-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE | | | | by visiting this link and following the instructions therein | | | | http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- President APJ Kalam has drawn the road map for Goa and Sonia Gandhi has brought out an 18 point ETHICS CODE for Congress leaders with austerity as the new mantra. All this may not have any bearing on Goa politicians who have their own agenda and have over the years matured in the art of clinging to office to serve their selfish ends.
The Goa Congress Party has missed a golden opportunity of capturing the public's imagination. They could have shown that they really meant business by scrapping the Planning and Development Authorities (PDAs) and banishing the Zilla Parishads by empowering the Village Panchayats. The current agitation by the Santa Cruz Citizen's Committee to demand exclusion of Santa Cruz, Merces and Chimbel from the North Goa PDA is commendable but one can see the political overtones in it with Victoria Fernandes trying to settle political scores and the BJP trying to use the issue to fish in Goa's murky political waters. The rivalry and feud between Mrs. Victoria Fernandes and Babush Monserrate is nothing new. It was only further charged during the last Taleigao Panchayat elections when Victoria's kin had to bite the dust at the hands of the panel set up by the Taleigao MLA who made a clean sweep. Mrs. Victoria Fernandes is asking the people to protest against the government's decision. Why does she not set an example and as a protest first herself resign from all government posts doled out to her? The crumbs of Deputy Speaker and Chairmanship of Goa Handicrafts Corporation that were craftily handed over to her and she willingly fell for it. Victoria's unwarranted outbursts against Santa Cruz's long-serving Sarpanch William Gonsalves and Merces ZP Member Kishore Narvekar are in bad taste. They have supported her in the past and Victoria should not expect everyone to always dance to her political tunes. Victoria Fernandes has also been the Chairman of the North Goa PDA in the past. What steps did she take to exclude rural areas including Ribandar which though then part of Panjim Municipality had all the looks of a rural area? I have known and worked with Victoria Fernandes on various issues over the last three decades. Understandably over the last few years she has not been keeping good health which in a way may be the cause for the neglect in the overall development of Santa Cruz Constituency of which Ribandar is currently a part. With her term as MLA soon coming to an end and she having made it public at the last election that it would be her last, she should now focus on trying to find a young and dynamic successor to carry the Santa Cruz constituency forward. William Gonsalves, Kishore Narvekar, Adv Atanasio Monteiro amongst others may be able to do justice to the job. As far as Ribandar is concerned at the next assembly elections we will be part of Panjim Constituency. Whether it is for better or worse, only time will tell! Aires Rodrigues ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com