Goa marks the 62nd Liberation Day on Tuesday, 19th December 2023, a date in history when the State became free from Portuguese rule in 1961. Goa has come a long way since then ” in terms of enhanced standard of living and giant leaps in infrastructural development and growth. Like every other year on 19th December, leaders will take the salute and unfurl the tri-colour in patriotic commemoration of this milestone.
In the distant background however, questions linger on the very definition of liberation and how far the ordinary citizen in Goa feels liberated. Back then there was oppression, ridicule and hostility to fight for. What are we fighting for, now? Are Goans truly happy with the liberation, or are faint thoughts of a possibly better living under the past regime bothering the common citizenry?
A lady from Vagator called up the office of this newspaper seething in anxiety and anger because another nightclub was about to open in her neighbourhood. She goes on to explain how terrible times families are facing and how authorities are ignoring all complaints, and are not even fearful of being held for contempt of High Court orders. She explains her ordeal as she struggles in the late hours with her young son who is suffering from autism. An exasperation was echoing in her voice.
Just like this distressed lady, there are thousands of citizens who are standing helpless as huge waves of illegalities sweep upon them, literally forcing them to give up on their liberation from noise pollution. Then there is rampant corruption in government departments that squeezes every penny from the ordinary citizens, leaving them clueless in their relentless pursuits of rights.
We live in an era where the political leadership speaks about wiping out colonial footprints in trying to give a deeper meaning to liberation, this against the stark reality that the Portuguese legacy is so much ingrained into the society that some of it has already become a part of day-to-day living irrespective of community, caste or religion.
We live in a time when Goa celebrates liberation amid a large section of Goans discreetly gaining Portuguese citizenship, some even willing to forgo being an Indian. After 62 long years of Liberation, Goa is still to be liberated from unemployment and our youths continue to seek opportunities overseas, even at the cost of forgetting their motherland. That's the sad irony.
Unfortunately, the celebration of Liberation is reduced to a mere formality because it comes with anguish, a great sense of insecurity and so many riders that the feeling of freedom for the common citizen has become an illusion. Yes, the State government has done its bit towards the welfare of people ushering in a change like never before, but there are monumental issues that have always cast a shadow. We continue to languish in those areas.
The government of the day must take the people along, respect civil liberties, make governance a purely consultative process and build bridges of hope. Let this Liberation Day be about liberating the common citizen from the shackles of insecurities in every sphere of life because Goa needs a liberation from the greater evils that are currently plaguing the State. It's time to introspect.
