No MLA can ever intimidate a tiatrist who is the people’s voice

When a politician files a Rs five-crore defamation suit against a son-of-the-soil tiatrist for singing songs for the land and its people, songs against corruption and destruction of the environment and blaming turncoat MLAs for ditching a people’s mandate and betraying them, he should be rejected outrightly by the people.

Tiatrists are the voice of the people. They are a part of Goa’s tradition of satire and criticism. And even in the past powerful organisations, parties and politicians have attempted but have never been able to silence the voice of tiatrists. Because they are the people’s voice.

And Goa is recognised the world over for its tiatrs and tiatrists. When Goans go abroad and say they are from Goa, in many countries locals there talk of Goa’s local art form – tiatr. Tiatrists are our cultural ambassadors.

Clafasio Dias, the Cuncolim MLA, on the receiving end of tiatrist Alison Gomes, better known as Alison de Curtorim had first filed a police complaint, post which the tiatrist sought and got anticipatory bail. But this wasn’t enough for the turncoat Congress MLA who is now in the BJP. 

In what clearly looks to be ego revenge on the part of the MLA, he has slapped Rs five crore defamation case for the song sung by the tiatrist called “dongi (hypocrite) MLA”. Without naming him, the tiatrist singer mentions the alleged illegalities, including land expansion and wealth acquisition. But the song was also about cutting hills, environmental destruction and betraying the mandate of the people by changing parties.

This defamation suit is a fit case for all those who believe in Goa’s liberty, freedom and the basic right to exercise dissent through democratic means, to protest and stand up against these strong-arm tactics of the MLA.

If this is becoming a trend among ruling party MLAs, especially holier than thou ones who have betrayed the party ticket on which people voted them, then one of the most potent, yet entertaining art forms, which prides itself on free expression, based on facts will lose its teeth.

People will never allow it to happen and Herald will always back what people want.

While we have no doubt that the tiatrist will fight this case strongly, since he has already stated that he has proof of every line that he has sung, the issue is larger here.

It is not about whether Alison De Curtorim will be able to defend himself. It is about whether Goa will be able to strongly stand up to forces trying to crush any people’s opposition by political intimidation. For generations, tiatrists have commented on many social and political issues strongly.

From the language agitation to the Opinion Poll, to the agitation against the Regional Pan and now recently against the draconian anti-people projects passing through the Mollem National Park, tiatrists have not only made their point strongly through words, songs and acts, but have criticised everyone from the highest echelons of the national government as head honchos of the biggest corporates.

Earlier politicians, including the Chief Ministers and heads of religious bodies close to the ruling dispensation, have tried to muzzle the voice of tiatrists but have failed. You know why? Because it is impossible to muzzle the voice of the people.

In 2014, there were serious threats to Tousif de Navelim for his tiatr “Akantvadi Goeant Naka”. It was based on communal harmony threatened by right-wing hardliners, with indirect reference to the Ram Sene of Karnataka. He received 189 threat calls asking him to call off his shows. After the 190th call he decided not to stage any more shows in Margao. That is the time people stood up. Tousif de Navelim had said then, “People of Goa refused a refund of their tickets worth around Rs 100 and demanded that the play be staged.” He added, “This was quite unprecedented in the history of Goan theatre, as was what followed. Two hours later than the scheduled time, the Konkani play was finally staged in the presence of 70 constables, bomb detectors and two police jeeps in attendance to provide protection to my family and me.” He then described the episode very touchingly, “The episode marked a triumph of cultural freedom over political diktats.”

At that time people of Goa were shocked when then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had said that if Tousif de Navelim was receiving threats, he should switch off his phone and change his SIM card. But people encouraged him to go on staging his play.

Then Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, controlled by the government proposed that they would take an undertaking from producers not to criticise politicians and government officers in their plays. No one agreed and most important the people rejected even the thought of something like this.

Then there was some talk of having a censor board to review tiatrs. That too failed and the government then asked the Tiatr Academy of Goa to follow self-regulation.

The defamation suit is not only a very bad idea by any politician who understands Goa, but displays an absolute ignorance of the history of Goa. Tiatr lovers, especially in South Goa, know about the trio-kings, who criticised the political leaders for their misdeeds through their songs. And many such tiatrists have followed the tradition.

Alison de Curtorim himself said after getting to know of the defamation suit against him, “Noted singers namely the late William de Curtorim and Francis de Tuem have sung political songs and I have not done anything new. Actually, political leaders are afraid of tiatrists.”

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. TIATRISTS HAVE NO FEAR BECAUSE THEY SPEAK FROM THE HEART. AND THEY SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE

And tiatr has survived in spite of the government neglect and lack of care towards the stage and its performers, in comparison to the support other professionals, have got.

And as far as Clafasio Dias is concerned, for sure everyone has the right to go to the court if he feels he has been wronged. But there is a line between seeking justice and harassing and intimidating a practitioner of a traditional art form who is only following in the footsteps of his predecessors in highlighting the genuine issues of Goa. This defamation suit seems to have crossed that line.

The MLA is from Cuncolim, the heart of Salcete, a village (today a town) which has seen many revolutions and is the seat of people’s power. If he starts going after tiatrists, when he could have clarified and proven that any intended allegations against him were false and laid the issue to rest, all would be fine.

But harassing and troubling tiatrists never work. Others have tried and failed including former Chief Ministers. They will not succeed now.