there is much to choose from in this election as, though the major parties may be promising almost similar economic benefits, the ideologies espoused by the parties seeking to direct the course of the nation for the next five years are far apart from each other. And that is just what the Centre for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), the social action arm of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman is cautioning of in the statement it released asking people to vote wisely and smartly.
In a carefully worded statement the Centre has said that every five years citizens are given the opportunity to elect a government that will ‘preserve our Constitutional values importantly secularism and democracy’. It goes on to state that what is needed to ‘overturn the values and principles of our Constitution’ is the support of a requisite number of MPs and MLAs. That is the fear of not just the CSJP in Goa, but of a wider section of the citizenry that has for the past few years been cautioning the rest of the country of the dangers of intolerance that have led to rising incidents of lynching in various parts of the country. Goa may have escaped the violence, but the threat of it percolating into the State can never be ruled out, which calls for caution when voting so that there is a government that espouses all the liberties espoused in the Constitution.
Across the country the debate on intolerance has been often shrill and on the streets it has taken a violent turn. There has been a hard line adopted on issues by certain organisations that has been ignored by the government. The politics of intolerance should never find a place in a pluralistic and open society. CSJP may not have illustrated its statement, but remember the time that a Sadhavi speaking in Goa wanted those who eat beef to be hanged? Or the time when you read about a person being lynched because he was suspected of having slaughtered a cow? Or the shooting of rationalists, where even one of our own writers – Damodar Mauzo – was provided with security after the authorities unveiled a threat to his life, because of his rationalist writings? Such are the examples that the Centre for Social Justice and Peace is cautioning about.
The government that will be elected should represent the diverse culture that is India and respect every community and religion equally. The time for change comes every few years, and it should be grasped by the citizens of this country to ensure that the nation grows to encompass the varied thinking that makes up the world. All CSJP is asking from the voters is a responsible approach when they go to the voting booth, to choose not without thinking but to select the candidate and the party, which is equally important, after a careful consideration of what India needs for its tomorrow.
For the past many years, Goa has been spared any major communal trouble. Its people, across religions, have consistently proved to be tolerant and also accepting of the other’s ways of thinking. That tolerance should be upheld again for the rest of the country to emulate. The country is at the crucial juncture when the government it chooses can give the nation a new path that strides into a plural society or one that stresses on singularity. The choice is for the people to make, and also for Goa, hence the people should take a conscious decision when pressing the button on the electronic voting machine.
