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