When India gained Independence, the freedom fighters got involved in planning of a new democratic governance system and the enactment of The Constitution of India. An excellent governance documents, where people where the centre of their concern. India then faced abject poverty, starvation, illiteracy, huge unproductive population, unjust and unfair caste system and a rigid parochial mind set. A huge task and a tall order, those who took up the responsibility to form the government, did so with courage and dedication and minimised most of these ills that Indian society then faced, so that those now in power could boast of a Modern India.
When Goa was liberated in December 1961, 14 years after India’s freedom, Goa was not like the then India, when it gained Independence. There was no poverty, there were no huge number of landless labourers, there were no pressing need for homes for the homeless.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Compared to rest of India, Goa was a State with many resources. Mining then was a stable industry, with many employed and a study flow of funds to the exchequer. Tourism was also on the rise as Goa soon became preferred destination for international tourists and a revenue earner. Goan youth were at the cross roads of their career choices, whether to go out to sea or the Gulf or be home bound and may be take up a job with much less, pay and perks and no opportunity for quality education.
It’s unfortunate, that the freedom fighters were sidelined in the process of Government of India, taking over the territory of Goa. May be because, ultimately, it was an act of conquer and surrender? The liberated territory came under the army’s administration with Lt. Gen. Candeth, the Military Governor. On 8th June, 1962, the Military Government gave place to civil rule with an informal Consultative Council.
On passing of the Constitution (Twelfth Amendment) Act, 1962 on 20 June, 1962, the territory of Goa, Daman and Diu was conferred the status of a Union Territory with retrospective effect from 20 December, 1961. The Government of Union Territory Act, 1963 came into force on 13 May. 1963.
The 1st General election of liberated Goa, Daman and Diu, was held on 09/12/1963 and elected 30 members of First legislative assembly. On January, 9, 1964, for the first time, members of first legislative assembly of Goa Daman and Diu, legislative met at Adil Shah palace. On May 30, 1987, Goa the union territory Goa was formed into a new state known as State of Goa.
The very first elections in Goa, were based on party lines with Maharashtra wadi Gomantak Party capturing 14 seats followed by United Goans Party with 12 seats and the Indian National Congress with just 1 seat and Independents getting 3 seats, with this kind of political concoction, the focus of the elected representatives were focused on capturing power and the process of party hopping began resulting in totally overlooking, aspiration and needs of the people of Goa. This political slugfest continues even to this day.
So, from the beginning, the political culture in Goa, wherein the elected politicians in Goa, were always, worried about their future political prospects and hence looked towards Delhi in all they did. This trend continues even now. Further the administrative officials, came from Delhi, as Goa was part of the AGMUT cadre. For these officials, Goa was a holiday destination with not much of law and order or other crowd related issues like in other States. May be as remanences of the Conquest of Goa in 1961, they looked at Goa as a place to be enjoyed and exploited for their own personal and family leisure and
entertainment.
This attitude and approach, were reinforced by other politicians and even central minsters from North India, and Delhi, resulting in many of them accumulating properties, and setting up various businesses in Goa. Local politicians more or less acted like bell boys on call for these big wigs to fulfill their own personal ambitions and wealth accumulation. None of them actually loved Goa nor cared for its people or their welfare and progress.
All these resulted in decades of lost opportunities for Goa. If these leaders were really concerned about Goa and its people, Goa would have had much better and more educational institutions of excellence and institution of Health sciences and hospitals. Goa would have been the most prosperous, economically, educationally and Healthwise. Goans would have been occupying positions like Sundar Pichai –Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Leena Nair of Chanel, Arvind Krishna of IBM. Shantanu Narayen of Adobe Systems, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, Jay Chaudhry.
The present government initiatives is to facilitate entering of profit oriented private corporates, to enter higher education and medical education in Goa instead of investing in these areas to make these affordable accessible for the common people.
Many opportunities for local people to excel have been lost, because political leaders’ year after, party after party, had only one agenda, self-promotion and self-enrichment. Persistent and sustained corruption has made mining in Goa a cancer. The contemporary governments have opened the gateway to land grabbers, drug lords and pimps in the name of tourism. Goa has become a land of opportunities for all the above kind of people, except the people of Goa especially, the poor and the common and the rural folks. The scenario is aptly described by 85-year-old freedom fighters Sushila Narayan Padiyar’s and Ramdas Prabhugaonkar, “that Politicians now are more concerned about one’s own development, rather than thinking about Goa’s welfare first.” (mesofindia.indiatimes.com/on 19th
December 2021.).
There is an ancient Native American saying “Never follow a leader who is more in love with power than people,” But that’s what is happening in Goa. With the kind of lawlessness that is happening in Goa, one can only raise one’s hands in total surrender to God and Nature “Save this beautiful land for
God’s sake.
(The writer is a Professor of Law & an education consultant)
