Undemocratic lathi charge
A peaceful protest is a democratic right of the citizens. The protestors too cannot take law into their hands. Engaging a lathi charge against the protesting fishermen was a gross violation. At times, the law enforcing agencies who are responsible to maintain peace and harmony in society have themselves become law breakers. They are responsible for creating more chaos in society. Engaging lathi charge to disperse the protesting crowd is certainly not the solution to the problem. For the past several days fishermen have been demanding from the Government to take action against those who use the LED lights for fishing. It has affected the livelihood of the poor local fishermen in Goa. The government showed a lackadaisical attitude toward the protesting fishermen. Government’s inaction has forced the fishermen to come on streets to democratically fight for their demands. Now the government is using state machinery to attack the fishermen. It is not the first time that such an incident has taken place in Panaji. In fact the present dispensation in Goa uses such methods to shut the voice of the people and create fear in the minds of locals.
Rui Pereira, Navelim
Wrong action
Irrespective of who is right and who is wrong in this LED lights protest, where traditional fishermen are fighting against the purse seiners in Goa, it was a wrong outcome of the protest, when the police lathi charged protestors. Every citizen has a right to protest peacefully. If permits are needed when applying for a protest, the police should just arrest and detain those whose names are on the permit. This can serve as a deterrent. But when the police start beating up protestors, they play into the hands of those who feel that the government is being dictatorial. Threatening the citizens of the land who are just fighting for their rights with sticks is not the kind of governance we need in Goa right now. No wonder the average citizen is incensed with the way things are working in Goa.
Bhushan Kamat, Panaji
Tiatr online
Tiatr plays an important role in increasing the love for the mother tongue. However it is pertinent to note that Konkani lovers are spread all over the globe. Many Goans also work on the ship and hence are away from their homes for several months. Most of these Goans are not lucky enough to be able watch the Konkani tiatrs on stage. Some directors have been staging their tiatrs in a few foreign countries including the UK and the Gulf countries. But then all Goans living overseas may not have the privilege of watching these Konkani tiatrs. Hence the only possible way these Goans can watch the shows is through the internet, on ‘You Tube’ to be precise. Unfortunately just a handful of tiatrs are available. Hence it would be in the fitness of things for the tiatr directors to upload all their old tiatrs on You Tube for public viewing through the internet. Such a step will popularize konkani tiatr in a big way and also improve the ratings of the tiatr directors.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
