--- Philip Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Is the justice > and administrative system able to consistently > uphold the righteous and > punish the wrong-doers? Who should rule Goa and > how?
Philip, I was appalled at the Goan police system one day, as I was witness to a severe beating of an alleged shoplifter, in front of a line of shops on 18th June Rd. Till today I kick myself for not having the courage to stop the atrocity. Obviously, the shoplifter was a non-Goan, hence the severity of the beating. What rights do the Police have to mistreat Indian citizens? Are the Indian citizens, as in Indonesia, guilty first and have to prove their innocence later in Court? Were the charges read out to the culprit on the event of the arrest? Curiously enough, I wonder if the atrocities faced today by the common people at the hands of the "authorities" are the same (if not worse) than those faced under the Portuguese? > Is this what Goa > has come to, a place where > almost anything goes but we can still muddle > through? Are we any different > from "Bihar"? Goa has now "become" a part of India, thanks to the intense brainwashing of people by painting the Portuguese as monsters. Today's Goa, some 40 years since "liberation", is no different to Bihar or Ratnagiri in terms of "chalta hai". Just compare the state of the hospitals in the early sixties to today; the state of water supply; the state of the health services and general cleanliness. Situations that the Portuguese once would not tolerate at any cost, are not only tolerated today, but also condoned - pollution of water (the appalling statement by one PWD engineer "if water comes out of a tap, who cares about its quality?"), indifferent health administration (so many out-breaks of jaundice), the state of general cleanliness (defecating in open, paan spit everywhere). > > Some serious soul searching may be required followed > by determined efforts > to take corrective action in Goan society. Any > takers? Education. Limiting the flow of itinerant labour. Replacing manual labour with labour-saving devices especially at building sites, so that there is no need for "imported" labour. Educating the Congress leaders that what Goa needs are not candidates who are "winnable" but *candidates who are honest and have sensible agendas* and then assisting those candidates to win. Cheers, Gabriel de Figueiredo. Melbourne - Australia. PS I am sure I will receive a lot of flak on the statements I have made. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
