Misdirection
The contention that Portugal should apologise to Goa for the destruction of bridges doesn’t make sense. Sudin Dhavalikar should concentrate on doing his job instead of coming up with statements such as these that defy logic. Yes, the Portuguese controlled Goa and destroyed bridges. They did a lot of wrong things, but why should we ask them to apologise now? If there was a time to apologise it was in 1961, or even in the years after that. But over 50 years later? Where is the sense in that? Perhaps this is a case of deflecting from the real issues. The current Goa government has fallen flat on its face in recent times with the coconut tree and the vermin issues. The MGP want to distance themselves from the government and hope to go alone in the elections next year. So it’s to no one’s surprise that they aim to court support in the nationalist communities, not realizing that all communities are nationalist apart from a select few who still claim that Portugal’s rule was better, forgetting that half a century has passed and the country that once ruled this state has an economy worse than it, despite the fall due to the mining ban here in Goa. Goa’s politicians need to do their job and not get caught up in foolish issues.
Herman Pereira, Margao
Money power
The clash between politicians and workers on the eve of the Panaji elections only proves that the state of politics in Goa has gone from bad to worse. We have to contend with strong financial backing for most people in politics today, which makes matters for those with honest hearts difficult to deal with. No one who is serious about making a difference can enter this field, unless you have a godfather or lots of money. Most of the vote bank anywhere in the state accepts money or favours for votes. Yes, we have people crying about how Goa is being destroyed when they are only contributing to this downfall. It is a wonder how politicians have been bribing people for so long yet they are not being caught. People get new TVs and new notes and still the police are unaware.
Cynthia Azavedo, Taleigao
Helipad politics
How can politicians defy the government to arrest them when they have been guilty of wrongdoing? The former MLA of Calangute staged protests on the helicopter tourism issue but broke the law and hence has to appear before the court. He and his cronies cannot start bringing up Women’s Day or other issues in the hope that they will go scot free. It is not a crime to oppose the government but it is certainly a crime to disobey the law. If they are innocent then they should have no problems in going to court and proving that theirs was a legitimate issue. This is a ploy to gain sympathy from the public but it should not be allowed.
L Kamat, Porvorim
