What they said on August 13, 2014
There is no Opposition in Goa. Whatever Opposition we have in the State, it is only on paper. The Opposition is either inefficient or incompetent or has been blackmailed into submission. The only voice which we have seen in the Opposition is Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco. The rest of the Opposition MLAs have lost their voices. The absence of strong Opposition has only helped (previous Chief Minister Manohar) Parrikar to get away with anything and everything. A weak Opposition may be the reason behind the poor performance of the government.
Radharao Gracias, UGDP leader
The absence of Opposition has made MLA Vijai Sardesai a shining star. He has taken over the entire Opposition space. The Opposition in Goa is personalised because the main Opposition party has abdicated its responsibility. This is not a healthy sign in a democracy. The chief minister is acting like a headmaster. It appears that the Congress believes that it has to be only in power and they cannot function when they are out of power.
Cleofato Coutinho, Lawyer
There is no Opposition in the State. The Opposition is nonexistent in Goa. This is not a healthy sign in a democratic setup. The Opposition is expected to keep the political and moral pressure on the government, but this is not happening at the moment in Goa.
An Opposition is a watch dog in a democracy. This is true anywhere in the world. But, the Opposition in Goa is not performing its role as a watchdog.
Uday Bhembre, Konkani activist
The thing is that the issues were raised. But to me, the same issues we raise at tea shops or over tea but they just remained as discussions. What people are looking for are concrete actions over these issues. Look at the Regional Plan. They said we are looking into it. It just remains there. On the casino issue, the rules were brought up at every Assembly.
The real issues of the people are not addressed. What I heard most is the double speak of the MLAs. At one level, there is a whole tirade against NGOs. The NGOs were asked to file an affidavit on the Mahdei issue.
Dr Sabina Martins, GBA convenor
