Counter view permitted. Xri Noronha has finally arisen. It took more then a decade but the answers are in his post. Better late then neva. What say you Dr. Jose Colaco. BC
- *** *"... IN ITS VERY FIRST ELECTION [GOA] SURPRISED THE COUNTRY BY BRINGING TO POWER A GOVERNMENT THAT, WITH THE BAHUJAN SAMAJ AS ITS POLITICAL BASE, WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND..."* These facts and figures can be interpreted any which way. I'm surprised (or am I?) that nobody is saying that in the very first elections, Goasoundedly defeated all those very many freedom fighters who fought for Goa's decolonisation. That was in the very first, 1963 elections itself. **** "...GOA'S BAHUJAN SAMAJ -- A LOOSE CONGLOMERATION OF LOWER CASTES" *This is the myth. The reality is that while the MGP spoke repeatedly in the name of the "lower castes" (and garnered the crucial numbers largely from it) the party itself was dominated by almost all the non-Saraswat caste groups at the upper end of the caste structure, competing for power with the former. Primarily the Shets, the (growing in influence) Gomant Maratha, the Kshatriyas, even Deshastha and Chitpavan Brahmins (of Maharashtrian origin). And till today, we live with myths and still struggle to understand how the MGP has come to be in the hands of Deshastha legislators who continue to wear bahujan samaj clothes. *** *"...DISMAL 30% LITERACY WHEN THE PORTUGESE LEFT" *Dismal? What is this being compared with? Literacy as it stands today? Or literacy in similar areas of other parts of India as it was in the 1960s? 30% in the 1960s might have been quite a significant figure. I'm also wondering what was the definition of literacy in the 1960s. Just signing one's name? This reminds me of the "Goa missed two Five Year Plans" argument put forward by those making a case for more funding from New Delhi. Fact is that inspite "missing" two Five Year Plans, in the early 1960s, Goa's indicators were much ahead of comparable (non-metro) areas within the rest of India. I know this sounds like a terrible apology for four-and-half centuries of colonialism, but am just stating a counterpoint without suggesting in any way that any form of colonialism can be recommended for anyone. If Goa continues to show high indices, including on the per capita income, it's because of the hard work (including migration) of its people, not because we have the best politicians or electoral system in the world. **** "...ALSO PAIRED WITH THE STUNNING OPINION POLL RESULTS IN 1967":* Everyone seems to ignore the fact that the Opinion Poll was won by a very narrow margin indeed. If 17k voters had to switch sides, things could have gone the other way. More than that, I'd see the Opinion Poll as a red herring, a manufactured dispute to ensure that no more serious demands (such as that of a referendum) would be raised in Goa then. From all signs and symptoms, it is clear that New Delhi was keen to go ahead with the "Opinion Poll" (don't miss the significance of its name, opinion indeed!) here, while also being equally keen to make sure that the non-mergerites did not lose it. The latter could have been a real recipe for disaster and turmoil. This is why I disagree with the above understanding. FN
