31 May 2023  |   05:09am IST

Letters to the editor ( 31 May 2023)

Golden era of Goan judiciary

The Portuguese judicial system as it existed prior to liberation was very honest and impartial, many of the notable judges were carry forward of the previous regime. Justice Dr Alvaro de Noronha Ferreira kept the banner  of judicial honour high with his impeccable judgements. He endeared the  advocate fraternity with polite and polished mannerism, treated every individual  with the same dignity irrespective of their status, the DNA imprint of his good qualities  have percolated to his children specially to Dr Theresa Ferreira, head of Neurology, Goa Medical College Bambolim who is held in high esteem by all patients irrespective of caste and creed. It is obvious that his good council (bom concelho) has instilled good moral values in all his children. Justice Dr Alvaro de Noronha Ferreira is a living example for the ‘nouveau judiciary’ to follow. An honest judge that deserves our appreciation. 

O Heraldo has so rightly put his remarkable persona in print.

Agnelo Furtado, Chinchinim


Fear and not public apathy, in Delhi murder

A 16-year old girl was reportedly stabbed over 20 times and bludgeoned to death by a youth, in a busy lane, as passersby looked on in North West Delhi. The incident has drawn massive outrage as the 90-second video of the horrific killing appeared online. Several reports have slammed the display of public apathy which was termed as ‘shocking’. In the video, people can be seen passing by as well as watching in alarm, but not doing anything to stop the brutal attack. It must be said that the public cannot be totally blamed for remaining mute spectators 

to the horrific incident for several reasons. 

The people moving about must have been taken totally by surprise looking at the attack and the mind can go numb temporarily and very few are capable of reacting in quick time. Secondly, the attacker was armed with a knife with which he could have attacked anyone who interfered. It may not have been possible for a single person to over-power the attacker and needed a concerted effort by a group of men. There could have been women and elderly persons among the bystanders and they cannot be expected to react. It is true that the public should have come to the rescue of the victim. However it may not be apathy but 

fear which has prevented them from reacting.   

Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco


Who cares for protocol?

From laying the foundation of the new Parliament building to inaugurating it on its completion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives an impression that he wants to be the central figure in all such programmes and script a record for posterity that his name and persona remain associated with the construction of the same. 

Constitutional propriety and wisdom expound that the President of India occupies the number one position, Vice President comes second, followed by the Prime Minister. 

But no one cares about such protocols and conventions under the Modi regime. All these acts only explain the tyranny and totalitarianism of the Modi government. A historic occasion provided a nice opportunity for political leaders of all parties to come together for a common cause, burying their differences. But the swagger of absolute power and the myopic vision of the BJP have certainly spoilt it.

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai


Did we need a new Parliament building?

The new Parliament building was inaugurated with much pomp and show on Sunday but the question needs to be asked is “Did we really need a new Parliament building?”

“To answer that we don’t have to look far. The British Parliament housed in Westminster was built in the 1860s and has undergone successive renovations and upgrades to keep up with changed technological  requirements of a new era.

The US Capitol building’s neoclassical building envelope has similarly remained unchanged in over two centuries, yet internally the structure has undergone substantial alterations to make it compatible with the demands of the 21st century.

Underground rooms capable of surviving a nuclear blast were added, as were numerous additional offices, it was structurally rehabilitated in the 1980s with additional steel reinforcement and high strength concrete. Even the German Parliament housed in the Reichstag building built in 1899 was completely refurbished to meet modern challenges; it is interesting to note that the outer shell was left intact to maintain continuity with the past while the interiors were totally transformed by a team of capable architects and engineers working in conjunction with the German government.

Similarly, India should have investigated possibilities of similar upgrades, maybe innovative solutions could have emerged. As of now, there are no plans to demolish the old building but given the authoritarian government in the saddle this might just be the case in future, the oft repeated statement that we need to ‘shed the vestiges of our colonial legacy, get rid of symbols of slavery’ might be trotted out to grind a magnificent building to dust.

Rekha Sarin Trehan,  Benaulim


Win seven in a row to be crowned a champ

The French Open, is a prestigious Grand Slam on clay, both in the men’s and women’s clay court events. In neither of these events have there been players who have performed consistently well. Going by the performances, there are no clear favourites for this major event and it would be fair to say that barring any major upheavals, there would still be the prospects of the top players in a tossup for the coveted respective titles depending only on their ability to be able to negotiate in each and every of the seven rounds with the best performances and thus reign supreme in this major event. Rankings may be of important in the earlier rounds, but thereafter it seems that the battles will go down to the wire on each day’s showing and that the  coveted men’s and women’s crown will settle on those heads with the seven of the best showings in a row. Come Sunday, till June 11 will provide a feast of the best talent in world tennis and grinding cliff-hangers on the slow clay of Roland Garros. Upsets may happen on a bad day for the fancied. Be ready for long rallies and tough duels. The green orb will spin more but will the placements do the trick?  Will the one with big match temperament prevail or will the momentum carry the winners past the championship point?

Elvidio Miranda, Panjim


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar