Elections could be an irritation for many, especially those who are tuned to the susegaad life, and as the campaign intensity picks up pace, the environment could get worse with political leaders jostling for space. The positive side is that the political class shows strange eagerness in answering the queries of common citizens that otherwise have been relegated to the sidelines.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured that his government would resolve the vexed Indian passport revocation issue within the next 8-10 days. Sawant was speaking in Nuvem, the heartland of Salcete where people are seized of the matter. Voila! That's how easy it gets at election time.
The issue has been hanging fire ever since the office memorandum issued by the External Affairs Ministry was out on November 30, 2022. For nearly 16 months, the issue has been discussed, debated and pushed from State to Centre. Goans have been gripped by panic and anxiety because revocation is dealing a telling blow to many who are in a transition phase of their careers literally rendering them 'stateless'. The chief minister and the NRI commissioner, all this while, have been claiming helplessness and consciously skirting controversy.
Fortunately, the onset of the electoral season saw a drastic change and for the first time in 16 months, the State government began showing interest in resolving the issue, knowing well that this could be one of the manifesto points that the opposition could cash on, especially down South. Mid-February saw Sawant and Law Minister Aleixo Sequeira discussing the issue with External Affairs Minister Meenakshi Lekhi in Delhi with the CM proposing ’surrender certificates’ instead of the draconian ‘revocation certificates’.
Sawant has squarely blamed South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha for not raising the issue with the Centre, and rightly so. But again the ‘double engine’ government also has failed on this count. There is no point in a blame game here because there is a failure on all fronts.
The political reservation for Scheduled Tribes is another issue that has been raging for the past several years but gets a reprieve now as Sawant signalled the formation of a delimitation commission before the code of conduct comes into force ahead of Lok Sabha polls. He has assured that STs will get a political reservation ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Thirdly, the decision to challenge the High Court order on the sealing of 175 illegal structures along the Anjuna coast is yet another instance where the government is going that extra yard to placate aggrieved citizens.
Electoral pressure works, and it is showing on the ground. Decisions are coming thick and fast. Two of the toughest issues have been fast-tracked, and the government is leaving no stone unturned to wipe out any negativity among the electorate. While assurances and delivery are two different sides, the takeaway for common citizens is that they are being heard and issues acted upon at an unprecedented pace.
The ballot is stronger than the bullet, said former US President Abraham Lincoln, and it holds true at every election. It’s time people realise the time is now.
