Assert your opinion

Assert your opinion Soter D’ Souza Last weekend, the gram sabha held at the village of Shiroda village witnessed a fistfight between an elected member and the public over a discussion on the leasing of the panchayat hall for some activity. This is not an isolated incident at gram sabha meetings in Goa. Elected representatives are known to use muscle power, instigate the disruption of meetings, abuse women, and abuse their official powers to crush opinion and avoid the demand for accountability in governance. These scenes are particularly prevalent in village panchayats that have been infiltrated by thugs who are patronised by the real estate, mining or political mafia. This is how, some village panchayats, think it is their business to appeal in favour of mining while remaining silent on their actual functions listed in Schedule I of the Panchayat Raj Act. In many instances the local police are also in league with these elements to settle political scores and intimidate the public. What is at stake in Goa is the human right to freedom of opinion and expression. The intrusion by undesired elements and their nuisance is not limited to village affairs alone. Even MLAs and MPs are known to resort to intimidation tactics against opponents and suppression of public opinion, by abusing their positions and the State machinery. Nuisance is created to discourage people from attending meetings due to fear or frustration. The squabbles in local bodies are not without encouragement from the State government machinery and local MLAs. Such incidents help the government to justify the bureaucratic control in village governance because they create an impression that the public is incapable of conducting its own affairs in an orderly manner. But this is far from true. We would have frequently witnessed similar scenes (like those at gram sabhas) in our State Assemblies and Parliaments, had it not been for well defined rules and wide powers of the Speakers. Despite this, we now and then witness shameful incidents in our upper temples of democracy. Such clear and well defined rules are absent when conducting the meetings of village and zilla panchayats. What further encourages trouble makers is the absence of any penalty for those who misbehave at panchayat meetings. It would be unfair to assume that only politicians are intolerant to public dissent and expression of opinion. The incidents at gram sabha meetings are a manifestation of a larger underlying intolerance to freedom of opinion in Goan society. There is a silent segment within civil society that sits back and watches others’ right to opinion and expression being denied. Even some civil society managing committees are known to suppress opinion of its members. This inability to discuss important issues in a civilized manner is amply demonstrated on Goan cyber forums which are splashed with abuse and name calling whenever content is not monitored. Expressing one’s opinion is to risk being labeled as quarrelsome, argumentative and disruptive. It is uncultured to discuss, raise questions or have diverse views on any issue at forums. The colonial and caste hangover still dominates our social and political discourses even though we proclaim that we are free citizens. A ‘herd mentality’ has become the mark of civility and patriotism. Our opinion as free citizens is often limited to blaming someone for our miseries or resorting to slander. In some cases, opinion is limited to circulating gossip on face book. For some others, voicing opinion is about cheering a Hazare or Kejriwal to tickle the establishment. More often than not, our emotions determine our opinion instead of reason. There are also many who prefer instigating others to voice dissent so that they have no liability of defending anything. We see this happening in the mining debate where those citizens against indiscriminate mining remain silent and expect a handful of activists to defend their opinion and get abused by the mafia. The casualty in all this lethargy or cowardice is the right to freedom of opinion and expression. If Goa is to progress qualitatively, its citizens will have to cultivate the art of critical thinking. Citizens will have to assert their right to freedom of expression as guaranteed in the Constitution of India, by repeatedly voicing their opinions without fear. Gossip or bombardment of a particular view point by social media cannot become the sole basis in forming personal opinion. It is necessary for every citizen to form and express their own opinion after carefully considering available information and viewpoints. Succumbing to mass hysteria on any policy or issue will lead to nowhere except exploitation by opportunistic forces. Barack Obama’s victory speech was a reminder about the importance of opinion in a democracy when he said, “Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have, are a mark of our liberty. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.” Consensus and compromises in decision making is the hallmark of a true democracy. Consensus cannot be obtained by the use of brute force and a parade of numbers. Dialogue is what is needed. Goan society needs to occupy more space to express its opinion particularly on issues of governance. The village panchayat representatives need to develop the skills for more qualitative interaction and debate with the people. There is a need for more and more citizens to come forward and fearlessly assert their right to expression rather than avoiding the available forums because of trouble makers or, expecting someone else to speak up for them. If the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution of India is not asserted enough, of course within the frame-work of law, it will die a natural death without anyone realizing it. (The writer is Director, Centre for Panchayati Raj –Peaceful Society, Madkai) Published on 15th November 2012 http://www.heraldgoa.in/newscategory/Opinions/14