To Goanet -
******** By Soter D'Souza: >South Goa Journalists Association to organisation a discussion on >'Will Mega Projects Diluite Goan Identity' moderated by editor Ashwin >Tombat (Herald). Participants are Cleofato Coutinho, engineer Dilip >Prabhudesai, campaigner Serafino Cota at 10 am, Saturday June 7, 2008. With a Margao builder's heavy-weights in the ring and the umpire already having publicly divulged his leanings, one can well imagine the outcome of this discussion even before it has taken place. It is just like an already bribed bureaucrat conducting a hearing of a builder's appeal against the Village panchayat. The builder's lawyer had nothing to argue except to sit through quietly as it was the bureaucrat himself who did the lawyer's job. He quizzed the defending panchayat lawyer, and argued that panchayats have no right to stay the construction, and picking faults with the inspection process. The builder's lobby tried to bait the amateur activist Geraldine from Benaulim into participating on this panel so that they could pretend to have given representation to those opposing mega projects and give it an appearance of a neutral debate. Unfortunately, she was smarter with all the pastries she has earlier eaten from the pastry shop and refused to bite the bait as she detected that the panel is heavily weighed with a Margao builder's blue-eyed team. I am curious to know who will be the 'bakra' to be hired and put on stage as representing the anti-realty lobby so that he can make a flop show? It's high time Goans debate on the topic "Will No Mega Projects Dilute Builder Identity?" The answer will definitely be yes, because they will have no money to pay the social workers and media to promote their (builder's) identity. -soter ****************
