The need of the hour is good honest governance Mr. Kejriwal! -- By Dinar Barros

Dinar L Barros

After attending a couple of corner meetings on invitations by the AAP cadres , including one addressed by Shri Arvind Kejriwal, it was evident after listening, that most Goemkars are bleeding. Bleeding profusely from the wounds inflicted by the powers that be. And the pain and anguish is such that they are in a mighty hurry to smash the guts out of the present "sitting forty ". This was expressed by most including the AAP prospective candidates. Though these outbursts are evident of the depth of the wounds, Goans but naturally are in a quandary and are at a loss to put forth their aspirations to the Delhi based regional party. On the other hand, AAP, apparently cashing in on this weakness, is clear on its electoral aspirations. Use the' broom' to unseat the forty. And this appears to be the poll plank for the AAP campaign.

We Goans will not bend down to hold the short, used broom. Used may be by the powers that be. Going back in time, we used the hand of the Congress to throttle the roar of the MGP lion. Then with the beaming lotus of the BJP held high with hope, we managed to outshine the mucky hand of corruption. Remember it is thanks to that thick layer of muck that the lotus from the village of Parra pond stood tall as a sign of good hope and purity. Later on, that very lotus from Parra literally ditched the Goans by showing preferences for the Delhi waters; but not before stopping mining.. The zero in the much promised "zero tolerance to corruption" has been replaced by a digit or two. And the zero has been moved after the decimal point! And now with the turbulent waters and added to it the under currents in most of the ponds in Goa, the lotus grapples. Concurrently alongside AAP corner meetings or dialogues venues, freebies are offered in the form of coconut saplings etc. obviously to divert the villagers from attending the same.cThis proves that AAP is a force to reckon with for the now jittery MLAs.

We need good governance to weed out corruption. When mining and real estate, whether legal or illegal has done irreversible damage to Goa and most Goans, the AAP brand ambassador Arvind Kejriwal is adamant to increase the cap, legally, and that it would be world class; albeit the much spoken "Goa dialogues" ! The need of the hour is world class governance Mr. Kejriwal.

Land reforms are required of the kind that will ensure affordable land for the Goan  and not just Regional plans with inflated settlement zones emerging as it appears from the drawing boards of the real estate operatives . The term 'land development' is demeaning to the very ethos of our rich Goan culture.

Land agents have cropped up in both the organized and the unorganized sectors. There are land agents among the AAP cadres, a land agent in almost every elected representative, a land agent in Sonia Gandhi's emissaries, in professionals, a land agent in the Communidade, a land agent in the nearby Govt. office. Add to it the property expos. The time is short when a tsunami of MNCs will wipe away all that remains of pristine Goa after the Mopa airport is fully operational. The rich Goan land has been turned into a commodity. Can a common Goemkar afford to buy a small piece of land to build a decent dwelling? We need a Government that will ensure affordable land for the Goemkars.

The identity of a Goemkar in a demographic Goa is slowly but steadily getting smudged. We need a government that will identify a Goan not by the flimsy 15 years domicile but by tracing back to his or her ancestry.

Casino culture has been existing outside almost every tavern, at every ‘tinto’ or in the confines of a mansion after a lunch or dinner party. It may be in the form of ‘tablamcho khel’, matka, godgodo and the card games respectively. Being in the unorganized sector these games do not give revenue to the government unlike the licensed casino.  So why not the floating casinos?  Well any activity on a larger scale, as is the case with the floating casinos, is polluting when not monitored and an eye-sore to be seen in the pristine waters of our rivers. A casino should not be a money-laundering machine. These casinos could be floating in the high seas equipped with a functional sewage treatment plant and a helipad to airlift the gamer. But a floating casino will never be as destructive as the rampant mining or real estate operations.

The result of the  historic Opinion Poll, the milestone of a plebiscite in Goa's history, proved the very mettle of the united Goemkars. With clear foresight and determination we voted to retain the unique identity of Goa. Henceforth, in the same spirit, we Goans will treat every election to every elected body as an opinion poll and vote unitedly and decisively to retain our unique identity. And this will be our fundamental aspiration.

And let AAP get the message clear that just toppling is not the name of the game. ‘Goemkarancher topi ghalchi nuim’.

AAP needs to come clear on their policies for mining as well as Goa's fragile land.

Goa certainly requires a Government with a strong political will and a bureaucracy with commitment to achieve the desired results in meeting the aspirations of the Goans.

 

Dinar L Barros

Betalbatim

 

M: 9422059996

AAP in Goa -- Where is the local leadership? -- By Saturnino Rodrigues.

Saturnino Rodrigues

The bugle is blown on the threshold of yet another election in Goa, the political mathematicians are already in the drawing board with calculations and new formulas, new political equations are taking shape and things are on the anvil waiting to be struck. The small and big national and regional political parties those will affect the poll outcome have started displaying their power. Some recent past incidents have underlined the limitations of the major parties, giving rise to the scope of having an alternative to the BJP and Congress. And thus came the Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the political scenario of Goa as an alternative choice to the Goans, it is today mired with many scandals within.

Its portrayal of itself as crusader against corruption does not make much impact on the Goans as we have got more local issues that are plaguing Goa and its environment, not just fight against corruption.

With AAP’s High Command in Delhi like Congress, BJP and NCP, it cannot be called a local outfit that can suit Goan interests. According to the majority of Goans, there is no doubt in our minds that we need a local or a regional political party with its primary understanding of Goan issues that are closer to our hearts to safeguard the real Goenkarpon.

AAP has primarily stood on the platform of wiping out corruption riding piggyback on Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. Today, Anna Hazare has openly shown his disappointment about Arvind Kejriwal which has rocked the AAP and has to be on the defensive.

AAP has to look deeper into the local issues affecting Goa if it wants to make a landmark. The Delhi model is in no way to be compared with Goa, it should not expect people simply will flock behind by projecting Delhi model. Goa has its unique problems which are not common in par with Delhi.

AAP has got to know and feel the real important issues where people suffer, it has been silent on all these major issues but busy in comparing Delhi with Goa, telling us how it came to power in Delhi. They should make efforts to study the socio-political fabric of Goa, Delhi cannot be compared in terms of infrastructure, geographical boundaries and the maturity of public in politics. We should be open to support a third front or a different political party to bring a change in Goa in 2017. There are growing anxieties about the increasing set of questions, doubts and confusion in the minds of the Goan people as to the nature of the agenda of AAP. It defies all prescriptions and definitions of what politics it wants to play in Goa. With its High Command in Delhi and not a single viable known or identified local leader in Goa for crusading Goan causes, the actual ‘aam admi’ in Goa does not see a cause in the eyes of the AAP.

The success of AAP in Delhi was an important factor motivated by the movement of Anna Hazare. In Goa, such a situation cannot happen, the present set of AAP leaders should acknowledge the veterans of Goa who have been crusaders against the wrong doings of the consecutive governments, saved the grace of the Goans by fighting against the destruction. AAP is on a leadership hunt but cannot see the good and proven activists who single handedly protected much of Goa from the destruction, it wants to build the party, fly banners but blind to acknowledge those who work and save the environment.

In Delhi, AAP itself is being allegedly embroiled with corruption, sexual abuse cases, the  barrage of allegations against the Aam Admi Party seem to have created a sense of doubt among Delhi and now Goan voters, whether the party that stormed into the political arena as ‘All Clean” is actually as clean as it projects itself.

AAP should make efforts to identify non-corrupt local leaders with proven records, those who can lead Goans and not those who need directions from the High Command in Delhi, it has to prove different from the Congress, BJP and NCP with a Goan outfit, local administration that can rule Goa without depending on the directions from Delhi. Kejriwal is a one man show and vesting too much power in one man can be too dictatorial. Another person who does the rounds in Goa within AAP circles is Pankaj Gupta, the National General Secretary of the party, was basically recruited by Kejriwal to generate funds and accelerate the momentum in Delhi. However, nothing moves in Goa without the approval of this man. AAP-Goa has failed to project its local leaders to Goans to let know who will lead us. They have been busy in putting up party banners and holding no meaningful ‘dharnas’, inserting huge newspaper advertisements of Kejriwal’s achievements in Delhi which has nothing to do with Goa. Important local issues are nowhere on the menu of the AAP or so far demonstrated seriously. Goans cannot simply bank on AAP and wait for Delhi miracle to happen in Goa.

AAP-Goa should be in a mood to know the pulse of the voters in the changing political scenario. In the present word to word whisper, 'AAP' gets preference among other political options but the percentage of those supporting AAP has reduced.

There is doubt in the mind of voters about its local leadership and selection of candidates. AAP should be able to identify and take onboard all activists who have been fighting for Goa for decades without political strings. If it thinks that they should not approach them, they are mistaken, they should rope in the best.

All the present political novices in AAP - Goa should understand that in the subsequent commotion of its party without strong leadership, the real issues of development and saving Goa will be forgotten. The stubbornness and myth that leaders will evolve will only be a dream. It is time for AAP to identify non-corrupt leaders and candidates with repute and not just speech writers or orators. It’s time for a change but a change that should start within by inducting leaders of calibre,  those who toiled the last decades in saving what is left of Goa. The people’s verdict will be final but not based on Delhi model.

The author works for a major global oil company as a Competency Assessor

Congress to referee unholy alliance between Churchill - Mickky or NCP? -- By Nisser Dias

Lots of permutations and combinations seem to be in play with the 2017 assembly elections a few months away. The call by the Congress for a grand alliance of secular political parties to keep communal parties away seems to have brought strange bedfellows together.

Political party bosses are keeping things close to their chest, but hint that so many things are happening, including meetings between leaders, that the situation at the moment is very fluid.

Sources in the Congress said that some party leaders have held talks with Nuvem MLA Francisco Pacheco alias 'Mickky' for an alliance with Goa Vikas Party. The GVP chief, at his end, has demanded three seats in exchange. Pacheco told that while lots of things are happening, he would not like to disclose anything at the moment. But, he acknowledged that he received feelers from the national party.

Sources said it is not clear whether Pacheco made the first move as his prospects under the GVP banner are far from bright in Nuvem.

Pacheco said, for an alliance, certain issues would have to be sorted out."In my election manifesto, I will promise to resolve issues like that of the medium of instruction (MoI), regional plan, mining and Mopa airport among others, which the Congress could not deliver to the people during their seven years in government. Parties should resolve what they promise in their manifesto. If this is agreeable to them, then we can go forward," he said and added, "The Congress has realized that they cannot do without me as certain constituencies are with me."

The GVP supremo has been on record saying the Congress has harassed him and continues to do so. Sources in the Congress revealed that Pacheco has demanded Benaulim, Nuvem and Cortalim constituencies for his party as the first two are already in his kitty, and he has developed quite a stronghold in the latter.

Congress, on the other hand, seems to have put a rider that GVP nominate Churchill Alemao to the Benaulim seat, a fact Pacheco did not deny when questioned. "Black is black, I cannot tell people that a crow is white," he said.

Sources in the Congress disclosed that with this move the party is sticking to its stance that persons chargesheeted will not be allotted party tickets, but, at the same time, is helping Churchill resurrect his political career through GVP by sacrificing their own interests. The former public works department (PWD) minister informed that at the moment he has decided to contest as an independent as there is no indication that Congress will give him a ticket and that he will disclose his plans only by September end.

The Nationalist Congress party (NCP) has approached Churchill Alemao to join the party so that it can nominate him from Benaulim, sources said.

The GVP chief has on many occasions made it clear that he might not allot a party ticket to his sitting MLA, Caetano D'Silva alias Caitu, who is also not keen on contesting on the GVP ticket given the strained relationship he shares with the party boss. Pacheco was interested in Maria Rebello as a party candidate, but she told that she has not committed to anyone on this matter.  Former sarpanch of Cavelossim Edwin Barreto was nominated by the local Congress block recently when the exercise was conducted across the state last month. When asked where this behind-the-scenes politics leaves him, he said, "At any cost, the party should give me the ticket as I can win the seat for the Congress." When asked to comment on GVP's demand that Benaulim assembly constituency is "theirs", he said, "There is nothing like mine and yours in politics as once it was MGP's seat, then Congress' and currently is with the GVP. So in 2017, it will be Congress."