YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MINISTER TO SERVE THE PEOPLE -- MATANHY
For 28 years, Matanhy Saldanha (53) was a dissenter known for his
determined fights for public interest causes. He contested the polls
unsucessfully for five times, and finally won in the May-end assembly
elections. But, unlike other politicians in Goa, he opted to stay out of
the BJP-led coalition ministry and declined the offer -- on a platter -- of
a ministership! Quite a change, for a politician in the state.
Known nationwide as a leader of the traditional fishermen in Goa
('ramponkars'), Saldanha from a landed family in Salcete was a veteran of
the 1974 anti-fertilizer pollution campaign, the fishermen's movement, the
anti-sand extraction movement, the campaign against Meta Strips ("I only
supported that, it was not my struggle"), the language battle, among others.
"I can't call myself a campaigner. You can say whatever you want to," he
says modestly, in an interview with FREDERICK NORONHA.
His party, the UGDP, was quick to join the BJP-led coalition. But, without
saying so in as many words, Saldanha drops hints he would have been happier
if the five MLAs of the three smaller parties had to "remain united". Don
Bosco's Panjim incidentally might just have to make do without the services
of its long-term high school Biology teacher. But this could be an
interesting man to watch in the assembly... Excerpts from an interview:
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FN: Why did you refuse a ministership? Nobody does that nowadays...
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Basically, my people elected me on certain assurances made in the campaign.
The question of my joining or taking over any post did not arise. I know
that I can perform without being a minister, and don't believe one has to
be a minister to do any form of development.
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FN: But is it true you were offered a ministership?
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(Avoiding the question) I was not seeking any post from anybody. Not even
the Congress. I know what's behind the post. We've been elected to serve
the people. We can serve as an MLA, and don't have to be a minister to do
so. Finances ought to be distributed equally (among all constituencies) by
any government that be.
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FN: How do you feel after making it after so many attempts?
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To tell you frankly, it's an increase of responsibility. For me, it
(standing for elections) was not like going for a cricket orfootball match.
It's something I'm going to do (taking up public issues in the assembly)
and know that I'll have to face a lot of odds to achieve this.
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FN: What are your priorities as a legislator?
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Development. Need-based development. Also, planned development. The main
role of a government should be the development of infrastructure. Not only
for industrialists, but also for the people themselves.
May be that's too lofty a goal; but I'm there to show there are new ways of
how politicians should behave and how legsilators should behave.
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FN: Would you have won if it was not for the UGDP party ticket?
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That's what people told me; go and join (the UDGP). They said, don't stay
in this (my earlier Gomant Lok Pokx) which didn't seem to have its early
appeal left, and never won despite (trying hard for) three to four elections.
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FN: But then, anything could be justified, as other politicians have done,
by saying that that is what the "people want"?
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That's why I've not joined the BJP or any other (major) party. There are
people with hundreds of ideas. You have to see what the majority thinks. It
was the current circumstances that forced me to behave in a certain way.
Otherwise, I would have had to take 'sanyas' (become a political recluse)
and stay out (of mainstream politics) totally. It is not possible. On the
other hand I was being promised (many things).
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FN: What's your plans for functioning within the assembly?
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I will act as an effective legislator. Be critical when I need to be
critical, oppose when I need to oppose, and support when I need to support.
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FN: Did you think enough 'bad guys' got out-voted in the current polls?
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I would not like to term anyone 'good' or 'bad'. It's for people to judge.
So many are still there. It is for the people who ultimately elect their
politician, not for us....
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FN: Is this the high point of your career of many years in public life, and
taking up issues of concerns? Or is it just another phase?
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It's a process. That (my campaigning) was one stage. I told the people that
I would be fighting from inside as well as outside (the assembly). It's a
campaign for a process for change. There's a lot of pain involved, and it's
also not that easy.
You require moral support. If ten out of a hundred say something
(supportive of a politics that goes against a trend based on greed) then
there are 90 who will say the opposite.
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FN: Finally, what are your views on corruption and communalism?
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When you talk of corruption, the people are also responsible for making
their leaders corrupt. Though corruption might have started from the
leadership, today it has infected right down to the bottom level. People
have made it a way of living. Everybody, rich and poor. Except some
individuals. So many have got corrupted.
Communalism is something we have to be watchful how to avoid. There will
always be one force doing it; that's their agenda.
But (being watchful) is the role of those who believe in the Constitution
of India. If you believe in the Constitution, and that this is a secular
state. On that, even the Congress has failed. (ENDS)
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