Zen Koan: When is an MLA Not the Chief Minister …?
With the State Legislature Assembly elections moving slowly and surely and a few months away, some of the MLAs appear to think only they are performing at optimal level and others are not and should have their portfolios taken away from them. Big egos, indeed! Isn't it the prerogative of the Chief Minister to decide if there is to be a change in the State cabinet or not in the Indian system of government and not other people however great an impression they may have of themselves? Is that right or not? If you disagree then you might want to challenge this Zen koan: When is an MLA not the Chief Minister of Goa …? Now is a good time for politicians to put their ears to the ground and also open a window or two in their hearts to allow the voter to say what s/he thinks. If there is a time the voter has a chance to have his or her voice heard it is prior to an election, any election. Once elections are over, so are the opinions of voters. Case closed. MLAs suggestion boxes are necessary for voters to be able to send the appropriate MLA or minister their suggestions. We also need to be able to question why a good suggestion has not been acted on, and something which is far inferior has replaced it. A wise move might be to send a copy to several newspapers so the person concerned can be quizzed on the subject, if necessary, and his or her explanation printed in the newspaper bringing the debate into the public domain. Some MLAs are good people and so they also need to be given a chance to explain themselves. But, then, not all of them are squeaky clean. While a lot of people — elected and non-elected — have an expertise in a particular subject no one is an expert on everything, and for this reason we have expert committees.There is one drawback, though. Experts who are often from outside the state take a long-term global view of everything without considering the impact or the needs of the local community who are the real stakeholders. Do we really need to pay experts pots of money only to have them do this to us? Unfortunately, it is too often the case. And, finally, the all-important question: Are all expert committees honest and sincere? Our government needs to keep a watchful eye on them. Goa, at present, is going through a phase of rapid development on various fronts and while no government is an angel it needs to tread carefully as fatal mistakes will become a legacy of future generations. Unless ordinary Goans doggedly pursue reforms don't expect anything to change for the better. Our elected representatives of various governments unfortunately have shown us again and again how they have their own agendas which don't always have much in common with the people of the State, and what is good for Goa and Goans isn't always good enough for them. Nothing new, though. Power can never become a substitute for creativity. Governments need to listen to the voices of the people as what is best for Goa does not always emerge only from the brains of people in power. They need to listen to the ordinary man and woman on the street for the good of Goa and Goans. Otherwise, the results might be tragic in future. We Goans have witnessed more than our share of tragedies so far.
