They are high on promises, but at the end of the term they are always low on delivery. In most elections, these manifestoes become merely academic in nature, with few people taking the trouble and the time to sift through them and try to understand what the parties want to convey to the people. In reality, the manifesto is a document of extreme importance as it outlines the party’s programme for the State should it come to power. It may not be enforceable by the people and so the party can deviate from this, but it gives voters a pretty good idea of just what to expect should a particular formation come to power.
The issues at hand in Goa are as diverse as they are many. They require solutions, and these can come not just from the politicians but also from the people. The first step is voting for representatives who are in tune with the issues, and then working with them to make it happen. The latter is important as the politician who is elected for a period of five years will always be looking to take decisions that are best described as political to ensure victory at the next election and another term in power. These decisions at times may not be the best for the constituency and the State.
A quick glance at the manifestoes released by the parties for the February 14 poll confirms that some of the promises of 2017 are back five years later. This essentially indicates that what was promised was not fulfilled. Which gives rise to the question of what exactly has changed in the last five years in Goa. Has there been a change or did Goa just plough on? Noticeable changes to the positive are few and the manifestoes bear this out. In today’s Review section Herald has compared the manifestoes of the major parties and alliances to create a quick reckoner for the people who can, at a glance, get an idea of what the parties are promising in various sectors.
Infrastructure, or development as it is loosely called, has been built in the past five years in the form of bridges, roads hot mixed and widened, mainly hotel project expansions given clearances, a few industrial units also. Simultaneously, the three linear projects met with stiff resistance as people stood up to protect the environment and attempt to block the coal transportation. The projects find space in some of the manifestoes with certain parties promising to stop them if they come to power. And there are the other promises that recur every election, like doing away with corruption and with narcotics, promoting agriculture and retaining Goan identity. How many of these will actually be kept by the end of the next term of the Legislative Assembly?
The February 14 election has a number of new faces among the candidates bringing hope that there could be a new crop of politicians elected who could be different from what Goa voted for and got in the past. What is needed is a new direction, taking the State away from the pitfalls of the path that it has been treading the past few years. However, the possibility of an Assembly with new, committed members, who have the interests of Goa at heart, can only come about when the electorate votes for such individuals and brings in people who are committed to the State and to the Nation, and who will not bow down or be lured the other way. These are the kind of people that the State needs at the helm.
