when they block police and administrative reforms we desire, give us bad legislation and can do whatever they want with impunity, we have a lot of questions to ask! What is the use of laws and rules if they are selectively used or not implemented? What is the use of schemes and benefits if they do not reach the real poor and down trodden?
To this day there are three generations of families still living on the footpaths in Mumbai! What is the use of police if they ignore pleas for protection or register a FIR or we cannot trust them? What is the use of VIP visits to tragedy hit families, after they are allowed to happen? When there is not enough money to replace our ageing air force planes, leave alone have enough of them to defend our nation, we are discussing the VVIP chopper scam.
No one is seriously condemning requirement of these luxurious super expensive choppers for our political class, or having to helplessly suffer elected representatives brushing us aside as VIPs with maharaja privileges and unilaterally raising their salaries and perks to comparatively obscene levels.
It is time we realised that Democracy of ours can permit a majority to cleverly rule with less than a total of 30% all votes. Without minimising importance of BJP win in Assam, Congress got 26 seats (31%) BJP combine 60 seats (BJP 29.5%). Consider the recent elections in Tamil Nadu. Ruling alternately, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi have ensured loyalty with largesse. The freebies enabled by the enormously prosperous liquor lobbies have damaged the population morally and ethically. Material greed has ensured people’s votes and adulation for winner “Amma” before whom men prostrate themselves shamelessly; small margin loser, a wheel-chair bound 93-year-old supremo. Both are treated like Gods. An election cartoon shows two politicians, one with a sack filled with cash and the other with a sack filled with liquor bottles. The caption says: “You go meet the women and promise to impose prohibition if elected, I will satisfy the men. We cannot afford to lose any votes”. The political class has learned the art of robbing Peter to pay Paul. They know they can always rely on the loyalty of Paul. Nobody is asking what all these freebies and some popular schemes (bribes) are doing to the nation’s morality and finances!
The election results in Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamilnadu show stark realities. 1) People are so used to corruption, it is apparently not a big factor any more 2) Alliances are important 3) a local inspiring leader is a must 4) Freebies (bribing) of voters pays. With such entrenched leaders, and voters who have lost their moral compass, how can we become a great democratic nation? Tourists still mention the best part of Goa is its people who make Goa what it is. Though small in size, Goans have punched well above their weight all over the world, in almost every discipline and profession. In India they have also contributed immensely to the armed forces as recorded in the book “Patriotism in Action” by Valmiki Faleiro. Though the PM is working hard, the communal hardliners and militant fringe groups are being given a dangerous free reign by his silence on this subject! People threw out the corrupt Congress in the last election and gave the BJP the mandate banking on the promises of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Environment Minister Mathany Saldanha who unfortunately passed away. His wife could not forcefully carry on his legacy. The U-turns on promises all have witnessed.
People want reliability and much will depend upon who the candidates contesting elections are. Goa is not Delhi! We were orphaned with Parrikar sent away as Raksha Mantri (though he seems to be more here than there), and Deputy Francis D’Souza not promoted to CM, the Christian ministers seemed to be like pet boys because of the apparent dominant Hindutva agenda. Will sponsoring more pet boys keep the BJP in power? The RSS agenda being implemented by their political wing BJP is getting to be more apparent. The whole world now seems to be looking for change and is also becoming anti-establishment.
The people are the employers of the politicians and government servants. We elect them to serve us and not be served? Certainly not to lord over us! With lessons from above quoted elections, we have to be able to motivate young and competent dedicated people to stand for elections and support them to give us the good governance Goa needs and we deserve.
Democracy is not just about elections, leaving it all up to our elected representatives. We must remain vigilant, participative and upstanding citizens. To stand up and be counted whenever required, ensuring manifesto promised and Constitutional justice is delivered. To save Goa, the silent majority will have to rise, join and conscientiously speak up for justice to become worthy of lawful Democracy!
(The author is a retired naval officer resident in Porvorim. Freelance writer. Member of the State Consumer Protection Council and involved in social issues.)
