SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024
The recent double murder of two elderly women in Siolim, as usual, has been caught in the favourite blame transference syndrome of the Goan society. The truth will be buried in the chronic denial and habitual blaming of politicians and migrants for all the misery. The reaction from Goans to this tragic incident is no different from the preposterous assumptions and conspiracy theories in the Sushant Singh suicide case, in which the woman gets condemned as the villain before trial while the man is portrayed as the innocent victim. This is not the first time that such a murder or suicide is occurring in a Goan home by a woman driven to desperation after allegedly suffering sustained mental torture in the family. It's so easy to be judgemental and ask: why had the accused to resort to murder instead of taking help? Unfortunately, a society which is least bothered in tackling mental health and domestic violence issues will not understand that rational decisions are not possible for a person who is in a restless frame of mind and feeling cornered on all sides.
Just last month, it was reported that some women from Saleli village in North Goa went to the Valpoi Deputy Collector to demand action against the illegal sale of liquor which is contributing to the disturbance of peace and harmony in many families within and around the village. It was in this very village not long ago, when villagers driven to desperation by the pollution from a stone crushing unit took the drastic step of putting to death the owner after the Government authorities took no action. When all sorts of abuse and violence is normalised as livelihood and culture, such a society fails to recognise the enormity of a problem like alcoholism and other social evils that are affecting several homes. Going by the police reports in this Siolim double murder, as well as from reliable ground information, this incident has once again exposed the double face and hypocrisy of Goan society.
We have witnessed so much concern and outreach initiatives from Goans to provide for the hungry and deprived in these times of the Covid-19 crisis. There is a loud protest against the environmental destruction due to various development projects. There is no lack of concern for the education needs of poor children. There is an outpouring of condemnation against rapes, murders and burglaries. But where had all this charity and social action vanished in the village of Siolim when it came to reaching out to the prime accused in the murder who appears to have been in a crisis situation? Did the prime accused have no friends who knew her case? Was the immediate neighbourhood not aware about the conflict in this home?
Coincidentally, this incident also coincides with the appeal from the Archbishop of Goa to observe a Spiritual Christmas this year, by refraining from extravagant celebrations and reaching out to the neglected and needy people. The tragic Siolim incident, which is one among the many more which preceded it, just cannot help us asking: Is intervening in such homes and families suffering from a conflict crisis not a part of charity and the spiritual duty of the local community?
Nowadays, we have a lot of videos circulating about religious leaders preaching at liturgical services and sparing no efforts in straining their vocal chords at protest rallies, to condemn the corrupt politicians and the environmental destruction in Goa. But do we see the same passion or hear even a whimper of protest when it comes to the social evils of alcohol and drug abuse, wife battering, rape, child abuse, sex trade and gambling which are polluting Goan society, and has made life in several Goan homes a living hell?
The politicians and migrants have become the Goan obsession, but when it comes to social evils in society, arising from the abuse and vulgarity which has become the backbone of Goa’s politics and economy, Goans do not seem to find their voice. We cannot blame the law and order problem solely on the failure of the police, when actually the laws and policies of the Government we elect are facilitating the breakdown in society and supporting criminality. The noise to Save Goa from destructive development projects becomes a farce, when the very nucleus of society, the family, is being destroyed by the Government’s policies and the economic model in the State of Goa.
What constitutes a threat or blessing to Goans, or which issues will take priority or not, is driven by the logic of convenience, which depends on how the political, economic and lifestyle interests of the privileged class will be served. The very Goan, who is otherwise extra sensitive when it comes to human and animal rights and protecting the environment, will have no reservations in partying late night with loud music and shouting which disturbs people’s sleep in the neighbourhood, sometimes even till the cops are called to intervene.
It is an open secret that Goa is no more the preferred destination for domestic tourists because of its beaches and forests, but it is the booze, drugs, casinos and the sex trade. Goans are well aware of how getting vaccinated with booze can swing the ‘susegado’ mood into becoming ‘uzzo’ (fire) to abuse politicians and bully migrants and even send the Ministers to ‘chandraar’ (the moon). When the society itself tolerates and collaborates in an economy which is dependent on such a culture of vices, how can Goans complain about the high incidence of murders, thefts, traffic violations and obscenities in Goa? Is this existence of social evil distinct from Goa’s environment?
(The author is a Social Activist and has worked in creating awareness on the issue of local self-governance)
