Now that the Chief Minister Parsekar has stated “I have never supported casinos and will never do so”. But will he ensure that this is the beginning of the end of what is called the “casino culture” in the heart of Goa. If the casino business is so vital to tourism and the economy of Goa (and that can be debated strongly), then let them be off shore in the truest sense and not be thrust upon our lives in a manner which is so in your face.
While the Congress is undoubtedly responsible for opening the waterways for casino vessels to enter, and its GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro being the only one who has apologised for the same in his party, the BJP needs to make good its promise in Government and its demand while in opposition to move casino vessels out of the Mandovi.
Secondly, it is incumbent upon the government to move them out of the territorial waters and into the high seas. The attempts made by the government to relocate them within the waters of Goa hasn’t been met with resounding success but it will be prudent to examine if it’s incumbent upon the government to find parking space for casinos, if they are relocated. Is the onus on the government vide an agreement or an assurance and if that is so, the context and circumstances which led to such an agreement needs to be made public. At the same time, if the government can justify the need to relocate them by talking the responsibility of identifying the location, then the “what next?” question needs to be answered. There has to be a time frame, clearly communicated both to the people of Goa and the casino industry by when Goa waters will be clear of them.
But this won’t be easy unless Goa is free from its dependence on casinos for revenue. The shifting of casinos, meant to be seen in isolation, is now closely linked to state revenues. The state has to be extracted from this trap by identifying alternate revenue streams from tourism and the creation of a manufacturing and services climate which in turn will lead to conspicuous consumption not of the kind associated with casinos.
Meanwhile, it is imperative that all political parties clarify what their casino policy is. The Congress, the Aam Admi Party and new Regional Fronts must be explicit in what their relationship with casinos will be and justify their stand. The founder of Goa Forward Vijai Sardesai has interestingly not opposed the setting up of casinos but has asked for cap on their number.
The Congress, notwithstanding the apology of its current GPCC president, has lost the moral high ground to take a stand against casinos. When in power in 2008, Goa witnessed an absolute role reversal with the GPCC unanimously expressing support for offshore casinos, calling them “legal entities”. On May 21, 2008, the GPCC executive meeting, attended by its then leadership in party and government, president Francisco Sardinha, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Home Minister Ravi Naik, told reporters that the state executive committee “was in favour of setting up offshore casinos in the state. This meeting was held a day after the Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar agitated at the Panjim jetty demanding that casinos be driven out of the Mandovi.
Thus, the GPCC has the ethical responsibility to hold a press conference of all its senior leaders including Mr Sardinha, Mr Digambar Kamat and Mr Ravi Naik, all three of whom are ticket aspirants with visions of becoming Chief Ministers and inform if the decision taken by the State Executive Committee to support off shore casinos on May 21, 2008 holds or not. The apology of the current GPCC president was offered at a press conference and not a resolution or decision taken by the GPCC executive. Therefore the sanctity of that apology is dependent on the GPCC formalizing that as a stand of the party and withdrawing its May 21, 2008 decision to support offshore casinos.
While individual MLA’s have expressed their own opinions, we do not quite know what is the official stand of the Goa Congress. For instance, Curtorim MLA Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco, said on the floor of the House on Thursday, during the ongoing monsoon session that casinos are a social menace, his bête noire Mr Sardinha had said on May 21, 2028 that casinos were good for tourism and revenue generation. The GPCC needs to state if Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco is correct or if Mr Sardinha was correct.
So the task is pretty much cut out. The government needs to announce a definite and unchangeable road map for the eventual moving out of casinos from the Mandovi and all political parties should make public their official stated casino policy. Once these are on the table, let the people of Goa decide who to back as far this issue is concerned.
