COMPILED BY MELBA MERGULHAO-CARVALHO ANTAO

On Statehood Day we attained maturity and adulthood and became the 25th state of the Indian Union. But do the citizens and the government appreciate the value of statehood even after 22 years?

GOA IS a small emerald piece of land on the west coast of India situated between the borders of Maharashtra and Karnataka and was under Portuguese colonial rule for over 450 years and was liberated in 1961 by our freedom fighters. After much deliberation with the Centre at Delhi, Goa attained statehood on May 30, 1987 after being a union territory for 26 years. However, Goans feel that the citizens and the government do not appreciate the value of statehood even after 22 years. Someone opines, “Before statehood 30 rogues ruled Goa with limited power and post statehood 40 rogues rule with unlimited power!”

Just a quarter of a century ago, Goa was a land of honest, hardworking and happy folk. What’s its reputation now? Today we’ve converted Goa into a land of crime and corruption. Can the government and its people blame anyone else other than themselves? N. Shivdas, states that the ruling class ‘threw our statehood aspirations into the dustbin and worked for self interests!” Featured here are opinions of thinking, yet disheartened citizens.

BLAISE COSTABIR, MD & President, Verna Industries Association - Personally, I think with or without statehood our politicians would have found ways to plunder Goa’s wealth and make it their own. Overriding the chief secretary or bureaucrats is a past-time of almost all politicians. However, there have been bureaucrats who distinguished themselves, eg: Kiran Dhingra and these make their tribe proud. However, we have many bureaucrats who crawl when simply asked to bend. But, as the saying goes, it takes two hands to clap.

However, measures like RTI help strengthen the bureaucrat’s hands - if he wants strength that is. The new MSME Act, with its payment clause, will force the bureaucracy to ensure timely payments to small or medium establishments without waiting for “nods or chits” from their political masters.

As far as revenue generation is concerned post Statehood, we as manufacturers know that there is a huge leak as the revenue agencies turn a blind eye to those who sell without paying taxes. In the water tank segment - where we are concerned - except for the Sales Tax Department, everyone else knows that many brands are sold without paying VAT. The Department’s view is: dealers do pay tax so what if some portion is without tax!

This can be multiplied across the board for a number of items; just go to a shop and you will be told if you want a bill it will cost you 12.5% extra. This malpractice cannot be possible without official sanction. Hence, if the government is serious about revenue generation it must focus on these leaks, if it has the will that is!

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DIANA Pinto, a thinking Goan, Margao - Looking back on the two decades or so of Goa’s statehood, one can sincerely empathise with the Goans’ anger and frustration at the conditions prevailing in the state today. Walk into any government office for a simple, but vital certificate and you will experience the rude, arrogant and loutish behaviour of those whose salaries are paid for by us. Quite often they will not even bother to disguise their rapacity as they make uncalled for demands a precondition of doing the work they are paid to perform. In the end, they succeed in stripping you of your dignity and your faith in human nature.

It is an unfortunate but indisputable fact that Goa today has evolved into a state characterised by absence of the rule of law and accountability in those holding responsible positions. Destruction of the environment, projects imposed without any relevance to the profile and needs of the community and an elite club that collaborates smoothly to manipulate rules and laws to suit their vested interests. This is Goa today. And for this, it is the much maligned politician that everyone loves to hate. But perhaps we should consider that these leaders are being elected and re-elected by us and are thrown up from our very own families. Like it or not, they epitomise and are an aggregate of the underlying characteristics of our community. Like most of the people of Goa, they are least interested in the collective welfare of the community but live to propagate the interests of themselves, their families and their followers.

Democracy does not promise free lunches. It demands active and vigorous participation from the people. Quite often, it calls for much sacrifice to protect what we treasure and value. But then, perhaps a land peopled by citizens bereft of vision, character and backbone who have put a price on everything but understand the value of nothing, needed to be a Union territory, ruled from faraway Delhi.

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N. SHIVDAS, president, Konkani Akademi, Panjim - Thousands of Goans fought for Goa’s statehood because we wanted all-round development in every sphere of Goan society. Unfortunately, due to our political leadership, who did not have any foresight, in terms of progress, culture, identity of Goa, etc, they dumped our statehood aspirations into the dustbin; instead only concentrated on their personal interests. Politics has become a big business because only monied people are drawn into politics and voters do not look at their character and education. So the people who are branded as antisocial elements have been elected and are on centre stage in charge of Goa while our dreams of the benefits of statehood have been sidelined.
But there is a ray of hope over the horizon - as our new generation of educated people from the masses will soon change things and will not allow you to fool everyone all the time.

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DR. Nandkumar M. Kamat, GU professor & columnist - The current crisis of self confidence is not unusual in a post colonial state. I consider it as a normal transient phase. With a strategic course correction, Goa can truly achieve all the benefits of statehood for its people. Statehood was not a favour done by the

Centre - it was an acknowledgement of the historic reality, Goa’s image, reputation, place and merit. Direct rule from centre is today an outdated concept - more so after the 73rd and 74th amendments based on principles of democratic decentralisation. Union territories are not economically viable because the Centre has to subsidise their development heavily.

Statehood is an expression of minimal structural and functional autonomy which people aspire to have. I am a staunch supporter of decentralized governance. All the states in India should have maximum possible autonomy. Statehood for Goa was a historical necessity. Its success is acknowledged by planning and financial commissions of India and proven in the all the economic surveys. Many large states are financially bankrupt today despite political stability and massive central assistance. Is their political class better and more mature than Goa’s? Goa could get an independent legislature with more powers, a bench of the Mumbai high court and could boost its economic growth by several folds in post statehood years as compared to the economic stagnation during 1963-87.

Goa’s social security and welfare schemes are unmatched in India. Higher growth also causes developmental and social entropy. Goa is facing it. The solutions lie in good micro planning, promotion of new ideas of good governance and systematic grooming of new focused social and political leadership. Certain administrative restructuring steps are still pending. Goa needs a third district and devolution of constitutional powers to elected local authorities. Even the politicians and legislators have not understood the full power and potential of statehood. If and when they do, Goa will have much better days ahead.

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DR. U. G. Barad, pharmaceutical technologist, Margao - Many Goans lost their lives struggling to liberate Goa which they succeeded on December 19, 1961 with Goa becoming a Union Territory of India and many Goans and non-Goans were declared freedom fighters getting monthly remuneration. Thereafter, most Goan thinkers thought that if Goa was to progress then Goa must enjoy status of state hood.

But alas it proved the other way around! Forty thieves literarily grabbed Goa as if it was their ancestral property with the average Goans converted to mere spectators!

Instead of Goa seeing good days after it got its rightful “State” status, we only see destructions all around Goa. So, Goa did not gain anything after statehood, but total destruction all around with no administrative controls. I feel Goa would have been better off as a union territory rather than a state. In fact, it would have been even better if Goa was under the Portuguese regime! Sorry to say this, but circumstances demand me to say so.

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PUNDALIK Naik, writer and Konkani mogi, Ponda - WE as citizens are very proud of our statehood! We obtained recognition of Konkani as our official language on February 4, 1987 while statehood followed on May 30 of the same year. On the same criteria we obtained the inclusion of Konkani language in the Eighth Schedule in 1992. These are landmarks in the life of any state and nation and moments of jubilation.

Sadly, our Home Ministry and Police Department is very lethargic - or Mahanand would not get away with murder after murder - this is just one case in point. As citizens we must have social awareness without being self-centred and should not expect the government to do everything for us. Let us be very alert against the wrongdoings of our rulers by being vigilant on matters of our environment, Regional Plans, etc., so that Goa is safe from marauders.