The search for a high command within shouting distance, has brought regionalism as a repeat flavor in the run up to the Goa Assembly elections. The longevity of the aroma will however depend on a host of factors.
January 26, 2016 saw the official launch of a new regional political party – Goa Forward – supported by MLAs Vijai Sardesai (Fatorda), Rohan Khaunte (Porvorim) and Naresh Sawal (Bicholim). All three are awaiting the end of their tenure as independent MLAs to oficially join the regional outfit. A few days later, St Cruz MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate made a return and stated that he will revive the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and contest almost 25 seats across the State under the UGDP banner. And then there’s Nuvem MLA Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco with two MLAs including himself who wants to contest around 25 seats, including Calangute, and other areas with his own Goa Vikas Party.
In this cacophony or crescendo, depending on which side you are on, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) is still unsure of whether it should go alone or continue to tango with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Regional parties are propping up in the buildup to the Assembly polls, most probably slated between December 2016 and February 2017.
“Goa has had many regional parties in the past, one that successfully fought for statehood, one that fought for merger and lost but then continued to govern the State for many years. And then we alone championed a voice to have a local outfit for many years. But sadly Goans in the 1990s till date didn’t want it that way and clung to the National parties but now suddenly the trend seems to reverse,” explains UGDP Convenor Radharao Gracias.
But Datta Naik reminds us how hi’s Lok Shakti in 2005 was successful in cornering the communal forces in power at that point of time but it had people who placed their business and profession ahead of politics and hence didn’t transform that movement into a regional party though people so demanded.
“Even the Goa Bachao Abhiyan did great work in fighting for Goa’s lands and stopping a divisive and dangerous land grab in the name of Regional Plan 2021. But again it was a group of professionals and intellectuals who were apolitical and didn’t have interest in politics which is a fulltime job and involves money and we had no motives of corruption, hence we took a back seat from contesting the polls,” explains Naik. who is quite He welcomes the formation of Goa Forward forward but feels that only an alliance like the one in Bihar and the one that is coming up for the Uttar Pradesh polls, will fuel this force.
History enthusiast and senior citizen from Curtorim, who collects write-ups and journals of Goa since the 1930s till date, Raphael Viegas believes if Goa deserves a regional outfit it needs to be one with a difference. A party that will be transparent on its funding, a party that will be open and allow RTIs, a party where the leaders won’t have vested interests and wont merge and sell Goa again to national parties and the various industrial lobbies of mining, construction, land grab and realty and its only then that the concept of regional parties can be accepted by Goans or it should be rejected once again.
Goans across seem quite disillusioned by regional parties and why not. The United Goan Party (UGP) broke up and gave way to bring in the Janata Party and then Congress in Goa, the MGP has been a deciding force for the last 20 years and it was entering into an alliance that brought the BJP to power, Churchill Alemao sold his Save Goa Front dreams to the Congress to become PWD minister, a reign marred by multi-crore scams, Monserrate has jived with the UGDP on two occasions and shoved them away for ministerial berths in the BJP and Congress governments, Pandurang Madkaikar himself formed a breakaway party to join the BJP while Francisco Sardinha formed a separate party to ditch the Congress and then pave the way for BJP’s Manohar Parrikar to become chief minister and lastly, the recently departed Dr Wilfred DSouza, sailed many boats of regional outfits and used them to make and break many leaders careers and also meet his own aspirations of Chief Ministership.
“So definitely Goa’s tryst with destiny in terms of regional outfits has been bitter and hence, Goans don’t really show faith in regional parties or independent MLAs. But now the anti-Congress sentiment continues to prevail just like in 2012, and the BJP’s terrible, anti-people rule in the Parrikar-Parsekar reign, will force Goans to look in a different direction, and the onus on bailing Goa out is only in the hands of a regional outfit,” explains Villiam De Souza from Navelim.
Margao based Cleofato Almeida Coutinho, a constitutional lawyer who has been studying Goa’s political trends since 1980s makes a very pertinent point. “My worry is that so many regional parties may be a spoilsport and ruin it for Goans and the vote split may bring the BJP back to power,” explains Coutinho.
Meanwhile it is no surprise that Vijai Sardesai backs Regional Forces, “Goans don’t trust this government for anything. Continuous U-Turns, lies, the sale of land, corruption and anti-Goa policies, have demeaned Goans. All this has definitely left Goans embarrassed that they voted for a government of this kind and hence Goans are demanding a regional outfit to correct this mess,” asserts Sardesai.
But many fragments and MLAs from various regional outfits in the General Assembly post 2017, will remind Goans of the struggle from 1990 to 2005, where MLAs played musical chairs, giving up their seats and seeking re-election and made Goans look like fools. Six chief ministers in seven years and instability, debt and corruption, a new chief minister every ten months, horse-trading and defection is what haunts Goans and they don’t want a repeat of that instability.
“This completely eliminated the concept of regional parties and the Congress got full majority. Also people wanted to see pre-poll alliances with proper seat sharing and only then voted. Even independents had no chance and the national party symbols strengthened, but this trend seems to have changed. People want regional parties, people want a promise of special status, they want their lands protected and want to keep Indians out of the serenity, exclaims Siddarth Dessai, who feels Goans are disillusioned by politics itself and not by regional parties versus national parties.
But Goa wants a strong regional party, not like the one where only Dr Willy won a lone seat or the one where Alemao and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco were the only winners and merged with the Congress or the more recent one where just Pacheco and Caetano Silva bagged seats but fell out. Goans want a regional party with a high command in Goa where they can walk in and pour out their issues with the same confidence that they go to buy the fish at the village tinto. Goans suddenly see hope in Regional outfits but pray that their good nature is not betrayed again.
