GOAN! DON’T ALLOW STATE POLITICS TO BE A FAMILY AFFAIR by Nisser Dias

Benaulim MLA and former Tourism minister Mickky Pacheco last week spelt out his plans for the forth coming assembly election slated for 2012. His disclosure of fielding candidates in all the 40 constituencies did not really come as a surprise, because it is an open secret that the present lot of MLAs, especially those of the India’s oldest political party Congress and others affiliated to it (coalition MLAs) have plans to get their family members into the political scenario.

Goans have been bemoaning the level of corruption in the present day government led by the beleaguered chief minister Digambar Kamat, who has given a ‘carte blanc’ to his ministers to loot, rob and plunder the Goa’s exchequer and rape Goa of its natural beauty through illegal mining and blatant construction with the blessing of the ministers by cutting hills, sand dunes and filling low lying areas.

With such malpractices and illegal activities almost all the ministers in the Kamat led coalition government have amassed wealth to sustain their generation to come but are still not satisfied, so much so that they want to bring in their children and spouses not only to amass ill-gotten wealth, but also to hold the government to ransom when either a police complaint or criminal case is ought to be registered against them for their illegal activities.

Infact PWD minister and Navelim MLA Churchill Alemao has used such tactics during this tenure when he threatened to topple the government if Mickky Pacheco was inducted in the ministry by dropping Revenue minister Jose Philip D’souza and a second time was when Education minister Babush Monserrate was caught at the Bombay airport with huge amounts of currency Indian as well as foreign.

Nobody will forget that Churchill Alemao not only strong-armed his way into Kamat led government using toppling bid, but at the same time unseated Sudin Dhavlikar from the ministry and bagged the plum PWD portfolio with which he is alleged to have amassed huge wealth. Now he wants to introduce his daughter Valanka Alemao into the state politics. Joaquim Alemao wants to introduce his son Yuri Alemao. God forbid if four members of a family are given the mandate by the people of the state, there will be no end to ransom games of Churchill Alemao, till his will is done. Lest we forget Churchill was the first legislator to start toppling trend in Goa way back in 1991 and that too during his very first stint in the assembly. He toppled Pratapsing Rane to become the chief minister of 19 days and then handed the reins to Dr. Proto Barbosa.

Whether Congress party gives ticket to all the four members of a family is to be seen. At the last hustings Joaquim Alemao bagged the Congress ticket, while Churchill had got elected on Save Goa party. History is going to repeat itself this time too and he knows it well. PWD minister has his office in Varca, however there is no Congress party flag nor the picture of the president of the party Sonia Gandhi decorating it. Of course Valanka has recently pictured with Rahul Gandhi but those are for the attics. Besides introducing his family members, he is likely to bank-roll some other candidates in the state who will later owe allegiance to him.

Unlike Churchill, Benaulim MLA Mickky Pacheco has not been discreet and loud mouth that he is has disclosed his plans. The former minister has not been in power for almost two years, it would be amusing to observe how he finances forty candidates in the state. Ironically for the last more than two years he was grooming a candidate for Benaulim constituency, however the person backed out after Pacheco alleged told him to keep Rs. Four crores ready for elections expenses. Mickky too has introduced his partner Viola for Cortalim constituency. But is yet to be seen whether the government scuttles his plans by reserving the constituency for Schedule Tribe community.

Likewise Health minister Viswajit Rane is alleged to be grooming his wife to replace his father’s seat in case Pratapsing Rane was nominated for Rajya Sabha. However with renomination of Shantaram Naik, we will have to wait and watch the developments. Education minister Babush Monseratte has already announced that he would be contesting the next assembly election against Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar in the Panjim constituency. Jennifer Monseratte wife of Babush is likely to contest from Taleigao.

Then we have Home minister Ravi Naik backing his son Roy Naik to contest in Mayem assembly constituency. Roy has a colourful background as in recent times he has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Then we have Subhash Narvekar brother of Dayanand Narvekar who is trying his luck again. Revenue minister Jose Philip D’souza’s brother Pascoal D’souza is contemplating to jump in the fray. Two Dhavlikar brothers are already in the scene.

This is the scenario as of now, as time draws closer there will surely be some other developments. But the question before us today is, should we allow these handful of self centered political families to rule 15 lakh population. Till recently some handful of families had raped Goa of its mining reserves, but today some politicians have got a share in it through either machinery being deployed in the mines or transportation or illegal mining and even robbing mine ore and selling it.

The current politicians have made bureaucrats IPS as well GPS their puppets one can easily imagine what they will do when they have numbers in terms of family members to support them in their evil designs. Jobs are dished out not on merit basis but the basis of who can shell out the price tag on the designated position.

The police department is totally politicized; the men in uniform conduct investigation as per the whims and fancies of politicians. At the moment the police are not protecting those who pay their wages, but those who pay their bribes.

At the moment Digambar Kamat led government is not functioning as a government should but as per the dictum of the ministers. What will happen when we have family members as legislators. Will they not demand that all of them be made ministers and then demand lucrative portfolios.

Coming election they will dish out biryani, chicken, alcohol and Rs 500 to vote for them but in turn they will reap crores of rupees for the next five years. Fellow Goans! The upcoming state assembly elections are very crucial to Goa and Goans. If we cast our ballot in favour of these political families we are surely doomed. If there are any Goans worth their salt, spread the message to vote against those who are introducing their kith and kin to hold Goa ransom and destroy it to oblivion.