Dear Roger, The Carmen Miranda [Carmita] in your email is different from the Carmen de Miranda in the Village Groups of Goa [VGG], though both of them are from Loutolim-Salcete, Goa.
"Asking questions saves a lot of guesswork" read the poster in my hostel room. Edwin Pinto has asked some pertinent questions in the Press Conference. We must get the answers form Digamber Kamat. Perhaps all he meant was that he is not dependent on the votes of the persons who were in the delegation ...not one of the five is a registered voter from Margao Assembly constituency. I do not know if there was a single voter from Margao in the 28 persons arrested [the names on record notwithstanding]. I am no apolegetic for Digamber ...during whose term in office more of Goa's land has been messed up than ever before ...but we need to give even the Devil his due and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Will the well-heeled people in these protests, check their voter registration, stand in the queue and vote at the next elections? I doubt it .... look at the 30 percent voting in Mumbai just a few months after the post 26/11 candle light vigils and meetings. There is no live coverage of the voting. The page 3 people do not come out to vote. Check the voting history of the protesters in the last three elections to the Assembly and you will know what is the truth. Electoral change takes place in the Electronic Voting Machine. There needs to be a run-up to it ...and a follow up action. Why do people with 7000 votes win in a Assembly Constituency of 32, 000 voters? That is the question to answer, honestly. There is a dress rehearsal for the townfolk in October. It is called the Municipal elections ...and has a lot of implications on the PDAs and the District Planning Committees. Mog asundi Miguel On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 8:25 AM, roger dsouza <[email protected]> wrote: > Look at the sheer arrogance and of the Goa CM and the MLAs that we > have voted to power as our representatives! The shocking treatment > meted out to the Goan village activists who stood up to voice their > opinions is a clear indication of the Goa Government’s cavalier > attitude and total disregard to the voices of our Goan villagers. > > In a clever move the Goa CM insisted that he would meet with a small > group of women activists at the Secretariat and then humiliated and > attacked them in the most disreputable manner and then set the Goa > police to outrage the modesty of our Goan Women who stood up to voice > their opinions all this in broad daylight. > > No wonder Goa today is at it’s worst with there being no law and order > to speak of. Just about every crooked and devious scheme has the > blessings of our Ministers who want to promote their interests in > order to benefit from the kick-backs that they get from the real > estate and Mining lobbies > > Digambar has the gall to tell our Goan villagers that he doesn’t > depend on their votes. The stash of funds that our politicians receive > form these lobbies is what they use to buy votes and get their power > so what do they care about Goan interests? Isn’t the CM and the MLAs > answerable to the Goan people and listen to and address their > grievances? Do they care? Of course not! > > The following article is from the Herald: > **************************************************************** > I am not dependent on your votes: > CM Digambar’s words draw ire of village groups > > HERALD REPORTER > > PANJIM, MAY 18 > > Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has found himself in the centre of a > controversy over his statement “I am not dependent on your votes” to a > delegation of five women from the village groups who went to see him > over land-use violations on Monday. > > *Addressing a press conference, Edwin Pinto, who is one of the persons > in the forefront opposing land illegalities, said, “This is serious. > We are Goans and the women who went to put forth their grievances to > the CM were Goans. If he is not dependent on Goan votes, how will he > look after Goan peoples’ interests,” Pinto questioned. > > He said the five women members were furious and angry and came and > told us what had transpired between them and the CM in his chamber at > the Secretariat. “The CM has to clarify on what he meant by his > statement that he was not dependent on our votes. Then we have to see > whether he was riding on the wave of migrant votes,” Pinto asserted.* > > Carmen de Miranda from Loutolim, who was one of the members who went > to see the CM, narrated, “He refused to look into our demands and said > we had no appointment to see him. At that point of time I asked him > during elections they never took appointment to come to see us for > votes. He told us point blank he wasn’t dependent on our votes at > which we were confused and didn’t know what to say. He further said do > what you’ll want and didn’t care.” > > Zarina da Cunha, Judy Rebello, Swati Kerkar and Carmen Correia were > the other four women who were part of the delegation. They said the > CM’s behaviour towards them was cold and bitter. > > They said the CM was responsible for unleashing a reign of terror on > the people, who had gone to redress their grievances, by using the > police force. “We were taken to the police station where the men and > women were kept in one cell and were never even offered food,” they > narrated. > > Neri Fernandes said he had accompanied the women to the CM’s chamber. > “After the meeting when we were walking back three political leaders > Subhash Shirodkar, Deepak Dhavilkar and Reginaldo Lourenco also gave > us a cold shoulder,” he mentioned. > > Croyden Madeira said the water provided at the Porvorim police station > was muddy. Our basic human rights were not taken care of, he stated. > The village groups have called for action against Porvorim PI Devendra > Gad who has been accused of manhandling women activists time and > again. > > Goa Bachao Abhiyan member Prajal Sakhardande said the people had > elected the Government so that it will look into their problems. “But > the opposite was happening. The people are left to fend for > themselves. Hills are being cut down blatantly and the authorities are > turning a Nelson’s eye to the activity,” he mentioned. > > The village groups have ridiculed the flying squads stating the same > were mere eye wash and pressed for some members of the village groups > to be included in them. > > Edwin Pinto said the village groups had come together in a strong way > to save Goan hills and fields for the next generation. “We are sure to > take this fight to its logical conclusion. The CM’s statement has > bolstered us to take up the challenge and wage a war against the > illegalities in our villages and in between if there was aggression > the Government will be responsible,” he observed. > -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S-1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mapusa 403507 Goa Ph +91-9822982676;91-832-2255913 www.ofai.org www.pgsorganic.in Horticulture.Facilitation.Networking -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
