It is very shocking to see,hear and read, the extent of how all these politicians have milked Goa of its wealth for their personal ambitions and next of kin. This has not been done with Business acumen...but by stealth & Corrupt acumen.However I hope if history has proved correct in many ways...these or their next of kin will have a price to pay someday or in the not too distant future.
It is purely a matter of time. But it will happen. It must happen. Take the examples of these corrupt people. Saddam Hussein (Iraq), Idi Amin (UGANDA), Pol Pot(CAMBODIA), Robert Mugabe(Zimbabwe), Papa Doc (of Haiti), Shah of Iran (Iran), Ceascescu (Romania), Slobadan Milosovech ( Serbia), Marie Antoinette (France) & the "Tin Pot dictators of Africa and South America. These are just the few that come to my mind.
Goa is slowly evolving (very slowly), There will be a bigger educated class.The divisions between Rich and poor will narrow down. At some point in time all these corrupt Politicians & their next of kin will have to give an account if they have not sought asylum somewhere. Many years ago Goa was ruled by the Land owning and upper castes. Currently Goa is being run by a bunch of perfidious (traitors) idiots and corrupt and ill-educated machinery.
I only pary that Goa one day will be administered by decent & honest and truly good and morally upright people, where all resources are shared justly and for the benefit and upliftment of all Goans and more specially our kids and the next generations. The Physics theory of releativity will surely prove it self again........"every action will have a corresponding reaction".
Well said! I have little hope, sorry to say, but as long as Goa is treated as a ‘tourist riviera’ for all of India, it will only get worse. Prices of land will continue to rise and common Goans will never be able to buy land, start a family in Goa and keep our culture going. Sadly, I feel people in Goa want that easy money from tourism at any cost and so we must go down that path. Look at the number of flats/homes in Goa owned by people from Delhi, Mumbai, Banglalore...almost all non-Goans - Rich indians with the retirement homes and holiday homes from all of India. Builders in Goa, including lots of Goan builders were too happy to collect whatever they could get to sell their flats. Lots of our own people sold Goa out, not just politicians, lets face the truth! All construction in Goa must halt immediately!!! We are already dangerously outnumbered.. Goa is not Mumbai!, It is not a town, it is land of a unique people with a unique culture. Goans are all too happy to get the high prices they get for their properties....lets face the truth about ourselves. This must stop. So many Goans, yes Goans! are involved in building and building blocks of flats even today. Look up ‘real estate for sale’ on the Internet and see the names of the builders, 90% Goan names!!! No one talks about them. We only mention the foreign (non-Goan) builders. With the new law allowing PIOs to acquire property without hassle, we have to enact laws in Goa that land be sold only to Goans that can prove their ancestry going back two generations. It would mean property values will drop, but are we Goans willing to do this???? Let's be honest with ourselves, regardless of what class you come from, only then we can save we can save our Goa.
ReplyDeleteWell said N Fernandes and a good assessment by Trevor. You are right. The fall of Goa started with Tourism, it brought land grab culture and the prime and pristine locations of Goa, from North to South are grabbed by them. From Sinquerim to Cavellosim Beach to Galgibaga, the public beaches are encroached by these land grabbers of Goa and sold to outsiders. Take the example of Cidade de Goa, public property becmae "My fathers property" because of our politicians. Now our Palace at Altinho is silent by selling the Church properties and should we say the day will not come when the same Clergy laymen may try to sell Church itself? It's the greed of the politicians and the laymen of Goa that has brought poverty and shame on Goa. The rich are harvesting whilst the poor are slogging. The law and order in the State is at it's worst. The adminstration has become a regime of Dictatorship. But as Fernandes pointed out, all dictators fall including Zia-ul-Haq who ruled Pakistan with an iron fist by directing the main issues with publicity against India. The other curse brought by the politicians on Goa is the mining. Now with China accepting 40 grade product of Goa, the whole of the eastern hills are almost flattened. There were hardly a few miners in Goa in the past, now every politician and their family members are either mining contractors or miners themselves, most illegally. It is a pity for the locals who stay in the mining areas, their houses are painted red by the mining dust and their health is reduced to death.
ReplyDeleteGoa need a change, a change in the political thinking of the people which will help changing these 40 corrupt politicians and their cronies. Go's political change will come when people start realizing that the rule imposed by these few politicains and the members of their families is going to take us backwards. When the political thinking by the Goan community was almost changed by Dr. Oscar Rebello, the political goons implanted the Goa Bachao Abhiyan with their own cronies in the name of save Goa and almost destroyed it. The only mistake Dr. Oscar made was he should have formed a party at the peak of time and there would have been lightof the day. The politicians were hell bent to destroy Dr. Oscar and they proved themselves succesful. The task of Dr. Oscar was a marathon one, like a spineless swine fighting with many elephants. He was succesful but sabotaged by the political swines. Let's be honest, lets' be our own masters, let's not vote for these existing politicians and their cronies or associates. Get the youth to the helm of Goa. Let them design a practical future for Goa. Viva Niz Goenkara, we will Change, we need a change from the corrupt system.
@Dalia, I am with you. The same thoughts here. You can count on me when the time comes for any agitation. You can also contact me at bebdogoenkar@yahoo.com to discuss the future course of action.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, I too believe. However and whichever way one says it, you are not to feel sorry for it. We are all seeing it right but are ashamed to accept it. There will always be a questions mark in the minds of every individual, can we be sincere and genuine to bring in the change.
ReplyDeleteGoa, is going through a interval of a major change and in the next quarter of a century will have witnessed a renaissance a new begining where you and I have always premonished these events but our conscience always, thought it otherwise. We are still fighting to preserve the past and correct the present wrongs that is in the process. Whilst we keep on barking and crying for all the wrongs that is taking place. Tthere are other good and bad who are waiting in the wings to organize a coup against the 40 already, in the house. The present youth is nowhere close to your imagination my friends, they are smart computer wiz with broad spectrum and extensive knowledge at the same time they are temperamental and lazy. Their mental state is already witnessing the events of our uneducated, inexperienced, dangerous immoral sons of bitches, ruling the roost. These new guys if ever elected, bring in the change? I doubt it. The reason being, the present soceity that we live in is all corrupt through body, mind and soul and we can do, nothing about it.
As the saying goes, Cleanliness begins at home and everything falls in place. If the soceity is not clean how can we ever expect the 40 to be saints.
Digambara, Digambara, fuisor assai re tum CHORA?
ReplyDeleteGoeam cholta tem tujem raj, broxttacharanim re bhorla
Sogle tumi chor, Goem chorit rava,
Uprant lokanche bogun xirap tumche porank,
Milmileanim tumi kusun, vollvoleanim mora,
Zago zau, zago zau, danv re Chora.
Ani tuca danvadaunk, uttat re Niz Goenkara
Uttat re Niz Goenkara
Hi Johnads:I agree in part with what you say.However from my personal experience,when speaking to friends in Goa they do tell me of the bribes they have to pay.When I ask them why do the pay these bribes...their response is that the people in administrative Posts (Panchayat,BDO, Town & Planning,Mamlatdar,Licencing,shack licences ,shop licences etc....delay their progress or make them run from pillar to post or deliberately withold their files until a payment is made as a bribe or a "sweetner" given.Then things start moving much faster.People who return to London from Goa also have told me, that due to their limited time in Goa and these deliberate delays,they just cough up the bribe.It is a very sad reflection of Goan society as the persons working in these administrative posts can be your relatives or friends.Until stricter punishable laws and a couple of sting operations are introduced such things will continue.A couple of high profile "assinations" in Goa may awake some of these corrupt Ministers.Indira Gandhi & her son Rajiv suffered a similar fate.Goa needs a few Minsters "bumped off " too.It is not something promotes...but it may be "a means to an end" of some corruption.It may help change some things and give power back to the people.
ReplyDeleteEvery other writer on the forum has the tenacity to freely attack, verbally hurl insults, talk violence, use slangs, intimidate or theaten and abuse of language is a common norm when frustrations are out left, right and centre. How much is how much and does it reach anywhere, maybe or maybe not and at times it may land on deaf ears. How much of a change have we seen and have the replaced been helpful at our sombre cries. The last may have been better than the present, we all learn from the master, and so he's learnt it too. Beyond the shadow of a doubt we have a of diabolic situation in our system of governance in India and Goa has inherited it. It begins from the aam admi (common man) to the Guru at the helm. .
ReplyDeleteThe basic foundation of our society needs an overhaul which seems to have been damaged to an immeasurable extent and is in chaos. Our minor domestic chores at these lower administrative offices need to to be revamped and we should take up the responsibility setting the house inorder like, discouraging bribes, gifts, reporting corrupt officials or organizing demonstrations against the slow pace of work etc. The Indian system of corruption works on the principal of a reverse engineered pyramids, from the lower ranks to the topmost to the Godfathers in the house. Our main concerns should be at the rascals at these administrative levels who feed the hungry sharks out in the deep. These rascals are the ones that undermine the amm admin and are a dangerous species at the foot of basics. These are the people who ought to be made an example of if we are to restore some pride at the helm of affair.
We can do it - If There Is The Will Than Their Is The Way.