When a party
declares that its next Chief Ministerial face will be from the Bhandari Samaj,
right-thinking Goans will naturally ask, since when have political parties
declared their leadership “faces” based on their birth and not on their
competence.
While it is done by
many parties in many states, only to get a dominant vote bank (the choice of
the Punjab Chief Minister CS Channi who is a Dalit, for example), will an
inclusive State like Goa with higher levels of education and inclusive
societies, accept choices which are based on division and not unity?
It is also
significant that the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and the senior-most AAP
leader after Arvind Kejriwal announced the decision of the party to make their
CM face from the Bhandari Samaj. Will such a major declaration to please one
caste group work?
Does Goa need a CM
who’ll work for the future of Goa’s grand-daughters or just a community or
caste leader?
As we start the
countdown for perhaps the most important elections in the lives of many Goans,
what are some of the main issues and concerns of Goans?
– Recovering
the illegal mining loot from the mining dons and giving it to the people. At
the same time, a state-controlled mining corporation will hand over the
earnings from mining only to the people and their welfare for the future of our
granddaughters
– The welfare
of our fishermen, preventing the stealing of Goan fish through trawlers fitted
with LED lights, and giving subsidies to our fishermen brothers
– Stopping
pollution and the movement of the killer coal through our fields and villages.
– Self-employment
and capacity to earn of all Goans especially the youth
– Protection
of Goa’s heritage and culture
– Prevention
of Goa turning into a concrete jungle through proper land planning
– Preventing
the destruction of fields due to construction debris and the protection of
Goa’s farming and farmers
– Replacing
corruption and greed with efficiency in government functioning
– Ensuring the
safety of women and taking the quickest actions against those who commit crimes
against women
– To run Goa
by simple hardworking Goans and not by corporates who control Chief Ministers
and the government.
Can any Goan deny
or say that these are not the issues that concern every Goan cutting across caste,
community, religion and wealth standards? And if these are the issues what kind
of leaders do we need to address them.
Will caste-based
leadership choices solve Goa’s issues?
By picking caste or
community-based leaders, do you think that all Goans of that caste or community
will vote for that party? And if they get some votes that count from their
respective groups, will they be votes for a better Goa or just to show
solidarity with the caste or community?
This is not against
representation but using caste and community to get votes
There should be
support from everywhere to give representation to weaker sections and those who
need that representation. Reservations for educations and jobs can also be
justified. But can the posts of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers be
“reserved” along these lines?
It is up to the
people, and those who are elected to choose the best Chief Minister for the
people. By declaring that the Chief Minister has to be from a particular caste
group, a party is saying we will narrow your choices. Can any party ever do
that?
The political
thinking behind this reservation
Out of the 18 OBC
castes, the Naik Bhandari Samaj constitutes around 61 percent. When the 27
percent reservation for OBC is divided among all, the Bhandari Samaj gets a
little more than 1% reservation through their population is 61%. So, the
political party is looking at cornering the majority of the OBC vote bank. Thus,
this has become a game of caste arithmetic and not the people’s true will for a
better Goa.
Shouldn’t the
choice of future leaders be left to the people and not as declarations of high
commands?
There is one thing
that has bothered all Goans. And that is high command culture. Goans want to
have a say in who they choose as candidates and finally, some say in the kind
of chief minister they want. Moreover, a small state in Goa does not really
need a deputy chief minister. But these posts have had to be given to
accommodate defectors or allies to form the government. These posts are not
given for better governance.
Therefore, these
kinds of decisions remind Goans of a high command culture that they have
totally rejected and will reject again.
Any party which
wants to win should win the heart and more importantly the respect of Goans.
And to do that, serious local issues should be taken up based on people’s
feedback. And let the leadership emerge from within those who can carry the
people’s agenda forward.
Once that happens,
then it doesn’t matter what the leader’s caste or community affiliation is. Is
he or she a good Goan who is willing to be an honest servant of the people?
That and that alone should count.
