ONE MORE LIBERATION DAY!
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reviewed guard of honour on Liberation Day, December 19, 2019, at Parade Grounds in Panaji. It was a day full of celebrations in memory of Goa’s Liberation from Portuguese colonial rule on Dec 19, 1961. Apart from the CM doing the honors, Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and Power Minister Nilesh Cabral also hoisted the national tricolor at the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex (Margao) and SAG complex Quepem. Chief Minister Sawant promised resumption of mining in the state, while Mr Kavlekar promised to boost agriculture tourism through organic farming, and Mr Cabral promised that the government is doing its best to solve people’s problems without discrimination. Altogether it was a day of celebration and promises made anew!
NEW CULTURE
THE entire country is witnessing a new culture wherein the whims and fancies of a minuscule are thrust upon the country. Even government projects do away with tenders or fudge the same to benefit favoured ones. Forced ‘control’ of the Fourth Estate has helped all such nefarious deals. The people seem to be resigned to just watch as all this new culture unfolds.
In Goa too this seems to be the norm. Fortunately, we have at least a semblance of some media able to brave it all. But to allow the Parrikar Memorial at Miramar Beach ‘at a cost of Rs10 crore? How can a government minority be allowed to do this? It’s like the huge statue in Gujarat built using 50 tons of bronze plates from China! A huge air filter tower in Delhi like Beijing did would have been better appreciated. As far as Goa is concerned post- Liberation there is only one person worthy of any public expenditure as a token of appreciation. Ask anyone and they will say, Jack Sequeira. The beneficiaries of his action was entire Goa.
Parrikar is being thrust upon Goa solely as one up man ship from a particular community by misusing their skulduggery methods of wresting power. Any fair-minded person will object to this. Parrikar was an engineer and from IIT, very good. In engineering one sets an objective, then makes an action plan to achieve it within a set of constraints — maybe financial, cost-benefit, time etc. If the objective is met within all the constraints then he is successful.
— Jerry Fernandes, Margao
PRACTICAL GOVERNOR
WE need to applaud our proactive Governor Satya Pal Malik for having personally taken up the crucial Mhadei water dispute issue directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. May he succeed where Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has failed to protect Goa’s wellbeing.
During my first interaction with him last month, I found our Governor to be very modest, practical and someone who believes in delivering good governance to the poorest of the poor. A gregarious personality with a robust heart who has always been a socialist. He is indeed a good listener with a very clear mind and believes in achieving results. He is very knowledgeable and well experienced and Governor Malik seems to be a person with a mind of his own, he may not sign on the dotted line so easily. He will be no rubber stamp governor!
For every Goan the battle for our Mhadei is crucial because it is to do with water. We will never forgive ourselves if we don’t battle for Mhadei now to save our lifeline of water and ecology. Let us hope that our Governor in discharging his role as the Constitutional head of State will succeed in getting Goa’s interests secured on Mhadei at the earliest. It would his gift to Goans on this December 25 when he celebrates his 74th birthday.
— Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
EXCELLENT WORK
The professional Netherland salvaging firm Marine Masters B V have to be complimented for the clinical and efficient task of re-floating ‘Nu Shi Nalini’, towing it to berth 8 of the Mormugao Port Trust, and pumping out naphtha. It’s a job which has been executed with great skill and finesse. The Goa State government should organize a public felicitation for Marine Masters B V in recognition of a task superbly done. Here’s a lesson of sheer professionalism for Indian firms to learn from.
— Elvidio Miranda, Panaji
SHAME, SERENDIPITY!
WHY were two exhibits of Mangalore artists closed for viewing on the instructions of Serendipity organisers? The artworks reportedly mocked the currently much hated Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The exhibits were by Mangalore-based artist Sudharshan Shetty. Titled ‘Look Outside the House’, the exhibits displayed at Old Goa Medical College building, Ribander, were part of a section curated by Shetty. Allegedly, one of the exhibits was closed for depicting Miyah poetry verse, an Assamese genre of poetry that captures anger towards discrimination of Assamese Muslims.
Another exhibit by Shetty was closed for viewing because it invited visitors to write graffiti of their choice with unique black ink on canvas. The canvas got filled with slogans against CAA and NRC by visitors.
Four artists of the music group ‘Dastaan’ were also arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during a performance at the Dayanand Bandodkar grounds on Wednesday. The charge was that they were insulting Hinduism by using ‘Om’ along with ‘Ullu ka patta!’ The artists were arrested by police and later released on bail surety provided by civil rights activists of Goa. Serendipity did not come to their rescue.
This shows that there is anger over the censorship of criticism of the constitutional amendment and proposed national register by large sections of the population. In the wake of the massive rally held in Panjim on Wednesday, there was a rally held by Dakshinayan Abhiyaan headed by Damodar Mauzo in Margao. This was widely attended including followers of Vijai Sardesai.
To counter the anti-National Register sentiment former Parrikar confidant Sidharth Kuncalienker organised Deshpremi Yatra near Mahalaxmi Temple.
In Margao former Fatorda MLA Damu Naik defended the new CAA. The countrywide protests stretched across 13 cities with even neigbouring Mangalore joining in. The protests were mainly led by students except in the case of Goa. Students from Goa should protest in large numbers as it will affect their future. As Chief Minister of Chattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel stated, “I do not have to prove my nationality by signing the National Register of Citizens!”
— P V N Iyer, Perelem