Wrong precedents
This is with reference to the story No rehab of displaced Baina migrants: CM (The Goan Everyday, October 8). In the first place it is pertinent to mention that an entire colony of 157 illegal shanties on Baina beach which was in existence for several decades could not have come up without the cognizance and blessings of the concerned authorities. Previous govts. In Goa have turned a blind eye and used the dwellers as potential vote banks. It is surprising that the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has woken up late in the day to realize the dangers posed to human lives due to a sudden rise in tidal levels. Secondly, if according to CM Laxmikant Parsekar, rehabilitation of displaced persons will set a wrong precedent as there are several illegal structures in the state which are difficult to demolish, then the proposed regularization of these illegal structures will also be a wrong precedent and more damaging, as illegal structures will start increasing and multiplying. We can’t have different yardsticks and different set of laws for different people.
A F Nazareth, Porvorim
Poor diplomacy
The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal adopted its first democratic constitution which came into effect on September 20 replacing the interim constitution of 2007. However, the newly promulgated constitution came in for fierce opposition from minority groups in the southern plains whose homeland provinces would be split under the charter. The violence has heightened tensions with India, which has called for the new charter to be more inclusive of ethnic groups near its borders, where much of the violence has been focused. Why should the Indian government however be seen nurturing a hegemonic attitude towards Nepal? Does it not have enough on its platter contenting with the likes of Pakistan and China on the borders that it has to invite criticism and animosity over ‘micromanaging’ Nepal’s polity? With the adoption of the new constitution, it is for the Nepal government to resolve any bitterness arising over geographic and demographic issues in their region. India definitely does not need a ‘Monroe Doctrine’. By browbeating Nepal into carrying out amendments in its Constitution, India is giving a very poor example of its political diplomacy in the South Asian region.
Pachu Menon, Margao
I love the BJP
Nowadays, what is as easy to see is the plan of the BJP to legalize all illegalities. Media reports are full of it. Yet no one in the media has had the honesty to say what is obvious - the BJP is large-hearted. Some NGOs are asking if laws are important or not. What a silly question. The NGOs always make trouble. Some communal elements from Karnataka also are unnecessarily making a big noise because 150 huts and more have been demolished on Baina beach. So what! Who do they think they are? The huts were illegal and they were demolished, that's all. That they had been squatting there for 40 or 50 years is not a good reason for illegal to become legal. The BJP did what was right, what was moral, and what is the law. Poor people in Goa have no rights, anyway. As for the law, I think it is better to outlaw the law. Why bother to make a distinction between legal and illegal? Legalize all illegalities, so no one can come in the way of development. Not only will it make for progress, the most evil of men - lawyers - will become jobless. That is good for society. That is progress.
Joao Barros Pereira, Japan
