A turning tide?
February 14, 2012 Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira, with 11 Calangute panch members, declares his support to the BJP Calangute candidate Michael Lobo in the March 3, 2012 Assembly elections, during a function held at Candolim. Around 500 supporters of Joseph were present.
March 28, 2014 Calangute panch Joseph Sequeira, with 11 Calangute panch members, declares his support to the Congress North Goa candidate Ravi Naik in the April 12, 2014 Parliamentary elections, during a function at Calangute. Many supporters of Joseph are present.
“This damned morality,” exclaimed Lord Melbourne, “will ruin everything.” So in the whirligig of politics when the prodigal ex-Congressman and Calangute Panch Joseph Sequeira returns to the party fold, after leaving the Congress, contesting on the United Goan Democratic Party, and even supporting the BJP in the last assembly elections, the Congress glee club welcomes him with open arms. In a season of rebellions, this is ecstatic news for the Congress. True, parties unlike individuals, are not expected to swear by morality and principle, since it strikes at their very survival. Their essential mission, within the political matrix of game theory, is to maximize ones gains and minimize losses, simultaneously maximizing the others’ loses. Morality or principle, may not ruin everything, but it can surely alter the delicately balanced machinery of a political party. Uncompromising devotion to principle is therefore neither possible nor desirable without debilitating the party’s fortunes. This explains Congress waving the “no entry” sign to Churchill Alemao and Shallom Sardinha while rolling the red carpet to ex-Congressman Joseph Sequeira. Intellectual inflexibility can make the party weak, the Congress pragmatic lexicon seems to say.
Parties dither while getting into alliances, but in this case the question that will be begging an answer is why the prodigal Joseph has masked his exit from the BJP camp with the development mask saying the BJP had failed to do any development in Calangute, without opening fire at Michael Lobo – his former ally and now bête noire. After all it was only recently that both were fighting a pitched turf battle in Calangute panchayat battleground led by ‘Joseph’ whom many see as a defacto sarpanch, where the post of sarpanch has been reserved for a woman. The panchayat led by Joseph with other members in tow had gone after BJP workers’ establishments in the road widening controversy. Joseph however hit out at Chief Minister, who in fact had rushed to douse the flames, in the Michael-Joseph crossfire, saying that they were being treated like criminals through imposition of Sec 144. Surprisingly, Joseph did not flash the secularism card which ex-Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes did, as he renewed his bonds with his former foe, with the common intent of dethroning Michael Lobo in Calangute.
Agnelo sounded the bugle, by declaring that Joseph’s joining the Congress, would send a clear signal to the people of the north Goa, as to which side the wind was blowing.
Congress president John Fernandes has been quick to catch the wind and drive down to Calangute to hold the GPCC meeting in Joseph’s backyard to welcome him and his merry supporters into the Congress fold.
With the Congress wriggling its hands at the prospects of Saligao, Candolim, Siolim, Guirim and other pockets of Bardez likely to strengthen the party’s hands, Ravi has surfaced as the party’s unanticipated binding force, coming from an assembly election defeat and having been written off by many. Though under tremendous pressure from the ruling dispensation and attempts to slur his image with a drug enquiry report, rejected by the two ruling and one GVP MLA, Ravi is fighting a dogged battle. Whether the home coming of Joseph Sequeira turns out to be a wave, as declared by GPCC President, or a ripple, D day will tell.
