To Goanet -
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, so goes an old cliché. In the case of Indians, replace "patriotism" with "constitution." For a people renowned for breaking laws and violating rules at every step and every waking moment, it is risible, not to mention predictable, to see Dr. Rebello waving the constitution now that he has been cornered. Someone emailed me saying that Dr. Oscar Rebello, the disgraced ex-convener of GBA, has written a column in Herald, Feb 12. So I went to the Herald website. After wading through a paragraph of his hooey, I retraced, felled by the farrago of 'original thoughts' flowing from Goa's numero uno footsie dancer. Dr. Rebello now appears to have developed a crush on the constitution. Not long ago, when Digu flouted the Supreme Court ruling to save his buddy Timblo's bacon, Dr. Rebello's love of the constitution lay dormant. When a well-known builder from Margao depleted an orchard for his dubious mega-project in Benaulim, nobody recalled seeing Dr. Rebello and the constitution locked in a compromising position. This builder, by the way, is one on whom Dr. Rebello has conferred the mantle of "great Goan." Quite obviously, Dr. Rebello imagines the constitution as a condom, to be used and discarded at his convenience. Turning serious for a moment - the schlock he has dumped in Herald notwithstanding, Dr. Rebello knows nothing at all about the Indian constitution. The constitution does not give the migrants the right to come into Goa and sleep on footpaths, to squat on public land, to park themselves in slums, to defecate in the open, and so on. This point is so elementary that even the ghatis know of it. But then, Dr. Rebello imagines that he is too clever by half and that he can fool us Goans yet again. This charlatan mislead the people of Goa, and colluded with the govt of Digambar Kamat while leading Goans to believe he was fighting on their behalf. His mask was stripped and the scam exposed - amusing that he thought he could get away by burying his "footsie dance" admission deep in one of his kindergarten-style columns. Looks like now he has checked into a rehabilitation clinic, metaphorically speaking. The new column he threatens to dump on us every fortnight is a desperate attempt to reboot his, alas crashed, hard drive. Perhaps Dr. Rebello has set his sights on entering politics. Hence the dire need to burnish his image, present himself as the soul of tolerance and inclusivity. He has also declared that he is not the enemy of the real estate industry. That's Politics 101 for you - know and love thy funding sources. Dr. Rebello ought to lead by example. There are ghatis defecating on the waterline not too far from his place. Won't he for a day be Dr. Nice and let them use the bathroom infrastructure in his own home? The ghatis can only hope. PS: Another exciting plot coming your way, Goans - Arvind Bhatikar is now back in an active role in GBA. Just to refresh, Bhatikar's resume has only 2 lines: bum pal of Digu, bum pal of Timblo. Nice work, GBA! Regards, r
