Two months from now, fellow Goan’s will undertake a very significant journey, at the end of which you will seal your fates and that of your children. The journey will be from the your homes to the polling booth and with the press of the button, you will truly be masters of your destiny or slaves of a skewed polity which will make you poorer and the political class which rules and not serves you, richer.
At Herald, we speak from the heart but also think with our minds. We know that our call today will not cleanse
For far too long, your votes have been sacrificed at the altar of greed. Individuals and middlemen have become rich, partnering politicians. And the rich get richer and the poor remain poor. Isn’t it strange that no politicians ever needs a job for himself or his family, he always has excellent roads leading upto his house, he does not know what a power failure is and his land is never in danger of being acquired for any government project. For years, you have been bringing back the same people back to power, again and again and again and lest there be any confusion, we are not referring to any politician or party, but the entire class of people who have been re-lected several times, without your future getting on a fast track.
Very often, voters have been bribed or forced to vote. Irrespective of who pays- and this by the way is money looted from you- do not be forced to vote accordingly. Vote with your conscience
This is what we propose. In your village panchayats, wards or constituencies, can you at least put together a group of people not aligned to any political party but genuinely concerned about
It is indeed sad, that there are several groups with causes who take to the streets or use the more fashionable tool-internet campaigning- to take up issues but do not have the guts to actually go out and contest elections. The change therefore has to come from you. Is this unreal or utopian? It appears so because we have got so used to this same script of money and power winning all the time, we have just given up trying. Why should a “high command” decide on who will serve you. You are the “high command”
We don’t have all the answers or solutions. We are only asking you to try. Pick that person or persons who will deliver your future and Herald will back that person in every which way it can. Once you really do this exercise, take it forward by bringing the person to Herald, so that we can seriously launch his campaign. Transparency and non alliance to any political formation is the key
This will perhaps not get a winning seat but it will do more than that. It will show that we Goans have not sold something very important yet- our conscience and our urge to see a better
Start by thinking about this. Make the change happen at long last. Our land will salute you.
Raul Fernandes Sujay Gupta
Managing Director Editor
