Voters today are entitled to know the educational qualifications of candidates. It is mandatory for every candidate to file an affidavit declaring also their wealth and criminal record, if any. Maybe its time to make a health fitness certificate also obligatory. Perusal of records of last few elections shows that the less educated the candidate is, the better are his chances of getting elected. MLAs are supposed to be drafting and debating good laws for the State. So some education is very essential for any MLA to be able to perform and articulate on various issues. Goa may be India’s third most literate state, but does our Legislative Assembly reflect that reality? We have been faltering in the quality of persons we have been electing. Ponda’s Ravi Naik in his affidavit on January 28 this year claimed he had a Masters Degree in Political Science from Madurai Kamraj University which he had obtained in November 2006. Could it have been in Tamil medium? While being sworn in as a Minister on March 28, the 75-year-old Ravi Naik took his oath in Hindi and fumbled all the way there too.
