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The Accidental Activist - The Empire Strikes Back
By Venita Coelho
As I write this article I am really angry. I hate bullies. And if ever there
was a
Goliath versus David fight, it's Formento versus Seby. Formento has struck
back,
with no less than a 500 crore suit. That too filed in Calcutta so that poor
Seby
will have to travel back and forth endlessly and at major expense. Why
Calcutta? It
is the only High Court where you don't have to deposit a percentage of the
amount
you are suing for. Formento claims it's good name is worth 500 crores. And what
exactly are the forests and lands of Goa worth? What is the devastation wrought
by
mining worth? What about Seby's good name when Sujay Gupta sought to label him
a
'naxalite' on behalf of the mining lobby? The figure of 500 crores is no doubt
meant
to inspire 'shock and awe'. And to serve to scare off any other activists who
might
want to raise their voices.
As activists get louder and more effective the tactics being used against them
are
becoming more hardline. Across Goa, villagers are finding themselves facing the
combined maliciousness of both state and interested parties. They have found
themselves harassed by panchayats, slapped with criminal cases and picked up by
the
police. The fight is getting dirtier. As the stakes rise, activists are forced
to
ask themselves 'is it worth it?"
That's a question I faced after I was carted off to the police station. As a
single
mother, the sole earning member of the family, what the hell was I doing
tangling
with the powers that be? I had to take a long hard look at my accidental
activism
and acknowledge that so far it had taken loads of my time. Now it was going to
take
an emotional and mental toll and threaten my safety. Was it worth it?
The answer is yes yes and YES. This is my home. This is the place where I chose
to
put down roots. If I let this be devastated where else is there to go to? That
holds
true for all of you out there as well. And that brings me to the second thing
that I
am mad angry about.
This Sunday we organized a meeting to understand the Regional Plan for
Attofondem
ward in Moira. The ward member went door to door inviting people. Exactly
twenty
turned up. It has been the same story for all the meetings that we have done so
far.
The apathy is appalling. The future of the entire village is at stake - and no
one
seems to care.
And you reading this article? I'm pretty damn mad at you as well. Forget
standing up
to mining - right now, right this moment is a huge chance to define the future
for
the village you live in. Are you doing anything about it? Have you bothered to
find
out about the Regional Plan? Have you filled in the questionnaire? Or are you
content to sit back and let 'those activists' do it all for you. And when those
activists face the brunt do you bother to stand up for them?
Seby needs all the support and help he can get. His is a legitimate voice,
speaking
up against the devastation of your land. It is your fight that he is fronting -
and
paying the price for. If you allow him to be bullied and punished by a mining
company for speaking up then there is not much to be said for the future of
Goa. All
of us might just as well stay silent and watch while the land around us is
reduced
to raw red wastes by mining, or concrete jungles by builders.
On line there is an effort to gather people who are willing to add their names
to
the defamation suit. Who support Seby and are saying 'so sue me too'. You can
sign
up at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/sue4000/petition.html (ENDS)
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The above article appeared in the January 13, 2009 edition of the Herald, Goa
