DILEMMA OF THE CHURCH
CONGRESS PARTY
* Can't decide on supporting it until it declares its candidates
* Indication is that they will continue to field old faces
* Would be difficult to back them under such circumstances
AAM AADMI PARTY
* Wary of supporting it because of a possible split of votes
* Some priests are against the party coming to power in Goa
* Can't write them off; have moral narrative to back them
BJP GOVERNMENT
* Still in the process of analysing the current government
* Will make its mind known when the process is complete
* Speaking of govt's performance in parts would not be fair
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GETTING COZY WITH BJP?
Executive Secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education Fr Zeferino D’Souza caused a minor storm after he was seen walking out after a “meeting” with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Manohar Parrikar.
While Fr Zeferino was quick to play down the nature of the meeting saying it was not a meeting but had called on Parrikar “to expedite an education related decision.”
“There was no meeting, I had gone to meet Parrikar to expedite a education related decision at the central level. It lasted barely two minutes,” Fr Zeferino said.
“I am not a church representative and only look after education,” he sought to clarify.
The fact that Fr Zeferino was seen emerging from a meeting room in which Gadkari and Parrikar were believed to be present sparked off speculation that the BJP had sought the church’s help in the forthcoming assembly elections.
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DIVINE SUPPORT
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With the election season heating up and several parties throwing their hat in the ring, the Church in Goa is faced with a dilemma as to how to guide the flock in what is likely to be seen as a crucial election.
Sources within the establishment, to whom The Goan has spoken to, have revealed that at the heart of this dilemma lies a weakened Congress and a resurgent Aam Aadmi Party which could see a vote split between the two.
Added to the mix is the BJP government’s recent decision to grant a stamp duty and registration fee exemption to two institutions of the Diocesan Society of Education, a powerful church body.
“When the church gives out its message it is a general message and we are duty bound to not support any political party. The message given is keeping in mind the kind of Goa we want and the kind of leaders that will help achieve that,” Fr Domnic Sequeira an active environmentalist has said.
Another priest who didn’t wish to be quoted said the current political fluidity made it difficult to gauge which would be the best party to back.
“The Congress continues to disappoint and until they declare their candidates it is difficult to see whether we can support them. Indication of the moment point to the fact that they will continue to field old faces. It will be difficult to back them in such circumstances,” a senior priest involved in decision making in the diocese said.
On the other hand, the priest said that they were wary of supporting the AAP because of a possible split of votes.
“I have some individual priests telling me that they do not want the AAP to come to power, perhaps out of love for the Congress, but one cannot write against the AAP or write them off especially when they have a moral narrative to back them,” he added.
Officially the Church has said it is still in the process of analysing the current government and would make its mind known when the process is complete.
“It is true that the Council of Social Justice and Peace has opposed certain projects of the government, but speaking of the performance of the government in parts would not be fair. When the process is complete it will be made known,” Fr Maverick Fernandes Director of Caritas told The Goan.
The Council of Social Justice and Peace and the related body the Centre for Responsible Tourism has off and on taken on the government over its policies, be it the golf course or the tourism policy.
According to several other priests that The Goan has spoken to, the government’s push is towards infrastructure projects often at the cost of local communities through the Investment Promotion Board.
“Environment will definitely be a big issue this elections. The destruction Goa is seeing through many such projects will far surpass what would have happened if RP-2011 were to be passed. The IPB has cleared more than 166 projects and the IPB Act bypasses all laws,” Fr Sequeira added.
If the Church in its official message ahead of the elections stresses on protection of the environment, it will be seen as a veiled targetting of the IPB and the government’s push towards projects infrastructure projects especially the Mopa airport and the superhighways announced by the government at the cost of fields and water bodies.
The CSJP had in October this year coinciding with the BRICS summit in Goa held a workshop to condemn the government’s push towards ‘development’ which they said was nothing but “corporatisation of tourism leading to impacts on livelihoods and community resources.
“That the plan favoured the corporate sector and favored practices wherein corporates would rake in the profits while workers and host communities would be exploited and pushed further to the margins,” the CSJP said.
That the bulk of IPB’s contentions projects like that of the Mini India Park, the Vanxim Island project, etc are tourism projects leads to the belief that the IPB could be undoing of Church support for the current government.
But several priests feel the Diocese should be more vocal on social issues.
“It is unfortunate that Church is not vocal about this. Many priests do not want to speak about this largely discouraged by the silence of the Paço Patriarcal (Bishop’s House). The Church makes no statement as the number of casinos increase and social issues are not given the attention they deserve,” another priest said.
