To Goanet -
All the good people currently fighting to pull Goa back from the brink find themselves in a predicament. The narrative the builders' mafia and the politicians are keen to promote is this: those opposing them are anti-development, anti-progress and anti-prosperity. This is, of course, a bogus charge but when you are branded anti-something in the propaganda blitz, you are at once forced onto the back foot. This was the ploy used by the wily Babush Monserrate at the Taleigao gram sabha to disable opposition from Dona Paula's elite. He cast them as the privileged fatcats who enjoyed the finer things of life that they would deny the poor villager (i.e. they were anti-prosperity and anti-development while themselves enjoying the fruits of both). It was a cakewalk for Monserrate. At the ground level, the damage done to Goa is now visible and palpable. The widespread destruction of the environment, the assault on the village character, the migrant penetration, the mining horrors, the water crisis etc etc - the Goan villager now understands that the life he took for granted is under threat. But the builders will soon unveil their kit of dirty tricks. It is not hard to sow doubts and engineer disunity in the village, especially when you have sacks of cash to throw around. The disinformation campaign is imminent. Right here on Goanet we got a preview. If you are against the land grab scam recently mooted by the govt under the pretext of building schools, you are anti-education. Oppose the indiscriminate killing of hills, forests, orchards, and fields, and you are a "tree-hugger." The gram sabhas - the voice of the people - unanimously say no to large housing projects in villages, and democracy in Goa is suddenly in need of repair. These are no random outpourings of a misguided, naive soul. This is exactly the kind of spokesperson the builder would recruit to spread his message in the media and in public fora. Watch out next for phrases like "eco-fundamentalists" Yesterday, Nitin Kuncolienkar of GCCI proposed sarcastically that since Goans are opposing every big industry, they should instead opt for a rassa aamlate institute. These are also the same fellows who labeled the anti-SEZ protesters as enemies of economic progress. The binary approach drives the builders' propaganda machine. It is either 1 or 0, on or off, all or nothing. If it ain't white, then it is black. In this bizarre world, there are no shades of grey, no gradations, no nuance. The builders and the politicians will paint those opposing their nefarious designs as radicals who want to thwart progress. It behooves us to be vigilant. Warm regards, r
