Corruption charges by governor Malik must be probed

THE GOAN NETWORK | OCTOBER 26, 2021, 11:39 PM IST

Former Goa governor Satya Pal Malik's corruption charges against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his government has triggered a fresh political churn with parties across the spectrum demanding the sacking of the CM. Malik, in a chat with India Today aired on Monday, made serious allegations of graft in the Goa government's handling of the Covid situation. He went on to state that everything during that phase was riddled with corruption. To support his charge, he even recollected the Konkani songs that were highly critical of the government.

Why this is serious: Because these charges come from an individual who has very often shown a fearless persona as a guardian of the constitution and democracy and refused to act as a "rubber stamp" governor. The outspoken Malik has won over public confidence with his bravado of speaking his mind without any political leanings, rarely seen in such authority.

If we may recall, he had categorically slammed the Sawant government's decision not to seal Mangor when the virus was first detected in the area and went on to publicly call it a complete "error of judgement". There are several other instances where Malik has crossed paths with the government and spoken courageously, a trait that brought him closer to the masses and the opposition parties.

But why now: It is intriguing why Malik decided to open up to a national news channel 14 months after he was transferred in August 2020. These are serious corruption charges, and Malik's long silence while in Goa, or even later, appears baffling. He claims that he had briefed the prime minister who is understood to have probed the wrong end, but that should not have been the end to the story. Against the backdrop of being over-ruled, Malik could have stuck to his integrity and declined the gubernatorial posting to Meghalaya. He should have gone to the public because the charge is over corruption and spending public money. Given the fact that he had been consistently speaking about his zero tolerance to corruption and fearless nature, the stoic silence is just not acceptable.

Meekly walking out of Goa without raising a voice when it mattered most, and deciding to open up on the eve of elections casts a shadow of doubt over his action, especially, when the government leadership is facing a multi-pronged attack from the Opposition.

Now what: Despite the delay, there has to be a thorough probe both ways. The prime minister must initiate a high-level investigation into the charges and seek accountability. The chief minister and his government cannot discard these charges as baseless. Sawant will have to bring out a white paper on the expenditure and face investigation. The Centre must show its will to fight corruption at every level. On the flip side, Malik will have to be responsible for the charges levelled and must come out with finer details of the corruption charge. The truth must come out, and the guilty must face action.

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