We have read the comments made by Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho on the criticism and comments about “specific charges” levelled against him about the controversial “Bhumiputra” Bill.
Among other things, which we have reported the Dabolim MLA and Minister said that his constituency Dabolim does not have many migrants but the neighbouring constituency Cortalim has.
Firstly, we are all aware that the Mormugao taluka has four constituencies, all of whom are represented by BJP MLAs. Since it is fact that this taluka is dominated by non-Goans due to the port, airport, shipyard as well as the massive unorganised labour force which is supplied to these industries leading to the mushrooming of slums.
The Dabolim MLA has felt that he has been targeted personally.
Can the Dabolim MLA please furnish the full voter’s list of his constituency plus others in the taluka, with names and addresses?
Everyone has spoken and written about the migrants vote in generic terms. But there has been no deep study based on the electoral voter list. Non-Goan names can be calculated and then seen as a percentage of total votes. We are asking Mauvin Godinho to take the lead and also get the Cortalim, Vasco and Mormugao lists. Do remember Godinho is the ex-MLA of Cortalim (which has the Zuarinagar slums) and has been given the responsibility by the party to win that seat for them. So Cortalim is important for Mauvin’s political standing in the BJP and the government, as Dabolim.
In public life, there is no personal targeting. We are sure that he will not only provide that but get us voter lists for each constituency in Mormugao taluka. We can then jointly sit down and study.
Nobody is happy here. And this is not personal targeting but a strong public response
The experienced minister will surely know a public response due to a strong public perception based on ground facts is like castles in the air and shows dreams to migrants, that will last only till the elections. Nobody is happy here which is why there is a lot of talk in town.
So what is the talk of the town? If Bhumiputra Champion MLAs ever become Union Civil Aviation Ministers, hutments and slums can also come up inside the airport?
The public does talk. And a shocked public when it sees a bill like the Bhumiputra bill talks even more. The talk of the town is no land is free from encroachment. And the imagination extends to if any of Goa’s Bhumiputra Champion MLAs become the Union Civil Aviation Minister, do you know what will happen. They will take a measuring tape and leave just about enough space for planes to take off and land on the runway while on either side they will allow slum constructions, even have a ‘Bhumuiputra Colony’ on the side of the runway with free rides promised to the new sons of the soil. The height of the slums will be up to the wings of planes so that they can land. But this facility will not be forever. Only till the elections in early 2022. Everything will be removed after the votes have been cast.
The growth and mushrooming of migrant slums is an eyesore, But someone said “from the air looks like “Hong Kong”.
This is a story that was once told by a friend about his encounter with a foreigner on a flight to Goa which landed in the evening. While the flight was preparing to land, the foreigner looked out of the window and saw the glittering lights from the Zuarinagar slums and said “Vasco looks like Hong Kong”. He was returning to Goa after more than a couple of years, during which the slums had really mushroomed. He then said, “Your ministers are marvellous. They have really transformed the place to look like, Hong Kong.” Our friend did not know what to say.
There is a difference between a wonderland a reality. Our elected Bhumiputra Champions are living in an Alice in Wonderland kind of a world and hoping that their migrant vote bank is moving in this world with them.
So now, the Chief Minister has asked for suggestions from Goans on how to make the bill better after removing the name ‘Bhumipura”. Let us see what can be done.
Suggestion 1: “Bhumiputra politicians can surely buy some land for their migrant brothers from the money they have acquired from any and many means. This will make their migrant bhumiputras truly believe that this is not a wonderland but reality. They will start believing. And the government will not have to hand over the land of genuine Goans and convey illegal occupation of land into legal ownership. Why have the Bhumiputra bill do this when Bhumiputra MLAs can settle migrants individually, at least till the elections
Suggestion 2: Some senior Bhumiputra MLAs were recently seen dancing to high heavens with the attorney of the comunidade and other officials. However, if this performance with dancing partners was done to give an impression that anything could be done with Goan land, then they are sadly mistaken. One doesn’t care what one does with private land, but when it comes to the land of Goans, dancing with comunidade attorneys and others to hand over Goan land to others is not something Goans will like.
Goan property belongs to Goans. So dancing with comunidade attorneys to give land to migrants cannot be done.
Finally coming to the announcement of the Chief Minister that Goans should give suggestions for the new version of the Bhumiputra bills.
Will Goans really strengthen this bill? Was it just about the name Bhumiputra? It was not about the name. It was about the pain of what was in the bill and its intention. By asking for suggestions that pain has only increased.
At the end of the day everyone should understand the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln: You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
