Law and order is a key to the prosperity and well being of any society. A small state like Goa can maintain its peace and tranquillity but the ground realities are a matter of great concern. If no immediate corrective steps are taken we may reach a point of no return.
The Government should ponder and investigate the causes of crime. Unless we have the vision and spine to get to the root of the problem, any superficial steps would be merely cosmetic and would not provide long-term benefits. The framers of our constitution had envisaged one set of laws for all regardless of caste, creed, and financial or political strengths. Unfortunately today you can manipulate things depending on your muscle power, political patronage and financial clout. In reality we have one set of laws for the rich and powerful and another for the weak and vulnerable. Today murders and rapes are on the increase. The irony is that most of these go undetected. In Goa the suicide rate is on a steep rise. Would the authorities care to investigate the cause of these suicides and try and put in place a support system to help deal with the salvageable cases. At times the Police lack the will to investigate because of political pulls and pressures. There has to be a consensus to ensure that the police get their independence and identity. It is a shame that officers over the years have been manipulated and tamed by the powers to be and that in fact the officers have no role to play except to dance to the tunes of those in power. In effect they have been bound and gagged. In a big city like Mumbai Matka has been brought to a grinding halt but in a small state like Goa Matka is on the rampage and two of Chief Minister Mr.Parrikar's cabinet colleagues have high stakes in this illegal business. The Chief Minister knows too well that the day he cracks down on Matka his chair will crumble and so this social evil continues unabated. The Government should seal the illegal casinos and the late night discos. They cannot be allowed to proliferate in the guise of Tourism and damage our social fabric. They are a law and order problem and should be acted upon. Goans may never know the outcome of the Miramar Sex scandal the Chief Minister so loudly bragged about tackling. The reason is very simple. The main suspect is now a member of Mr. Parrikar's cabinet so the whole thing has been hushed for now. We have seen recently how a Panaji city Corporator roughed up a policeman on duty and got away with it just because he had close links with the ruling party. It is a matter of shame that the police bosses did not have the spine to protect and defend the rights of their constable who was just doing his job. The constable ought to have been felicitated. This case of a politician taking the law in his hands is nothing new. Our not so Sporting Sports Minister has flexed his muscles on so many occasions. And there is nothing the Chief Minister can do about it as his Government survives on this Minister's support. And the Forest Minister too has on many occasions demonstrated the rule of the jungle. The frequent transfer and victimization of police officers at the instance of politicians has to stop. It affects the morale and credibility of the officers. We know what happened to the over enthusiastic Dy. S.P. Mr. Shirish Thorat who tried to discipline a close relative of the very powerful Power Minister and in the bargain lost his job. The Police should be given a free hand to investigate but today the Chief Minister virtually controls every decision taken by the police department. The recent Taleigao parading of the accused half-naked was something that was pre-meditated and not something that took place at the spur of the moment. This despicable act had the blessings from the top political bosses who compelled the low ranking police officers to act against their wishes. The officers are facing the music as the political bosses as usual relax and watch. The steep rise in number of road accidents is another matter of great concern. Road rage will soon catch up and than it would be a law and order situation. Over speeding and drunken driving has to be dealt with firmly.Just because a politician is riding in a car with a red light does not give him any authority to speed recklessly. It is quite obvious that Goa is one of the most corrupt if not the No 1 corrupt State of India. Goa might have inherited the "susegad" syndrome from the Portuguese, but from where the vice of corruption originates may be a matter warranting academic investigation. The Chief Minister has been haunting the opposition MLAs with cases of disproportionate assets. What about his own colleagues and other office bearers of his party? He should not pick and choose and try to project his Government as a clean one. In the other regimes corruption was apparent but under the current Chief Minister though the corruption is very prevalent, it goes on behind the scenes and is sophisticated. Not very long ago Goa's Chief Minister Manohar had publicly announced that he had a bag full of evidence of corruption against some judges. If the accusation made by the Chief Minister is true it is a matter of great concern. Justice loving Goans would be indebted to Mr. Parrikar if he makes all this evidence available to the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court so that these undesirable elements, if any, are flushed out of the judicial system. Only people of the highest integrity and legal acumen should make it to the judicial positions. People aspiring to these positions should be unbiased to the core and any links whatsoever to the RSS or the Sangh Parivar should definitely be nipped in the bud. Today it is an irony that a small state like Goa is being mismanaged by a Jumbo cabinet but our back-logged courts are expected to dispense justice with skeleton staff. Judges have to be paid good salaries and provided better amenities. Today even Mamlatdars and Deputy Collectors have an official vehicle to move around in but most of the Civil judges have to travel in sardine packed buses to and from work. It is very unfortunate that politicians without any hesitation frequently give themselves a hefty salary raise but when it comes to hiking judges emoluments they crib and sulk. Justice delayed is justice denied. Time is of the essence in many matters. It would also be ideal if all authorities exercising judicial authority are brought within the purview and under the scrutiny of the High Court. This would strengthen people's faith and confidence in these authorities. It is a matter of anguish and deeply injurious to Goa that Politicians in power try to control and manipulate all institutions possible. However we should do everything possible to ensure that the Judiciary, the last and perhaps today the only resort for justice, is protected and kept safely away from those in Power. Today the time has come to ensure that all judicial positions are kept a million miles away from the interference of the Politicians. Positions like Mamlatdars and Deputy Collectors sitting over judicial proceedings cannot be expected to be independent as long as their transfers and promotions are orchestrated by the Chief Minister. All Political parties should be unambiguous on issues that concern the common good. There can be no denial that Corruption is the one issue that needs to be addressed by all for law and order to prevail. It is only good governance and transparency in the day to day functioning of every authority that will take us to our prized destination. Public involvement in keeping our streets safe is very important. A "neighbourhood watch" programme with ward wise committees of local citizens could supplement police efforts in policing and maintaining law and order. Maintaining law and order should be our priority. Our state will see economic and social prosperity if we can keep our streets safe. If the rule of law is allowed to prevail we could definitely say that Goa is India's best state in all respects. Aires Rodrigues Ribandar ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
