We often hear it said that ‘people get the government they deserve’. When it comes to Goa, the people are not only getting a bitter taste of their electoral choices but also a treat from their government with the jargon they like to hear. The people’s obsession with the idea of ‘Green Goa’ is now seeing the same old destructive economic policies and resultant development projects being dressed in green labels and shoved down people’s throats. The latest addition to this green label is the G20 sticker, as if it is some divine endorsement of these destructive government projects.
What fails democracy and drives the success of such greedy forces is a blinkered view and fractured public response to the crisis, which is coloured by selfish political considerations and economic convenience. The people keep patronising the circus of prefabricated governance policies dished out as a formality for public scrutiny, only to create an illusion of a participatory process. Just as ‘everything which shines is not necessarily gold’, so is it with development projects of the government tagged with jargon such as ‘green’, ‘sustainable’, ‘organic’, ‘eco-friendly’, ‘medical’, ‘spiritual’ and such other deceptive decoration.
We somehow choose to forget that Goa’s development is modelled around a red and brown economy, which is about mass production and considers environmental resources as inexhaustible. It is an economy of greed and human exploitation for unlimited multiplication of wealth by a few, roughly some 1 million individuals now celebrated as the ‘octopus class’ which controls 80% of the wealth in the country, with huge social and environmental costs. For the government to give a green or sustainable tag to some State policies framed under existing archaic laws and regulations, which implies respect for the environment and a reductionist mode of thought, is nothing short of a fraud. By covering ugly and filthy sites with green and white curtains in the run-up to international events does not make the development green and sustainable.
A bastardized planning process and dirty economy, which has destroyed the coastal belt beyond repair, has now set its eyes eastwards into virgin areas across Goa under the guise of sustainable and green infrastructure and tourism development. It’s difficult to understand how low quality and obstreperous tourists who flock to Goa seeking booze, drugs, night clubs, sex and other pleasures are going to change their crude tastes into appreciating green living. Will the mafia from the coastal belt keep away from imposing its signature vulgar trade in the forests? Serving alcohol in the forests as ‘jungle juice’ does not make Goa’s tourism green. How long will it take for Goa’s hinterland to also turn from green to red like the coastal areas?
Goans should not expect any visionary and sustainable development by vesting the unscrupulous wheeler-dealer mentality with political power. It is foolish to believe that Goa will be kept green by those who amass wealth through unethical and immoral means and buy their way into government, or to cultivate agents in politics. The corruption we see in politics has little to do with the presence or absence of politicians and bureaucrats with academic degrees in government, but has much to do with antisocial thinking and the lack of a well-formed conscience. This would mean that citizens who endorse such parasitic and predatory political characters are also equal collaborators in the destruction of Goa’s culture and natural resources.
As long as the government’s thinking remains tilted towards favouring moneybags, the local community rights to the commons will continue to be denied. Even obtaining justice through PILs against destructive policies and projects does not seem to deter the government from defying public sentiment. Goa’s problems cannot be fixed by antiquated laws and policies from the era of the industrial revolution and colonial rule. A sound ‘Agricultural policy’ cannot survive the test amidst other overlapping disastrous laws and policies. We see how those with vested interests are misinforming and inciting the public to oppose Eco Sensitive Areas (ESAs) and the Tiger Reserve. If the whims and fancies of mobs are going to decide government policy, one can imagine the chaotic future which awaits this State.
Perhaps, the concept of an ‘Economy of Permanence’ which was advocated by a renowned economist Joseph Cornelius Kumarappa, a devoted disciple of Gandhiji, may help Goans to better understand the parasitic and predatory designs of the present economic model. The observance of Gandhi Jayanti has to move away from the hypocrisy of external ‘Swachata’ and move to ‘Satyagraha’ with a focus on satya, ahimsa and tapasya towards a non-violent and sustainable economy. Ultimately, it is the lack of discernment skills with citizens to distinguish moral from immoral, fact from fiction and a true goykar from a fake Goykar, which has been a blessing for the destructive market forces.
These times of a threatening climate crisis and rising unemployment make Gandhiji’s vision and ideals of a non-violent economy even more relevant. A real ‘Swayampurna’ in Goa can be achieved through Gandhiji’s 18-point construction program. The voracious consumption promoted by the market forces, unmindful of the costs on environment and humanity, has to be replaced with moderation in lifestyles. The urban-minded Goan cannot enjoy the pleasures and indulgences afforded by an industrial economy and also protect Goa’s rural ecology at the same time. The blind race for short-term economic gains by opposing ESAs, CRZs and NDZs will only deny peace and prosperity for present and future generations of Goans. As Gandhiji said, “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.”
(The Writer was a Counsellor at a Drug Prevention and De-addiction Centre in Goa)
