BJP’s chances, yet it may not happen as opposition forces are divided. To my mind, the confrontation between BJP and BBSM is only to throw dust in the eyes of anti-BJP camp and keep it happy that the other camp too is divided. Let us not console ourselves that their division is real and be shocked that they have eventually reached an understanding, as they all share the same ideology.