Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik showed rare panache in highlighting issues of the State. A new face at Raj Bhavan, Malik meant serious business and struck a rare connect with the masses in quick time. His tough talk has raised eyebrows, both within the masses and the administration. But....?
Goa has been grappling with the resumption of mining for a couple of years. Enter Malik, and he says Goa must set its priorities right, and mining should be resolved ahead of everything else. He also brought out the fact that there is a shortage of revenue which will hit development. On the sensitive Mhadei issue, the governor has firmly stated that diversion of river water for the purpose of irrigation cannot be accepted.
The Goa landscape may be new to Malik, but the penchant with which he has taken up issues in a short span indicates that he wants to play a pro-active role in Goa’s social and political discourse. This is path-breaking because successive governors are known to have played a dormant role in day-to-day issues while restricting themselves to their constitutional and statutory duties.
Malik’s strong posturing was visible right from his first official speech in November when he said not a single individual belonging to the upper caste helped Lord Ram when he was banished from Ayodhya, adding that only tribals, Adivasis and lower caste people came in support during his banishment.
At the closing ceremony of IFFI, Malik made national headlines when he compared the super-rich to a bag of rotten potatoes who don’t spare even a paise for charity. He appealed to filmmakers to “strip the super-rich naked” by making films of new-age exploitation. Malik struck a different chord when he broached the issue of Mhadei with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even when the CM was in talks with the Environment Ministry.
From the people of Goa to its weather, agriculture and tourism, the new governor has studied the State and its issues in quick time. By making bold statements, he has won the attention of the people of Goa. But the question is whether this tough posturing is going to help in bringing about a change? People of Goa are disenchanted and disillusioned by successive statements that politicos have been making. There has been enough bravado and talk which has only faltered to deceive till now.
Malik has been candid in speaking of his constitutional boundary and how he can only work complimentary to what the State government is doing. It remains to be seen whether the governor’s strong statements will set the administration thinking or whether it would give ammo to a lacklustre opposition.
