9th Jan 2015 Letters

During the last few months both during the time of the NDA Government and subsequently since the BJP Government came to power, each time the price of oil went up in the International market, our fuel bills were raised by a rupee or two. This was done on the grounds that the local price of petrol or diesel was linked to the International price of crude oil which was upwards of one hundred US dollars per barrel and was always rising. The average price of crude in the month of June 2014 was around USD 107. Due to some reason or the other the price of crude oil in the International market has now dropped to below Fifty US dollars per barrel. This is a drop of over 50% during the last few weeks. Accordingly, the price of petrol in Goa should have been brought to around Rs.30 per litre. But surprisingly the authorities in the Government are totally and cunningly silent about bringing the price of oil down relatively and passing the benefit of the lower oil price to the consumers. On the contrary our CM had the cheap audacity to say that he has won an unexpected lottery apparently implying that the gain due to the cheaper oil belongs to the government and not the people. 

If the Government is serious about “zero corruption” and a “swachh Bharat”, this was indeed a chance for them to show that they mean and what they say. After all “Charity begins at Home”

In the biblical story, a prodigal son claims his share of father’s property, heads for town life, wastes his inheritance in gambling and on women ultimately becomes a pauper and spends his life in a pigsty. Humbly he returns to his father’s opulent home to be welcomed with feasting and celebrations.

It is not my intention to get involved with Ghar Wapsi campaign of the Hindutva brigades to welcome back Dalits and Tribals to the original fold. My only wish is that Dalits and Tribals should make sure that they do not return to that part of Ghar full of debris, cobwebs, noxious odours, etc., which they had abandoned because of inescapable indignities heaped upon them.

This is with reference to the letter “Sabbath Customs” by Mr A C Menezes (Herald Jan 4), in which he writes about the praiseworthy customs of the Jews. I was particularly impressed by the way Jews exchange pleasantries before entering the synagogue. 

Catholics too exchange pleasantries on Sunday, but only among friends and rarely with others. We do exchange the ‘sign of peace’ during the service but this is clearly turning out to be a perfunctory and meaningless exercise which does not extend beyond the walls of the church. 

To cite one personal example, I visit Pilar on Sundays whenever I am in Goa. On one occasion while walking up the steep slope I had a severe asthmatic attack. I was reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Sleek cars drove past but not a single good Samaritan turned up to help me. I learned my lesson and now use pilots to drive me up the mount. But it is really sad to see poor old people trudging up the mount, with virtually empty cars passing by. What use is exchanging the sign of peace thereafter in the church?

Most of the peace loving people all over the world must condemn the barbaric killing of the French Cartoonist by Muslim ‘terrorists’. Their only crime was that they published cartoons. It is a shame that grown up men fear cartoons and choose the sword to silence the pen. 

I am sure that all those who love peace and freedom of the press will stand up against those who think that they can silence the media by resorting to bloodshed. No religion should support such hatred and must condemn such acts and people who spread hatred against freedom of the press. 

CM Parsekar’s backtrack on Casinos is condemnable. He cannot take the defence that the assurance to shift casinos out of the Mandovi was not taken by him. Was Parsekar not a part of the Cabinet decisions?

 Parsekar has breached the trust of the people of Goa by such a statement. He should not forget that his job remains to carry forward the assurances given by his predecessor. If such policies will be the programme of the Parsekar-led government, lest be assured that the BJP will face a humiliating defeat in the next Assembly elections.