Goa was adjudged the Best Overall State, in small states category, at India Today’s State of the States Conclave 2014. Given the nature of awards in India, one is suspect whether the magazine asked the right questions. Goa’s rating among the better performing states raises a conundrum –whether decentralized decision making, transparency in governance, consultation and empowerment of the people in Goa is good enough or whether other states are far worse off? And whether even basics such as infrastructure, services and quality of life of the people is satisfactory?
The job of the media, thinkers and citizens is like that of a crowd watching a game — to step back from the thick of the action, judge, criticize, compare and though we are one step removed from the action, we are deeply invested in it and have a perspective which the political actors don’t have. The media attempts to play the role of the theorist at the Oracle of Delphi who used to orchestrate, interpret and extrapolate what politicians say cryptically (or do not say) and do. It is not the final word, but the start of a dialogue, to make people think.
So when Goa is awarded the best state overall in the small states category the easiest thing to do is to celebrate with a pep of jingoism. The more difficult task is to sit back and say, now wait a second, do we really deserve this? And often it is criticism that leads to the State not only performing better, but touching the lives of its citizens to make it a meaningful welfare State.
India Today accolades about BJP’s success by reaching out to the states is misplaced. It is the DNA of political parties and politicians to sell dreams to the people, go all out with calculated battle plans into the electoral battle field to outwit their opponents. Here there is nothing to choose between the Congress led NDA or the BJP lead NDA. The rubrics of the game do not change. Deep rooted corruption, grinding poverty, glaring inequality, unemployment, poor infrastructure have now become a legacy of apathy of parties in power. The question is –are they able to wipe every tear from eyes of the poorest man?
Goa today is fighting the same problems it fought under the Congress regime –casinos, mining, regional plan, Lokayukta, transparency in governance, unjust wages, unemployment, traffic congestion, price rise, crime, drugs, etc. Only, those who get contracts has changed, as also the trumpet section and cheerleaders of the ruling party. But the problems are unchanged – centralized decision making, no transparency, no decent four lane north – south highway, unpreparedness to tackle natural disasters, vulnerability to terrorists who can walk in, recce and leave unscathed, no credible infrastructure, dug up roads and traffic chaos to welcome tourists, while ministers and officials fly abroad to travel marts.
Panjim, the capital and where chief minister is the MLA, lies in shambles, with a dirty market, gut wrenching filthy fish market, no parking or traffic management, no toilets and chaos due to encroachments. In the last two and half years nothing has been done for locals, just two jetties for casinos and cruises and (paid?) parking for tourists.
People are tired of complaining, such that they are overtaken by powerlessness. The language of Goans is –now nothing can change, least realizing that passivity allows governance to deteriorate further. It was when people said “no” that things changed –at the Opinion Poll, the Language Agitation, the Zuari, Nylon 6,6 and Meta strips and the Regional Plan agitations.
To Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad we say “no”, the “politics of identity has not matured into the politics of good governance.” The BJP was voted to power due to the blunders and corruption of the Congress and people have put faith in you for a change. As you say, yes, “the job of the chief minister is to create hope,” but more importantly, deliver results, not bamboozle, befuddle or defend the indefensible through ‘clever’ use of language. We agree with Shekhar Gupta that “Chief Minister’s Office has become all powerful”, but is this a matter of rejoicing or regret? When the rights discourse endorses transparency, decentralization of power and empowering people and grassroots, where Goa has given its worst performance, does the State deserve this award?
