Soter D'Souza wrote: Will Mr. Mendonza spell out the great qualities of leadership that this best of public faces he talks about had to galvanise the people of Goa? I have been there since the inception of GBA and would be keen as an activist to emulate these qualities of leadership, if any.
Comment: I am intrigued that Soter should be posing this question at this point of time.Why was this question not posed all along when Dr Oscar Rebello led the GBA and made it a people's movement which finally culminated with the scrapping of the RP2011 against all odds? I have no doubts that the success of the GBA was not due to the singular efforts of Dr Oscar but the collective efforts of many like Soter, Pravin, Miguel and many others unnamed and unheard but who contributed silently and willingly expecting no rewards or recognition.But any movement, in order to be successful needs a public face which carries credibility and respect.(That is why Dr Manmohan Singh was made PM and not Arjun Singh or Pranab Mukherjee who had far more experience and were seasoned politicians). However the point made by Dr Oscar in his resignation letter that a campaign was launched against him on the internet tarnishing his reputation and assasinating his character is very valid. So also his statement that a few individuals wanted him to be a messenger for carrying out their agenda.We have been witness to this calumny on goanet. Mature persons would have tried to resolve their differences through discussions and persuasion and not by vilifying through the media or by hate mails. All said and done, this step of Dr Oscar (who was of course not without his faults) is a major setback to a people's movement and to the goan people. All other movements, whether GPA or GMAS lack credibility as they are linked directly or indirectly to the BJP, whose role behind the scenes is itself questionable. It is also intriguing how the TCP act was passed in March 2008 by the Goa assembly with the full backing of the opposition and not a whimper of protest against the BJP. All that is seen is not what appears. There are wheels within wheels. Regards, Marshall
