The former Goa Governor who is now the Meghalaya Governor, Satya Pal Malik’s comments that “there is corruption everywhere” in Goa, is a serious, sad and shocking reflection of our Goa. And though he spoke about the present, what he said holds true for the state of Goa in general, across parties and across the span of the last 20 years.
Malik who was, in his own words, “removed” as Goa Governor, mentioned corruption in the distribution of rations during COVID or the movement of mining trucks during the lockdown, in an interview with India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, but corruption has become a part of Goa’s political and governance system.
The institution of the Lokayukta formed to check institutional corruption has been made totally ineffective by ignoring its strong recommendations on blatant corruption cases. Last year the Goa Lokayukta in a stinging letter to the same Governor Satya Pal Malik questioned the very need for its existence as if its recommendations are regularly rejected by the government “given the usual attitude of protecting the privileged and the powerful”.
The then Lokayukta PK Mishra wrote, “The posterity may rightly question as to why [the] public exchequer should be depleted by having Institutions like the Lokayukta or Human Rights Commission if their reports are to be routinely rejected without bestowing the attention their reports deserve.”
At the same time, no one in the previous Congress government has faced the law for five years of illegal mining, termed illegal by the court. In 2012, it was for the first time perhaps that an entire election was fought on the issue of corruption (as well as family raj). People were fed up and they themselves alleged corruption in almost every government department, whether they were related to state infrastructure or services to the people. And yet, not a single MLA or minister faced corruption charges, even though the ruling party lost its government due to corruption.
So has corruption become the new normal?
Sadly yes. From the police constable who has to pay to get his job, to the health worker, to the higher officer to clerk or section officer, money does change hands for them to get those posts. And they in turn have to feed the greed of officers, right up to the politicians heading the department or the corporation.
So whether it is buying medicines from one supplier without tenders or giving oxygen contracts to one supplier to kickbacks paid for a Japanese based water supply and distribution scheme, corruption is everywhere.
Corruption starts from the lowest level and for the smallest of reasons
When the chain of corruption starts at the level of a simple NOC for some village work, including house repairs, one can understand that governance in Goa begins with corruption. And that corruption has become the norm while honesty is an exception. And it has become so routine that amounts charged at the panchayat or municipality level and government departments is not even looked at as corruption. And when you know that, it is not a surprise when the former Goa Governor says everything is corrupt in Goa.
In September 2020 the Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) openly spoke of corruption in the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and said, “Corruption has scaled new heights. Under the table, rates are being fixed for every routine service. Their commission for allotment of new plots in various industries.”
But this statement holds true under any government. The SEZ scam for instance happened under the previous Congress government and even till now all the plots illegally allotted (as stated by the High Court) have not been got back even after the State made an out of court deal with SEZ developers to settle for only a portion of the lands to be returned and pay them compensation.
Corruption will only be eradicated if people want to get rid of it and choose the right people
It is a system disease. And people make a political and social system. If there is corruption between the voter and the politician, you cannot expect to sort out the corruption in the system because it gets tainted even before the first vote is cast. If a politician has to pay to get the people’s vote, then he has to recover the crores he spends during elections. And his next five years go in the recovery of the past term and preparation for the next term. When money dictates everything will the MLA or minster have the time to plan for the betterment of Goa and the future of your children?
Corruption can stop only when people select clean candidates who are people’s candidates without any give and take of money. That alone will be the first step towards cleaning the system. However, when every stream that flows into this giant river is dirty, the river of corruption will never become clean.
Therefore it is entirely up to the people of Goa to choose well, make corruption an issue and help solve it by taking the first step towards identifying and helping parties select clean candidates.
Otherwise, Goa which should be known as a paradise for tourists, a centre of excellence and ease of doing business will always be known as one of the most corrupt states in the country.
Did our forefathers fight for independence, statehood and identity for this?