"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." This is the Serenity Prayer which just keeps me going. In the last few days, I have been called mad, visionless, a dog, rotten, stupid, jealous, cheat and .............. My concern for Goa has been called into question by a mob. This was all because I resist the Goan mob and dare to think differently, not brain washed by media frenzy or activist rhetoric. Predominantly, my sin is that I refuse to cheer a priest who has thrown out his frock to join politics. The gravity of my sin gets doubled because I do not ascribe to this myth that if one wants to change the system one has to necessarily contest an election and get elected to Government. Rubbish! Ignorance!
Thank God, I have been witness to one year of lies and cheating of innocent Goan villagers in the name of 'Saving Goa'. It all took place before my eyes. I have observed how unsuspecting village people were dragged to Panjim from far flung corners of Goa under the pretext of discussing their Regional Plan 2021 for the village. I have been witness to tactics used which are no better than those adopted by a bunch of corrupt politicians. Rhetoric, bringing people in buses for the rally, abusing those in power, ridiculing Goans who have not come for the rally as agents of the Government and rhetoric without solid basis and media hype are just some of the cheap methods adopted by some activists. While we activists curse the politicians of being liars and looters, a time has come to ask ourselves as to how genuine is our activist fraternity. Do we believe in accountability and transparency that we preach to others in Government? I do not think so as I do not see it anywhere.
Goans were repeatedly assured that the movements to Save Goa's Villages were apolitical. Then how come these activist groups have declared their candidates to contest elections no sooner polls were announced? Whom are we fooling and for how long will we keep fooling the people? So called 'Manifestos of Kindness' released to gain recognition and distract the people amount to nothing if there is no ethics in action. There was absolutely no kindness manifested when the activist priest spoke at a meeting at Azad Maidan just two months ago. He labeled all those Goans who did not turn up at his rally as supporters of Digambar Kamat and the corrupt politicians. Has he forgotten the lack of kindness in the way he has behaved all through? Is it an act of kindness when village people are gathered together to fight on the RP-2021 issue and the press conference gets diverted into declaring candidates for elections? Is there a code of ethics that governs activism in Goa? The other day I was simply shocked to learn that an activist who otherwise creates awareness against the communal forces is now collaborating with them to defame the church on the medium of instruction issue. Some activists speak with two tongues depending in whose company he/she is. Duplicity and hypocrisy has engulfed some within the activist fraternity.
Masquerading as champions of Goa's villages has become a lucrative enterprise these days. Anything with the tag of 'Village' or 'Goa' seems to sell blindly. The RP2011 was scrapped and the RP2021 is released but the plight of the Goan villagers is no better. In fact it is worse. Villagers are disillusioned because activists have repeatedly exploited their emotions for personal gains and dumped them no sooner they find another attractive issue. There are several such sentiments expressed across the length and breadth of Goa. People's issues have been used as launch pads for activists aspiring to be politicians or social entrepreneurs. What stops them from making their motives clear to the people from the very launch of their movement? The political parties at least have a constitution and ideology but what do these fly-by-night activists have? Merely dangling some emotional issues before the public and contesting an election under the pretext of solving them is fraud. So before we release manifesto's of Kindness let us be brave to release a code of ethics for activists and civil society groups which are mushrooming by the dozen.
We have experienced the intolerance of some activists to suggestions and their lack of humility to admit that they lack certain expertise. If criticism cannot be accepted even before getting elected what would be their state after getting elected? What is the mechanism put in place by activists wherein people's opinions and feed back would be sought on public policy and legislations? If activists are not able to be transparent and accountable in social movements, can we expect them to be any better when they taste political power? Sometimes a known rogue is far better than an unknown one. A known thug is far predictable than an unknown thug. This remains the dilemma before the Goan citizens. Let us learn to first be transparent and accountable in our own doings before promising illusions of kindness to others.
-Soter D'Souza
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