A really disturbing thought crossed mymind. Who shall we vote to power in the next Assembly elections which are lessthan 18 months away? Although there is still time to get the clear picture, onething is for certain. We the people of Goa will have to choose between thedevil and the deep sea. The BJP and the Congress, but not necessarily in thatorder. And off course there will be a liberal dose of independents trying theirluck if they have not managed to extract their pound of flesh to withdraw fromthe fray or have stood as rebels for not getting their party ticket. The sameold shameless rogues and looters, some of whom have managed to evade the lawbut who have been found guilty in the people’s court and discarded, will begiven the tickets (all talk of fresh youngsters will be sacrificed at the altarof “winnability”, which loosely translated means abundance of ill-gotten wealthand muscle power thereof). And we have to choose our lawmakers among this breedof lawbreakers. And what does the hapless Goan do? Choose one of these which tantamountto digging your own grave.
There is no dearth of decent, honest,honourable men and women in Goa. Pan the entire state and showcase yourleaders. No use thrusting candidates at us at the eleventh hour. The wise peopleof Delhi, disgusted with years of misrule and corruption, humiliated both thenational parties and placed all their faith in what they perceived to be anhonest dispensation. If Delhi could doit, why can’t we?
James Monteiro, Loutolim
Casino furore?
There seems to be this constant struggle topaint casinos with a dirty brush. Granted, it’s a house of gambling but statingthat people are tempted to go there and lose their hard earned living becauseof it is ludicrous. The same goes for many of the other contentions. There aremany out there who earn a good living and spend their money wisely, whileliving a stone’s throw away from the casinos. It’s all about upbringing. The casinos have also been responsible for theincrease in monsoon tourism. Many Goans are employed on board these ships, mostof the entertainment is local and the vendors are local too. If there areevading taxes, pull them up. If there are payments due and not made, fine them.If there is a black money racket then by all means, find the guilty and punishthem. We are so keen on shutting down industries that provide jobs andlivelihood to thousands without even wondering what would become of theirlives. I am not a fan of the ships inthe Mandovi and would love to see them moved out beyond our shores but to shutthem down on whims? Can we be soshortsighted?
Bhushan Kamat, Panaji
Regulate veg prices
Can the government regulate vegetableprices? If so, then onion prices should be the first thing on its agenda. Thenews that government outlets will be offering onions for Rs 40 is a welcomemove, but care should be taken to ensure that they are good quality produce.Recently, I stopped by my local Krishi store and found that some produce wasn’tof very good quality. But at least the government is attempting to subsidise costswhen they can. Perhaps they should start regulating and controlling prices sothat the common man doesn’t have to miss out on a good quality meal.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
