Lead Article published in Oheraldo on August 22, 2022
The once upon a time paradise is now steadily deteriorating into a living hell for Goans. It now appears to be a destination for the ‘ease of doing business’ and ‘ease of living’ for conmen and bullies. With imprisonment done away with in the Inland Vessels Act under the ease of doing business, very soon all environment pollution laws will be diluted to promote a hell in paradise. The social decay is throwing up a bizarre political logic and reasoning and some weird behaviours all around, so much so that what was once considered uncivilised is now the new normal. What is moral and immoral, right and wrong in politics and economics now gets decided depending on which segment of society enjoys the benefit of cheating, looting and making merry. When it comes to the privileged greedy class being pampered by the relaxation in laws, doubling of building FARs, loan waivers and tax holidays, most of the time at the cost of the environment and human rights, it gets glorified as the ‘ease of doing business’. But no sooner it comes to social welfare measures for the underprivileged, the same largesse of the government gets condemned as freebies, bribes, doles and abuse of taxpayer’s money.
The privileged class which dictates government policy and imposes its political and economic narrative by controlling the media discourse, searches for scapegoats to deflect the blame for the failures and miseries resulting from their selfishness and greed. Every man-made disaster is cleverly blamed on climate change, which has also become a platform for economic exploitation. Religion and nationalism are then used to sedate the hurting masses. Pseudo intellectuals and fake spiritual healers help cultivate an escapist mentality and reinforce popular false notions.
Coping with uncertainties and contradictions in any decaying society is a struggle. Whether we admit it or not, Goa’s condition shows most of the signs of a chronic socio-political crisis. We remain unaware that justifications, projections and rationalisations being thrown around as a defence for the contradictions in Goan thinking and behaviour a shameless denial of the insider role in the political decay by deflecting the blame onto some or the other external factors or agencies are symptoms of money and power games; process addiction. Goa is now about silly development thriving on soulless governance.
One does not need to scratch beneath the surface to see the glaring hypocrisy of citizens. The need for more policing and installation of CCTV cameras in public places to regulate citizens and enforce law and order, in what was once considered a peaceful State and paradise, is not progress but cultural decay. The lack of basic civic sense and disregard for the rights of others, by even affluent and educated citizens, is visible in the unnecessary chaos outside prominent city schools, at zebra crossings, on footpaths and in traffic jams. While politicians are criticised for corruption, citizens do not stop expecting and accepting undue favours, sponsors and freebies from them. Money power is pivotal in winning elections; this is why the opposition is being targeted by the party in government. It’s the abusive and corrupt politicians who enjoy far higher popularity ratings and acceptance than the polite and honest politicians.
The script-writers, directors and producers of Goa’s disaster are not just from the soulless political class, but also the soulless privileged and landed goykars who have no reservations in brokering deals and auctioning their motherland for a few pieces of silver. For the politicians generating ignorance and poverty is the secret of political survival and political power. If anyone expects Goa to achieve ‘atmanirbaharta’ and ‘swayampurnata’ by endorsing an economy driven by vices and greed, they are terribly mistaken. Just as a family trapped in vices invites self-destruction, the same consequence awaits Goa too. Goans cannot expect to booze to glory and yet drive straight without crashing. There is a natural and logical consequence to every action. History shows us which actions have positive outcomes and which actions invite ruin. A governance model of ‘Ravanas’ claiming to reach us to the promised ‘Ram Rajya’ is a joke.
Any realisation of the truth is scary and it is human tendency to deny the truth till such time as possible. Denial will not take Goans anywhere closer to the solution. Scapegoating is no treatment for a social and political crisis. Cultural festivals fantasising the past will not help liberate the people from demagoguery. Goa’s issues cannot be tackled in isolation from each other, and in compartments. The way forward is for every Goan to honestly look inwards, to understand their role in the problems instead of focussing outwards to change others.
Goa’s political misery is not about absence of morality in politics but the ignorance and arrogance of its people to persist in believing half-truths and half-baked solutions for chronic problems. The political decay we see begins in the family and the vaddo, not in Parliament and Assembly. The defections we see in politics starts in the home with the compromise on principles to suit our selfish designs. The question which every Goan needs to ask should be: are the public responses appropriate and proportionate to the level of arrogance and abuse of power indulged in by politicians? When the opposition parties are silenced, does it not become the duty of citizens in a democracy to rise and take on the government?
(The author is a social activist and has worked in creating awareness on the issue of local self-governance)
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Silly-development-from-a-soulless-governance/193159
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