http://oheraldo.in/node/4022
'Politicians have become commission agents'
Cortalim MLA Matanhy Saldanha has weathered several storms right from
his days as a leader of the Ramponkar movement to efforts to disqualify
him as a legislator in recent weeks. In yet another sea-saw of his
political career, he once again achieved a reprieve after the High
Court stayed the disqualification against him, bringing cheer to his
supporters. PETER RAPOSO and BOSCO DE SOUSA EREMITA caught up with him
a few hours before he was granted a stay on his disqualification. This
interview was first published in the Konkani weekly Vavraddencho Ixtt.
Excerpts:
Why you refused to vote for the Congress or even support the Congress
during the confidence vote, despite being aware that you would be
committing hara-kiri?
MS: I don't want polarization of forces. I want the people of Goa to
remain united as they were, and if anybody attempts to divide, then I
will not be a party to such political designs. Decision of this nature
is very rare but this is because I am not ready to favour any side just
to avail of benefits offered to me. I am here to serve the people of my
state. This is my dream. I know I have to pay a price for that and I am
paying for it.
Do you have any regrets?
MS: I am not regretting anything. You regret when you have no
conviction and when you are not sure of what you are doing. I
definitely know what I am doing.
All said and done, politicians in general manipulate the public at
election time on the basis of minority and majority. But after
elections, no justice is done to those whom we pretend to champion.
One of the impressions gathered amongst your admirers is that the UGDP
party leaders tried to take advantage of you.
MS: I don't want to blame the party. It is some individuals in the
party, who have the least interest of the people of Goa or the party
itself at heart, that are vested. It is their personal interest that
rules supreme.
Is it a fact that because there was a pact that Congress would nominate
Radharao to the Rajya Sabha?
MS: All these pacts ultimately boil down to benefits one gets in return
for hobnobbing with and betraying even one's own party. The way things
are going on, politicians are out to sell Goa once and for all. This is
very painful to me. I love Goa and I always fought for its welfare.
Why you think that River Princess failed?
MS: First of all, River Princess did not fail. Time was too short.
Attempts were made to make sure that it was removed and I am certain
nobody else ever made as much effort as I and my team did. We worked
for its removal, and that too, without any loss to the state.
Ironically, a loud mouth like Deshprabhu was hobnobbing with the
culprits who have caused this catastrophe and these culprits appeared
in the corridors of power the day the government was overthrown.
Deshprabhu himself had told me that the ship can never be removed. Why?
"Because they will go to court" he said.
Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes made a statement that an enquiry should
be made against you.
MS: Let him make it. I have no objection. People like Agnelo wanted to
stall the whole process of the removal of the vessel.
When you came from your foreign trip, the BJP fellows as well as UGDP
fellows had come to see you in Mumbai. According to UGDP people, you
refused to accompany them to Goa.
MS: I met the UGDP emissary and asked him to show the letters of
support from the MLAs to the new Congress Alliance. He showed me the
papers and I said I will decide what to do.
But, you reportedly met Pramod Mahajan in Mumbai.
MS: That is not true. I did not meet Pramod Mahajan at all. Neither
Pramod Mahajan nor any other politician from outside Goa.
Finally with whom did you come?
MS: I did not come in the company of anyone, I came by myself though
there might have been other MLAs' sitted in the plane like Digamber
Kamat and Francis D'souza.
When Filipe Neri was being evicted from the House by "outsiders" why
you decided to look the other way and not raise any protest on the
manner a fellow legislator was being treated?
MS: In the House, the order of the speaker is supreme and it is not the
prerogative of any legislator to interfere.
Is BJP communal? Was the government trying to saffronise the
government/ education.
MS: Every government is the same. Every government has its subtle
biases. It is for the people to fight this biases even by coming out
onto the streets. However, it is time we stop talking about communalism
if we really want to be secular and come together for the good of the
people at large.
At the time of your elections, stories were doing the rounds that BJP
had funded UGDP to fight the elections, especially in Catholic
dominated south.
MS: That is a lie. No party supported me in the elections. I fought the
elections without money and with people's support that came voluntarily
and with no strings attached.
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Regards,
Carlos
