Streets free of political posters
It is so refreshing to see that the roads and streets of Goa are now finally free from all those political hoardings, banners and posters. But the authorities have also to take punitive action against those responsible for all these defacements of public property which were going on so blatantly over the last many weeks. While racing against the Model Code of Conduct, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had been laying so many foundation stones and inaugurating various incomplete projects obviously with substandard works carried out in a tearing hurry.
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A classic example is the proposed Mapusa bus stand which has been unveiled as an interim bus stand. Such a thing was never heard of. Will the authorities clarify what it means? Any foundation stone must be laid only when the actual work starts. So also the inauguration should be only take place after the project is complete in all respects and ready to be put in operation.
In fact with the State coffers empty, the government should have prudently desisted from spending needlessly on foundation stone laying ceremonies and pompous inaugural functions. Now with the Code of Conduct in place the onus is on every citizen to remain vigilant and ensure that there is no abuse of power leading to violations which the BJP is known for and excelled at during the 2017 Assembly elections.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
What a heart touching word play
Apropos to Joseph Lewis D’Silva’s piece titled “A Glance at what Happened” (Herald, January 12, 2022), the piece is replete with smart word play right from the beginning. The author has told his readers a short story full of happenstance with a happy end in a concise manner.
It shows his mastery over the craft of writing. His piece brought a goofy smile. It reads like a breath of fresh air from the onslaught of mind-numbing coverage of the Goa assembly elections 2022.
There is life beyond the rough and tumble of round the clock politics. Thank you, God; for small mercies.
Gafaar Shaqoor, Margao
Door-to-door campaigning
The Model Code of Conduct is in force ahead of the State assembly elections scheduled for February 14. This coupled with the fact there has been a surge in Covid-19 infections as the third wave is at its peak has forced the politicians to carry out a subdued election propaganda.
Many political parties have resorted to door-to-door campaigning in order to reach out to the voters. Some political parties consider door-to-door campaigning as the more effective way to reach out to the people as compared to the social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, SMS, etc. However, due to the Covid-19 related protocol the number of people from a particular political party that can take part in the door-to-door campaigning is also restricted.
It is pertinent to note that in the third wave many of those who have tested positive for the virus are asymptomatic. It is also observed that over the past few days several political leaders have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. As politicians and their supporters come in close contact with the people during the door-to-door campaigning, it would be in the fitness of things for these campaigners to carry a negative RT-PCR report along with a full vaccination certificate.
People have the right to protect themselves from the virus even as they remain indoors.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Do we have a bad judicial system?
The federal court in Australia has decided the matter within 5 days in the world number 1 tennis player’s Novak Djokovic’s detention case. If this case had happened in India, the case would have gone and gone for days and months and by then the tournament would get over.
The latest example is of 10 Congress MLAs who shamelessly defected and merged their party with BJP, the Courts in India have failed to adjudicate the matter in time thereby disappointing the electorate of Goa. If the elected member defects to another party, it ought to be illegal as the elected representative has by-passed the power of the people who voted for him.
In India they say that there are less judges/less courts to adjudicate the matters.
The posts in the judiciary are not filled up as expeditiously as required. However, I see differently, the judges lack intention in passing the orders in time.
If there is scrutiny, the applications are pending for years and as such delays are taking place in concluding trials. Even when the matter has been expedited by the courts, the matter does not get over within stipulated period. There is no sort of guidelines given by the High Courts to finish the matter expeditiously.
Mary Jayne Dias Pinheiro, Chimbel
Goa’s economic woes serious
The BJP government in Goa has led the State into a debt trap of Rs 23,000 crore which means that the per capita debt for 15,00,000 population in Goa is Rs 1,53,000 which is almost five times that of another BJP ruled state, Madhya Pradesh which has a total of Rs 2.56 lakh crore debt, translating into a per capita debt of Rs 34,000 for its entire population.
Also as per conservative estimates Goa government employs 1 in every 22 persons in government jobs. This means that about 70,000 persons in Goa have government jobs and if you assume that the average salary of a government employee is Rs 25,000 per month, Rs 2,100 crore are spent on salaries every year; 21 in 22 people in Goa have private jobs which are normally lower paying.
Also with the price of petrol at Rs 95 per litre and domestic LPG cylinder costing Rs 1000 each and during the pandemic no subsidy is being credited into accounts and to add it all vegetables, fruits, pulses, lentils and cooking oil have registered sharp rate of inflation in Goa, an average family finds itself in a very tight spot even if they receive Griha Aadhaar as an inflation-related subsidy. People in Goa have to consider this aspect and thus vote for that party which can make life for the average and poorer sections of society tolerable.
With such a heavy debt, the Goan economy is being kept afloat only because at the Centre there is a BJP government.
Goans should focus on electing a government in Goa who can make Goa and Goans stand on its own feet and be self-sufficient through judicious governance so that through State GST collection and efficient and effective services provided by the government can make this small State self-dependent. Is this an atmnirbhar Goa?
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Life more important than laws
In a path-breaking surgery a US doctor has successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a 57-year-old terminally ill patient, this could be a game changer and the answer to the worldwide organ shortage crisis.
It is pertinent to note that an Indian doctor who managed the same feat in 1997 was vilified and arrested for procedural lapses and violating the then Human organ transplant Act; in contrast the US FDA granted emergency authorisation for the medical intervention and the American doctor was feted for his achievement.
Moral of the story: It is more important to save a human life than to quibble about medical ethics and extant laws, the end justifies the means.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
