Dears,
The voice of the People is the voice of God, or so says the Latin dictum Vox
Populi, Vox Dei." So far the GBA has religiously listened to the voice of the
people and, as in the case of prophets thrown up from among the people since
anchient days, warned the government to mend its ways or to face eternal
damnation. Herodias used the dancing skills of her daughter, Salomi, to get the
head of St. John the Baptist. Goans celebrate Sanv Juanv every year on the day
that marks the killing of John. they are now witnesses to another attempt to
execute the ones who deliver the message of hope to the establishment. We do
not have a Herod. This is not Judea. But this is the same thing.
You have sung praises of the Oscar. Now dance! That is the message from Oscar
in the GT yesterday.
Mog asundi.
Miguel
Promised Land and Participatory Planning
After the “Tower of Babel” come Abraham, Sarah and Hagar?
Thirty three weeks ago today, in late December, 2007 this column was entitled
“Participatory Planning and Development: Can Goa learn from the NEPED
experience?” The opening sentence read thus: “People’s Participatory Planning
[PPP], that involves the people who are the end-users of the development, is
better than mere Public-Private Partnership [also PPP] that is being touted as
an alternate model of development in cash strapped economies like India.” Even
earlier to that I had written about the confusion unleashed in Goa after the
Official Language Act, 1987. We may have got Konkani in the Schedule VIII via
the 71st amendment to the Constitution of India, passed by the Parliament on 20
August, 1992 and notified on 31 August the same year. It is still a veritable
Tower of Babel [Genesis 11: 1 to 9] where everyone speaks and few “understand”
each other. Little did I realize that there would an occasion to quote from the
very next chapter of
the “Book of Creation” commonly known by its Latin name, Genesis.
I have even made a presentation [on NEPED] to the GBA Core Group and the
teeming Taluka Coordinators on 09 June, 2008 at the BPS Club, Margao
On that occasion, Soter D’Souza made the first presentation on “planning”
process as per Article 243 ZD of the Indian Constitution, post 73rd and 74th
amendments of 1992. Architect Dean D’ Cruz made a presentation on the
“Integrated Participatory Planning System” that finds place in the Annexure to
the “Interim Report” of the Task Force and is now being touted by some as the
‘GBA model’, the non-approval of which has allegedly resulted in one
unconfirmed resignation from the Task Force on RPG-2021. This was followed by
the presentation of the “Shawsville Village Plan” by Reboni Saha, who has taken
the reins of the GBA Secretary from her illustrious predecessor, Patricia
Pinto, on 31 March, 2008. I spoke last and it was followed by lively
interaction at the most “well-attended” meeting of the expanded Core Group that
spilled out of the rather spacious Conference hall of the BPS Club. GBA
supporters from as far away as Sanguem
and Canacona were present till the very end of the meeting and for a long time
thereafter. It is the fiery spirit that drives us all.
The Goa General Administration tends to live by “tokenism”.
“Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned” wrote John Milton in “Paradise Lost”.
Rumours have it that the GBA is suffering from similar fury in the newspapers.
In Hebrew, the word “Isaac” means “he laughs”. The English have a saying that
completes the sentence, “He laughs best who laughs last.” Genesis is a very
creative book to read. Try it.
Miguel Braganza
THIS ARTICLE HAS APPEARED IN THE GOMANTAK TIMES OF 08 AUGUST, 2008 PAGE A8
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