THE GOVERNMENT of India’s fresh advisory to the electronic media to exercise caution while covering incidents of terror attacks must serve, I think, the Government of Goa to appeal to our newspapers not to afford wide publicity to the loud statements of some of the ministers in the cabinet, especially known for lack or limited standard of education, yet very vocal to deceive their gullible followers and voters with promises and more promises of development in their constituencies, or action on their grievances shortly or soon when the actual meaning of this period is NEVER. Such brash noisy pronouncements mostly found on front pages in the newspapers are irritable, annoying to the educated readers and even suspicious. With my high regard for the present day journalism in Goa such charges are painful to me. But realising the present mood in the state and erosion in the character of the people in general, it seems anything is possible.

Lambert Mascarenhas,
Dona Paula.

WARPED PRIORITIES

OUR government does not seem to get its agenda or priorities right. The Goa’s state exchequer, already on the verge of bankruptcy, was further bled by a crore of rupees spent on the recently held, state organised, carnival celebrations. There is no money for the much needed infrastructure development projects but around a whopping Rs.30 lakh a month is splurged on 434 policemen providing security cover for our politicians, their kin and property.

It’s time our politicians start thinking of Goa. For a start, we can manage this state with 20 MLAs and just four ministers. The wasteful expenditure on unnecessary Zilla Parishad members can be done away with. More powers should instead be vested with the village panchayats while making them more accountable.

There seems to be no solution in sight to the mounting garbage problem and the galloping corruption. Every issue this government addresses seems to always result in two or more new problems. Will Goa ever cruise along? Or will Goa continue to be grounded like the River Princess?

Aires Rodrigues
Ribandar.

REPUGNANT SUGGESTION

AS I was browsing through the newspapers on the net on Women’s day, one of the articles that attracted my attention in particular was a statement made by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan that "due regard must be given to the wishes of a rape victim; if she wants to marry the rapist or give birth to a child conceived following the crime." I am in no way as qualified as the CJI, nor do I understand anything major about the law process, but as a concerned citizen of India, I am much perturbed by this statement.

As far as I am concerned, a rape is a rape, no matter what terms or adjectives are used. The decision of the victim to marry the perpetrator may be entirely personal or because of the circumstances created by the perpetrator, and should not have any influence on the process of justice. In the case of the victim wanting to marry the perpetrator, the wheels of justice should not deviate, but hold on to the path of righteousness and the perpetrator punished, if found guilty or else we’ll have women being singled out and randomly raped and then married as per convenience. This will only encourage rape and accordingly the situation will not be ameliorated in any way but rather exacerbated in more ways than one.

I do not know in what other context the CJI, could have made that statement but as a layman, I know that even in a marriage, forced sex is a rape, so the perpetrator marrying his victim, is surely no alternative for consideration. Given the history of rapes to the rate of convictions, which is very much abysmal in India, our authorities should be working towards giving justice to the brave women, who despite the taboo of being raped, on their lives, have made efforts to fight for justice, so that the perpetrators may be punished and other women may live in dignity.

Our Indian women surely deserve a lot better than what was offered by the CJI.

Freddy Fernandes,
UAE.