When the locals of Assagao took to the streets to say that they will boycott the next Assembly elections if their water problem were not solved, they spoke as soldiers of democracy who were standing for their basic rights.
They, in one swift action, did the duty of every citizen and voter in Goa – demand accountability, for the government’s failure to provide drinking water. PWD pipes have been broken for months and homes in some vaddos do not get a drop of water. A group of locals sent out a message that should be a clear warning sign to all politicians, that the choice of not participating in the elections still lies with voters.
Politicians, especially ruling party politicians spend close to five years working for their own interests and that of their close followers. Basic issues of their constituency are neglected. And in the last few months before the elections, they go on overdrive trying to buy votes in various ways. The tragedy is that voters succumb to this. Elections are seen as a time to make money. Voters do not see it as the right time to make the right choices for the future of Goa and the future of children.
Will it be wrong to say that in many constituencies a section of voters look forward to elections only to build a money nest for the next few years? And will these voters ever think of any kind of development in their constituencies? Will they bother if they don’t have water, or power, or if their roads are full of potholes? Will they speak up if their small businesses are affected or if simple government contracts do not come to locals? Will they ever say that unless their fields are cleared of construction debris they will not participate in the elections?
At the other end of Goa in Canacona, there are almost unreal cases of renal disorders. These disorders include chronic renal failure. The government has done surveys after surveys but hasn’t come up with either the cause nor have they proposed an action plan. Isn’t this an inhuman anti-people approach? To top it all Dr Venkatesh Reddy, who was single handedly running his dialysis center at Hospicio and the Canacona Health center, was bypassed, and a private Bombay-based company asked to set up a dialysis center at Hospicio. But no one looked at the larger issue of high renal failures in Canacona
So what does the government do about people’s problems?
Whether it is Canacona or Assagao, there is neglect or inconsistency in the government approach. There is no heart. In a shocking incident that one has heard of, a man of limited means and without a job made desperate visits to the local electricity department near Arambol to get his bill of Rs 50,000 reduced with a plea that his COVID related unemployment may be considered and his meter may be checked to see if the billing could be reduced to an affordable amount. He was met with vague promises. Then one day the officers of the department saw his wife and asked why she had come. The grief-stricken lady said her husband had died of heart failure and stress as he kept on saying their power would be cut off.
It is incidents like this that shake the faith of people. But do people make a point to raise this and make the government accountable?
Not participating in elections does not make people lesser patriots. They remain democracy’s protectors
Not participating does not make them anti-constitutional. Protesting to make a point is their right. It simply shows that they are so disappointed with the electoral process, they are making a democratic choice to stay away. They remain democracy’s soldiers. However, there can be another approach that may be considered:
– Pick a people’s candidate from among themselves and back him or her to the hilt. And make this a movement of that constituency and rally people around you.
– In case there is any party among the lot contesting which they believe will amplify their cause and fight for them, they may consider backing them.
If both the above options fail, then they may decide to vote but press the None of the Above (NOTA) button to register their opposition to all.
Posts are for serving the people not making money
Do ministers and others who get high posts in the government understand that it is a position of service? They feel so proud when they get these posts but do they care to serve, because that it what the posts are meant for. Do ministers know that they live only once and when the Almighty has given them this opportunity, why do they squander it by thinking about themselves and not about the people they are paid to serve? Do they even realize that people look down upon them?
Morally, ethically, and professionally they are obliged to be servants of the people and not lords and masters.
Goa needs everyone to be like the protestors of Assagao
The soldiers of democracy of Assagao have told the rest of Goa that voters cannot be treated as commodities. Voters are the masters who review the performance of those they pay to serve them. It is a message that Goans should note and implement.
