War on Corruption

Corruption, the word has become so common, the phenomenon so all-pervasive. The focus of the activists and the media is now on corruption as never before. The otherwise prevailing sense of helplessness has made at least a little space for a ray of hope. Corruption has always been there in our country in some form or the other. But its tentacles have spread big, far and wide in recent times. It has almost become illegally institutionalized. Now that the moment has arrived, the focus must continue and the battles too.

There are different types of battles being fought currently. First, the inter party fights, each party pointing fingers at the other, magnifying the misdeeds of others while concealing and defending their own. Second, the NGO’s and others who take it upon themselves to investigate and point out corruption in specific areas of their interest. Third, people’s movements that spring up when they decide to take up particular cases that affect them. These are sometimes local, sometimes regional. Fourth, the national movement that is taking shape in spite of ups and downs, differences and divisions. It started under the leadership of Anna Hazare,  spread under India Against Corruption, and is now kept alive by Arvind Kejrival.

The anti-corruption wave has brought to surface politicians and bureaucrats. Both categories need each other to successfully carry on their undesirable and dark activities. Top politicians from the Congress, BJP, DMK, NCP and close relations of others are presently under the scanner. Allegations, which can have far reaching consequences, are being made. Once allegations are made, the mud sticks even if the accused prove their innocence later. Not all the people who read and view the defamatory news in the print and electronic media, and spread it fast through social media, will do the same if and when the accused establishes his innocence. Therefore the media has to take double care before publishing and broadcasting allegations. People at large usually take allegations as truth. It is true that it is difficult to prove charges against the powerful, but the matter should be pursued with the same determination that propelled the first investigation.

Having said the above, I must bring two related concerns into focus. First, corruption is not one way traffic. There is a giver and a receiver. Usually the receiver is the powerful one who demands a bribe. It may be in cash or kind, may even be service or sex. The one who gives is in need of something, and has to appease the one who is in a position to help. If palms are not greased or other demands not met with, then the work will not be done or unduly prolonged. He or she is helpless, a victim of greed or some other vice of the powerful.

There may also be cases when the receiver is almost forced to accept the bribe. The system is so corrupt that if you don’t accept the bribe your colleagues will turn against you or harass you. They do not want one good and clean person among them. All mangoes in the basket must be rotten so that the good can’t be distinguished from the bad. To be rotten is to be normal. Guilt has to be collective till your conscience becomes so blunt that guilt is banished. I am told that the corruption is so entrenched in the system that your share of the bribe comes to you without asking for it. System fault. The one offering the bribe may be so powerful that the alternative is an inconvenient transfer or unbearable harassment or something even worse.  Everyone is not in a position to withstand the might of the powerful although, I believe, all men have the potential for it. The potential has to be nurtured to make it fruitful. Till now, the environment was not favorable for fighting against corruption. It is gradually becoming so due to the national focus on corruption, prominent activists fighting against corruption, and the right to information act. We may see more heroes in time to come. The advice of former President Dr Abdul Kalam is apt here. He told the students at the Festival of Ideas in Goa in February 2011 that if all children keep telling their parents not to bring home money received through bribes, the message may work miracles.

My second concern is that corruption can be the only point on the agenda of a national or state  movement but not of a political party. The party must have many viable propositions on its agenda, and a practical program to implement its vision for the state or country. A party can’t be built on a one point program of eliminating corruption but must have a sustainable ideology. While applauding Kejrival for fighting corruption, I wish this movement becomes stronger and remains a movement for a longer time before becoming structured into a political party.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 28.10.2012

National Political Equations

The equations in politics are much more complicated than those in algebra, and are determined by very complex factors. Geography, history, language, religion, sociology and psychology have more determining powers than principles of political science. Sometimes it’s a tightrope walk and you never know when the mighty Humpty Dumpty might have a great fall.

Heavyweight politicians have waited in vain biding their time to become prime ministers while lightweights have sat on the coveted chair, even if for a short time, though the electorate did not have the slightest pre-electoral cue. For example, the chair has eluded octogenarian L K Advani while Deve Gowda and I K Gujral  made it to the prime ministerial chair.

With the General Elections 2014 in mind, the national political alignments have already started shifting. Looking at the way the situation is developing, the regional parties with their strong leaders will have a big say in deciding the national government. In some states it will be the Congress led United Progressive Alliance v/s the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Front: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, etc. But In most states it will be a national party, either Congress or Bharatiya Janata Party, against a predominant regional organization: Congress v/s the Communist combine in Kerala, Congress against either AIDMK or DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress v/s one or two of the regional outfits in Andhra Pradesh, Congress against  Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, Congress in a triangular fight against the Communist front and Trinamool Congress in Bengal. There will be four parties fighting for their place under the sun in Uttar Pradesh: SJP, BSP, BJP and the Congress. In Bihar it will be Janata Dal (United) with or without BJP v/s rest of the parties including a very marginalised Congress.

There is a possibility of three combinations emerging either before or after the elections: a realigned UPA, a realigned NDA or a Third/National Front consisting of regional parties with or without the Communist parties.

In case the UPA or the NDA can form a government with old and new allies, it is likely to be a stable government which can be expected to almost complete the term of office, as it has happened since 1999. But if the regional parties come together to form a new/third/national front, then stability is not to be expected. It will be like he period between 1996 and 1999 when we had general elections almost every alternate year. What will be their ideology or common minimum programme?  There will be conflicts within, among the left of the centre and right of the centre ideologies. There will be regional demands for finance as well as power sharing. And who will be the Prime Minister of the country? Will it be Nitish Kumar or Mulayam Singh Yadav? Could it be Mayawati or Mamata or Jayalalitha? Or some other dark horse as it happened in 1996-98? Almost all the regional leaders are ambitious blowing hot and cold on a higher frequency than the national leaders of national parties. They are also generally more populist and less pragmatic than those at the national level.

Sharad Pawar may also join the third force if the going is good, and claim leadership. He and his party leaders have said recently that they are committed to the UPA till 2014. Mayawati could easily align with any front provided her bête noire Mulayam is not a part of it.

Who becomes the Prime Minister if the NDA wins? For Narendra Modi to claim the top post the BJP will have to win big numbers. The possibility of him being PM might polarize the electorate and parties to such an extent that BJP may end with small numbers. L K Advani has not yet given up his dream and has recently been cultivating the image of a leader mellowed with age. More parties and their leaders are likely to back Advani rather than Modi if the NDA is to form the government.

What happens if UPA gets the numbers? Will Dr Manmohan Singh continue in spite of being an octogenarian? Will Rahul Gandhi take up the ultimate challenge and assume leadership? Will Chidambaram be the next choice? Or will a dark horse emerge? These are difficult questions in these difficult days for the Congress.

There is a lot of mess in our current politics. Who will clear the mess? No leader seems to be on the horizon who can take all the people of India with him in a decisive way. A give and take attitude seems to be the most likely to succeed. Unfortunately, the way Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejrival are going, they don’t seem to be in the right political direction. But they will change the course to some extent, enabling one of the three forces (NDA/UPA/Third Front) to form the government, depending on what strategies unfold in the coming days and months.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 14.10.2012

A Perspective on Peace

The sounds of war are perennial. But the yearning for peace never ends. This week we shall celebrate the days of two great men of peace: Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd and St. Francis of Assisi on 4th October. Soon we shall also know the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace.

The sounds of war are not necessarily only those that emanate from the guns and the bombs, the tanks and the warplanes, and the beating of the drums. All these may be silent. There may be no combat. But words are sufficient. The yearning for peace also remains only a yearning till it is expressed in words. Words are powerful in war and peace as they are in all things big and small.

Last week we were shaken up by the pronouncement of a top Iranian official that World War III could take place if Iran were to be attacked by Israel. He went on to say that Iran considers the US bases in the region as part of “American soil”, which could be targeted if war were to break out. Elaborating further it was said that Israel would not “initiate a war without US support” to arrest Tehran’s nuclear programme. Words have been uttered. President Obama has also been talking hostile language to boost his campaign. May be the verbal hostilities will become less after the results of the November 6 US presidential elections. Let’s hope so.

Over two months back, President Pranab Mukherjee had said in his acceptance speech that we are in the midst of World War IV, referring to the war of and against terrorism which was engulfing almost the entire world. He had described the cold war in the second half of the twentieth century as the third world war.

In the midst of all the talk of war, we must not lose sight of the signs of peace. The media focuses more on fights, murders, terror, battles and wars. The silent work of the peace makers goes without notice. It is the duty of all peace lovers and peace workers to highlight the efforts for peace, especially by persons who are inspiring. This can enhance the movement for peace.

Pope Benedict XVI was on a three-day visit to Lebanon, a country that has seen much violence, in the second week of September. He gave a clarion call for peace when he said: “I will appeal to all of you to be peacemakers, wherever you find yourselves… in a world where violence constantly leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction.”  “May God grant to your country, to Syria and the Middle East, the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence.”

Aung San Suu Kyi recently described Mahatma Gandhi as one of her greatest sources of influence while addressing the students of Columbia University last week.  The Nobel Peace Prize Winner said: “Gandhi is somebody really phenomenal… You must remember the change through non-violent means was not ever thought of before Gandhi.  He was the one who started it, he was the one who decided that it is possible to bring about revolutionary change without violence.” Suu Kyi is one of the great leaders of our times, an icon for peaceful struggle for democracy. Nelson Mandela, another icon, has also attributed his ideology for peace to the inspiring father figure of Gandhi.

When the leaders of other countries are paying tributes to the Father of our Nation, we must work all the more to emulate him, especially his non-violent method of struggle. We take the easier route by organising cleanliness drives on his birthday. Not that cleanliness is less important, but the path to peace is more difficult and very urgent in our times. Our long term struggles can succeed in the long run only by following the path of non-violence. Violence begets violence. It can only produce short term results for a short time only. As Gandhiji said, the whole world would be blind if we were to follow the eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth policy. The chain of violence must stop somewhere. It takes a great person with great courage to stop the chain by offering the other cheek.

I shall end this piece with the opening words of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. 

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 30.09.2012

Volatile and Hot, but Stay Cool

The last week has been politically crucial at the national level. The UPA-2 has once again found itself hanging on a cliff. To do or to undo is the question. To stick its neck out for chopping or to withdraw in a protective shell is the impending decision. The government finally took the call to go ahead with reforms and the decision was hailed by the industry. But the political parties have taken the decision to halt the reforms. One must remember that the parties are usually closer to the people than the government is. The cadres of the parties live among the people while the governing persons are seen as the ruling class, and bureaucrats as hurdles. This is the common perception. So when the parties oppose reforms using language that people understand as against the terminology of long term benefits used by the government, the people instantly connect with the former.

As I write this column, the political situation at the centre is fluctuating and unpredictable. But it is not new, as we have seen these dramas unfold any number of times in the immediate as well as distant past. We should have learnt by now the likely short term and long term outcome of this type of political dramas which sometimes turn into mere farce. However, having the benefit of history, we the people should be wiser. Everything that glitters is not gold. Political masks are in vogue. Not just during elections when campaigners wear masks of their leaders. Some leaders themselves are masks. We realize this too late many times. Therefore, there is need for vigilance by the people. And more so by the people who make the difference!

I believe that one person can make the difference, and many people can make a big difference. There are life members and floating members in any political party. Every political party has also its committed vote bank. These voters do not change their political options easily. Change in government comes because of the free voters who are not committed to any party but make their decisions based on past performance and current issues. They add the value of their votes to the committed base of a given party and thus determine results in a big way. This is the tribe that must increase and multiply if our country is to progress in a democratic way. This is the segment that must exercise vigilance as top priority. These are the people who must articulate their views and be open to debate and exchange of ideas. These are the citizens who must discern the mask from the true face of a leader or any political aspirant. These are the voters who must activate others to determine results. You and I can be one of these, provided we have an open mind and no political attachments.

The more the political situation gets volatile and hot, the more is the need to remain cool. Watch. Keep watching. As Jefferson said it, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. And remain cool lest the rising political temperature and emotions diminish your rational quotient. There is still time for elections. The present scenario is definitely not the final act of the drama. Even the Elections 2014 or earlier will not be the final chapter. History is always in the making. We have to play our part to the end and then hand over the baton. But we have to keep the flame burning. That is our destiny. It can also be our joy even when there is no instant success.

Vigilance alone is not sufficient. We have to be active. Activity does not necessarily mean getting into immediate action. It can also mean resistance. A call for Bandh, whether Bharat or state specific, should be the last resort in extreme cases. A hunger strike every now and then over any issue should not evoke quick response. But these types of activities get the mob going. When the mob takes over, thinking goes into a comma. The tyranny of the oppressor is replaced by the tyranny of the mob. The informed and active citizen has no place in this state of affairs. Destruction does no good to anyone. It takes years to build what it takes minutes to destroy.

Action alone can lead us nowhere if we don’t have a vision. Action must be vision-driven. And now the most relevant question. What will be the outcome of the present national political imbroglio?  Will it lead to a better alternative? Which is the alternative? I feel there is no clear, practical alternative right now. We need to analyze the situation, weigh carefully the alternatives, remove the masks that are increasing by the day, and decide along with our fellow citizens which next practical step to take in keeping with our vision. A step that will one day lead us to the fulfillment of our vision. Shall return to this topic another day.

One cool step, one day at a time!

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 23.09.2012

Knowledge and Values

This is the time of the year when inspiring thoughts on education, teachers and students are expressed on the occasion of Teacher’s Day and at presentation of awards to educationists as well as students who have excelled in education and exams. This year the focus of many eminent speakers has been on the importance of imparting values through the education system.

While presenting the National Awards for 2011 to teachers on Teacher’s Day this year, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “our motto should be: all for knowledge, and knowledge for all.” In fact he was repeating what he had said in his eve of Independence Day speech. Words worth repeating in the context of the Right to Education Act. Spreading education to every nook and corner of the country is itself a value that we need to take very seriously on our national agenda. Not only literacy but true education. The President went on to say, “to build the India of our dreams, the first and foremost task before us is to improve the quality of education… providing education which is rich in values and modern in content.” Our problem has been that we have concentrated much, and rightly so, on improving content but failed to match it with emphasis on the inculcation of right values. In fact, our moral and ethics classes are treated as the least important. These should be given as much attention, if not more, as physical education and sports.

Our former President, Dr Abdul Kalam also spoke about knowledge combined with purity of life. It is reported that he even called for “a new crop of teachers who need to teach responsibly and impart a value system to students”, and emphasized “the importance of purity of life and knowledge”. This is a timely call by a former president who is an eminent scientist. Dr Kalam is definitely modern and technology driven. He knows too well that one can scale the heights of achievement only with dedication and sacrifice. Technology is a tool for enhancement when used properly but can also be a tool for distraction. It can also be the vehicle that leads our young astray with quick and vast exposure to violence and pornography. Our children need guidance, proper orientation and ability to discern the pure and the impure.  Our influence counts. In the words of Henry Adams, “teachers affect eternity; one can never tell where their influence stops”. And when we talk of teachers, we must not forget that parents are the first teachers.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, while speaking recently as chief guest at the Award Presentation to top rankers by the V M Salgaocar Foundation, made it a point to stress on the importance of character formation. He said that he did not consider his qualification in Metallurgy from the IIT in Mumbai as important as his acquisition of character. He spoke at length on character building as a very important asset in the process of education. Speaking of Gandhiji’s seven blunders of the world, he stated that he had personally adopted two of them as his guiding principles for avoidance: knowledge without character and politics without principle. To these two, he added his own as the third: vision without execution.  However much we may receive as knowledge, we can put it to good and proper use only if we have character and values. Knowledge can be harmful when used wrongly and for wrong purposes, be it nuclear energy or information technology.

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value” - Albert Einstein

 The Chief Minister also dwelt on the need to give back to society and stated that his way of giving back to society was by being in politics. He told the audience how much the government invests in the education of each child, and more so in those students who are studying special courses like medicine. He asked the students to give a thought to giving back to society and not just make money at any cost.

We need to ponder over the thoughts expressed by the above mentioned personalities. They have spoken of the importance of knowledge through modern means and the necessity of values. Both are important. Both need to be imparted to our upcoming generation.

I conclude with the opening words of the School Anthem of my Alma Mater:

“Fruits of Virtue and of Knowledge

Here we gather Peace and power.”

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 16.09.2012

Our Way of Life

The debate and discussions on issues pertaining to Goa have been going on over the years, more vigorously in recent times. The issues cover a wide range: territorial identity, language, land use, real estate, culture, education, industry, tourism, environment, pollution, immigration and emigration, violence and crime, etc. Each of these separately and all of them combined do affect our way of life in Goa.

The time has now come to take up seriously and vigorously the spreading of the undesirable activities specially related to the unofficial promotion of tourism. Alcohol, drugs and prostitution have been in Goa for a long time. But there is absolutely no doubt that these evils have increased beyond measure with the growth of unhealthy tourism. There was a time when Baina beach was famous for prostitution. But today almost all our beaches, cities and towns have become hubs for prostitution. And the activity is making its way in the villages too. A few years back the people of some villages in Bardez made news as they protested in a big way against undesirable activities in their areas. Presently we hear of raids by police now and then, but there is no protest from the people. Have we resigned ourselves to our fate?

Last Sunday morning we read in all our newspapers about the raids on two spas in Panaji, our capital city. Both reportedly owned by a Goan. While busting the sex racket, seven Thai girls were rescued.  International connections suspected. No, no, the girls are not from Goa. They may be from other states or from other countries. But yes, yes, the operations are here in our own  Goa. The unofficial destination of undesirable activities. The  official destination of tourists seeking sun, sea and sand, not sex and paedophilia. And the official residence of all of us for whom these dark activities don’t matter since we are not involved. But it does matter, and the sooner we realize this, the better.

However, I must admit that since these rackets also have the backing of muscle power the people are afraid to interfere or intervene. Each one is busy with his or her own job or business or family matters. There is no time to stick one’s neck out. And of course our moral laxity is increasing by the day in spite of our temples, churches and mosques. We have so many centers of religious pilgrimage. And so many feasts and religious observances. But we are usually reluctant to take a public moral stand. Our moral outrage, if any, is mostly confined to gossip in the balcony, the bazaar or the bar. And if someone denounces a moral evil, then she or he is accused of moral policing.

As expressed earlier, when the sex racket reaches your neighboring area, it does matter. Your children or your neighbor’s grandchildren are bound to get affected. And so you can’t just keep quiet. Denouncing is a must. But it has to be done in groups or through associations. The government will have to act then. As the protests reach a crescendo government action will follow. Those running the rackets will abscond. The media will take notice. Other people will also become bolder and follow suit. The sex racketeers will run for cover or close shop. This is optimism until experience proves otherwise.

It takes courage to answer a call.

Drugs have been the bane of our society. Many a promising youth have lost their future due to this particular addiction. Once again this is also an international racket on the red soil of Goa. Tourism connected and political connections. Once in a blue moon someone may be arrested by the anti-narcotic cell like it happened last week when a DJ from Chennai was caught in Anjuna. The tentacles of this cancer are so deeply widespread that only a very powerful political surgeon with the backing of a committed police force can handle this problem. Social leaders and organizations, religious platforms and media can play a supporting role.

Alcohol has killed tens of thousands of people over the years and devastated families in Goa. Yet the number of bars and tavernas have multiplied in every town and village. It is not just the tourists who indulge in alcohol on a holiday. Our own people of Goa and specially the youth, traditionally the males but now also the females, indulge in this destructive vice. The migrant workers and daily wage laborers are also the obvious victims after a hard day’s work. I have seen so many from neighboring states falling quick victims to alcohol. They come to Goa to earn but go back burned. This problem of alcohol is perennial in Goa. It also affects our productivity. A collective social effort is required to turn the tide. More humane and social approach than political solutions. The politicians are also responsible for increasing alcoholism with their pre-electoral donations in liquid form to entice voters, including the youth.

The three problems that I have specified need our attention and time. Individual and collective. It is the future that is calling. And the answer, this time, is not blowing in the wind. The answer is deep in your heart.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 09.09.2012 

Paralysis from Policy to Parliament

Policy paralysis. Parliament paralysed by disruption. This is the order, rather disorder, of the day. We could call it the crisis of parliamentary democracy. But no, I don’t agree. It is artificial chaos manufactured in the political factories by petty politicians of all hues whose only concern is power. Power at any cost. Once the power equation changes, it is the same old story. Change? Yes, but only for big beneficiaries. The plight of the common citizen does not change. We’ve seen it over the years. Those who shout loud from the top of their political roofs repeat what their predecessors did when seated under the roof of power.

What I wrote above may seem like the cry of a cynic. Make no mistake about it, I am an eternal optimist. I believe in change, and that change can come only from the people. But I dislike short-change.  And I despise politicians who take the people for a ride. The paralysis that our nation is now witnessing is a politician-made-paralysis. Only when we understand this political cynicism will we be inspired by true optimism. Eternal optimism that springs from the heart and lifts up the mind. You are not weighed down by physical or monetary considerations, or possibilities within a horizon limited by a time frame. You are not merely fighting a battle but  participating in a  war. You study the situation and find that some of those in the forefront of the battle are merely masks. Not true leaders. True leaders do come, may be they are already among us. When we encounter them, we will actually understand the meaning of the Mahatma: Buddha. Gandhi. Mandela. Suu Kyi.

The last great leaders who inspired change were Jayaprakash Narayan in 1979 and Vishwanath Pratap Singh in 1989. Both were clean. Therefore they could stand up to the regime. People recognized the moment and voted for change. But they did not measure up to the Mahatma’s level. The change that they brought about was only in political dispensation. And it was only temporary because many political operators who assumed power were no different from those whom they had replaced. Many were opportunists  who climbed the popular bandwagon either because they had no scope on the ruling side or because they guessed rightly that the opposition side would win.

The third change came about at the turn of the century because there was a tall personality leading the National Democratic Front: Atal Bihari Vajpayee. People trusted him and wanted to see him as their Prime Minister.

Today it is a different scenario altogether. For all the sound and fury, who among the opposition leaders has the standing to inspire change? I have expressed my reservations in the past about Dr Manmohan Singh continuing as our Prime Minister after completing eight years. But after observing the obstruction in the Parliament for a week, I am beginning to revise my opinion. Dr Singh still has dignity and personal integrity. I liked what he said on 27^th August: “My general practice is not to respond to motivated criticism directed at me. My philosophy has been ‘hazaaron jawaabon se achchi  hai meri khamoshi’ ( my silence is better than a thousand answers). But in this case, I wanted to respond and was not allowed to.” It was an aberration not to allow the Prime Minister to speak for so many days. Not to allow a debate to take place. What is the Parliament for, if not to debate, clarify, propose and legislate? If the BJP wanted the Prime Minister to resign, why did they not go for a no-confidence motion? That would have been the right thing to do. In any case, when the Prime Minister resigns, a new government has to be formed. The new Prime Minister has to form a new cabinet. The Prime Minister’s resignation is not like that of any other minister. No short cuts.

But a no-confidence motion is a serious matter on the agenda. Members from both sides have to speak. In a debate the best arguments can be put forth by both sides and misdeeds exposed and recorded. The citizens of the country get a chance to judge irrespective of the outcome of the debate. That’s parliamentary democracy. What we witnessed was not just absence of dialogue and debate. It was the tyranny of the opposition party: no matter what your numbers, you must do what we demand.

I have not gone into the issue, the bone of contention. Too many have commented on it, both in  print and electronic media. I will only say that this issue is also an example of paralysis of policy. When the UPA government wanted to go for coal blocks allocation through auction in 2004, the states then ruled by the opposition parties stiffly disagreed. Now the same parties are fighting the government on the policy which was also followed by them when they were ruling. This is political expediency par excellence.

Can any significant change be expected if those now in opposition win the 2014 elections? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 02.09.2012 

Special Status Urgent for Goa

My first big disappointment with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar came about this week when he declared that the case for special status for Goa was not his immediate priority, and that he would take it up over a period of time. Now this is one issue over which the people of Goa are not divided. One issue which has been pending for too long a time. One issue for which the time has come. Now.

Now or never. We have waited for fifty long years. In the past we had to fight over divisive issues and win bitter victories. Victories bring euphoria and happiness, but also bitterness, especially when the process results in wounds and divisions.  This is one issue over which there are no divisions and there will be no wounds. The only wound that we could have may be caused by delay, for justice delayed can be justice denied. And it is a case of justice having been denied for too long. We were liberated from the Portuguese fourteen years after the rest of India had won independence. We missed having our representatives in the Constituent Assembly that drafted India’s Constitution. We missed two general elections to India’s Parliament.  We missed two five-year plans, and development that would come from them.  And after Goa was liberated at last in December 1961, we missed a decade fighting sad issues like wanting to merge Goa in Maharashtra.

As French writer Victor Hugo wrote, nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.

Mr. Chief Minister, Sir, the time for special status for Goa has come. And history has placed the leadership on your broad shoulders at this point of time that you may lead Goa to obtain the special status due to her in the Republic of India.

Why the urgency? There are at least two important reasons.

First, the bill to amend article 371 of the Constitution of India will come up in Parliament anytime now. This bill proposes to give special status to certain regions and states for various reasons. The case of Goa has to be included so that the land, language and culture of our small state can be given proper protection, and our State Assembly given powers to enact special legislations to protect these. It is land, language and culture that give us our identity. And the identity of each region and state adds to the mosaic of a colorful India.

Second, it is a well known fact that our small state is facing terrible pressures especially regarding land. Our language Konkani needs careful attention, more so in view of many conflicts which are divisive. Our culture has to be preserved in the face of cultural invasions in the tourist belt. But the protection of land is the topmost priority. These matters can’t be left for the future or to be settled over a period of time. If our government does not act firmly now, then it may be too late. There may be no land to protect. And the Konkani speaking people may become a minority in their own land. And there may be no identity to preserve.

Therefore I repeat that our present Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar must lead the state with a vociferous demand for special status. Our fifty years of liberation and twenty-five years of statehood must be capped with the crown of a special status. We do not need another mass agitation for this. All political parties are willing to accompany the CM if and when he decides to lead a delegation to Delhi. And the CM had indicated in the House on 7^th August that he would take up the matter with the Prime Minister. What made him go in the slow mode now? Shantaram  Naik, our Rajya Sabha Member, has volunteered to do whatever he can. I don’t think political affiliations and considerations should matter in this case. It is a case for Goa and for all the people of Goa, whether speaking Konkani or any other language; whether Hindus, Christians, Muslims, any other religion, atheists, or agnostics; whether industrialists, businessmen, professionals, retired, at home, or in service; whether Congress, BJP, MGP, UGDP, GVP, or Communist. There are times when we must set all differences aside and only sing one song, the song of Goa. That time is now.

The people of Goa have elected all big national parties at one time or the other. This time it may be BJP. It was the Congress for almost three decades. And before that it was the regional MGP. All have drunk from the wellsprings of Goa. Will it be asking too much to sink differences on this one issue? We now have the BJP ruling and the Congress in opposition in Goa. And Congress led UPA ruling and BJP in the opposition at the centre. Reverse roles otherwise, but could be complementary in seeking special status for Goa. Will the Congressmen in Goa persuade their High Command and the BJP their central leadership in Delhi?

I began by expressing my disappointment with the CM. I hope and pray that disappointment may not turn in to disillusionment.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 26.08.2012 

Peace and Progress

 “Peace must be our ideology, progress our horizon”

I begin by quoting the ending words of President Pranab Mukherjee’s maiden address to the nation on the eve of our sixty-fifth anniversary of Independence, last Tuesday. It was a great speech which captured the essence of the here and now situation at this point in the history of our nation.  Earlier, in his acceptance speech after taking oath of office on July 26, President Mukherjee had also spoken of peace and economic progress. Both speeches are in sync in projecting his vision and emphasis.

Unfortunately, the contents of the President’s address to the nation did not find important space in the print media. In some dailies it was relegated to the interior pages while in some important dailies it found no mention at all. Baba Ramdev’s pronouncements were highlighted more than the message of the President. This, I feel is not a proper perspective. The President is the head of state, the first citizen of our country. While the Prime Minister’s annual speech at the Red Fort may be guided by the  exigencies of immediate contexts and even political colors, the President is supposed to look at the state of affairs from an impartial platform. The Independence Day is a solemn occasion to celebrate and ponder. Politicians, civil society leaders and others speak, act and agitate  the whole year round. They say one thing today and another tomorrow. But the President addresses the nation only twice a year, on the eve of Independence Day and that of Republic Day. And what an experienced and senior First Citizen of the country says should not be sidelined by the press, though I can very well understand that the speeches of some past occupants of the Rashtrapati Bhavan may not have been inspiring.

Coming back to the theme of peace and progress, President Mukherjee struck the right chord when he said in his acceptance speech: “Peace is the first ingredient of prosperity. History has often been written in the red of blood; but development and progress are the luminous rewards of a peace dividend, not a war trophy…… But the visible rewards of peace have also obscured the fact that the age of war is not over. We are in the midst of a fourth world war; the third was the Cold War, but it was very warm in Asia, Africa and Latin America till it ended in the early 1990s. The war against terrorism is the fourth; and it is a world war because it can raise its evil head anywhere in the world. India has been on the frontlines of this war long before many other recognized its vicious depth or poisonous consequences.”

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 19.08.2012 

Independence Days of Yore

As we approach the sixty-fifth commemoration of our Independence Day this Wednesday, my thoughts go back to the early nineteen-seventies, especially the silver jubilee year, 1972. That was the year when, having passed out my SSC, I had entered the campus of St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa. That itself meant freedom from the restrictions of school to the broader environs of college life.

The whole country was looking forward to celebrate twenty-five years of Independence. Our college had organized a symposium to mark the occasion, with Pratapsingh Rane, a young  first time minister in the MGP government, as chief guest. We were not used to seeing such refined and soft spoken ministers at that time, and Mr. Rane definitely made a good impression on us. There were many other functions, and patriotism was in the air. We were becoming a strong nation. We had a strong leader in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. We had not only won the war against Pakistan in December 1971 but had marched right into the heart of East Pakistan, helping in the liberation of this territory from the domination of West Pakistan, now Pakistan. We had played a big role in the birth of Bangladesh. We were not only an independent and free democracy but liberators of another country.

Immediately after the victory over Pakistan, Indira Gandhi led the Congress in an election to all state assemblies. Her Congress party swept the elections. There was stability. The war on poverty, “Garibi Hatao”, was the rhetorical slogan. Socialism and mixed economy were the creed of the day. Self reliance was another goal of the government. And non-alignment was a prominent feature of our foreign policy, though we were inclined towards the Communists of USSR.

There were no threats to the minorities. Communal disturbance and riots were very rare. Extremist organizations were on a low key, unlike today. Minorities felt secure and rallied behind the ruling dispensation. I should say that generally speaking our country India was at peace with herself.

When the mood is so upbeat, the people of the country naturally sing praises to their motherland. No pressure is required from authorities. I remember writing an article for the Silver Independence Day issue of the school magazine of my Alma Mater, entitled, “The Flag is in my Heart”. I meant every word of it, and remember some of the juniors telling me that it was the best piece I had written in the magazine which I myself had established with the help of Fr. Raymond Carvalho, our principal, and some empowering teachers during the final years of my schooling.

My school, St. Thomas Boys’ High School, Aldona, had prepared me with a nationalist fervor. I had studied under three teachers, Sir Pereira, Sir Pinto and Sir Godinho, who were freedom fighters for Goa’s liberation from the Portuguese. The Independence day and the Republic day were great festive occasions for them. So though born in the nineteen-fifties, we could understand better what the Indian freedom struggle meant, and much more what Goa’s freedom struggle was. During my final year, I was asked by the acting principal, to deliver the Independence Day speech after Flag hoisting. I was delighted and prepared my own speech. The principal, having confidence in me, did not ask me to show him the script. I referred in my speech to the Twenty-year Indo-Soviet Treaty, which had just been signed a month earlier and which would strengthen the defense of our country in the event of a war with Pakistan and even China. The United States of America, and China were inclined towards Pakistan. During the next civics class, Fr. Archie Fernandes, the acting principal, referred to my speech and gave us his interpretation of the Indo-Soviet treaty. Could the Soviet Union which suppressed freedom not only within its state boundaries but in the Communist ruled countries of East Europe, be expected to protect our freedom in India? Did we know how the Soviet Union intervenes in and controls countries like Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland? I did not know. But my horizons were widened. I began to understand the full dimensions of freedom and liberty. When Indira Gandhi declared emergency and curtailed our freedom in June, 1975, I did not celebrate the Independence Day for next two years during the emergency. But I did celebrate the day when she lost the post emergency election in March 1977. That, I thought like many others, was our second liberation.

We celebrated the golden and diamond jubilees of our independence in 1997 and 2007 respectively. Both were big celebrations but lacked the magic of the silver jubilee in 1972, perhaps due to change of circumstances. In 1972 we were one nation fighting against external threats. From nineteen-nineties, for the last twenty-two years, our external threats have diminished. But our internal threats have substantially increased: terrorism, communal tensions, riots, depriving people of land, partialities in the face of injustice, police atrocities, economic disparities, corruption, etc..

We shall regain the magic when equality before the law, freedom for all citizens and communities to grow to their full potential, decentralization that empowers citizens to decide at the local level, and inclusive growth – all these become not just provisions on paper but a reality. Unity in diversity.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 12.08.2012 

Dialogue and Bridges

We need to have more dialogue. We need to build more bridges. Not only bridges over the rivers, but bridges of trust between individuals, communities, organizations, children and parents, students and teachers, people and authorities, states and countries. The list is long. The one sure way to build such bridges is through dialogue that generates trust.

We are going through tough times on almost all fronts: economic, social, political, national and international.  But instead of talking with each other, or even to each other, we are talking at each other. Hence the confusion and the chaos continue. We need good leaders who can also be great healers. Leaders who exercise power with justice, healers who bring peace through justice. Justice is the key word, but lacking to a large extent in our country and our world. Bias, favoritism, nepotism, suppression and oppression, self promotion at the cost of others, and many other factors hamper justice. Can there be peace without justice? And can there be true development without peace?

We have to ask these questions to ourselves, search within and out for answers, and articulate them in a trust enhancing dialogue. That will be a good way to celebrate sixty-five years of Independence of India this August.

Our families must be the first schools of dialogue. Children should be encouraged to take their parents in confidence and to tell them whatever they feel is wrong and unjust in their daily encounters. The parents must set the good example of dialogue among themselves and promote the same at home. The children will then be more open and articulate with others, hence healthier in their outlook. They would then be less burdened with the fear complex and suppression of unfavorable facts that cause further problems. Suicides may not then be the option to be considered. A child who is harassed physically or otherwise would feel secure to report the matter to the parents at the initial stage, averting aggravation. My thoughts go to the teenager who lost her promising life because of the shameful acts of her teacher.

People in general are afraid of authorities. They endure injustice to avoid harassment and persecution. They curse the authorities in the silence of their hearts and in whispers to their friends. If it is so among the adults, imagine how much worse it must be among helpless children. I know of a young boy who waited, till he passed out from school, to tell his caring father about the remarks his headmaster made and the wrong type of physical punishment given to him by one of his teachers. ‘I hate that school’, he said. He knew that matters would be worse for him if his father had to confront the school authorities when he was still in school. The boy also knew that his headmaster had made those remarks because his father was an outspoken member in the Parent-Teacher Association of the school.

I have brought to light what happens in the schools because the same is repeated in organizations, establishments, offices and even within the structures of some of our holy places. As far as government and other public offices are concerned, it is the order of the day. There are a number of people who accept the injustice meted out within organizations and establishments only because they have to earn their daily bread. If they report the matter to the higher authorities, they know that the higher authorities are not likely to take any action as long as it does not affect the profit and loss account. And so life goes on. The best performers are not rewarded but those who toe the line and conform. The conformist is the king. The confrontationist is the enemy, even when the confrontation is for a just and worthy cause. That is why we have so many mediocre managers; and so many honest and hardworking men and women who never make it to the top. A man who knows his worth does not usually bow down to authorities. His or her sense of pride does not permit him or her to do that. The less your worth the more you may creep when asked to crawl. And creeping, creeping you may reach the top. The organization, the country may reach the bottom. But who cares?

We must care. We must reach out through dialogue. Even as things are bad, hope is not lost. There are some tall leaders among us whom we must project and work with. With our few tall leaders we must all become healers. Healers to those who have been suppressed by the system. Healers of victims, builders of trust.

With apologies to Rabindranath Tagore:

Where dialogue builds bridges of trust, into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my Country awake.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 05.08.2012 

Encroachment on the Body

In spite of protests, public disapproval, and quite a number of laws, encroachment is a regular affair in India. Enforcement of laws is very weak, political interference hampering it more often than not. We have encroachment on public land and private property, forest land and sandy beaches, mighty hills and resourceful rivers, and on so many other fronts. But now we have crossed all civilized barriers. If the not so distant past and very recent events are an indication, we are a society that is increasingly trampling on the last frontier of life itself: the human body.

The Guwahati incident of the molestation of a teenage girl by a crowd of males in full public view was a matter of shame. Irrespective of the circumstances of time and place in which the incident occurred, the assault has been condemned all over, and rightly so. The alleged culprits have been arrested. The electronic media has displayed the incident to one and all. The argument is that by recording and displaying, the arrest of the culprits has been facilitated which might not have been easy otherwise. The question of the incident itself having been orchestrated by the television channel is being investigated.  Shock and shame, it has brought about. But has there been any restraint on those others with a similar criminal bent of mind? The answer is an emphatic no.

While the public condemnation of the first incident is still being aired and printed, another similar, even worse, incident has taken place near Maddur railway station in Karnataka, where a teenage girl was sexually harassed by four young men. Lewd remarks along with attempts to molest have been attributed to the group of four.  When the girl protested and threatened to inform the police, they are reported to have grabbed her and pushed her out of the moving train. The girl survived the fall only because she fell on the dry bed  of the Shimsha river, as reported in a leading national daily. The co-passengers watched the ugly scene without making any attempt to stop the incident.

In both the above cases, in quick succession, the group of men became more aggressive, instead of restraining themselves, after the girls protested and went on the defensive. Was their big but weak male ego hurt by the resistance? Or was it mob behavior where decency is dead? Where one mob attacks and the larger mob watches the tamasha?  In both cases there was none that stood up to stop the encroachment on the human body of the victim! After the incident in the train, the other passengers are said to have beaten up the culprits, and reported the matter to the police. If not for the dry river bed on which she fell, the poor girl might have been dead. This happened in Karnataka, where the infamous Ram Sena is active in defending culture in an uncultured manner. It would be in the fitness of things if the Sena could do something to tame the wild instincts of the molesters among men before targeting women. I would then recommend the Sena for a national bravery award for protecting our culture.

It happens many times, in many places, that those serving the nation in defense and police establishments encroach on the rights and dignity of those they are paid to protect and defend. Another teenage girl would have become the target of molestation allegedly by personnel from the army in the Sivasagar area of  Assam if not for the villagers who intervened to stop the evil. The inhabitants of remote Indian villages have traditionally shown more courage in defending their dignity and pride while the rest of us only  display our indignation.

The three incidents, I have mentioned above, are only indicative. The malaise is deeper and much more widespread. Those who travel in  crowded buses and overcrowded trains know better than words can tell. It is a daily nightmare for some, specially in the cities and towns. We have never taken this form of encroachment with the seriousness that it deserves. Our laws are archaic and full of loopholes. Our law enforcement agencies are far, far below normal expectations. It is only citizen’s groups, non-government organizations and the powerful media that can take up the public cause, and force the authorities to respond. It is happening in Sivasagar, Assam. More than twenty organizations have come forward to protest in an unusual way against the government for not punishing the army personnel involved in the molestation. The hope lies in more and more people getting involved in demonstrating their solidarity for a just cause.

Public intervention and protest are important, but these alone may not solve the problem. We  also need to look into our way of life and the ways of the media.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 29.07.2012 

Opposition Leaders Down Memory Lane

The monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is on.  With the opposition yet to take off, it looks to be a tame affair. The opposition has to be strong if a democracy is to function properly. Strong does not imply that it has to be obstructive or destructive. The best situation is when the opposition is firm, persistent, vibrant and yet constructive: a sign of hope to those who are not happy with the government, to those who are looking for future alternatives. It doesn’t have to depend on numbers. One man can make the difference as has been amply shown in the past. In our present assembly, we are still looking for that one man. However, I must admit, that at least two legislators have shown some potential so far.

The government has been doing quite well till now. And the honeymoon phase with the people is still on. Nevertheless, the opposition members must look around with eagle eyes to find out people’s problems and point them out in the assembly. Perhaps the opposition MLAs, especially the ones who were ministers in the last government, are afraid that for every finger that they point out, three fingers may point back at them. Such a condition makes the opposition ineffective. But it can also make the government complacent, rather than keeping it on its toes. The end result is a government which is not at its best, and therefore the people do not receive the best.

Goa has never had a dearth of leaders in the opposition for the last forty-eight and  half years since the first assembly was elected in December 1963. The greatest of them was the Leader of Opposition in Goa’s first Legislative Assembly, Dr Jack de Sequeira. The numerical division was  ideal for the house, eighteen on the ruling side and twelve in the opposition. Dr Sequeira was not only an opposition leader in the house, but also outside the house among the people because the issues on the agenda were very crucial to Goa and its future. Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand  Bandodkar was also a leader of the masses. The issue of Goa’s merger with Maharashtra was of epical proportions, and the pro and anti merger leaders, Bandodkar and Sequeira, were also looked upon as larger than life by the people.

Dr Sequeira continued to be the leader of the opposition till the time of split in his United Goans Party during the third term of the assembly in mid nineteen-seventies, and even after that as an eminent leader of his own group and of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1979. That was the longest stint of any opposition leader in Goa stretching over sixteen years, and Dr Sequeira played it to the hilt.

 Anant Narcinva Naik, of United Goans Party and later the Congress Party, was an effective opposition leader in the second half of nineteen-seventies. Madhv R Bir, elected on the Janata Party ticket from Panaji in 1977, also played an effective role in the opposition during his short tenure of two years. When the Congress captured power in 1980, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak  Party  was reduced to seven MLAs, and further to just two after a group of five deserted the party to join the ruling Congress. Ramakant Khalap led his MGP group of two in a thirty member house, playing a significant opposition role. The opposition ranks swelled in 1983 when Dr Wilfred de Souza formed the Goa Congress with nine MLAs, having split from the Congress which he had led to victory for the first time in Goa. Luizinho Faleiro and Herculano Dourado became the leading voices of the opposition though Dr Wilfred was the leader. It must be noted that Dr Wilfred has not been as much of a vocal opposition leader in the Assembly as he has been outside of it, performing political operations to change governments with surgical skills.

The December 1984 elections brought in the independent MLA Uday Bhembre, known for his oratory, and MGP MLA Dr Kashinath Jalmi, known for his sharp criticism. Both these new MLAs, along with Luizinho Faleiro and Ramakant Khalap, played a leading role in opposition to the ruling Congress. In fact, Khalap and Jalmi raised the pitch for the MGP so much that their party almost won the November 1989 elections.

After the 1989 Assembly elections, defections and manipulations became the order of the day. We had so many chief ministers and opposition leaders during the nineteen nineties. Nothing significant happened during this period.  In November 1994, the Bharatiya Janata Party entered the assembly. Manohar Parrikar began to make his mark in the opposition benches. He achieved high ratings as an opposition leader. When Parrikar became the chief minister in 2000, Dayanand Narvekar became one of the leading voices in the opposition. Pratapsingh Rane was never impressive as the leader of the opposition. When the Congress came back to power in 2005, Parrikar once again played the role of the leader of opposition, winning for himself the people’s acclaim and subsequently a victory in March 2012.

As a tailpiece, I must mention Mathany Saldanha who was a natural opposition leader all his life. But he never played the opposition role in the assembly as he was on the side of the ruling BJP during his membership of the assembly, and was disqualified by the speaker when the Congress came to power midway. His disqualification was set aside by the judiciary subsequently, but we missed his voice in the opposition ranks in the assembly.

The opposition in Goa needs to be revived after a short lull. Those who have shown the potential must rise to the occasion. As in the past, the people of Goa will not only applaud but will reward them at the right time.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 22.07.2012