The best time of the year just ended, this season it seems non-resident Goans made their presence felt by visiting Goa in full force, or was it that we resident Goans were just plain delighted, seeing so many Goans in the marketplace, socials and otherwise empty homes. We have not reached that level of sophistication in government offices, to expect them to make data available to us as to how many Goans did visit this season, but a simple observation would tell you that some sort of population balance was restored in this brief holiday season.
It was nice to see shops booming in Goa and a bump up in sales is not ruled out with non-resident Goans driving up demand, by purchasing their yearly provisions in the brief holiday window available to them. Now with the holiday season coming to an end, it is time for non-resident Goans to leave to their foreign countries of residence and for resident Goans to grapple with the harsh depressing reality of empty homes, empty shops with dwindling customers and a country faced with a demand slowdown.
Talking of slowdown, apparently politicians in India are running out of ideas on how to kick start the economy, which is in the midst of a slowdown not seen in the last 42 years. The Prime Minister in panic mode has taken the role of the Finance Minister and this time he wants to make sure he takes major decisions that will resurrect growth. Before releasing the budget he is making a point to talk to most industrialists seeking their opinion on how to go about handling the economy. He is now signaling to Indians that he is not a super human and needs outside help to address complex issues such as the economy. But will Indians, high on revering humans, take the hint?
This situation has come to this because of two reasons, we Indians love to keep politicians on a high pedestal, that we expect them to solve every problem the country faces. Politician on their part also get carried away that they themselves start believing they can solve every problem the country and its citizens face. A democratic setup was actually designed in such a way that all government decisions are scrutinized by the people, and the government keeps an open mind, corrects its course in case they made a wrong choice. The opposition and the party in office were supposed to also debate and trash out their issues before arriving at the best solution for the country. Unfortunately our slave mentality came in the way, and instead of demanding accountability from politicians we started worshiping them. When you idolize humans, you tend to ignore their shortcomings. It’s only because economic data cannot be hidden for too long and the slowdown has a direct impact on us, we now seem to be coming to our senses with feeble noises.
One can understand teenagers during their transitional and sensitive age, being fanatical about their favorite musicians, sportsmen or movie stars. What is surprising though, that people well past that age and supposedly mature still remain blatantly passionate about politicians. Agreed this obsession can run high among the illiterate, but it’s absolutely ridiculous to imagine that it is so very prevalent among literate professionals. Goa is supposedly more literate and yet we Goans fall for the bait laid down by politicians and mostly end up as suckers.
It is not by chance that Goans revere politicians after all the mess they create on a daily basis. Politicians are always going to be on the lookout for ways to improve their image and will do whatever it takes to improve it, which is not the real problem. The problem is when the entire society which has no business to participate in this politician PR exercise, starts conspiring into promoting politicians in the eyes of the gullible Goans. We have manipulated and messed up the Goan mind to such level that they have actually started believing that politicians are truly larger than life. Instead of cutting them to size, we have deliberately made them so big that they now can get away with anything.
The media must understand this design and not fall prey to organizers who deliberately earmark front seats at public events for politicians, so that they get proper media coverage. Just because protocol says that the public representative must be given preferential seating arrangement does not mean we should not review these outdated rules. A written word has limited impact compared to a picture a publication might carry of a politician at a public event in the front row. A Goan is sure going to get confused seeing a picture of a politician in good light, even if his deeds are the darkest. This is the classic way of messing up the Goan mind.
Understandable some local organizers could be pressurized into doing this type of surrogate advertising for politicians as their jobs or businesses are at stake. What is unpardonable is that these same politicians get invited by non-resident Goans in their present country of residence. Gosh, when your own income is in foreign currency with all the benefits your resident country provides for you, what could be your compulsion in inviting a politician who is actually messing up Goa? He is the cause of you leaving Goa in the first place.
Non-resident Goans are advised to be very cautious in attending these type of events even if it happens to be your village ball. Politicians always infiltrate in these events and make you part of their PR exercise. If your organizing committee cannot find a credible celebrity to come to your event, it is time to change your outdated committee members or boycott the event. It’s the least you can do for Goa. Resident Goans are fighting very challenging times in Goa, the Goan headcount is dwindling, nobody is asking non-residents Goans to come and increase it, but at least don’t collude with the ones who are responsible for it.
(Plastino D’Costa is a business consultant)
