If until Saturday Goa could bask in the knowledge that it is one of the most preferred of destinations in the country for tourism purposes, then it learnt that morning that it is also known for something not so complimentary in the rest of the country. Yogendra Yadav came to Goa on Saturday and said that the tiny State ‘is packed with organized corruption’. The press conference at which he said it was telecast live. A day earlier, another academic and also an environmentalist had something similar to say. Prof Madhav Gadgil, had said that mining through the State and private sector has been marred with illegalities and has looted the State exchequer.
Goa has often been in the news for its tourism and of late for the illegal mining cases, not forgetting the many bloopers of its politicians that have given the rest of India some amused moments on a dull news day. But now, Goa’s reputation has taken a further beating, with the statement from these two respected personalities.
Face it, neither is Yadav a disgruntled politician, nor is Gadgil a strident environmentalist. Yadav may have been expelled from the Aam Aadmi Party, but the man has a host of other credentials to his name that makes one sit up and take notice of what he says. Before dabbling into politics he was an academic. He has been a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a former member of the University Grants Commission and the National Advisory Council on the Right to Education Act. Gadgil is also a respected environmentalist who has headed the Western Ghats Ecological Expert Panel (WGEEP) and is currently the D D Kosambi Visiting Research Professor at Goa University.
That corruption exists in the State is a known fact and a statement on this would not cause a flutter or even any major surprises. That it is packed with corruption and that this is what the people in Delhi feel is what causes a few eyebrows to be raised, perhaps not in indignation but definitely in affront. Almost everybody in Goa at sometime of the other has been at the receiving end of corruption. While some may have succumbed to the pressure and given in and paid up to get the work done, others would have stood by their principals and fought it.
Right, Goa faces some special challenges due to the ‘organized corruption’, according to Yadav. So what does Goa do about this? Does it sit back and allow corruption to continue or does it fight the monster and erase the reputation the State seems to be gaining? The answer should be the latter – erase that reputation.
In the run up to the State Assembly elections of 2012, the BJP in its manifesto had promised zero tolerance to corruption, but later the party’s government did admit to the existence of corruption in the administration. The government has not done enough to erase the blot of corruption that stains Goa’s reputation. Naturally, one can’t really expect politicians to turn their back to corruption. They will make the right noises about it, but the actions will never ever match up to the words. It is up to the people to ensure that corruption does not tarnish Goa anymore.
Yadav was not entirely critical of Goa. He also said that Goa can show a path to the country on green politics, considering its history of fighting for the environmental causes. The State is currently fighting quite a few green causes – the Tiracol golf course and resort and the marina projects being examples. That being so, perhaps Goa can also show a path to the country on fighting corruption. The movement can start now. All it needs is a few people with a clean image to come together and take up the cause. The challenge has already been made, all it now needs is the right people to take it up and give this little State a new and clean image.
