The call for celebrating Goa’s harmony and for maintaining it at all costs against any attacks on its harmonious fabric has to be led by those who are chosen by the people. A harmonious society that Goa is and will always rise above religious interests. That makes Goa what it is.
But if there is even a slight doubt or feeling of unease or nervousness, for any reason whatsoever, including stray comments, statements or actions, the arm of comfort must be offered by the state and by those who have been chosen by the pope through the democratic process of voting.
And when an elected person does not fix bread and butter needs of the people and does not deliver on his promises, that he needs extra-curricular tools to regain power. And one of those tools is to have a social fabric that has cuts.
But good leaders never need to do this. They always serve as guardians and protectors.
Goa is waiting to see its elected leadership come across as lighthouses of maturity
While the people of Goa have, above all, never allowed harmony and unity of people across faiths to be disturbed ever, there is no denying the fact that the time to re-assert this has become important. And this reassertion by those who govern and hold influential positions, especially ministers and MLAs is what people want.
We are yet to see that clear assertion coming from the State’s leadership. While there were stray incidents that could have led to a challenge to Goa’s harmonious fabric, it took the maturity of Goans to overcome it. And the people of Goa must be commended for this.
But we are yet to see those who are elected, stand as lighthouses of maturity, calm nerves and reassure the people, that Goa would remain the same peaceful land where all are embraced.
There is a lot of work to do. The state must be run, people’s lives must be built & our resources need to be protected.
The assault on Goa’s ecology, environment rivers and forests has been relentlessly highlighted in these columns. There are lives that need rebuilding, there are livelihoods under threat, there are jobs that have been lost, there is the economy that needs repair and heritage that needs preservation. The list goes on. In short, the need for consistent and constant governance has seldom been felt more than this.
This requires time and energy and therefore our energies cannot be either depleted or diverted to statements, false fears, alarm or any kind of nervousness about harmony and security.
A system that cannot remove doubts anywhere in the country or the world will be rejected by the people. Ultimately people see and watch everything.
A responsible parent and a concerned guardian always senses any unease and before the unease gets to genuine worry, puts their arms around a child’s shoulder, has a friendly conversation or a quiet chat and all is well. Goa looks up to people they have chosen to guard and protect them, to play the role of society’s parents.
But Goa is blessed. People will always speak up, irresponsibility is always punished by the people
A very moving short film, made by Fearless Soul and Australia-based inspirational films’ director Chiara Gizzi recently shows a teacher asking a student to leave without a reason. And then he asks his students why none of them stopped him or spoke up against the injustice he committed to their fellow student. He then goes on to deliver a crucial life lesson about always standing upto wrongs and in justice.
The people of Goa have always spoken up to protect their land. People of either faith will not want any black marks in the social fabric of Goa but for this, they must continue to speak up each time any attempt is made to cause any divides.
Silence is not an option. Silence is a sign of complicity, not weakness. Silence is also a sign of irresponsibility and irresponsibility will always be punished by the people.
