We, Goans, have often been labeled as “sossegado”, meaning not lazy but relaxed people, taking things easy. Relaxation is surely essential in our lives and taking things coolly have helped us in being courteous, docile and keeping our Goa peaceful, unlike many other places in India. However, taking things lying down without a whimper, tolerating delays or inaction and having such issues solved by paying bribes, overlooking irregularities and illegalities, prejudicial to the State or the general public for fear of displeasing someone or expecting others to fight on our behalf, remaining aloof and reaping the fruits of such struggles, are surely not the right attitudes or choices. Even at the risk of being called arrogant or rubbing friends or acquaintances the wrong way, we need to stand up to what is right, for much of what happens or does not happen today is the result of our silence. However, it is not on this topic that I wanted to dwell today. It is on a much more serious topic: it is on our attitude towards work and the dignity of labour.
We need to candidly acknowledge that we have never been much enterprising. This could be because of our unwillingness to take risks. Our reluctance in availing credit facilities accounts for a very low credit deposit ratio in banks. This has allowed other parts of the country to benefit from Goa’s sizeable bank deposits.
However, we were known to be honest and duty conscious. But for quite some time now, bribery, corruption and sluggishness, particularly in Government Offices, have taken a severe toll on our reputation for honesty, uprightness and sense of duty.
Poverty may not be totally absent in the State, but we have been fortunate enough not to have experienced too many such extreme cases. This could be the reason for our casual approach towards work and a certain aversion to menial and skilled labour, though these could fetch us much more income than white collared jobs. Such attitude on our part has prompted many to migrate, where they take up jobs which they would shun in their own State. No doubt, salaries could be better, but the absence of home comforts and benefits of family life ought to be considered before arriving at such decisions. The exodus of Goan skilled personnel and unavailability of menial labour created a vacuum, which has been filled by outsiders. While we may at times resent this influx, we must also acknowledge that it has proved to be a blessing to many. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that we are ourselves opting out of many of our occupations and giving up many of our trades, which are rightly being grabbed by migrants. We are also losing out to many outsiders, who have opened shops and establishments, selling goods at reasonable rates, having convenient business hours and putting aside the traditional siesta.
It is the Government’s responsibility to provide employment. So, the CM’s concern and eagerness to provide jobs is understandable, but the ground reality is much different. The Investment Promotion Board, which can bypass every Government Dept or Agency and destroy Goa or Goa’s ecology and environment at will, has been created on the pretext of providing employment. But Mr Parsekar must know that the faith of the people in this Government is totally eroded and their sole belief is that IPB is meant to bring financial gains to those in power. Let the CM tell us how many jobs did Goans get in Konkan Railway, how many have been serving in five-star hotels in Goa and in industrial estates, where specific conditions existed to employ a larger percentage of locals and why people from Bihar, Orissa and other States are now been recruited as clerks in Goa’s nationalized banks. If Parsekar is sincere in helping Goans let him check this and take urgent steps to rectify the situation.
The heavy influx of outsiders is not desirable for a small and peaceful State like Goa. Even foreign countries, where generally laws are enforced and the Government does not look at numbers or vote-banks like in India, have not been able to deal adequately with the problem of migrants and are facing the wrath of the locals. The influx here will surely impact the lives of local citizens and drastically change the demographics of the State. While we have a Goan as PM of Portugal, we may land up having a non-Goan as Goa’s Chief Minister. It suits any Government to patronize migrants and relegate Goans to the background for the sake of votes. This is already happening and we are silent spectators to this phenomenon. It is therefore important for us not to allow such situations and it is equally imperative that we ourselves are not directly or indirectly responsible for creating them. Let us be candid enough to acknowledge our weaknesses and failings and strive to improve our attitude towards work and our notion about dignity of labour, before it is too late.
(The author is a retired banker)
