FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Alexandre Moniz Barbosa
Last weekend an online discussion on where Goa is headed to arrived at the verdict that all well meaning people of the State, irrespective of their political leanings, must come together to give Goa a new direction. There were pointed arguments made and illustrations given which have been reported in Herald of what the panelists at the discussion said. The general concensus was that there is need of some course correction before it is too late. This is not the first time such a conclusion has been drawn and also possibly will not be the last. What this very clearly indicates is that there is a sizeable number of people who care about Goa, believe that the future of the land is not ensured by the manner in which decision are currently being taken and desire to see that their homeland takes strides towards the path of sustainable development.
But, can this happen without the people themselves making efforts to set the course? Merely talking and calling for change will not yield results, it needs action on the ground – concerted action that will force the transformation.
In the current times and among the present set of politicians, development is mainly viewed as physical projects and it does not take a very holistic approach. While the term development has a positive connotation – it is meant to bring about economic growth and improve the quality of life – in Goa it has often taken on grey shades of negativity, mainly because very often projects are forced through without the people’s participation in decision making. The people are presented with a fait-accompli that then results in opposition, and even legal procedings that have at times gone all the way up to the Supreme Court. The question is how can this be altered?
The issue, in real terms, is not much of a conundrum, though it is now being made to so appear. Goa cannot, should not and will not remain stagnant. There will be growth and there will be development across all sectors. It is needed, as no land or people can live without change. There can be nobody who is against development. The key is in the manner that this development is brought about. What is required is to chuck aside the current haphazard decision making that is leading to protests and bring about a more holistic progress that weighs all the relevant factors bringing into debate the advantages and the disadvantages of all actions before taking any decision. Questions need to be asked and answers got. Right now the administration is not asking these questions, so when the people begin demanding answers, there are none available, leading to objections, protests, law suits. This has been the experience.
How does one put Goa, as the oline discussion concluded, ‘back on the real, sustainable path of development which will provide real benefits to the State and its people and also maintain Goa’s unique cultural identity’. Does the answer lie in meeting the needs of today without compromising on the needs of tomorrow as part of a sustainable development goal? That goal will first have to be outlined, accepted by all and fixed permanently so that there can be no argument at a later stage, as this will only further delay and may even derail the process.
But, does the current administration have the will to undertake such an exercise? What we keep seeing is a government that reacts to ‘development’ proposals positively, without a concern for the effects this could have and whether it will be beneficial to the State. The last time that a government in Goa rejected a major proposal – but not before a sustained people’s campaign against it – was the Special Economic Zones and that happened over a decade ago. In the last dozen years the government has had its way in all matters.
How does one change this? How does one bring in the people’s aspirations into the decision making process?
One solution lies in creating a system whereby the people are taken into confidence, their views accepted, before any development decisions are finalised by the government. It shouldn’t be too hard to do as the Panchayati Raj Act was mainly to empower the people and include them in the decision making process. So this merely has to be implemented in the true spirit. Speaking plainly, it needs the political will and nothing else. What Goa needs to search for and find is that political will and bring in such determined people into the political system who will stand by the people and the State.
The vision for a better tomorrow that includes everyone has been missing. Two days ago the Chief Minister spoke of departments adopting village panchayats and municipalities by October 2 to make them self sufficient with an economic revival plan under ‘Swyampurna Goa’ in lines with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Years ago, when the Goa Golden Jubilee Development Council had presented its report to the government, it had defined seven arrows for Goa, one of which was ‘Santulit Goem’ which they had translated as balanced and sustainable Goa. Under this arrow, the Goa Golden Jubilee Development Council had envisaged Goa in 2035 standing out globally as a ‘model of development without destruction’ and had set the agenda of how this can be achieved. The first point was to know what we have. It had suggested to document biodiversity using scientific and traditional knowledge and processes; develop people’s biodiversity registers, create a centralized repository where this documentation can be stored for easy retrieval. Goa has failed right here itself as none of this has been undertaken.
If Goa is to change and meets the aims of the GGJDC then it will have to adopt very different strategies from the ones being used today. Development has to be positive, the kind that will take Goa further without trespassing on what is sacred in the State. Though elections are still 18 months away, the polity is already gearing up for the polls. This would be the time to bring in change that would help reclaim the idea of Goa and preserve it for tomorrow. Does Goa have the persons who will be able to make this difference? We may get the answer within the next year and a half.
