21 Jan 2022  |   05:26am IST

LET THIS BE OUR EARNEST PRAYER!

LET THIS BE OUR EARNEST PRAYER!

Rita Paes

God, give us men!

GOD, give us men! A time like this demands

Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;

Men whom the lust of office does not kill;

Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;

Men who possess opinions and a will;

Men who have honor; men who will not lie;

Men who can stand before a demagogue

And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!

Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog

In public duty, and in private thinking;

For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,

Their large professions and their little deeds,

Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,

Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.

— Josiah Gilbert Holland

This is one of my favourite poems. I would be very happy if all the parties and candidates, men and women aspiring to form the Government in Goa take this truth test. It is time put your hands on your conscience, and see whether you can truly lead us. I’ve had difficulties challenging students to be honest, men and women of integrity, who will change society One Man and One Woman at a time. And they have looked at me with disbelief saying, “The System does not recognise these values any more. So why do you want us to live by them?”

How is it that the State demands high qualifications from teachers and other professionals entering the different professions? Why are there no norms for those entering politics and the State or National Government? We introduce all kinds of Tests like NET, SET, GTET etc when in actual fact, these in no way test the practical skills of those taking the test. They only serve to discriminate on theoretical bases.

It is a pity (or a crying shame) that we have so many politicians who jump from one party to another without any qualms of conscience. To add insult to injury, some of them demand tickets for their wives and children too! The parliamentarians of old were great intellectuals, men and women of steel, not blown around by passing winds of power and greed. They were political stalwarts and people-oriented leaders who upheld democratic values and lived by them.

We have politicians in hundreds, men and women of straw who have neither an ideology, nor are inspired by basic human values. Yes, we have politicians of every ilk, but do we have true leaders? It is time we looked for True Leaders. We need men and women who promote human rights, who protect the environment, instead of destroying our God-given natural resources to line the pockets of the already filthy rich. We need leaders who will not proclaim falsehoods, promise freebies and social benefits before elections and break them so easily once they are elected to power.

We need leaders who stand tall, like our very own Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and others like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela who sacrificed themselves so that DEMOCRACY may live! We have a sprinkling valiant people who are desperately trying to rewrite the script of the tragic – comedy that is being played on the political stage. May their tribe increase!

It is time for all intelligent people to make choices wisely. We need to elect people who are free from the greed for wealth and the trappings of power. We need Free Men and Women! We often get people who become self-made prisoners.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar