Although there is still time to get the clear picture, one thing is for certain. We the people of Goa will have to choose between the devil and the deep sea. Choose between the two corrupt national parties. And off course there will be a liberal dose of independents trying their luck, if they have not managed to extract their pound of flesh to withdraw from the fray or have stood as rebels for not getting their party ticket. The same old shameless rogues and looters, some of whom have managed to evade the law but who have been found guilty in the people’s court and discarded, will be given the tickets (all talk of fresh youngsters will be sacrificed at the altar of “winnability”, which loosely translated means abundance of ill-gotten wealth and muscle power thereof). And we have to choose our lawmakers from among this breed of lawbreakers. And what does the hapless Goan do? Choose one of these which tantamount to digging your own grave.
The last ruling dispensation was so steeped in corruption, that all it could see was the prospect of creating more wealth by adding more members of its families to the next Legislature. Mother, daughter, son, wife, uncle, aunty, mother-in-law, mistress anyone could join the gravy party. Loot and let loot was the motto (the facts of which were known to all but are tumbling out in the open now). Nauseated with this, the people of Goa decimated them, made them bite the dust and eat very humble pie. Some of them who did manage to win by slender margins are as docile as lambs in the present Assembly lest skeletons tumble out of their cupboards, giving the ruling party a cake walk. Most of them are cozying up to the rulers to save their thick skins. It will take this party a long time to get up, wipe the dust and try to stage a comeback. The near impossible task before it is to convince the people that they can form a government which would not be synonymous with corruption. History has shown that that party believes that corruption is their birthright once voted to power and nothing can deter them from this.
Against this background came the BJP, promising the people of Goa the moon and verbally atoning for their previous sins, in an attempt to placate the fears of a section of the society. We the gullible people of Goa, saw in our ex Chief Minister (present Union Defence Minister) a messiah, a man of the masses, a proven administrator making the right noises. Here was someone who spoke our language and was down to earth. The people of Goa embraced him with open arms, in spite of being aware that there was a communal tinge attached to his party. His party romped home with a simple majority (a feat achieved after a long time in Goa). What followed is there for everyone to see. Not a single major issue confronting the state has been resolved. Promises on the regional plan, casinos, special status for Goa and MOI are unfulfilled and lying in limbo. Corruption persists unabated. Issues like the MOI, educational institutions, Mopa airport and western attire are being given communal overtones. Some trousers and shirt clad ministers, who should have been wearing dhotis and kurtas and their wives and daughters who should be wearing saris when they go for a swim at the beach as they detest anything western, go on shooting their mouths off over this & that and what comes out is utter gibberish and nonsense.
Over the last 8.5 years, we the people of Goa have fallen from the frying pan into the fire. So what are our plans for 2017? Will we change our warped notion that voting for a clean relatively lesser known candidate or using the NOTA option equals “wasting” your vote? Will we decide that it’s time to dump corrupt & communal individuals and parties and get cleaner dispensations a la Delhi? Or continue rallying behind the corrupt with our own vested interests? It’s time we put an end to our “hero worship” of corrupt politicians, for favours bestowed. This can be condoned in the states of Bihar, UP, MP and Orissa where the literacy rate is abysmally low and jungle and goonda raj rules the roost. In our state of Goa, our people are literate, wise and savvy and are expected to vote responsibly. Would the stalwarts of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan, who galvanised Goans into action to unite as never before, sound the clarion call for an encore? It is the need of the hour. These tried, tested and accepted leaders must spearhead the public awareness campaign. Why is the AAP not spreading aggressively across Goa? There is no dearth of decent, honest, honorable men and women in Goa. Pan the entire state and showcase your leaders. No use thrusting candidates at us at the eleventh hour. The wise people of Delhi, disgusted with years of misrule and corruption, humiliated both the national parties and placed all their faith in what they perceived to be an honest dispensation. If Delhi could do it, why can’t we? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Or is the tunnel never ending and all hopes of light lost? Come next elections, what are my voting options? Only time will tell.
(The author is an engineer with a leading multinational company.)
