PLASTINO D’COSTA
There will be tremen dous noise now that the local elections are fast approaching; the decibel level will increase to such an extent that an honest Goan who has nev er sold his/her vote will be left completely disillu sioned and confused. It is easy to review the current government’s good or bad performance because it is there for everyone to see and to take a decision dispassionately. But for Goans to change their vote and vote for the Opposi tion, the Opposition will need to bring a substantial, game-changing agenda to the table. Their intentions are very important because just an improvement from the present government is not going to cut ice. Some Opposition leaders are still stuck in the past; they believe that throwing birthday parties will do the trick and hope the people who came and enjoyed free food and drinks will vote for them when the time comes. Such outdated con cepts are not going to work as they amount to an indi rect bribe and attract only a limited greedy vote. Also those who use social work and football as an excuse to enter politics do not mean it is a free ticket to office.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
These strategies worked earlier but now Goans are watching what the Opposi tion is bringing to the table and it better be substantial, not just superficial chang es. Those turncoats who switched parties the last time better retire because Goans are not in a forgiving mood, we have had enough. The government in office might still not allow them to retire peacefully and is going to exploit them as part of its strategy to split votes. By forcing them to continue in politics, these guys don’t even get the time to enjoy their ill gotten wealth; I guess these are consequences of corrup tion, which does not really allow them to leave politics for good. Ouch!
The Opposition while addressing Goa’s issues will have to include in their election manifesto solu tions that are diametrically opposite to what is being done at the moment. Some laws might have to be intro duced and passed within ten days of assuming office, so that there is no room for manipulation or dilly dial ling on the promise made to the people to win the elec tions. If the Opposition’s manifesto focuses only on incremental changes, it means they don’t want to disturb the applecart, and prefer to continue the same path with a slight tweak by changing only the actors, while the story remains the same.
Goa’s clear and present danger is the population getting replaced by non Goans. You cannot expect a Gujarati to understand Goenkarponn. Only Goans realise the value of it be cause they have devoted a lot of their personal time and effort to the Goan so ciety. If the Opposition does not promise drastic changes in their manifes to to arrest this influx, it means they are just taking Goans for a ride. They want you to vote for them either because you ate their free dinner, because you once sought a personal favour, because you’ve grown ac customed to sucking up to them, or simply because you are angry at the cur rent government and see no viable alternative. This really does not solve the problem, does it? Goans spend a lot of time and resources opposing big projects on technicality, not saying it does not work, but this approach has a limited impact as rules and laws are drafted in such a man ner that there are enough loopholes kept intentional ly to exploit when needed. So instead of going after the fine print in the law, it is time for Goans to demand from the Opposition a law that bans land purchases for non Goans to be passed within 10 days after as suming office and in plain English understandable to everyone. If you want the job, you better give some thing to Goans that we are forced to vote for you en masse. Yes, the real estate mar ket will crash if non-Goans are denied entry into Goa, but at least it will come to its senses and make the price more realistic for Goans to start buying again to build their homes. At the moment, the system is broken, the salary Goans earn presently or in the future will not allow them to buy their own homes, as we are gradually pricing them out of Goa. Of course, there is the EMI option but the interest you pay only makes the banks richer at your cost. In short, there is an income/expense mis match and that needs to be addressed by the new gov ernment.
If the Opposition wants the job, it becomes their duty to give us solu tions that will course cor rect. Tourism is another issue the Opposition needs to ad dress. There are signboards coming up everywhere with the government proudly announcing that 1.08 crore tourists visited Goa in 2025. If tourists are going to be six times com pared to the local popula tion, then we must realise our natural resources are being consumed more by tourists and less by Goans. Apparently when rains were delayed this year, we seem to have only 30 days water left. If the buffer is going to be only of 30 days, is it not shameful that we promote tourism at the cost of Goans? More insult ing are some politicians suggesting that Goans need to conserve water with no mention being made to ban tourists till the rains nor malise. This only goes to show that tourists have be come more valuable targets to the government than Goans. We need the Oppo sition to include in their manifesto a policy that tourist numbers cannot exceed to such level that they start eating away our resources leaving Goans in a precarious position.
Any government that can increase the water buffer to 12 months or controls mindless tourism or de flates the real estate prices to make them more afforda ble and realistic, deserves to be running for office. If the Opposition has solu tions for these challeng es then you stand a very good chance to win the election. Goa does not need incre mental progress of some percentage points; it needs a proactive change in direc tion and strategy to achieve an outcome that saves the Goan way of life. If the Op position can provide the answers, no need to visit our homes, Goans will vote for you in large numbers. Your intentions are on the line now. (The author is a busi ness consultant.)
