Opinion piece in today's OHeraldo ------- New games in town EUGENE CORREIA
Goa isn't going anywhere. Perhaps it's on the move only in Bollywood movies. The state is rocking itself, like old grandpa did during his siesta time in times gone by. Today, there’s been a temporary lull in the stormy political seas with the Lusofonia Games on. People's attention is diverted though there are some rumblings here and there, even as the Luso games have brought some accolades to the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for his deft handling of the situation and making ready the facilities and the stadia for the show to go on. Good at playing the blame game, as all politicians are, the chief minister said the previous Kamat government was at fault for financial mismanagement in the run-up to the games. Unfortunately, Parrikar was left holding the baby, however much he may have wanted to abort it. BJP supporters are anathema to anything associated with Portugal, as we have seen with the visit of the Portuguese naval training ship ‘Sagres’. Some BJP members in Goa have their hearts in the wrong places. What these staunch anti-Portuguese persons see are Portuguese ghosts in whatever cultural, social or sporting events hosted by Goa. They should forget the political past and see the Portuguese interlude in Goa in a new light. Lessons from the history of Sri Lanka could be worthy of emulation by these negative-thinking Goans. It's unfortunate that Goans could not see Portugal and Brazil teams live on the football fields. Even third-ranked teams from these nations would have done well among the other football countries. No doubt the absence of these teams has robbed the Luso Games of some glamour. A Portugal-Brazil final would have been something that Goans would have loved to watch. Such a prospect would undoubtedly have drawn in the crowds whose numbers, sadly, have not been much to cheer about. The Games, however, have seen the marked development of sports infrastructure. No doubt the new stadia and renovation and refurbishment of old ones have come with a heavy cost. But what is imperative is that they do not deteriorate into white elephants or decrepit monuments after the Games. They need to be put to maximum use after the event and act as a springboard for our aspiring sportspersons. With the exception of a few sports, notably football, Goa lags behind at the national level. Now ’lack of facilities’ cannot be used as an excuse. Goans are also keenly watching another kind of game being played out at centre stage. The focus undoubtedly is on Delhi, where the Aam Admi Party (AAP) ended its headline-grabbing drama which divided the whole nation on the question of whether Arvind Kejriwal was right or plain wrong. The party for the time being has overshadowed the Rahul Gandhi-Narendra Modi countershow. However, the Congress-BJP roadshow will move into top gear shortly as the poll wheels get properly oiled. The emergence of the AAP in other states, including Goa, is being watched with both hope and anxiety. Goan voters are suddenly finding that AAP could be the right alternative for them even though there are allegations that the Goa APP is infiltrated with members from the BJP. The secular-minded leaders of this party need to be watchful and weed out these disturbing elements before things come to a boil. The AAP's opening of offices in cities in Goa has already sent some jitters among the other parties, including the ruling dispensation. As for the Congress, its announcement of core groups seems like old wine in new bottles. What the party needs is fresh fizz and a new zest. Old politicos who are now the bane of the party should be sent out to pasture. A new crop needs to grow within if it wants to wield the reins of power again. === eugene
