Goans are angry these days. Very angry. Angry cocks! People are protesting everywhere! They protest against everything! Why?
When we look at the capsule history of Goa since it became a part of India there have been very few issues which have made Goans into angry cocks. One was the Opinion poll which converted a lot of Goans of various religious denominations into angry cocks who voted against the merger with Maharashtra and, then of course, the Konkani issue which made history when the language was voted as the official language of the State. So, why all the anger now? Why this great number of angry cocks?
The recent coconut imbroglio regarding the coconut tree obviously has driven the public nuts. The environment minister says he is surprised while the people appear to be even more surprised than he is! And, there are a lot of other issues, in fact, a long list of complaints and too long for me to remember; besides, every Goan has his own list with a set of different priorities. All angry cocks, though.
The government does not consult the people is the common refrain among the common man of various backgrounds in Goa. The government is of the opinion the people have voted them into power and so they do not have to consult them and can go ahead with their agenda. And, they would not be wrong if the pre-election agenda is the same as the post-election agenda. Sadly it is not in detail nor in spirit and so the people are against what the government is pursuing and have become angry cocks.
The great shocker is the Investment Promotion Board which allows a friend and patron of the government to be above all the laws of the land. Goa’s pre-eminent activists is of the opinion it is illegal. If government has the power and the majority, no problem with legal or illegal? End of law in Goa and India? End of democracy? More angry dogs! What to do?
And even more surprising is what is not in the manifesto which is often big items. No lists are necessary as the people and the government know well the content of what I say. No need for any list or useless games. Life is too short for that!
We Goans have become great story tellers. Ordinary people, government and even so-called religious institutions. Will our love of corruption and not-so-filthy-lucre make for a tragic story with a sad ending? Will Goans and Goa soon be gone? Will we know the answer to this question sooner than later?
Angry cocks! Both the government and the public although there is one point we need to consider seriously: all cocks are not the same!
