It is our misfortune that, for decades now, our vote has been mostly negative, choosing, at times, the best among the worst. The NOTA (None of the above) option is meaningless and a waste of voter’s precious time.
If effective, it would have eliminated some candidates who would have known their standing. With no candidate worthy of being voted, many abstain or are in a dilemma. Politics in Goa has reached such abysmal levels that no honest or upright person can dream of winning elections. Hence such people are reluctant to contest.
What is then the choice before us? Surely, many, like me, will not look at the Congress again. I can’t help repeating that they are fully responsible for the situation the country and we, Goans, are in today. They refused to mend their ways, despite repeated warnings. They put their heart and soul in amassing wealth, mostly personal, rather than concentrating on people’s welfare. Many issues which people confront today, like Special Status, Dabolim, Mopa, dual citizenship, Regional Plan, etc. could have been solved during their tenure, but were ignored. Yet, they shamelessly raise them now. They have forfeited the right to seek another mandate. Other parties, rightly or wrongly, do not seem to stand a chance, at least for the present.
The BJP is now in a mad rush to complete some projects and start some schemes, just ahead of the elections to showcase them to the electorate. Infrastructure projects are surely needed for our own and our State’s development, (lest we are called anti-development).
But it is in these that cuts and kickbacks bring in unaccounted revenue, most needed for elections. Hence, the hurry and repeated tirades against NGOs, which believe in transparency and adherence to environmental norms. Speed in completing projects and meeting deadlines is directly proportional to the financial gains to those involved and inversely proportional to quality. Freebies and more populist half-baked schemes, like the insurance for all, may be on the way to attract voters, just before the elections. BJP can, at the most, place them in comparison to Congress’ rather poor performance. But people will not forgive BJP for its U-turns, false promises, deficiency in governance, undue interference in the running of administration and above all betrayal of trust. Transfers, for obvious reasons, of Police Officers entrusted with Vigilance, the Tawadkar and Parulekar cases, the traps to Tejpal and Monserrate, the highhandedness in dealing with Cavrem people and the fisherfolk, the issues in Tiracol and Tuem and a host of others, which will be long to enumerate, and the general discontent or rather disillusionment with this Government’s performance cannot bring them fresh innings. Even Chief Minister’s assurance to Goans who registered their birth in Portugal, may not hold good after the elections, just as Prime Minister Modi himself went back on his assurance on Special Status to Goa. Possibly, the appointment of State authority on dual citizenship issue is to keep swords hanging on the heads of many, particularly those in authority and Government servants, who have registered their birth in Portugal.
Why, despite Rajnath Singh’s directive to sort out this issue within six months it has not been solved, one way or the other, even after two years and well over one year after the Committee visited Goa, is something this Government needs to explain.
Parrikar’s silence too is, when he voices his opinion on everything, even when not needed. BJP surely cannot be trusted, moreover on such issues. For these and many other reasons, people are not likely to fall into the BJP trap again. Let us only hope that the greed of some, ego of others and overestimation of one’s own abilities to win will not allow BJP to raise its head again. Unfortunately, amongst us there are hardly any politicians who put the interests of the State above their own.
(The author is a retired banker)
