Goa's coalition government, was infact just a marriage of convenience, it was not a relationship that was built on trust, integrity and fidelity, infact it was full of deceit, hypocrisy, distrust and of course adultery. The premarital bonding it's self, was a disaster, wherein the odd spouses refused to sign the dotted lines of book of convenience and the mass wedding was in disarray, only after prolonged deliberations and discussions, on the terms of plump positions and status in the family business were assured, only then was the marriage finally solemnised amidst pomp and gaiety, with the blessing of the elite in-laws from Delhi, Bombay and Goa itself.
Although it's been more than two years for this marriage of convenience, things are far from hanky-dory, as expected the marriage has been rocked by claims of infidelity and domestic violence and was on the verge of collapse, on more occasions than not, but managed to survive, only because, the greed and the enticement for plump positions and status, was all, that the spouses were interested in. The wellbeing of the family and the community 'To hell with it' !
The forty year itch hit this marriage of convenience pretty early, we could even call it the 40 days itch and now the wide cracks are really showing and the cantankerous couples are becoming bolder, vociferous and even shameless, washing their dirty laundry in public. Their insecurities are most certainly obvious and getting worse by the day. The frequent visits to the marriage councilors, set up by the in-laws in Delhi and Bombay are become more of a habit than a necessity and that too at the cost of the tax payer, even as Goa is mired in debt upto it's neck.
In the last couple of days it looked like this marriage had reached the point of no return, the aggrieved spouses had formed an union called the G7, initially it did sound something like the elite group of industrial nations called the G8, G7 may not be as famous or as powerful as the elite G8, but are surely a force to recon with in paradise lost called Goa. From the very first day, this marriage was bound for the rocks but somehow managed to survive even the latest storm, but for how much longer it will hold on ? Only time will tell.
For some decades now we have seen the quality of governance deteriorating at a very rapid rate, so much so that today it's become a cesspool of corruption and greed, and only getting worse. The G7 movement is a further reminder to the Goan electorate, that our elected representative are only concerned about their welfare and least bothered about the wellbeing of the general public or our state. Our MLA's and Ministers have been too busy with issues that are extraneous to Goa and Goans, rather than in relative issues that are seriously affecting the day to day lives of Goans and are burgeoning into major impediment in the path of their progress.
While there are infinite number of critical issues, that we Goans are drowning in, our politicians hardly seem to have the time or the inclination, to take up these issues in earnest, whereas they have ample time, to trade in trite banalities against each other to promote, protect and safeguard their own personal selfish interests. This is not something new that's been happening in Goa, it's been going on for a couple of decades now, and it's rather very unfortunate that we Goans have accepted or allowed it continue without a cringe or even a twinge.
We are all aware, that most of the funds that Goa receives for development, somehow vanish into thin air without a whiff, it's only common knowledge where all the conduits lead to, even as we struggle to survive, with the more than two decades old infrastructure at our disposal, which is outdated and outpaced by the ever growing population and to make matters worse, we have allowed, the rampage of destructive development, to overburdened our already tattered and battered infrastructure which infact has, paradoxically brought an overall degradation to the quality of life in Goa. As far as constructive development in concerned, I am sorry to say that, Goa portrays a very digressing and polarised landscape at the moment.
Disparity is what rules Goa today, every nuke and corner of Goa is up in arms, agitating for it's very own survival, so much so that, while our politicians behave like petulant kids, agitations have become a part of our intricate lives. Our elected representatives, ensconced in their ivory beds with greenbacks for mattresses and inflated bank balances for a pillow, hatching unsuspecting and intricate plots to destroy Goa and inflate their own fortunes, have consigned our dreams and aspirations of a golden Goa to oblivion and this is what we have brought on ourselves, by electing these unambiguous swindlers.
We seriously need to contemplate and get our priorities right and put our act together. For long we have thought, that good governance was the preserve and prerogative of the central parties. History has been a witness to various events, where greatness was sacrificed at the alter, and mediocrity selected for the crown, but now we should be wiser, shouldn't we ?
The ethics of politics in Goa, have been deliriously obtuse, if not egregious. What conjures up an air of sadness is not just the quality of governance on offer, but the absence of any pride or even the will, to seek and elect good people, in Goa today. We most certainly, need to immediately change this aspect, if Goa and Goans have to survive, revive and thrive and this attitude should not be transient in anyway, but firmly imbedded in the mind and heart of every Goan at large. A change is what, is required and for that, it's our perception that has to change, so let us all be the change that we want.
Freddy Agnelo Fernandes
Dubai - UAE
Mar 24, 2010
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulf-goans/message/28971
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