MARGAO
Citizens from various villages, who met to discuss the powers of the panchayats and the people of Goa, and to ensure that these powers are no longer allowed to be denied or suppressed by the forces destroying Goa, have come one the banner of Movement for People’s Panchayats.
The meeting was part of the ongoing struggle to achieve self-rule by people through their panchayats, as laid down in our Constitution. During the meeting, threats to the powers of the panchayats and the people through denial of their political rights by misinterpretation of the law, and by subversion of the institution of panchayats through political parties and politicians, was discussed in detail.
The severe assault on the powers of panchayats and people was seen to be the main enabling factor for the existential threat faced by Goans and Goa today. The participants have therefore decided to form a group under the banner of “Movement for People’s Panchayats” in order to achieve the constitutional goals of self-rule and self-reliance at the panchayat level, which, it was agreed, is also the only way to save mankind.
Xavier Fernandes told The Goan that the Movement for People’s Panchayats has set the following goals with immediate effect: To ensure that every panch member remains completely loyal to the people and village, and not to any political party or politician, for all matters which affect the people, the village, or the powers of the panchayat.
To ensure that every panchayat places all issues and proposals before the people through the Gram Sabha and that the decisions of the Gram Sabhas are honoured as binding decisions for strict implementation by the Panchayat and all Government agencies and to ensure self-reliance and self-governance at the panchayat level.
The Movement for People’s Panchayats requests all the citizens, candidates for the panchayat elections, political parties and politicians to respect the Constitution by adopting the above goals and thus ensuring the complete powers of people over their panchayats, and of the panchayats over their panchayat areas, which are the pre-requisites for Goa and mankind to survive, informed Xavier Fernandes, Loutolim, Salton Godinho, Shiroda-Ponda and Anthony D’Silva, Arossim-Mormugao.
