Team Herald
PANJIM: The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a social arm of the Church, has asked Goans to vote wisely and reject the terror of pseudo-nationalism and asked citizens to teach a lesson to habitual defectors.
A statement issued by CSJP says the every five years, citizens are given the opportunity to elect a government that will preserve the Constitutional values importantly secularism and democracy.
“All that is needed to overturn the values and principles of our Constitution is the support of a requisite number of Members of Parliament and State Legislators. The vote of every citizen is therefore very precious; upon it hangs the future of our nation,” it says.
CSJP further says there is need for responsible approach which would reflect on whether the basic principles of tolerance, inclusiveness, justice, transparency and accountability are seen in public life.
“It would reflect whether, the basic tenets of a healthy democracy which are freedom of expression, autonomy of institutions and the right to information have been given due respect in policies and programs and, most of all, in day-to-day governance; whether, tolerance and civility in public discourse, which are vital for fostering peace in society, are visible anymore,” it adds.
CSJP adds, “As citizens, let us therefore not waste the God-given opportunity to vote judiciously in order to preserve our freedom and the secular values enshrined in our Constitution
and, reject the terror of pseudo-nationalism.”
It continues, “Let us also give corrupt defectors and opportunists the due electoral response. Let us not be carried away by petty and trivial issues but think of the overall interest of the nation and of our State.”
CSJP has also drawn attention to the unprecedented press conference addressed about a year ago by the senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the curtailing of autonomy of educational and other public institutions, the capture of media, cow vigilantism, the paranoia about love jihad and other forms of cultural extremism that need to be assessed.
“Critics, opponents, dissenters and pro-poor activists being jailed using the law of sedition which was the tool of erstwhile colonial powers is an equally serious matter for consideration,” it writes.
CSJP says that clean and decisive governance does not require oppression, fascism and terror tactics. “When rightful and timely information is denied, reports and surveys tweaked to suppress inconvenient facts, critical dissent crushed by labelling it as anti-national and as urban naxalism, when hoodlums run riot on streets in the guise of nationalism – the defensive counter claims of ‘no corruption’ and ‘scam free governance’ become totally hollow. In Goa, with the intention of checking corruption, the electorate chose new faces without examining the ideology and history of political parties,” CSJP states, adding, “One may argue that a candidate is nice but ultimately s/he is bound by the so called party discipline and the ‘party whip’ when it comes to voting on critical issues.”
Thereby, it continues, well-intentioned politicians with noble convictions, on being elected, can become mere puppets to be used as toys in the hands of manipulative forces.
“Let us therefore resolve not to perpetuate these socio-political contradictions and be appeased by symbolic gestures. Another evil is the blatant engineering of defections in violation of the people’s mandate. Moreover, persons who deceive and betray people’s trust should have no scope in democracy,” it says.
