On this Valentine’s Day, Goans at large would be casting their vote for the Assembly elections to the Goa Legislature. Although the founding fathers have empowered the elected leaders to legislate and bring about fair and just laws and keep an eye on the bureaucrats that they govern the state with their administrative skill acquired through strict civil service recruitment and rules which allow the most efficient and honest men pass the strict selection processes. Over the decades of civil service administration, nothing much has changed in the conduct and selection of the babus who are recruited to actually govern and control the state’s finances so that the poorest of the poor lives a decent life.
In the India of today, the rich businessmen and the political class have come together to loot and scoot, squandering public finances on vested interest gains. Sadly, as Goans are fighting with each other even on properties left or handed over to them by their ancestors, there are instance of outstation bureaucrats in league with the real estate builders lobby as well as the political class have acquired control over huge tracts of Goan farmland, orchards, forests and even UNESCO heritage site in Old Goa and built houses.
Under different governments, different people have acquired wealth through land conversions and sale to migrants from mega cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. If we vote foolishly, Goans would soon be strangers in their own homeland. Local leaders have also specialized in selling and gifting Goa to their political bosses in New Delhi.
Hence it is very important for us to weed out certain party nominees for the electoral battle of February 2022.
Let us wed our conscience to clean and green-minded politicians who would make Goa salubrious, tranquil and bountiful in agricultural productivity. We must nip in the bud those who became rich and powerful selling Goa and Goan pride by enacting amendments in the Town and Country planning rules and regulations.
We must never ever vote for those who have affection for defection to acquire self development through the power of our votes. As a senior citizen nearing seventy seven, I have seen Goa government from close quarters since 1975 to date. Governments have come and gone, but sadly Goa is decaying and degrading by leaps and bounds.
In the name of SMART CITY, the hundreds of crores of funds meant for the upgradation of Panjim into a world class heritage city has been used for other purposes. There are cars parked on arterial roads (DB & MG roads) day and night in no parking areas too. Those in governance do not bother to ensure that the entry to one’s residence is not blocked. I myself stand harassed as a sick senior citizen as stubbornly, cars are parked in front of my door and I see prostitution and drug cum alcohol sale going about unabated; thus scaling up the incidences of life style diseases due to the menace of the casino lobby operating in River Mandovi thus destroying its ecosystem and biodiversity through fugitive sewage releases and garbage dumpings. No doubt, we see dead fish and extinct shell fish in and around Panjim, Ribandar, Caranzalem and Dona Paula.
Our votes would talk for the next five years and to see that Panjim transforms itself into a healthy and wealthy city, we must avoid voting Mr Wrong with our united effort and zeal. Herald has been the Voice of the People of Goa and I hope it helps Goans to elect clean and good individuals to govern the fragile Goan political system.
