Another Christmas is here, and it’s not just the time to offer and accept gifts, but also to share the joys of life and be thankful for everything that has been granted to us. However, as 2024 draws to a close, Goa and Goans stand at a very strange crossroads in their public and private lives. And almost everyone, apart from counting their blessings, is probably wondering if there is much to be thankful for as a society.
What are the gifts that our elected representatives and public servants have bestowed upon us this Christmas? Let’s take stock of that. The year 2024 may well represent those 12 months when the ethos of Goa – the very essence of Goenkarponn – was eroded the most in the State’s public life. The rampant greed all around is evident from the series of scams that rocked the State this year. Land, jobs, infrastructure, opportunities – everything is on sale for the highest bidder.
Goa is known across the world as a tourist paradise, why then are the beaches and restaurants so empty at this time of the year, which is supposed to be the peak tourist season? Why are people calling the State unaffordable? Goans should accept that this is true: from F&B to hotel tariffs, airfares to transport, the prices of everything in Goa has gone through the roof. It’s probably the only State in India where the cabbies have the dubious distinction of being called the taxi mafia! Even the most die-hard Goa lover has realised that it’s far cheaper to plan a Sri Lanka or Thailand beach vacation than to spend Christmas-New Year in Goa.
As inflation and the twin effects of a stock market bear run and a global slowdown loom, it is obvious that the young job aspirant is finding it exceedingly difficult to get employment. Seen in this light, the recent multi-crore job scam shows the desperation of people, who will stake their homes and life’s savings to find a place to work at. Small businesses have badly suffered as well, since contracts and tenders are cornered only by a handful of people, ensuring that wealth distribution is never equitable.
It is the right time for all Goans to ask themselves one question: do they deserve this state of affairs? Who is to be blamed for the way things have gone – the politicians who have been elected by the people, or the polity, which has chosen them, despite knowing the depths of their corruption?
Christmas, apart from sharing gifts, should also be a time of reflection. Goans should use the shared joys of this festive season not to forget the stark reality around them, but to take a vow and ensure that representatives of the people are held accountable by the people.