This first appeared in the Heraldo dated 24 Dec 2021
What a leadership mess, we still have a few days before this round of musical chairs stops. Once the elections are announced and till the last day for withdrawal one can expect our absolutely shameless politicians to change parties and positions like one changes a dirty shirt.
The reason given by each and every politician, it is for development that they are switching sides. Whose, is left to your imagination. What is the meaning of development and what are the associated metrics? Every birthday advertisement glorifying the birthday MLA will list these as their achievements, viz: providing pavers or lighting to a religious structure, inaugurating a transformer or latest is signals at any and every place, laying a foundation stones which years later will be just that, a foundation stone, a stark reminder that the electorate are fools.
Have you seen even a single politician measure his development with facts and figures. Are they elected to only take care of their vote bank, or to ensure the development of the State as a whole? Should not all MLA’s elected be concerned about universal access of every goan, to tap water, electricity, roads and a toilet? The focus is on Rabindra Bhavan’s rather than strengthening primary health centers. If that was done, we would not have so many deaths due to COVID 19. How many jobs were created by attracting private investment? Not Government jobs which can be sold.
What you actually see, be it three linear projects, setting up an IIT or transporting coal, there is no discussion by the entire constituent assembly, it is left to the local MLA to handle his area, and if he is a Minister he considers the ministry his fiefdom. Does coal transportation only effect Marmagoa and villages that the railway line passes through? Or does it also effect the environment and Goa’s major industry, tourism. To elaborate, coal handling will effect the cruise terminal, these tourists go to the hinterland to enjoy the spice farms or beaches or buy local produce. If, because of coal dust cruise vessels stop, then the entire State will lose, so it is the responsibility of each and every MLA to participate. In reality this does not happen, and that is the bane of our State Assembly.
The logic that one has to be a part of the ruling party otherwise the MLA’s constituency will suffer, more so if he belongs to an opposition party has to be questioned. Why should this be the case, take roads, we have an entire PWD who today works at the behest of the PWD Minister. So he decides which road to hotmix or where to make a new road, should it not be the Executive Engineers who should take a call based on age of road, current conditions etc.
A Company applies to build a new factory building so that they can expand, the building is designed by professionals who follow all the rules set out in the model building code, the State needs new investment to create jobs, yet the file will sit in the TCP Minister’s cabin with no explanation whatsoever and no one has the responsibility to answer, net result the projects go to other States. One ministers meat is the States poison.
MLAs and the Constituent Assembly make plans or laws that will guide the State to prosperity. Once the plan is passed or Law enacted it is for the bureaucracy and Judiciary to ensure it is followed. MLA’s have no further role to play, yet no one asks why files go to the Minister and why they are held up, because Ministers do not sign, the bureaucrats do. This power without accountability has to be questioned for the good of the State. The fact that the simplest of rules, no red beacon and sirens to be used by Ministers is violated in broad daylight on traffic jammed roads, indicates a complete disregard for rules and norms at any level. The operating logic, once elected, The MLA turns into a law onto himself, forget about elected to serve the people.
Party hopping is today a fad. The bigger picture is that every party has a culture and an ideology. The basic ideology could be secularism, focus on lost culture and glory, anti corruption etc. Earlier it was capitalism or socialism. Whatever the ideology, it is a means to ensuring the State and Country prosper. No party is anti-development. So, whatever the party, development is built around the core ideology.
So how does the party hopper switch his ideology overnight? How does one become a disciplined member of a cadre based party without going through the foundation courses, which involves time and commitment, how does a voter see his party suddenly accept a corrupt person, given the anti corruption stand, what happens to those supporters who suddenly find themselves hugging their arch rivals, who till the previous day was bad mouthing then and their party non stop? What happens to committed aspiring second line leaders, when a party imports the rival into their camp?
Then there is this crazy idea, “I consulted my supporters and took a decision to switch”. Supporters do not elect you, voters do and all voters may not be supporters and all supporters may not be voters. Those who go back to the electorate and get elected on the new party ticket cannot be faulted, the VOTER decided.
The option to strengthen the anti defection laws seems like a good bet but less likely to happen as the ones making the law are the ones abusing it. This leaves the hapless voter with only one weapon to make a change, “Your vote: use it wisely, make it count.” Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022.
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