Week-kneed governance
News just in suggests that, contrary to what Chief Minister
Digambar Kamat announced in the Assembly recently,
Goa might see a return of the contentious Cyberage
scheme. Let’s have no illusion about it: Cyberage is the height
of populism.
Giving almost-free computers to mostly middle-class youth,
and getting no results out of it is indeed a small scam. That it
should continue for so long, without any decent evaluation of
the scheme, only makes it worse. And the fact that its tenders
have been handed out in a questionable manner for so many
years gives a hint of the rot Goa has to cope with. Very conveniently,
Cyberage was initiated by the party now forming
Goa’s main Opposition.
This issue goes beyond just Cyberage alone. It involves how
a good decision—to scrap a questionable policy that went on
for too long, in this case—is upturned. The reason for upturning
this decision is, reportedly, that the Opposition and “other
quarters” want Cyberage to continue. The government is to
set up a panel to study Cyberage. But what is the logic of
taking a decision, then bowing to the Opposition and “other
quarters” and finally setting up a panel? A sure case of placing
the bullock-cart before the oxen.
There have been other such cases too. When some streets
in the centre of Panjim, near the old Secretariat, were pedestrianised,
the decision was reverted. The then government
said shopkeepers around the area had protested. Ironically,
shopping could have grown, not diminished in a pedestrianised
area. But then, how is public interest gauged? If a small network
of shopkeepers protest, should the government fall in line? In
Cyberage, those getting hardware (and software) contracts
would probably be most affected by its stoppage.
Such developments raise wider questions. How is government
policy determined? And is it healthy for the authorities to
allow any small, well-organised lobby to decide on such affairs?
Are government policies announced without due application
of mind, in the first place?
If Goa lacks one thing acutely, that is a citizen-oriented
think tank that could clearly analyse local issues in depth. Of
late, some citizens’ group being trying to focus on where governance
is going wrong. Citizens’ groups have dug out crucial
information, ranging from planning decisions to SEZs. But
this has happened only sporadically. It needs to be done seriously;
and once the power of information is acknowledged, it
becomes clear that a whole lot of resources need to be invested
into such work. If we had more such networks, not just one,
it would be possible to determine what really lies in Goa’s
long term interest.
Till that time, we will continue to be ruled by the lobbies,
and leveraged by self-interests of certain sections. Politicians
will justify their flip-flops and party switching too by just
saying that their “people want it”. We won’t even have the
facts and figures to know when we are being taken for a collective
ride.
Oratory initiative
Most schools in Goa stick to the minimum official requirement.
They do what is needed to allow them to
continue drawing government grants. In this background,
the Don Bosco oratory’s initiative is praiseworthy.
The Salesian institution has gone ahead to unveil an ambitious
‘summer club’, open to all students and youth between April
5 and May 10.
It’s a great idea to keep the children busy during their
summer holidays, learning spoken English, or how to be a
radio jockey, or even pick up the basics of film-making.
Five courses in education, three in computers, ten in sports, six
in music and dance, eight in the extra-curricular domain, besides
night cycling, a picnic, an overnight picnic and a hike could not
only brighten up the vacations of the young ones, but also teach
them some useful life-skills. We wish more institutions took such
initiatives. Learning shouldn’t be restricted to the classroom; some
of our best learning happen beyond it.
