Drugs and politics
Shocking headlines—in the local and outstation media—are helping to bring the focus on a topic which has been long neglected, not for a year or two but perhaps for three to four decades. A Swedish model ex-girlfriend of an Israeli narcotics suspect has reportedly claimed she has evidence to establish a clear nexus between the police and the drug mafia.
Such news has all the elements of a good story. There’s glamour, beauty, crime, power and mystery thrown in. But does it take a Swedish model to tell us what Goa has long known? Given the way the news-process works, a development of this kind could achieve something that was not done by dozens of protests by groups like the JGF (if we haven’t forgotten the group which protested against the adverse impact of tourism), or so many earlier depictions in novels, books and magazines.
One worrying aspect of such developments is that the law and order machinery in the State seems to take action only when some ‘big news’ breaks out in the media. For the rest of the time, it is business as usual, and the pretence continues as if there’s nothing wrong with the situation.
This means we can expect further action only when the next big story or scandal breaks. In fact, what is needed is for the authorities to carefully audit the functioning of their lower ranks, to ensure that things are not going out of hand. Also, if corruption has been integrated within the system, as some suspect, because political bosses expect their pound of flesh on a regular basis, then it is the duty of honest officials to expose the system, if necessary acting as whistle-blower.
There is another aspect that causes concern. In some of the high-profile cases that have emerged in the news recently, the target clearly involved has been some politician. No names are being mentioned directly in the case of Anjuna, both in the drug-police link case and also in the Scarlett Keeling death. But the insinuation being clearly made is that it is home minister Ravi Naik and his kin that is somehow involved.
This is not the only case where a politician has been dragged into a headline-making case. Something similar was seen earlier in the case of the “German girl”, where the target was obviously minister Babush Monserrate, whose son was being implicated in the case.
Much earlier on, there have been similar cases. Babush Monserrate was targeted just before the BJP rise to power in Goa, when it was claimed that the Miramar sex-scandal was “worse than Jalgaon”. After political peace was brokered, nothing more was heard on this case. Way back in the 1980s, Dayanand Narvekar, then a key dissident, was dragged into a “molestation” scandal.
As could be expected, the Opposition BJP has been quick to take advantage of the latest news reports. It has demanded a CBI probe into the allegations made by the Swedish model. So, will the Opposition only highlight crime and drugs when its political opponents (of the moment) are involved? Wasn’t it the BJP which ruled Goa, directly and indirectly for nearly six years, with these very politicians as part of the government? And what about the BJP’s own politicians from the area and their links with dubious quarters?
Yes, Goa does need a clean-up, above all of its law enforcing authorities. But rivalry and one-upmanship of any sort—whether by politicians or of drug gangs—should stay away from this process. Otherwise, it will be just a charade.
Price of failure
On Tuesday evening, villagers of Parra attended the funeral of a teenager, who allegedly ended his life, after failing in his school exams. This is a warning signal to us all. We need to teach our youngsters better ways of coping with “failure”, which in an academic sense may only mean difficulties in coping with one or two subjects.
Let’s remind our young citizens that someone who is an academic “failure” might well be a success in life, and vice-versa. It would help if the educational authorities gave students more subject-choices to opt for, so that they don’t feel trapped just because they dislike (or cannot cope with) one or two subjects.
