July 23, 2015
GFDO PRESS NOTE
GFDO said that CM Parsekar’s token gesture in initiating a probe into the
bribery allegations against former Ministers in the JICA case was just another
ploy to hoodwink the people of Goa. When in the opposition, the BJP made
serious allegations and exposed cases of rampant corruption against the
previous Congress regime, promising to bring the guilty to book and ensure
accountability in the public domain. Today, after 3 years of being in power,
the BJP has still failed to bring to book those it had accused so vociferously
while in opposition. GFDO said that the BJP can no longer use crucial public
issues for political leverage and convenience by making allegations without any
follow up. It is time for the people of Goa to see some action and results on
the issue of public accountability. The government’s inaction in appointing a
Lokayukta and the manner in which it uses issues as convenient tools for
political arm twisting, gives rise to the justifiable suspicion that this
government is not serious about addressing corruption and that perpetuating
such a culture suits this BJP government as much as it suited its predecessor.
In the JICA bribery case, the CM well knows that the US Department of Justice
has publicly offered to make available the names of the recipients of the Louis
Berger bribes if the Government of India asks for them. Like in the issue of
Special Status, the UPA government cannot be blamed anymore for the failures of
the BJP state government, now that it has its very own government in power at
the Centre. While it may be true that the genesis of many of the State’s
problems have their roots in the actions of the erstwhile Congress regime, the
BJP needs to explain to the people why in its three years of rule in Goa, it
has proactively consolidated, enlarged and built upon the very projects that
their very own election manifesto had alleged were based on a foundation of
corruption and which were rapidly destroying Goa. That perhaps might also be
the underlying reason for the BJP state government’s studied inaction and
failure to implement the Regional Plan that is so crucial for the orderly and
systematic development of Goa.
The Parrikar/Parsekar government’s failure to explain why the BJP government
went right ahead in squandering public money by commissioning the consultancy
services of Louis Berger to implement a project that was deemed unviable and
unfeasible by the internationally well recognized and well accepted ICAO and
ADPi experts, gives rise to suspicions regarding the sincerity of its motives.
It will be recalled that GFDO has over the past few years been asking the
government some very relevant and pertinent questions regarding the
justification for the feasibility of the Mopa Airport project to which it has
received no answers. Now it is quite clear that there are in fact, no answers.
The BJP government in Goa is bent upon bulldozing the Airport project in Mopa,
just as it is aiding and abetting the Leading Hotels consortium to bulldoze the
golf course project in Tiracol even at the cost of ignoring the long term
social, environmental and financial welfare and wellbeing of Goa and Goans.
The people of Goa are not mere convenient vote banks whose shelf life comes
into force once in five years and expires as soon as elections are over. The
people of Goa are stakeholders and active participants in democracy. Since the
credibility and integrity of Louis Berger has been called into question, its
technical report should also come under microscopic scrutiny given the high
stakes involved. GFDO demands that the Parrikar/Parsekar led state government
should at least now, scrap the Mopa Airport project until the questions, doubts
and suspicions raised in the public domain about this disaster in the making
are sincerely and credibly answered to the satisfaction of all concerned.
For GOANS FOR DABOLIM ONLY
Fr. Eremito Rebelo
Convenor
