One month on, the feeling of resentment in Goan people for having been cheated by their politicians after the election is still palpable on the streets. But besides brooding and crying over spilt milk there seems to be no lessons learnt. Behind the bad-mouthing against politicians, life goes on as usual with the citizen more than happy to play puppet and allow the crafty politician to pull the strings. Goans seem to have resigned themselves to the feeling of hopelessness; that they have no choice but to choose between one rascal politician or the other during elections. The politicians continue to spit out their empty promises about making Goa a model state and protecting goykarponn which gets lapped up by the swearing Goan. The flattery with development from one quarter is tactfully tempered by venomous interjections from the other 3/4th of the remaining Akhand Bharatiya Janata spectrum. It’s a ‘vijay’ for the communal right wing all the way with the secular Goykar coconut now manifesting signs of what was always suspected as saffron contamination.
Goans are misled into believing that the blame for the pathetic state of political affairs rests on a certain segment of corrupt politicians. The ‘holier than thou’ attitude adopted by the Goan masses is preventing any chances of restoring healthy politics. There is a denial and reluctance among common goans to accept the blame for having allowed themselves to be taken for a ride by their politicians. Finding scape goats to rest the blame upon and refusing to own responsibility for having not been politically vigilant and prudent enough prevents that much required mental and behavioural change needed for clean politics in Goa. Noted jurist Fali S. Nariman rightly pointed out in a recent TV show that the Constitution is under threat, under the present government, not because of the complacency of the people who support the constitution but because of the people’s hypocrisy. The same looks true about Goa. Goans are investing in the wrong places to bring about political change and actually land up mistaking the problem to be the solution. The much touted political change by anti-corruption as well as communal opportunists, or more appropriately political careerists, is way off the mark. It is actually feeding into the hypocrisy of citizens and further strengthening the dirty politics.
For any ‘Change’ to happen the process has to start with the individual citizen. There can be no short cuts or ready fixes when it comes to ensuring political propriety and protecting freedom. It is the political behavior of citizens which is defeating democracy and paving the way for corruption and fascism. The goan must own responsibility for permitting the proxy controls on governments by the real estate mafia and the drug and casino cartel. Goans have invited the political mess by cultivating a petty mindset which revolves around liquor bars on national highways, migrants, corruption and coconut trees. We have to politically think far wider and deeper and act more consistently and decisively against the political fraudsters. When looking at the present politicians, Goans should expect no better behavior from them than that of drug addicts or alcoholics. The urge for that drug of power and money seems to dictate the politics. Political ethics is secondary and meant only for talk shows.
Goans can no more afford to go by face value and sweet talk. Let not politicians dictate the people but instead let we the people set the rules for politicians to follow in a democracy. The present politics is nothing but a triumph of political addiction with citizens as co-dependents. Any behavioural change or reformation has to begin with the individual citizen, beginning with an admission of helplessness and a sincere desire to introspect one’s shortcomings and thereafter drawing up healthy alternative responses for the future. The 12- steps of self-help recovery programs revolve around the Serenity Prayer which prays for serenity to accept the things which cannot be changed, courage to change the things we can and, most of all, the wisdom to know the difference. We the people should not let ourselves get driven by the wisdom of politicians and mob mentality. In other words, let us not fall for the so called new faces or parties promising change but let us focus on cultivating our individual and healthy political responses 24x7 which may compel the desired change in the politics. As Gandhiji put it, “be the change which you want to see in the world around.” As goykars let us first protect goykarponn in our own individual life rather than expect the cunning and deceitful politicians to protect goykarponn in Goa.
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Voice-Of-Opinion/The-Triumph-of-political-addictions/114010.html
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