To Goanet -
For Part 1, see - http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2009-December/187272.html Part 2 Recently the GBA made some noises about backing the Dabolim people against the DLF construction project. I saw the name of TCP's Ahmad Morad once again bandied around. It was eerily reminiscent of 2007 when GBA stormed into the TCP office at Patto only to find Ahmad Morad absconding. He was eventually found hiding in the chambers of his master Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in Altinho. A crucial file of the Aldeia de Goa project had gone 'missing.' The GBA gaggle then went up to the CM's Altinho quarters only to be assuaged by Digu with his customary "I will study the issue." To date the file is missing and the Aldeia de Goa project has merrily chugged along. After this blatant disregard for the law - with the CM himself part of the conspiracy - you would think that the GBA would have raised hell and mobilized the people for a showdown. Instead, the GBA decided to play nice and become part of the govt committees to draft the Regional Plan. Today the same drama is being replayed. The same Morad playing the same old TCP character with the same old script. (By the way, why is the TCP dept stuffed with so many corrupt non-Goans in key positions? Have all the corrupt Goans died?) The govt and its builder pals scripted their strategy quickly, perhaps the day after the GBA rally of Dec 2006. The idea was to ram through illegal projects even if it meant violation of existing rules & regulations. Then if they are confronted by pesky Goans, let the matter go to court. ONCE THE MATTER LANDS IN COURT, THE BUILDERS WIN. End of story. And remember, the govt always has an ace up its sleeve. It goes by the name REGULARIZATION. As I remarked earlier, Goans were being played from virtually day one by the govt and by their moles within GBA. Several good and earnest people were initially drawn to GBA, unaware of the secret machinations. Today, the only "bachao" the GBA can point to is that of the builders and the crooked politicos. Goa is dying, but the builders and politicos are thriving. Dr. Oscar Rebello came to be installed as the face of the GBA campaign with no record of any serious activism nor any real knowledge of the issues on the ground. He was crowned Convener as a compromise candidate (let's just say that the other contenders had a 'history'). That he had a pretty face and could speak a sentence or two of English without stumbling over himself probably helped. After the massive Dev 2006 rally, Dr. Rebello's conceit exploded. The Church had thrown its weight behind the rally and that's what accounted for the impressive numbers. The Congress govt panicked not because of Rebello's imagined heroics but because it understood the political calculus well: elections were round the corner. Lose Salcete and they lose power. And since the Church held the keys to Salcete, you had to fall in line - at least temporarily. Dr. Rebello's claim about being apolitical soon unraveled. Let me say here every citizen has the fundamental right of political affiliation. I do not question Dr. Rebello's right to political preferences. But if you are the Convener of GBA, an organization formed with the express purpose of opposing the govt's destructive politicies, then you should be prepared to take on the incumbent govt regardless of the party in power, and REGARDLESS OF YOUR OWN POLITICAL LOYALTIES. In other words, you better be prepared to oppose EVERY political party that is in power at the time. If you cannot abide by this stipulation, then you step down and let someone else take over. Dr. Rebello's true colours spilled into the open when he acclaimed Digambar Kamat as "brave" in an op-ed in Gomantak Times. It was a clever and sneaky piece of writing but obviously not clever enough to slip by unnoticed. Now here was this man, charged with fighting the ruinous policies of the govt praising the crook leading that very govt. How does that make sense? And Digambar Kamat "brave"? THE MOST CORRUPT politician in Goa's post-1961 history (not an easy thing to accomplish given the fantastic standards of corruption in Goa) coming in for fulsome praise at the hands of the GBA convener! Under Rebello's stewardship, the GBA came to share the same platform with the real estate rascals - Datta Damodar Naik et al - they were supposed to be guarding Goa from. GBA had decided to team up with the Congress govt while simultaneously professing to be 'apolitical.' After much internal wrangling Rebello stepped down as Convener (when he should have been fired long before). Recently he declared that he is not against the real estate industry. This did not surprise me in the least. But it is perplexing that some Goans still believe that he is their chosen warrior. Other than hemming and hawing at a few public meetings, Dr. Rebello did precious little during his tenure. I reckon he expended more effort jockeying for that CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award than he did tending to the problems he himself volunteered to address. Sridhar Kamat was appointed GBA Convener for South Goa. He delivered handsomely - to the real estate lobby as well as to Digu. He was their point man inside the GBA. Seen here - http://www.parrikar.org/images/GBA-Dec2006/slides/IMG_4196.html For being the loyal poodle, Kamat has now been rewarded with a cushy govt job by Digu paid for by YOUR tax rupees. Kamat's shenanigans were obvious way back but surprisingly not to the GBA brass. Sridhar Kamat is surely indebted to GBA for all that it has done for him and for the builders. Aravind Bhatikar - an empty suit with impaired vision but who can see with crystal clarity only Manohar Parrikar's misdoings. The misdeeds of his buddies Timblo and Digu remain outside the perimeter of his vision. Why is this man in the GBA? Here is the fellow - http://www.parrikar.org/images/GBA-Dec2006/slides/IMG_4212.html Dean D'Cruz and the architect's cabal - D'Cruz's skills lie in juggling several balls at once. He is part of the GBA and he is also part of the govt's advisory committees. But apparently nobody at GBA has ever asked him about this conflict of interest. That a practicing architect will oppose the construction lobby vigorously is just not credible. After all, we know of Upton Sinclair's trenchant observation: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." I'm told that D'Cruz is a nice guy. I have no problems whatsoever with 'nice' guys but I am mighty uncomfortable with foxes guarding the henhouse. One more thing - why are all these architects accorded so much importance in GBA and in govt committees? What special knowledge do they possess that we don't? It is not as if Indian architects have distinguished themselves. In Goa I found cases - obtained via RTI - of local architects enabling Goa's destruction. The 'farmhouse' constructed on the hillside in Gaunxim for an ex-IAS turned 'toddy distiller' was designed by a local Goan architect who claims to be an environmentalist. The house actually built has no resemblance to the plans submitted (shown in the documentary "The Rape of Goa"). Then there is the proposed DLF project atop the Reis Magos hill (the side opposite the Children's Park in Panjim). The architect on the project is based in Santa Ines. So most of these architects pretending to be champions of Save Goa are enablers of the very gang wanting to pave over Goa. Then there are the bottom feeding GBA flimflam artists of which one example will suffice - Pravin Sabnis. This breed is adept at massaging the optics - appear busy and important while really doing nothing of note. One way of doing this is to show up just-in-time for a speech at a village rally. Or gather a few people around you and wave your arms. Or stick to Fr. Maverick like a leech hoping that that will give you some cred. His other tricks include writing on Goanet under a fake ID until he got busted. But his crowning achievement was to try and disrupt the Goa People's Assembly forum that Soter and I put together in June 2008. For someone who cites the Mineral Foundation (an organization established by miners themselves) as his client, he sure has some nerve masquerading as a Save Goa warrior. See (scroll down for list of clients) - http://www.parrikar.org/misc/sabnis.pdf The crud that calls itself the GBA today has done incalculable harm to Goa. To these gigolos, I say: Vá-se embora! (that's our good ol' Portuguese for Get Effing Lost!) Goa will not be saved in the courts. The Indian judicial system is corrupt and the politicians, real estate guys, and the miners know how to game the system - and they have the financial muscle we people don't. Full-time criminals cannot be tamed by part-time activism. What are the choices before us? Our activists are compromised, there is a leadership vacuum, and the Goan press is in the pockets of the builders and politicos. I'm afraid the situation looks very bleak. Only a statewide agitation directed by fresh, honest leaders is the way forward. But any future campaign must give a wide berth to these PROVEN GBA TRICKSTERS, the professional career activists, and the opportunistic NGOs. For immediate consideration, I have one proposal: flush Regional Plan 2021 down the toilet. Regards, r
