THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
The people of Goa are at crossroads. Every five years a time comes for them to simply press the right button. But this simple act of pressing a button that will shape their lives and destinies is one of the most complex processes because there appears to be a gap between what people want (and what Goa needs) and what some political parties do to win at any cost and the costs of Goa.
When at the crossroads, Goan society often looks within. Within their families, their villages, and panchayats and within their institutions, including institutions of faith. And it is from here that many narratives are built. Narratives that help people make the right decisions.
In the middle of last year, when Goa started preparing to think about its leadership, of promises made, of betrayals, and about their sufferings, institutions like the Church were guiding lights emanating from lighthouses guiding boats and people bobbing on troubled waters.
As guiding angels, priests too sent messages, shot videos on WhatsApp, YouTube, which were circulated widely, ‘guiding’ Goans on how our land needs to be reclaimed from the vices of corruption and greed. How our environment and ecology need to be protected. On how we should be governed by good people and hence one must choose well. On how betrayers and those who have let Goa down and worked against Goan interests should be rejected and not be a part of any political system that takes shape for the future of Goans.
And when such messages were sent out by important leaders of the Church, which does not speak only for one faith but for all the people of Goa, in defence of Goa’s identity and culture, they resonated with Goans who wanted clean governance and a big social distancing from those elements of Goa’s political class who have manipulated the system to destroy Goa’s land and its resources.
The battle was against the destruction of Goa through projects that augmented coal transportation through Goa, the battle was against the change of zoners to allow massive construction projects which would destroy villages, the battle was against changes in the Town and Country Planning Act, which would allow big construction lobbies to go ahead with
projects in zones that were fragile and not meant for such projects, in the name of course correction.
The Church was always the guiding-angel for people fighting for our land and identity
The narrative was not about winning elections, the narrative was to speak and act the language of true change for the people, by turning a people’s protest movement and fight for justice and rights. And while the Church does not officially declare its support for any party, it has its ways of sending messages, indicating the direction in which people could think. At the same time, some priests go the extra mile to indicate a political direction very strongly as one saw in some places at Mormugao taluka.
But what happens when the very political force or party that the guiding angels endorse contains recently joined elements and allies, responsible for harming Goa’s interests? They have betrayed the people’s mandate, responsible for defections, for the creation of ODPs and PDAs in rural areas and destroying pristine villages, and creating laws that allow construction, in slopes and forests, and other fragile lands. And when those leading people’s movements backed by the Church, join political parties which contain these elements and become their candidates, the people expect guidance from guiding angels on what to do.
Herald, as always, is and will articulate the need and expectations of the people
In the light of the above, perhaps fresh guidance will come from the same priests who had made videos and sent several WhatsApp messages giving direction and channelizing people’s thoughts about how to vote.
Perhaps people’s genuine confusion will be addressed. Maybe they will get some explanation as to why political forces and their allies are responsible for the very destruction of Goa that people are fighting against, is getting the support of the guiding angels whose advice and sermons carry so much weight.
And those who are waiting are not of one faith. They are all Goans across religious beliefs who believe and respect institutions that may be of faith but in reality, are institutions that guide all society.
When institutions that society believes in remain silent, society gets confused and worried
There is one thing the right-thinking people of Goa understand. Simple Goa-loving people at the grassroots are at the core of a genuine people’s movement. And if they are asked to endorse a political movement by the guiding angels, which is not in sync with the kind of governance Goans want and contains destroyers of Goa, then the credibility of that endorsement suffers.
People still perhaps hope that institutions of faith that guide their flock and society will call upon themselves to guide and answer several questions that the people of Goa are asking, which Herald has expressed on their behalf.
