Marriage, a compromise?
The lead article on the Edit page of The Goan Everyday of Tuesday, March 29 is an article full of internal contradictions and inconsistencies. This article is based on the utterly untenable assumption that marriage is a conflict zone of two incompatible persons, which needs to be regulated by the State or by some external mechanism. The very use of the expression “A marriage of compromise” as the title of the essay betrays the muddled mind of the author. The need for “compromise” arises only when there is a “conflict” of interests. This article assumes that marriages are necessarily adversarial and is replete with assumptions of conflicts about “personal space” which needs to be regulated.
The concept of “inundation” is introduced in the analysis of marriage, something unheard of before. There is no explanation of this concept and no indication of how it is at all relevant in any relationship. The institution of marriage is under severe stress in our modern dystopian societies. The world urgently needs a healing touch and solutions which restore the dignity, the integrity and the sanctity of marriage, which is the very basis of a safe, productive and sane society.
Averthanus L. D’Souza, Dona Paula
Where’s our fish?
Although Goa is abound by marine resources, surprisingly, quality fish which is the main ingredient of our diet still remains elusive for the ordinary Goan, who is forced to buy the rejected lot available at his doorstep or at the local fish markets. Manohar Parrikar’s promise to set up subsidised fish kiosks still remains a distant dream nowhere to be fulfilled. Top branded fish trapped in the nets of trawlers ends up being diverted to the hotel, restaurant, shack lobbies through middlemen and partly exported while the poor Goenkar just awaits the day when the government will fulfill its promises to set up subsidized fish kiosks selling some good variety of fish. It is an irony that the common man has to pay for subsidies for the trawler owners while their prized catch never finds its way into the local markets for the benefits of Goans. It is high time the fishing industry should be nationalised so that we the people of Goa can reap the harvest of our marine resources!
Allwyn Jorge, Carmona
Rebuild GMC
The government is contemplating the setting up of a committee to look into GMC’s problems, which is good news. The bad news is that everyone is aware that while GMC has good doctors, the facilities there are atrocious. On a recent visit to the hospital, I was shocked at the bad state of the wards, the toilets and the care-a-damn attitude of many of the staff. Since it was late in the night, we had to walk a distance to the pharmacy, which was in what seemed like an abandoned building. We need better public hospitals and the GMC needs to be changed and rebuilt from top to bottom. The committee doesn’t need to be formed. Everything must be changed. Just like how South Goa is getting a brand new hospital, so must we.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
