Goans, may not be quite aware that even as many of them are thinking about the kind of Goa they want for the future, there is a political ganging up of politicians who are preparing a blueprint to pull your ideas and dreams down for their own selfish greedy interests.
AND WHAT DO THEY WANT TO DO AFTER THAT? BUILD THEIR EMPIRES OF GREED
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It is time to recognise them and stop them in their tracks. They have no party ideology though they may be in one party or the other. They have no real interest in the main issues which the common Goan faces and wants to solve. They are not your friends. In fact, they are your biggest enemies.
You may not be aware of the consequences of what they are planning but if you the people of Goa are in the dark about this, you will only blame yourselves.
So what are their plans and how will that affect you? IN ONE WORD TERRITORY GRABBING
Many of you may have closely followed the life and times of the Italian Mafiosi around the time and after the great depression in Europe and the US. We are drawing no parallels here or insinuating any connection whatsoever, but somehow, we feel our readers would like this reference as a piece of general knowledge while reading this article. The mafia began as an extra-legal force in the 19th century, during the reign of the Bourbons of Naples, and coinciding with Sicily’s transition from feudalism to capitalism.
The other Mafiosi in Italy was the Sicilian mafia. The mafia has been defined “as a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct, and present themselves to the public under a common brand. Each (mafia) family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (borgata) of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets “ Sicilian Mafia- Wikipedia
Let us come back to present-day Goa now and continue. Far away from the battles that you are fighting for livelihood, justice, environment and your future, these politicians are preparing for their own future of getting power by hook or crook, mainly the latter. And power means money. So how do they plan to do this? Through a mechanism called “territory grabbing”.
How does this work? A group of five or six regions or taluka heavyweights who think they can control between two to five seats each have marked out their own territories where they will crack their whip. And this includes choosing their candidates, funding them, organising their campaigns to try and get them to win. Mind you, these candidates may contest on different party symbols or even independents but will basically be political slaves of their territorial political bosses, who too would be in the election fray from across Bardez, Sattari, Tiswadi, Ponda and Salcete. This list could increase. Together they hope to control as many as 17 seats at the very least.
What will happen if they succeed in their mission?
They will ‘gang’ up and form a group and control the shape and form of the next government. If they succeed, they will grab power, and divide the spoils amongst themselves and start their mission to sell Goa.
BEWARE OF THE ‘DEPENDENT’ ‘INDEPENDENTS’
Goans should be particularly careful of those planning to contest as independents because they are exactly the opposite of that. Each independent is actually a candidate of some party or a Godfather and actually totally “dependent” on them.
Do Goans think that these people will do it for Goa? Or will they only care about themselves?
These are the people who will come with many promises, make many offers, speak nicely, charm you, entice you with money. But think. Will they take Goa to the highest levels? Will they give you opportunities to be self-reliant? Will they fight shoulder to shoulder with you, against anti-people projects that make Goa into a coal dump and you suffer. Will they oppose the mining dons who plan to take over our mineral wealth and resources? Will they keep our environment, our forests and our beaches clean? Will they conserve heritage and architecture or ruin our cities? Will they allow people of villages to take decisions or will they allow the builder lobby to come in with megaprojects? Will they respect our hardworking Goan brothers and sisters abroad or insult them by saying they are toilet cleaners?
When the answer to each of the above questions is a big NO, then what must you do?
Firstly, be aware that they are not your good friends. And even if they are your cousins, siblings’ distant relatives, hold them to the same test of loyalty to Goa first. If they want to grab power by hook or crook, you at least have the choice of not choosing crooks. Then do not support any candidate who is fighting not for Goa, but for his Godfather.
We do not want Godfathers because ‘Godfathers’ will gang rape Goa
Therefore, please become teachers and warn your neighbours, your friends and your village and your society. Spreading awareness about the threat of Goa’s ‘gang’ rape is an important duty for each one of you. You have to interfere and intervene so that this does not happen.
The ‘gang’ many have yet another hidden agenda. Split votes to help the only party which will benefit from a vote split
This is something that you need to be very careful of. In some constituencies the ‘gang’, if it realises that they are not fully strong, will play the part of a spoiler and split votes to allow the only party which wants to split votes benefit. You may wonder why. It is simple. If the overall agenda is to be in power, then all the gang needs are a block of seats to support a party that will be short of a majority and the ‘gang’ will add the numbers to get that majority.
WHO CAN STOP THIS? ONLY YOU
There is no force on earth that can make the plans of the gang succeed if you, the people of Goa, the common man, stand strong and do not allow this to happen. If you decide on fielding ‘people’s candidates’, who will keep your interests and Goa’s interests at heart, if you field simple hardworking dedicated people who are on a mission to save Goa, no one can gang up to destroy Goa.
Please remember that Godfathers and territorial heavyweights do have Goa’s interest at heart. In fact, each would have been directly or indirectly responsible for all your sufferings. They are the ‘system’. Can you ever forgive and forget them?
Therefore, make the most important decision of your lives. Identify and reject the ‘gang’ in each and every form in whatever way you can in your lanes and by-lanes, in villages, in towns and constituencies. Educate people.
THE ‘GANG’ WILL THINK THEY CAN FOOL YOU. BUT DO NOT GET FOOLED. Goa needs you, the common Goan now, more than any other time in the history of our great land.
