------------------------------------------------------- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.casadegoa.org -------------------------------------------------------
We are all doom and gloom about the elections, so much so that I think we sometimes overlook the positives that emerged from the result. To me, the election result was the best one could hope for. It toppled a number of titans (more should have gone!) and it threw up a House that is instable enough to keep politicians on their toes, at least for a short while, and give the citizen some breathing space Some other random thoughts (subject to correction and debate): * So many 'stalwarts' got defeated; a few more should have. (On my favourites-for-getting-unseated list would be Parrikar, Narvekar, Babush, perhaps Aleixio and Mauvin, and miraculously Alemao ... I know you'll say it's wishful thinking for both Luizinho and Alemao to go in one lot! Maybe I've missed someone else.) * If you thought communalism was a winning game, then look at the way the BJP vote has got eroded in a number of "traditionally Hindu" areas. Talukas like Ponda (the Hindu heartland of Goa, where the MGP put in a far better showing, and to blame everyone on moneypower might be disingenuous). Even the results from Sanvordem-Curchorem and Margao, where there were communal conflicts or near-conflagurations (in Margao's "New Market" versus "Gandhi Market" as some put it euphemistically ... virtually describing two religious groupings there). * Even the loss of leaders like Dr Wilfred de Souza, who sought to build themselves as "minority" leaders, went largely unwept in constituencies like Saligao. (Personally, I was also relieved that Trajano, Willy's old aide, did not win at the polls.) It would be interesting to see how the loss of "veterans" was greeted elsewhere. * Rural Salcete Catholics seem to have got out of their "communalism above all else" fears and voted for the Save Goa Front, though it was widely alleged (in sections of the media like the Goan Observer) that supporting the SGF would amount to cutting into the Congress vote, and indirectly increasing the chances for the BJP. * Parrikar's victory in Panjim by under 1500 was apparently made possible, among other things, by support he received from a section of the Catholics there. While anyone supporting a communal party is not good news, it's probably interesting to see how this would influence his politics in times to come. * For the first time in the history of post-1961 Goa, maybe, the issue of secularism got highlighed in the adverts in the mainstream press in a huge way. While it is true that the Congress (whose commitment to, and consistence over, secularism can itself be questioned) sought to take advantage of this, the fact is that secularism as an issue got strongly highlighted. Even if the full-page ads showing Parrikar in an RSS uniform were a bit shrill and one-sided, I think it made the point dramatically. Very often in the campaign, the issue of the notorious BJP "CD" came up for debate too. Apparently Parrikar said different things at different places, on TV, and (going by what one heard) when it was raised at a meeting he address in Arpora. * It would have been nice if the issue of minority communalism had also been raised. Somehow, by raising only one side of the issue (even if it's the more potentially-damaging side), the impression that gets around is that (i) minorities cannot be communal or (ii) secularism is an anti-Hindu campaign. * Among all the myths created by influential TV channels like the NDTV, what I found interesting was their argument that maybe the BJP had lessons to learn from being a party dependent on too narrow a support base. (Community is one thing, the issue of caste is hardly spoken about, though very real even in today's Goa.) The message of this is that Goa's diversity and pluralistic nature cannot be ignored; we cannot pretend it doesn't exist. This pluralism includes the migrant into Goa too, the so-called "non" Goan. It looks like the BJP-influenced media in Goa (not all of it, but significant parts, particularly in the vernacular media and, now, the electronic cable TV channels) isn't willing to discuss the real lessons emerging from the elections. By resorting to clever sloganeering such as "No party wins a clear majority in elections" (Gova Doot banner headline) or quoting Parrikar as blaming "money power" for the results, we are overlooking a whole lot of issues that emerge. My view is that we should, for now at least ,forget about influencing the political process (which isn't very small player friendly, as the Goa Suraj or CPI experience repeatedly shows). Instead, we need to (i) think out our own issues and not get influenced by other agenda-setters, for e.g. talk about "illegal shrines" after a Sanvordem blowup (ii) not get needlessly pessimistic (iii) realise that there are a lot many opportunities for alliance building, and maybe even influencing the mainstream from the edges as it were. FN PS: Was surprised to find Parrikar's handbill for his Panjim constituency contain the quotes of a number of people whom we would have thought of as secular friends. In some cases, the quotes might have been Gobbelsian misquotes (or out-of-context quotes). But not in others.... -- FN M: 9970157402 or 9822122436 P:+91-832-240-9490 (after 1pm) Skype: fredericknoronha Yahoochat: fredericknoronha http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com Email fred at bytesforall.org Res: 784 Saligao 403511 Goa India ------------------------------------------------------- Goanet recommends, and is proud to be associated with, 'Domnic's Goa' - A nostalgic romp through a bygone era. This book is the perfect gift for any Goan, or anyone wanting to understand Goa. Distributed locally by Broadway, near Caculo Island, Panjim & internationally by OtherIndiaBookStore.Com. For trade enquiries contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------
