FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Their differences of opinions on so many of the measures to control the spread of the coronavirus were public knowledge as their lack of agreement on them played out at press conferences that were often streamed live on social media, or were posted as comments on social media. For those who may have forgotten, here are just two instances. On April 26, Rane proposed a month-long lockdown but just hours later Sawant differed with this and said there would be no such restrictions, but they could be considered if the situation worsens. Soon there was a lockdown followed by the curfew. On May 11, Rane said that deaths in the early morning hours at Goa Medical College are due to interrupted oxygen supply, and again hours later Sawant said it is for doctors to comment on the cause of death. But, in the High Court the government had no option but to admit that oxygen supply was indeed getting interrupted during the night. It was pulled up for this, asked to ensure that no more deaths occur due to lack of oxygen.
Now, Bharatiya Janata Party State president Sadanand Shet Tanawade comes on record to state that the misunderstanding between the Chief Minister and the Health Minister has ended and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed with both. Interestingly, Tanawade went on to say that there will be no change in the portfolios of the minister. Now, that last statement places Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate in a rather embarrassing position as he had gone to the media demanding that Rane be replaced as Health Minister. At the end of all the discussions, the bottom line is that Rane stays on as Health Minister in the Sawant cabinet.
This brings us to the main question that is worrying every Goan today. Will the ironing out of the differences between Sawant and Rane change for the better the manner in which the COVID-19 pandemic is being managed? Will it reduce the number of cases and save lives? For the Goans – those who have tested positive for the virus and those who are currently staying home to avoid possible infection – this is what matters. The political shenanigans of ministers attempting to outfox each other in the midst of a pandemic are most deplorable. When people are dying in government hospitals, were these scenes of immature political bickering in the government what Goans needed to see? That Goans were forced to witness this internal strife tells just how irresponsible the government has become. This is a crisis, the kind of never faced before. The government should have been acting as a single well-oiled machine and focusing solely on saying the lives of the people affected by the coronavirus. It instead displayed itself to be nothing better than a motley crew of politicians who are looking at their interests over that of the State and the people.
If two heads are better than one, Goa now has two at the helm that are not in conflict with each other, that is what we believe. So, will the government at least now take control of the situation and take the decisions that it has to take to bring down the cases and deaths? There has been no plausible reason given for the deaths due to lack of oxygen or interrupted oxygen supply, just excuses of logistics that are unacceptable. In a State that has such a high literacy rate, that has some of the best economic indicators in the country, that one reason for people dying is because there are no expert drivers of tractors that carry the oxygen cylinders is intolerable. But if that is the case, then Goa is doomed.
