In a free democracy people have the right to voice their views on any political issue. They have a right to assemble in public and peacefully protest against policies and laws that they find objectionable. They can petition their government to repeal those public actions, and persuade others to join them. However, no one has the right to prevent others from exercising their own rights, which includes the right to have an opinion that is diametrically opposed to one’s own view on the same government policies and laws. Above all, no citizen of a democratic country can trample on the freedom of his or her fellow citizens to live, to work, to learn, and to go about their daily business.
Calling for a Goa bundh and imposing it on others, as is being done by some politicians and activists on June 6th is a violation of these fundamental rights. It ought to be condemned as an assault on the very nature of our democracy. The people, the parties and the organizations that are responsible for it have disqualified themselves from being legitimate participants in a public debate. Their desire to represent the Goan populace ought to be roundly rejected. The issue of government support of primary education is a serious one. It must be decided by an honest exchange of views by dignified people who have the utmost respect for the rights of others, not by irresponsible violators of our constitutional freedoms. There are genuine concerns on both sides of this contentious issue. Yes, a child’s primary schooling is a matter of parental choice. Parents ought to be allowed to choose the medium of instruction of their minor children. To the extent that a public policy restricts that choice, it is a bad policy. On the other hand, there is a great need to promote our native language, and ensure that future generations preserve it as an embodiment of our cultural heritage. I for one believe that both objectives can be met quite easily without favoring one type of medium of instruction over another. Both English and Konknni primary schools can still be supported to the same extent by public money, and other ways of incentivizing the spread of Konknni be incorporated in the policy prescriptions. One way would be to offer additional grants to English schools offering Konknni as a compulsory second language, and for the sake of parity and a head start, to Konknni schools offering English. There is that one final argument concerning the claim that a child in his/her formative years learns best when taught in his/her mother tongue. While there may be some truth to this proposal, parental choice is the ultimate arbiter in all matters regarding children. The responsibility of the state in a free democracy does not extend to forcing people to live their lives and raise their brood in what it, in its infinite wisdom, determines to be the most optimum way, in each case. After all, nobody wants to live in Plato’s Republic and practice eugenics. Cheers, Santosh
