The last few years have seen the worst being said and written about Goa. Once seen as the apple of the eye, Goa is now ironically forced on the path of destruction due to all wrong reasons, lust for power, greed centric development, environmental obliteration and untrustworthy elected representatives.
My heart bleeds as I pen this down to see my beautiful homeland now left in rags from its rich glory. Goa’s cultural heritage is gone. It’s natural glory, gone. Our prestigious harmony is gone. Our Goa’s natural wealth is lost forever. So also, we notice that its authenticity is gone. Our natural resources are gone. The Goan and their aura are gone. Finally, Goa, gone.
O ye Goan, where are you? There is so much mess and turmoil everywhere around. So much to fear for and so little to save and there is scanty time available. Our laws are corroded by corruption; our power-hungry politicians are nothing but a cluster of parasites. Our democracy is a caged, our identity tarnished and our Goa sold. And every Goan stands clueless and helpless.
How easy is it to blindfold the masses? A walk in the park. Just keep using race, religion, and other irrelevant cards of distraction or even simpler, deliver a colourful speech that has nothing credible in it but mere words. Make it sound like a pie in the sky, imaginary and beyond the reach of the common people. The natives of this land and those that have settled in Goa recently or those that have bought a piece of my motherland Goa, also need to know the aesthetics of being a Goan and step up.
There have been many movements, protests and shows of solidarity but all with vested interests. Different groups or registered bodies are proposing their own agenda, nothing for the absolute cause of saving our motherland. The same goes with the elected representatives. With elections around the corner in Karnataka, the issue of Mhadei River is nothing but a tool to retain power at any cost which means depriving Goa and Goans.
We celebrated the Opinion Poll Day that gave us our identity showcasing a change. Dr Jack de Sequeira and other fellow Goans gave us an independent identity. However, the very essence and its importance are all forgotten. Let’s face it, we Goans are made to suffer partly because of our choices and partly because of trusting some rogues who have always taken us for a ride. They do not care about you and me they do not care about Goa. They just care about themselves.
My question is for how long will this go on? We have lost so much; plenty has been snatched away from our hands. Goa is put on the path of destruction and now deprived of our life stream. Please wake up, think. Understand the need of the hour and rise above the politics of exploitation. Goa needs us now more than ever before.
