Is the Goa government pushing Goans towards Naxalism? -- By Nisser Dias

There is no doubt that Goa is experiencing the worst form of governance. The great Abraham Lincoln had said in a democracy government is, “of the people, by the people and for the people”.

Today in Goa the government presided over by the first non Goan chief minister has given the famous statement a different twist.

For Pramod Sawant, his governance is, Off the People, bye bye People and F… the People.

Be it double tracking of south western railway line passing through populated villages along the coastal belt or laying of new railway line, highway and power transmission line through eco-sensitive Mollem by axing thousands of trees. And that too, without giving a damn to one of the 5 environmental hot-spots in the world.

It does not end with the three linear projects. Now the BJP government in Goa want to propel Coastal Zone Management Plan down the throats of the Goans.

All this to benefit the chosen few capitalist in the country. And the chosen few have adopted the government at the centre.

What the Goa chief minister and his ministers fail to comprehend or realize is that the government is turning Goans into Naxalites, ultimately leading to revolution against the government.

Allowing double tracking the railway lines, the government is bulldozing our heritage structures. Be it our ancestral Portuguese era mansions, damaging our places of worship, reclaiming our fields, ponds and low lying areas.

By this, the government is denying us our heritage. It is taking over our means of living.

Elaborating further, the government is robbing us of our heritage, culture and ethos. Our palatial houses which we painstakingly maintain. The government is grabbing our properties, fields in which stand our swaying palms and varieties of fruits and fields that we still cultivate our crops and vegetables.

And all this for transportation of coal. Which if allowed will blanket our houses, properties, beach stretch and also our lungs with coal dust.

So, what is the option before us Goans when the elected government is not listening to its people? It is to adopt Marxist inspired mass revolution to liberate ourselves from the autocratic and oppressive government.

If double tracking of south western railway line is dissecting through the heart of Goa, the three linear projects are designed to destroy our hills and forests. And with Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) the government is snatching away our entire coastal stretch of 104 kilometres, our rivers, fresh water bodies, our islands and destroying our houses and religious structures along the river banks and shores.

The recent public hearing on CZMP was a farce. Under the guise of Covid-19 the state administration under the non-Goan chief minister of Goa used its machinery to keep the public away from the hearing and pass the plans to facilitate few capitalists. The very next day Pramod Sawant went on record to say that all opportunities were given to the people to raise objection.

His statement explains the many controversial decisions, acts of this government is to serve other masters and not the people of the state.

If Goans managed to keep Goa from being merged with Maharashtra, the present Maharashtrian chief minister of Goa is gearing to annihilate our beloved state through projects that benefit only a few capitalists.

How long are we going to be mute spectators? How long will these BJP governments at the Centre and in Goa test our patience?

An old adage goes, “a drowning man will catch at straws”, similarly when destruction of Goa seems inevitable, Goans will be forced to be like Naxalites to prevent the governments from obliterating ‘Amche bagarrache Goem’.

 

 

It is not a reality show but a reality – Earl Fortes

By Nisser Dias

Earl Fortes 

From a small canvas like Goa – a small state in India Earl Fortes for Orlim walked on to one of the largest platforms in entertainment and talent industry – American Idol at a mere age of 20 years.

Interacting with me from America, he said the journey from one side of the globe to the other didn’t start with getting on a plane and flying to the USA but started off as a seven year olds dream to be on that stage at some point of time in life.

“Ever since I auditioned for the producers virtually right until the day I auditioned on the big stage I had to pinch myself every morning just to remind that it is not a reality show but a reality. And I’ve been feeling it all the way.”

 Earl travelled for 2 days straight, 15 hours of layovers and 24 hours in the sky and it really was an adventure amidst a global pandemic.”

He said that he had a couple stops on the way here in Delhi and Newark and used his time between layovers just soaking it in that, “I was just living my dream and I kept reminding myself, I’m on my way to audition for the American Idol.”

Talking about taking on the big stage he said that the feeling cannot be explained with words. “It is exhilarating I’m glad I am the one and I’m going to give it my all to do my family and everyone who’s supporting me proud.”

When asked about his experience performing before superstars in the music industry, he said that adrenaline kept pumping even though I was in a boot recovering from a broken foot. “The thought of singing for Lionel Richie and Katy Perry and Luke Bryan gives me goose-bumps even now if I just think about it.”

Elaborating further he said that from the second he was slotted up to go on stage he felt his nerves creeping up, “as I approached the main stage I was freaking out, I had sweaty palms. I had a conversation with the judges before I performed. I was extremely nervous as I started strumming my guitar and that feeling didn’t seem to leave me until I was back in my room.”

Earl disclosed that he started off with an original song penned by him especially for the audition called “Any other way”, “this song means a lot to me because it's about my life and how I’ve been on a bumpy ride full of ups and downs and how I overcame the obstacles life laid down in front of me. Singing my original to the judges was a satisfying moment and experience.”

About meeting other hopefuls Earl said he came across talented musician from all over the world since he landed for the audition, “we socialized, jammed and learned so much about each one’s genre, everyone I met was just setting a vibe.”

When asked about the outcome of his performance, he simply teased, “for more of about American Idol, you guys are gonna have to tune in and watch next year.” 

Central BJP leadership should immediately sack incompetent Pramod Sawant – By Nisser Dias.

Pramod Sawant led BJP government in Goa has failed completely, not only to administer the state affairs and economy, he has exposed himself as a total failure in combating the drastic vertical rise in corona virus and Covid-19 deaths in the state of Goa.

CM Sawant violating Covid-19 norms

For a state that was declared as a green zone to turn into a red zone overnight speaks volumes of the aptitude and competence of the chief minister. And for this he should resign as chief minister or his party bosses at the centre should sack him.

From March when the country was forced into lockdown, there have been numerous instances of him mishandling the fight against spread of novel corona virus.

Even the people in the street could envisage the path that needed to be taken to keep corona virus in check, but the chief minister always strayed from that path and the consequence are for all to see. Goa has become ‘numro uno’ in the country in corona virus cases in terms of size and population of the state.

And now he has resorted to lying to the media for which he was rightly castigated and reprimanded by Governor Satya Pal Malik.

It would be in the interest of the state and its people that Pramod Sawant gracefully steps aside and hand-over the reins of the administration to other cabinet colleagues or advice the Governor to impose President’s rule in the state.

CM’s awful handling, planning and executing strategies to curb rising cases of corona virus and Covid-19 is woefully amateurish. It looks like the chief minister laid the red carpet for corona virus to infect so many people.

After staggered lifting of the first lockdown, the chief minister was advised not to open the borders for people to enter, but he did so. He was asked not to permit interstate buses, but he did. CM was asked not to allow trains to stop in Goa, but he did not heed that advice too.

It was not the Goan seafarers or expatriates that brought the virus to Goa, but the covidiot non-Goan chief minister of Goa that is wholly responsible for the mess Goa is in.

The bad decision did not stop, he went against the advice of his MLAs to lockdown Vasco city when cases started increasing in Mangor hill but he did not. The result is increasing numbers of positive cases and deaths.

Nisser Dias

And to top it all, nincompoop, highly inefficient, incompetent Pramod Sawant has become more of an evening news reader to a local channel where he comes just to read out the numbers of cases, deaths, recoveries and to make a fool of himself by stating deaths are not due to Covid-19 but due to co-morbidity.

Sawant should know that Goans are not buffoons like the parliament of buffoons he heads as chief minister.

The latest bad decision was to open up the wholesale fish market where thousands people rushed to buy fish.

And the resultant of all these bad decisions is another awful lockdown 2 for just three days. We all know by now that spread of corona virus cannot be wished away in 72 hours. And what purpose will 3 days lockdown serve. The curve will not flatten but revenue generation surely will.

For all the mismanagement, either the central BJP leadership should sack him or the Governor should.