Thanks to the net, for the first time, Goans are speaking like they have never done before, and this is only a good sign, because there is a groundswell building up, fuelled not by Goans who refuse to open their mouths, but by thinking Goans who are now saying that enough is enough.
Arwin Mesquita is these same postings put forward an interesting 3-point strategy to change things: Ask the rulers nicely, then tell them, and finally just do it! “The recent Cidade De Goa shock was the last straw and now something has to be done,” he writes. “The Goa Government’s disrespectful attitude appears to be: Goans get lost; we will do what we want, because you silly Goans will vote for us anyway…” These coming elections, we may have missed the boat. For the two Lok Sabha candidates our parties will probably field men who ought to be put out to pasture; locally, we may just get the same old faces again, or some new ones beholden to the old. Yet there seems to be cause for optimism, for the feeling that a groundswell is building up. Below some more comments from the online petition against open cast mining in Goa and the harassment meted out to Seby by the Timblos: Savio Dias: Mining to be discontinued Flavia Vaz & Teodore Assis Vaz: Suggest all the MLAs preserve our Goa and do not give our mines to China or to Japan and we can make our Goa rich and fruitful. Why all you Ministers not think about our Goa and your Children’s FUTURE ? Dominic Gonsalves: To all the people of Goa, if action is not taken RIGHT NOW!!! R.I.P. to our beautiful Goa. Ashley Mascarenhas: The environmental effects of unregulated mining will scar Goa for decades to come. These quick profits are only made by fools who lack the foresight to see their true cost. Colleen D'Souza: Save Goa from illegal mining activity - they are raping the land. Matthew Tolle: Thank you for protecting nature’s beauty. Minal Rajan: In an age where the world is promoting ecotourism Goa has so much to offer in terms of natural beauty & ecological sites, Yet the govt seems adamant to trade it for making money by destroying the very gifts that they have. How can such a conscience-less govt exist? How can they take away the basics of the natives from them? Goa belongs to the farmers, the villagers who are simple people wanting to make a simple life. Don’t let the goons drown them in the slurry from the mines! STOP NOW before the world ignores you for you'll have nothing to offer them! Luis C. Rodrigues: What a Shame!! Are we living in Liberated Goa?? Monica Pereira: Save Goa and save our resources. Melanie Andrade: This is a disgrace to our Goan Heritage. I hope the Fomento company realizes how greedy and base they appear. Sonia: Please stop harming our nature and destroying the beauty of our little state. Keep it green and beautiful for our future Generations. Gaurish: Keep Goa Green. Siddarth T Kaskar: We are already late, don’t make it too late to save our beautiful Goa. Kiyo Gomes: PLEASE LEAVE GOA IN THE BEAUTIFUL WAY THAT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN. TREASURE THE BEAUTIFUL NATURE THAT WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH. LET NOT GREED BE THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL HOMELAND. Marti: All activities that destroy water and food should be of utmost concern for the future of your nation. Take heed and stop the rape of our earth. Mahesh Masurkar: Well, you cannot judge one's happiness from outward appearance. But our happiness lies in the beauty of Goa, its beaches, the mountains, churches, temples & now you guys want to destroy it for the sake of a five letter word: MONEY. Shame on you guys! Nadeem: Save it yaar. Ralph Da Silva: Goa is Beautiful and it really does not make sense destroying the beauty of Goa for money and for personal intention. I think all the politicians should wake up because they are a part of this beautiful state Ivan Rodrigues: Please STOP this destruction. The Mining Lobby MUST STOP their greed for the sake of our future generation, of which their generation will be a part too. Noel Sequeira: Enough of this wanton destruction of our environment. There is no revenue benefit to the Goans only the mining Companies and politicians have filled their coffers. Rima Kashyap: Save what you can NOW- tomorrow there may not be anything worth saving! Amanda Rodrigues: Please Save Goa and protect its natural beauty. Do not destroy our beautiful home!! Ozelle Noronha: We have to save our neighbourhood, town, state, country and the world at large for a healthier future. Harold Gomes: How Dare the mining companies in Goa think of destroying the beauty of Goa. It is absolutely disgusting to even think of the idea of such mayhem that will destroy something so beautiful. These mining companies and the Government specially have no regard to the environment imbalances that this will cause. This is the same environment that future Goan kids are going to grow up in, doesn't this mean anything to the government??? This just proves to show that the government only thinks of profits and how deep and heavy their pockets can go. SHAME ON THE GOVERMENT FOR ENCOURAGING SUCH ABOMINATIONS!!!!!!! Lancia Rodrigues: Let’s save Goa for our children to the seventh generation as our fore fathers left it for us ! Francis Lobo: It is disgrace for the politicians to destroy the state that they have been elected to represent. You are destroying the livelihood of the people of Goa. Shame on you leaders. If by chance you have not signed the petition please open the link below and sign it or just help out and post it to others. Hartman http://www.PetitionOnline.com/sue4000/petition.html<http://www.petitiononline.com/sue4000/petition.html>
