Dear Saligaonettekaram, On SaligaoNet-FaceBook, there was some concern expressed about our last post: "Think & Vote...Future of India: Aap ke haath mein!"
There was a general request to keep the Face Book page of "...Saligao-Net free of politics and your political views..." This is our response there... ...there are other realities to Saligao, at ground zero. Some of these make us uncomfortable when they are mirrored back to us. So we can understand the reaction to our appeal to Saligaokars to "Think & Vote." Agreed there was a pun involved. But that was not an explicit call to vote for the AAP. It just turned out to be that way, because one of our favourite phrases is "...our future is in our hands!" Actually all political parties were happy with that graphic of the ballot box: - the AAP, obviously because of the pun, - the Congress, because they said, "Yes, the country IS in our HAND!" - the BJP because they loved the GREEN & ORANGE colours we used in our original post here: <http://www.saligao.org/?p=322> - the CPI, because real change comes only via struggle, symbolised by the clenched fist. - activists, because they know that their role is only to make people aware, to help them to "think and vote." As activists, we are not members of the AAP or any other party. We never were and we never will be. We have never canvassed for any party and also have never ever told even one person, whom to vote for. Neither has our erstwhile Saligao Nagrik Kriti Samiti and Saligao Mobile Tower Struggle, or the present Saligao Civic & Consumer Cell, Saligao Garbage Struggle or any other group we have been associated with. We never tell one another in the group whom to vote for. That is the level of democracy and independence of thinking fostered in each group. So often people have come and asked us, "Whom should we vote for?" Given the atmosphere at election time, any average person would immediately provide a name or a party. Not us. In our 25 years of life in Saligao, you will never find even one person who will tell you that M&M told them to vote for this person or that party. Not one! We do not tell people whom to vote for. We do something infinitely more dangerous: we help them to THINK and then decide whom to vote for! Think independently. Analyse the situation in Saligao, Goa, India, Planet Earth...and then vote. If you tell someone whom to vote for, you treat him or her a little less than a human being, a little bit like a dumbo! Help the voter to think, to analyse the socio-economic and socio-political situation in the village, state, country. The voter will not need you after that. That is our role. In 1989, as part of the Saligao Nagrik Kriti Samiti (SNKS) we did a house-to-house awareness campaign, with a handbill in Marathi and English, titled: "Think & Vote." We inaugurated the campaign with a copy to Dr. Wilfred D'Souza, the then Congress (I) candidate, who came to our house in Tabravaddo, to ask for our votes. He said he liked the handbill and observed that it was a good thing SNKS was educating people on the democratic process. While he was expecting a landslide victory, he won by a slender margin of only 427 votes. Late that night, after the counting of votes, on their way back from Panjim, his victorious supporters, set fire to our house! That is how dangerous it can be to tell people to "Think & Vote!" Do not be worried about our political posts. They will not be linked to any party. In fact the new graphic attached to this post does just that... [image: Inline images 1] Also, we fully agree that political parties should not get free advertising space on social networking sites, listservs and cyber communities like this one. We do not need empty propaganda. Supporters have to convince us with solid reasons why we should vote in a particular way. The political process is part of the fabric of life...real life in Saligao. It has to reflect itself in cyberspace and social networking sites too. Else we are trying to create an unrealistic, tiny 'utopian' cocoon in cyberspace, that is an escape from real life in the village. Why are we afraid of the political process in Saligao? Let us discuss it, share our views, encourage each other to think and analyse independently. Let supporters give us good, solid reasons why we should vote for their candidate or party, backed by facts, figures and actual evidence of performance. Let us share, discuss and debate various issues that are shaped by the political process in the village and state. This can be a vibrant, educational forum, teaming with ferment and good debate. We do not have to yell and scream at each other, like we do at Gram Sabhas! We do not have to descend into mud-slinging, name calling, abuse and maliciously, false accusations. We can discuss issues very calmly, civilly, rationally in a civilised manner. Like village brothers and sisters. There is no need for anger, aggression or anti-social netiquette. Anyone indulging in such behaviour can be first warned 2-3 times and then have the offending portions of the post censored, as is done in other e-forums. Members with habitual anti-social behaviour can kindly and gently be asked to mend their ways or risk being blocked from posting. This can be done without anger or enmity, and the member can be invited back after a while. It is possible! And as thinking, forward looking, civilised Saligaokars, we can definitely manage it. We once again urge Saligao to *"Think & Vote."* Let not Religion, Caste, Class or blind party affiliation influence our vote. *Vote Saligao. Vote Goa. Vote India. Vote Planet Earth: * garbage...pollution...deforestation... destruction of paddy fields...Mhadei River... wild life conservation...Salmona Spring... Vote Green! Vote Clean! Vote Honesty! Vote Freedom! Vote Grassroots Democracy! Whatever else you do: *Think* First... Then Vote... *Let Goa Win!* Warm regards and solidarity. M&M. -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
<<inline: think_vote_0414_web_f2.png>>
<<attachment: think_vote_0414_web_f2.png>>
