22 Jan, 2017, 02:14AM IST
The obsession with corruption which swept the Goan psyche in 2012 resulting in a chase for the rainbow of ‘parivartan’ has turned out to be a blunder which only speeded up not only the destruction of Goa’s environment but also disturbed the social harmony. The so-claimed risk of embracing parivartan by ignoring the communalism packaged in it could not be called a calculated risk but a choice which sprang more from an irrational and emotional thinking fuelled by clever branding and marketing strategies. It’s hardly surprising that the Goan is back to square one for this election 2017 and is still left confused and groping in the dark for solutions to stem the destruction in this tiny State.
While political parties resort to their same old strategies of friendly bouts and deceptive encounters, the Goan voters seem to have learnt no lessons from the past and continue to persist with their irrational and unrealistic responses. The outcome could well be nothing but another five years of governance by the same exploitative feudal parivar which has manipulated and controlled the political stage since 1961. A misguided and divided voter in a delinquent political atmosphere can only ensure that the scoundrels have the last laugh.
With around a 10 lakh voter population, Goa’s 3702 sq kms political arena has far exceeded its carrying capacity for accommodating Goan egos, selfish ambitions, hypocrisy and opportunism. It’s time for the Goan voter to ask whether any of the politicians who present themselves as candidates during the elections do actually fulfill the basic leadership criteria of character, competence and experience to occupy such a sacred position as a Representative of the People in the government. It’s only caste, religion, money power and popularity which continue to ultimately determine the choice of candidates, whereas the mental ability and character is hardly of any significance.
The very politicians at the State and Panchayat level who have a hand in the plunder of this State through real estate and mining get elected as legislators by the same voters who endlessly complain about the devastation. The same voter who otherwise complains about corruption will display resentment when government jobs get allotted solely on merit and with no scope for favours from their MLAs. The same voter will feel offended when MLAs refuse to give donations for local cultural or religious events. So, time and again we have these People v/s Politician games in a love-hate relationship and blackmail ending up with the same predictable outcomes; the scoundrels prevail. The voters somehow conveniently choose to forget that they are in a democracy and that they are as much to be blamed for the destruction of Goa as the politicians whom they elect as their representatives.
In a delinquent political atmosphere, being reasonable and realistic is taken as a sign of abnormality. Bribing and deception are taken as sound values and particular glamourized issues take precedence over relevant and foresighted legislations and policies. The naivety of the Goan voter is exploited by Delhi when, according to some reliable sources, the Goan voters are being made to sign a pledge of their vote to a political party, which is more like the traditional blackmailing tactics of getting voters to swear over a coconut. The intelligence of the Goan voter is literally abused by politicians who cry scams and after 20 years claim that it was just an attempt to scam. The party karyakarta has no self-respect when the very same politician whom they opposed and labeled as corrupt for 20 years finally becomes the official candidate for their own party. Such is the spineless and shameless condition of the Goan who should have felt offended and brought politicians to their knees for telling lies, cheating and misleading the people. But in a delinquent political society such abusive political behavior is taken for granted and considered normal. Blaming and shaming becomes the coping mechanism.
Now that elections are declared, it is not sufficient that the voters believe that they are doing the right thing. It is important to decipher whether their belief in a party or an individual is rational and realistic. Now, the otherwise boastful and arrogant politicians have become like obedient mice, lining up for blessings in temples and churches and at voter’s door steps. No sooner they get elected, the citizens will once again hear familiar questions like “who is the Church to tell us?”, “we are elected to govern for five years and know best what is good for the people”, and other such pearls of wisdom from the basket of political delinquency. Will the Goan Voter ever understand the political reality and unite strategically?
http://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Voice-Of-Opinion/Minimum-Parivartan-Maximum-UTurns/110729.html
(Published in Herald Review, Sunday, 22 January 2017, in view of Goa Assembly Elections slated for 4 Feb'2017 )
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