SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Provide protection from heat on polling day
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reportedly issued a red alert for severe heat wave conditions over the weekend, which are likely to continue well into the month of May with above average temperatures expected in most parts of the country.
This forecast is a cause for concern, as prolonged exposure to high temperatures can have adverse effects on human health. The country is in the midst of the general elections with May 7 being the polling date for Goa as per the schedule. It would be in the fitness of things for the authorities concerned to make all necessary arrangements at the polling booth in order to protect the voters from the heat wave.
Several senior citizens and elderly people come out to exercise their franchise which is a good sign. However they need to be adequately protected from the deadly midday heat. Care should be taken to see that adequate shelter is provided from the sun for those standing in a queue waiting for their turn to cast their vote. Each polling booth should have an adequate number of fans which are in working condition.
Drinking water facilities should be made available at several places at each polling booth. If the need arises, provisions should be in place to call for an ambulance in quick time if anyone is showing signs of a heat-stroke. All efforts should be made to make voting a pleasant experience for the electorate on polling day.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Every vote is precious
People often choose not to vote because they feel their vote does not count. But one vote does count in many ways. Your choice to vote or not will have far reaching consequences on people all over the world, many of whom do not have the right to vote themselves.
In local and national elections, lawmakers are elected who make laws, policies and appointments that will have effects for years to come. The most common reason people say they do not vote is, one vote does not count. If everyone uses an excuse and do not vote, then what kind of government would we have? As citizens of the country, it is our right to vote. Think twice because every vote counts.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Portuguese has unique status
Dia Mundial da Lingua Portuguesa (World Portuguese Language Day) is celebrated on 5th May every year with great pomp and romance. The magnum opus poem `Lusiads' by Luis Camoes aptly gives substance to the Portuguese language and is a marathon of 8816 lines that is considered as among the best poems in the world, an epic that should not be missed by all Portuguese loving people.
Lovers of Portuguese language must not miss it and the entire recitation is available on YouTube, a compelling tour de force for every connoisseur of the Portuguese language. Portuguese which shares elements of European languages such as Spanish, Italian, Latin and ever English is spoken by 265 million people around the world. Portuguese has a unique status in the world as its allure has an old world charm and romance that makes it distinct and endearing among all. Portuguese holds a very special place in the hearts of Goans and has a magical charm that has survived the tests of time ever since 25th November, 1510, when Afonso de Albuquerque set foot on Goa.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Emojis serve as visual representation
This is in reference to the recent article on People’s Edit titled 'Express Real Thoughts Beyond Emojis', 30 April 2024. A really good thought expressed by writer on this subject as our present generation now finds themselves cascaded into the digital era where the 'written word' cannot exist without the 'emoticon', which is indeed a metaphor of our reality. While it can be an easy shortcut towards navigating the intricacies of written communication, it is worth noting that there exists a fine line or boundary to the extent we can utilize emojis as we move about in the professional space.
This is certainly a matter of debate as the young Gen Z and Alpha Gen find their way into the workforce, however it would be interesting to see whether this changes in the decades to come.
Bryce D’Souza, Sharjah
Media is watchdog of demoracy
To defend the media from attacks on their independence, World Press Freedom Day is observed on May 3 every year. Freedom of the press and democracy have a symbiotic relationship.
One cannot live without the other. In a political IPL match between the ruling and the opposition parties, the media should not take the role of cheerleaders of any one team in a democracy.
Opposition parties are like bowlers. An opposition bowler questions a batter of the ruling party by sending her or his delivery. The media, like the third umpire, helps the voters (umpires on the field) to take a decision about whether the batter should be out or whether it is a no ball in the first place.
There will be no democracy if the third umpire becomes a cheerleader of the batting side. On real issues revolving around people's lives, the YouTuber, Dhruv Rathee said, “But how will this reach you if the media doesn't talk about it?”
Indeed, if the media fails the people, then democracy would be in danger. Recently, several journalists' collectives from across the country had written to the Chief Justice of India to take cognisance and check the “inherent malice” behind the raids at the homes of 46 journalists, editors, writers and professionals connected to NewsClick and the seizure of their electronic devices.
The collectives also observed, "Journalism cannot be prosecuted as terrorism". In their letter, they said that the invocation of the UAPA was “especially chilling”.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court told Delhi Police that judicial orders remanding 74-year-old journalist and online portal NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha would crumble if his arrest turned out to be illegal. India’s ranking in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index has alarmingly slipped to 161 out of 180 countries.
Sujit De, Kolkata
SC puts ED in tight corner
It is heartening that the Supreme Court has raised a pertinent question to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the timing of the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal barely a week after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha election came into force.
When the learned judges are also well aware that the arrest of an opposition leader like Kejriwal by ED is only to stall the active participation of the opposition leaders in the election campaigns and crush the opposition.
In the case of Kejriwal, the honourable Court has questioned the ED only now, after lapse of 42 days since his arrest on March 21.
It is also crystal clear that the ED playing its delaying- tactics in the entire process, allegedly with an intention that these opposition leaders should not be let out on bail or released before the elections are completed. That the first two phases of elections are already over and the third phase is also scheduled for May 5, the Supreme Court should take an urgent view in their cases and pave the way for them to engage themselves in their constitutional duties and exercise their right as a dutiful citizen of the country by releasing them without delay.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
