ITS NOW OR NEVER

Election is round the corner, and Major Political Parties will come asking for votes. They will place before us, their so called manifesto, and their ideology, which in the past have always been forgotten after the elections process is over. They have always taken the electorate for granted because they always believed that when there are ENOUGH FOOLS who can be bought for a note they will always be elected irrespective of their performance. Today we see a mad rush to get a Congress tickets. Some in the Party are holding the Party for ransom and threaten to backstab, others hope that if things do not go their way they will adopt underground guerilla tactics and defeat the Party Nominee. Every one poses self before the Party Ideology and Manifesto. Loyal Party Workers are sidelined and left in lurch and some even called them dogs forgetting that they were the watch dogs of the Party for decades and the leaders themselves strayed. The main Opposition Party has also not performed well either to the post they were elected for and instead kept their eye on vote bank politics and failed to ground the Government on issues like Ordinance Fiasco, the 73 rd and 74 th Constitution Amendments, Amendments to Town and Country Planning Act, Proposed Amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act meant to rob powers of the Gram sabha, Illegal mining terming anti mining activists as naxalites, and Mega housing projects etc. It is time now that we the electorate who in the past have always believed in the manifesto of the Political Parties and were fooled every time, and were forced to come on the streets on numerous occasions to highlight our problems, prepare our own Manifesto or Questionnaire and before we caste our precious vote compare it with the one presented by these Political parties and judge their performance regarding the issues dear to our hearts. In my opinion both Political Parties have no ideologies and principals left anymore to place before the electorate. Our tiny state with it past history and culture has always proved to be the most secular state in the Country so please ignore any Party’s call in the name of religion. In Goa all Communities has co-existed for centuries without any problems. Please try to know your candidate personal credentials. Please do not vote for Parties / candidates which are responsible for rape and sale of Goan lands to the land sharks from outside state, at the cost of Goans identity and abetted in degradation of our environment, our ecology, our culture in the name of development. Remember of the Promises made on Dabolim / Mopa Airports, whether Goa really needs two airports and whether in the long run Dabolim is destined to die a slow death. Leaders who trample the rule of law under their feet and intervene with the Police routine duties to misconstrue Justice. The Silence of the so called Political Leaders on these issues should be also evaluated. Its now or Never because by the next Election Goans may be aliens in their own land. A 1000 rupee note accepted for a vote for a term of 5 years is only 0.55 paise per day which today cannot buy even a bread that cost 2.50 paise. From: Orlando S. A. Da Silva Carmona