Yet politicians don’t seem to realise the drying up of benefits in the cost benefit ratio till it’s too late, leaving them wonder why popularity and a mandate deludes them. Even those who have degrees in science and consider themselves good in Maths do not quite calculate this loss of benefit.
Take for instance, our Chief Minister, who finally played his expected last card to justify the disturbance and unease in South Goa, over the Tousif de Navelim issue. He called it a non-issue and advised the tiatrist receiving threatening calls to switch off his phone and change his SIM card. When he said so in the assembly, there was a hush and stunned silence, a silence which drowned what the Chief Minister also said which sounded good and is commendable if he means it- that the forces of Ram Sene will not be allowed in Goa and that his government would deal with them.
The point here is that the Mr Parrikar’s remedy for Tousif, is not consistent with his stand that the Ram Sene flag would not fly in Goa. When the Home Minister tells a common man, scared of his life after receiving threatening calls, that he should change his SIM card, he does not inspire confidence. In any case, by now his police should have been in possession of the phone and SIM card to track down the calls and arrest the callers. Discarding the SIM card of the complainant is a sure shot way of closing the investigation. We seriously hope, for the sake of Tousif and others, that this is not the ultimate design of the government.
Now let’s look at an issue which doesn’t disturb the media but will give the Chief Minister diminishing returns. The Chief Minister blamed a section of the press for “inciting and making an issue when there are none”. He also said that there were certain sections (of media) inviting him (Muthalik) here to create sensational news. “This is dangerous. We are creating ghosts that will destroy us,” he said.
Since these are grave allegations, they need to be dealt with. When Pramod Muthalik first said that he would keep a sword in every Hindu home and come to Goa to set up a base, it wasn’t a work of fiction as Muthalik himself reiterated. Our job is simply to report and bring facts to the table. What is palatable can’t be called responsible and what isn’t can’t be dismissed as fiction. Beauty may lie in the eyes of the beholder, but facts can’t have the same luxury.
The threats faced by the tiatrist were not a work of fiction or at least not created by the media. That was amply proven when Muthalik in an interview to Herald, didn’t confirm giving the threats but was very clear he and his partner organisation, the Sanathan Sanstha wouldn’t let the likes of Tousif De Navelim get away with the kind of tiatr he was releasing. So was this revelation more disturbing than the threats the tiatrist was facing? No media has ever invited Muthalik. And he surely doesn’t need an invitation. He has friends in the Sanstha and yes indeed in the Goa cabinet to accord his all the hospitality he needs. Pramod Muthalik and Rame Sene are not ghosts. They have become a reality and irresponsible statements of cabinet ministers on banning bikinis and pub culture have catapulted the Muthalik reality to our state and to our streets.
Therefore the media blame game will not give this government any returns. By playing this game, the growing distance between the government and people will become difficult to ever bridge at a time when responsible media publications are seen as the voice of truth and of the people. This blame game will only bring diminishing returns to the government and push the media to doing its job even more responsibly and forcefully.
