AERIAL VIEW
While out of the 40 elected representatives, almost all are highly corrupt, many have taken away the rights of Goans and handed them over to migrants, who are their vote banks, and others have degraded the environment completely.
However, as Goa celebrates Diwali today, let all Goans pledge to send all the 40 where they belong by electing new honest faces.
They say you get what you voted for. It’s high time Goans have to unite and elect honest people who would listen to the people and work for their welfare and retain Goa’s identity.
In the past five years, we have seen wholesale destruction of the environment. Forceful acquisition of people’s land for development projects, the influx of migrants, illegal constructions etc.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
For the last five years, the people of Goa have witnessed a tale of environmental destruction, anti-people decisions, corruption and more.
As we celebrate the festival of Diwali today, which also marks the victory of Good over Evil. In Goa particularly, we celebrate Diwali after burning the effigy of Narkasur – The Demon.
As we know today, the State has seen several narkasurs or the demon, who need to be sent to their original homes – the hell, as they have made Goa unsafe for Goans.
While out of the 40 elected representatives, almost all are highly corrupt, many have taken away the rights of Goans and handed them over to migrants, who are their vote banks, and others have degraded the environment completely.
However, as Goa celebrates Diwali today, let all Goans pledge to send all the 40 where they belong by electing new honest faces.
They say you get what you voted for. It’s high time Goans have to unite and elect honest people who would listen to the people and work for their welfare and retain Goa’s identity.
In the past five years, we have seen wholesale destruction of the environment. Forceful acquisition of people’s land for development projects, the influx of migrants, illegal constructions etc.
The last time we voted for a change, people voted for Congress instead of BJP but sadly, the BJP gained power through the backdoor.
But who has to be blamed for it? We, ourselves. We trusted the people who told us they would fight BJP and take Goa ahead, but the same people were the first to shake hands with the saffron brigade.
The Congress was the largest single party but the MLAs elected in the Congress turned out to be selfish and had no interest in people’s sentiments. They were hungry for power, money and one fine day, they took the opportunity and jumped to the BJP.
So what was the point in electing new faces in 2017? How should people vote in 2022? Whom to elect? Which party to support? What if they again shift their loyalty to the same party which they didn’t vote for?
There are several questions in the minds of voters this election, and to confuse them further, several other parties are formed or have come to Goa to explore their chances.
AAP has been in Goa for more than 5 years and has been working hard. Similarly, local party like Revolutionary Goans is also making inroads in Goa, while Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has also entered the fray two months before the elections.
Goa off late has seen almost 80 p.c vote percentage in Goa, but still, those 20 per cent of people do not vote, which becomes the deciding factor.
The election is a few months away, and we don’t have to tell you how important this one is. It is no exaggeration to say that this election could be the most important election of our lifetime.
But what is a democracy anyway? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a democracy is a government by the people, one in which “the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.”
That means every citizen of Goa or India has a say in what their government will look like. But for many Goans, this statement sounds like an empty platitude.
After all, roughly 20 p.c of eligible Goans voters don’t vote, which means they don’t exercise their democratic rights. Many Goans don’t vote out of feelings of apathy or overwhelm.
Remember – if you do not vote If you don’t vote, you do not exercise your right to have any say in governmental policy.
So this Diwali lets us pledge to vote and vote for the honest government…
Jai Hind, Jai Goa
