General Elections are in the air. The BJP had very recently assured everyone that the general elections would be on schedule and not pre-poned. However, I predict that the BJP will try and break the assurance and go to the polls in April/ May if not earlier. They will try and cash in on the Prime Minister's recent 79th birthday splash, their recent success in three Congress ruled states and the very fact that the Opposition is in disarray. The BJP knows very well that its success is in not allowing the Opposition forces to unite.
It is time the Opposition gets their act together. The single and selfless motive should be the total destruction and elimination of the communal forces. Sonia Gandhi's origin should be laid to rest. All we have to do is to see how best the Pizza and Pasta can be spiced, keeping in view the diverse composition of our great country. After 54 years of Independence, our country may have not matured. This is no reason to allow an unhealthy 79 years old to lead this nation. We speak of empowering the young and the women. So why not give Atalalji the rest he so meritoriously deserves. In Goa the BJP made in-roads with the help of its allies. Allies, which it used, misused and later dumped. This is what exactly will be the fate of the NDA allies at the Centre very soon. They will have to flee to find a shelter for survival. It is to be seen what Kargil coffin Mr. George Fernandes is left with. BJP may have its secret agenda, which by now is no longer so secret. What the Opposition lacks is a strategy to match the BJP. The saffron master strategist Pramod Mahajan is a master blaster. The BJP is a very communal but disciplined party. They adorn the Khaki shorts at short notice when called upon. In Goa just before the last Assembly elections we have seen our own Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and our otherwise well travelled President of the Goa Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Nitin Kunkolienar so comfortably displayed their thighs in these RSS outfits. The time has come to review the way our Governors in India are appointed. Today when the people's trust and faith in politicians is very low, it is imperative that we have non-partisan Governors of the highest repute to safeguard the interest of the common man when the politicians slip. Governors cost the taxpayer a very sizeable chunk and cash-strapped India cannot afford to support and encourage rubber stamp Governors who hesitate to perform duties as enshrined by the Indian Constitution. It is time that Governors play a vibrant role in contributing ideas and vision to cure India's ills. A Governor's post should not be a retirement gift to a party loyalist at the taxpayer's expense and the taxpayer should not be burdened to satisfy the Governor's whims and desires. There should be consensus within all parties that people with skills and administrative acumen be posted as Governors. Healthy and non-senile retired Judges or senior officers of the various Administrative Services should be considered to do justice to the Governor's role. Being a RSS member is no sin but an RSS being a Governor and that too in an otherwise secular State like Goa, is uncalled for. Panjim may look spruced up and all decorated. But one has to see the long-term damage being done to Goa by Mr. Parrikar brain-washing us with some cosmetic improvements. Parrikar has many questions to answer. He has broken all rules and shown the rarest of flexibility to accommodate the saffrons in all sections of administration. Mr. Parrikar has bowed, bent and hopelessly stooped to all lowly levels to implement his political agenda. Chief Minister Parrikar's attempt to scrap five public holidays including Good Friday and the Feast of St Francis Xavier exposes the evil communal designs of the BJP. The Chief Minister issued the notification but sensing trouble, made an over-night U-turn but did not show statesmanship by apologising to the people of Goa for having even conceived such a wicked thought. This act of the Chief Minister only reinforces one's feeling that the Chief Minister is not an "intelligent" person, as he claims to be. Every issue needs to be decided after proper application of mind and due deliberation and consultation. The Chief Minister should not try and bulldoze his saffron aspirations onto the Goan population. Mr Parrikar has mustered the art of taking cover when in trouble. Parrikar had earlier tried to cancel Gandhi Jayanti as a holiday showing scant respect to the Father of the Nation. It is now to be seen whether the Patron Saint of Goa will forgive the Chief Minister. Under the BJP rule the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the police authorities have lost their independence. It is no secret that most investigating authorities succumb to the whims and fancies of those in Power. Today in Goa we have some very talented Police officials but the rate of undetected crimes is on the rise. It is hardly surprising that a police officer will not take pains to investigate a crime in anticipation that he will receive a Minister's call directing that his chum involved in the crime be ceremoniously let off the hook Murders and daylight dacoities have become a regular phenomenon in this otherwise tranquil state of ours. Over the years Goa has been projected as the key tourist destination of the country. Has the time come to let the world also know that Goa is also the safest place to commit crimes and get away with them if you can befriend a Minister or an influential politician? Free and unfettered debate is the key to the success of our democratic institutions. Therefore at no cost should Parrikar continue to stifle the voice of dissent and constructive criticism, as otherwise he would never be able to keep track of the sentiments of his electorate. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar shows no consistency in the way he speaks and acts. He has announced that the Government's work force will be pruned because a small state like Goa can manage with a work force of 38,000 government employees. This is another empty statement and will fool no one. How does he justify the thousands of Saffrons he has recruited into government service ever since the BJP took over the reins two years ago? The Government has vowed that no extensions would be given to Government employees after retirement age. But Mr. Parrikar has been obliging the chosen few. He has extended the service of his chums. Mr. Parrikar also knows very well what every Goan realises - that a small State like Goa can be well managed by a five member cabinet. But it is political compulsion that has compelled our politicians to keep our state mismanaged and entertained by a jumbo cabinet. He may find it a very balancing act to even do away with one Minister as required by the recently passed new legislation. The Chief Minister has urged journalists not to be corrupt. This is the height of hypocrisy from a Chief Minister who is solely responsible for the current state of the Goan Press. He has left no stone unturned to suppress the Goan Press. The majority of the Goan Press has been manipulated by the whims and wishes of Mr. Parrikar. Freedom of the Press does not exist and Mr. Parrikar knows this better than anyone else and should be honest enough to admit to this. Goa's politicians have consistently failed to lead with vision and the current ruler is no exception. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's wants to ensure that every house in Goa has a computer without realising that Goa needs uninterrupted power supply in the first place. It would be nice if those in power had got their priorities right instead of making cheap populist announcements and providing people with the basic amenities of life. In preparation of the last stage-managed Goa Assembly elections Parrikar astutely announced the Dayanad Social Security Scheme. The whole scheme was not transparent. Applications forms were only available from the MLAs, in particular the ruling BJP ones. It was obvious that it was an election gimmick to wow the saffron voters with a scheme Mr. Parrikar knew would not be sustainable in the long run. The scheme was well timed and fine tuned to ensure that the BJP candidates could distribute the Rs 500 cheques to the beneficiaries on election eve. As of today the cheques are still being distributed by the BJP leaders. Why? With the elections round the corner we will be pampered with new schemes and promises. Let us take the blinkers off and look down the tunnel to see what lies ahead. Temporary and short-term cosmetic touches should not fool us. All that glitters is not gold. 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 # ##########################################################################
