DR. JOE D’SOUZA
Traditionally, Goans have been celebrating the festival of lights after a good harvest season, signifying the victory of good over evil, wherein peace, prosperity, joy and happiness is seen all around.
Sadly, for Goans, although there is economic gloom, decline in agricultural production, rampant exploitation, corruption and utter destruction of everything that is Goa and Goan, we see our society as unwary, oblivious, and unconcerned; hoping yet praying that a super power will come redeem us from all the trials and tribulations, all of which are interestingly our own creations.
Not only have we polluted our rivers and diseased our fishes and marine fauna but we have supplemented our depleted fisheries potentials by bringing or ushering in formalin-laced fish supply from other parts of India.
Successive governments have also worked to kill Goa and Goans, both softly and sweetly by drumming in the “Movement of Dependents”. As such, we in Goa have the casino dependents, prostitution dependents, drug and drink dependents and finally the formalin fish dependents.
The toxicity of industrial wastes, sewage releases by casinos and dust due to coal and hawling of sawdust and woodchips is not slowly killing primary productivity in agriculture and fisheries but now lately it has dawned upon us the that lifestyle diseases, cancer, enteric infections, respiratory ailments, kidney problems growing alarmingly in Goa are also of our own making.
Passing ordinances against the spirit of wholesome and sustainable living and livelihoods would spell disaster for Goa and Goans.
The honourable judges in the Supreme Court sitting in Delhi have fully understood the ugly destruction of our water bodies, rivers, agriculture forests and human health along with our ecosystem cum ecology but our 40 MLAs, whom we have elected to protect our health and wealth, are poisoning us towards a slow death. Do they realize that Mother Nature will not spare them either?
There are voices across Goa, seeking and appealing about the need to save Goa for Goans. All this because we have seen educated persons doing a complete U-turn and backing destructive activities such as coal imports, ushering in casinos by passing and recommending ordinances to promote destruction of our water bodies, agriculture and human health.
Goa today needs “a Goan”, to initiate a mass movement towards “self-preservation” and not those drumming up the “Save Goa” chicanery, over petty protests, marches or demonstrations.
It is too late to shout from the rooftops about a need for a “Goa Revolution”. The action for self-preservation from the lethal mafia, which today control the administration and the governance of Goa is now long overdue.
We must soon realize that parasitic attitudes cannot be subdued by appeals, journalism, social networking, morchas, demonstration. Can you tell a mosquito to stop sucking your blood? One has to kill the mosquito before the mosquito sweetly and softly kills you, be it through malaria, dengue, etc. This is self-preservation by instinct.
It is heartening that the Goa government has stopped import of fish from other states. This action was long overdue as imported fish is laced with preservatives and disinfectants to retain freshness over long distance transport and travel.
Refrigerated transport is not done in India. In European countries and the USA, long distance as well as short distance transport of perishable foods is done in designated refrigerated containers with temperature maintained at -10°C or lower. There is an enzymatic indicator tagged to the frozen foods, showing clearly if the temperature rises even by 1°C.
In Goa, milk, fruits juices and perishables are transported in ordinary vans for delivery and the consumers are exposed to contamination and diseases due to microbial and toxin activation.
No doubt not only tourists but we locals are forced to consume toxin from our everyday food consumption. No wonder Goans today are exposed to cancer, heart and kidney ailments and all life style diseases due to our association with contaminants all around us. Whilst banning imports of contaminated foods from other states we must be careful to ensure that smuggled goods do not find entry into Goa and victimize our unwary consumers.
We must realize that more people die in Gujarat of spurious alcohol due to ban on sale of alcohol imposed by the Gujarat government. We must ensure that a smugglers mafia in food and fish don’t take over our consumer trade and kill us. The menace of adulteration has infected locals too and I am aware of local traders too using formalin and toxic food colours.
On the brighter side, we have groups like Goencho Awaz, Goan Revolutionary warriors with a realization that we Goans are to be saved from the political and economic mafia controlling the governance of Goa. Their diagnosis for the Goan ailment is spot on but their awaz, prescription or the handling of revolution is wayward, symbolic, undirected, and out of focus incapable of eliminating the parasite.
We need to do much more. The electoral battles, the legal imbroglio of democracy have been abused or misused by defections, party hoping, bench fixing and the electoral bribing.
We have to learn from history. Jesus Christ had to die on the cross to give birth to Christianity and seek justice for the oppressed.
Goa badly requires a “Saviour” and a lone revolutionary capable of saving Goans from the imminent destruction we all are facing.
