From Kuwait I salute Goa Church for campaigning so vociferously daily during the Masses almost in all the Churches, Old Goa Bom Jesus Basilica and the adjoining Churches deserve highest compliments for impressing upon the faithfuls to elect the good candidates and not the same old corrupt faces. This message of Goa Church finally gone into the heads of Goan Catholics who elected the right candidates by defeating some of the corrupt hevyweights of Congress who were acting like Emperor Neros. That the message of the Church reached correctly to the Catholics in Goa was proved by the defeat of the Congress heavyweights in predominantly Catholic constituencies, namely Calangute, Navelim, Velim, Aldona, Cortalim and many other constituencies.
Even though the BJP is dubbed as anti-Christian yet voting against corrupt candidates was preferred by the Christians. And voting against corrupt Congress candidates was the need of the hour to save Goa from further disaster. This was what exactly Goan voters did by reducing the margin of Congress to just a pitiable 9 Seats compared to the previous 16. Congrees must eat a humble pie now, its topmost stalwarts including Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukerji, Sheila Dikxit all from Delhi by coming to Goa produced no positive result for the Congress in Goa.
Congress is hated in Goa from the time of ouster of Portuguese from Goa, for this reason even during Nehru's time Goans kicked out Congress. That Goans later on embraced Congress was not because of the love of Congress but due to the necessity. Current Congress in Goa is the group of prostitutes and defectors, they are not faithful to Congress principle and on the other side Congress Party is the party of corrupt people for this reason it got kicked not only in Goa but also elesewher.
Never in the past in Goa our Church was so vocal in advising the faithfuls not to vote for the same corrupt old faces. In my village Candolim during the Mass priests were advising regularly the faithfuls not to elect the same old corrupt faces and this was one reason for the people to vote against Agnelo Fernades - two time MLA from Calangute constituency.
Our Church acted exactly the way the Church of Philippines acted a quarter of a century back to defeat the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos there.
The major credit for the defeat of Congress in this election should go to Goa Church and Its priests who vehemently defended some decency and morality in electing the candidates.
Other than the Church, the youth of Goa also played a very constructive role in defeating some of the most corrupt candidates. So also the Press in Goa mainly the Herald with its magnificent and bold editorials to liquidate the corrupt candidates.
Finally witih all my humility, I also played my role however small it may be thru my writings in goa.kranti on the need of destroying the "DADAS" of Goan corrupt politics.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
March 6, 2012
GOANS HAVE VOTED FOR A CHANGE.
Goans Have Voted For A Change
I will win from any constituency in Goa was the pompous avowal of Churchill Alemao not too long ago, as though Goa was his footstool and Goans were his slaves. Arrogance certainly has no place in society and South Goans have shown their displeasure for the high and might Alemao family raj. The two senior Alemaos were veteran senior politicians who wielded much muscle and money power to have their way at will, in Goan politics for a long time, with them around the CM’s chair was never secure, it always rocked violently. The two junior Alemaos who were thrust in to the quagmire of Goan politics, projected as dynamic social workers whose dynamism was dynamically lost in the eyes of Goans and now become mere devastated mortals.
South Goans have spoken and the verdict is there for everyone to see, the message is loud and clear, we just cannot be taken for granted. In the most recent past Oscar Fernandes and his contemporaries where flaunting the winnability and family raj formula from roof tops, now truth has prevailed and hype has disintegrated into an unhealthy organic residue.
Congress has had its worse ever defeat since it set foot in Goa and it is certainly the high handedness of its political leaders both in Goa and Delhi that is responsible for this debacle. It is said that “you could even fool some people all the time but not all the people all the time”. The arrogance of the Congress has indeed caught up with them. There are just a few Congress survivors in South Goa, which was a Congress bastion for a number of decades.
The Alemaos have been trashed 4-0 and it could well have been 11-0 if there were that many in the fray. The ruble of the Alemao domain does not point to the end of family raj in Goa, as there some remnants still going strong and some still hanging around. Yes it can be termed as the end of the Alemaos but not the end of family raj. The Madkaikars, the Dhavikars, the Monserrates and the Ranes are still tangent reminders that the family raj is still up and kicking in Goa.
There is no doubt that Goans have voted for a change and as expected by most, though not fully welcome by some, the BJP is all set to form the next government in Goa, my congratulations and best wishes to Parrikar and the BJP for winning the Goa Assembly election. We, as humans must learn from our own mistakes as well as those of the others. I sure hope Parrikar and Co. will not venture or transgress into the same old dangerous unhealthy territory that they had ventured into the last time round, nor the one that the Congress took liberty to venture into.
Goans have given a mandate, it may be pro BJP or it may be anti Congress but mandate none the less and I sure hope Goa and Goans will not have to go through the same appalling ignominy as the one we have just passed through. My message to Parrikar is, from hereon Goa is yours to loose and do not serve it to the Congress on a platter, like they did. Prove that you are worthy of the faith that Goans have put in you because by the next election Churchill could well be a double graduate and Babush Monserrate a Phd.
Freddy Agnelo Fernandes.
March 5, 2012
OUR RESPONSIBILITY DOES NOT END WITH VOTING.
Our Responsibility Does Not End With Voting.
The hectic activity of the last two months has all of a sudden ceased. Banners, placards, leaflets and booklets waving maniacs have withdrawn. No more men and women displaying, artificial anxiety of our wellbeing and simplicity of mind and heart, with folded hands standing at our doorstep. No more fake personalities promising us the moon, no, not at least for the next five years. Peace and calm at last or should I say good riddance to the bad rubbish that was floating in abundance ?
The results of the election may be declared in a day’s time but it the response of the electorate that has taken everyone by surprise, more than 80% cast their votes, history has been created, not even the historic Opinion Poll gathered such momentum. We can only guess the reason behind this massive human movement towards the Polling Booths. Goans have moved, the people of Goa have given their verdict and waiting for the judgment.
Everyone is trying to analyze the effect of the massive momentum, while members of each party though overtly concerned, they just say with little conviction that the massive turnout was for their benefit. What has actually happened, we will only know on the 6th March. As I analyze it there could be only two factors for the massive participation. First, everyone would like to believe that this tsunami was indeed clamoring for a change. As Goans in Goa and across the globe, had been lamenting about the unprecedented tide of corruption and nepotism, that’s been flowing throughout the entire length and breadth of Goa which has hampered the constructive development of Goa but has led to the degradation of our environment and our ecology. Second, it could also be a movement where the parents and students have spoken about the freedom that they should have in choosing the medium of instruction. We would be fools if we did not take this factor into account, even though it is not as important as the first.
Does our duty end having cast our vote in great numbers ? Does our responsibility end with the casting of our valuable votes ? Will the judgment of our votes, end our interest in the welfare of Goa ? No my dear Goans, this is not the end of our fight, it is just the beginning. For far too long we have sat in our armchairs in the comforts of our front porches after casting our vote, thinking it’s all done with and it is now the moral responsibility of the elected representatives to do the needful. There is no doubt, that it is their responsibility but does our responsibility end there or do we have to make sure that those elected, do what they are suppose to do, rather than do whatsoever they please ?
Casting of the votes ends nothing. Like us Christians, we go to Church, listen to the word of God and receive the Lord with reverence, but does Christianity end there ? The Bible tells us that we have to live what we acquired in Church. So too after casting our vote we have to make sure that it was not in vain. We have to constantly be vigilant about what our elected representatives are up to and if and when they waver from their promises and their mission, we should be there to point out to them in no uncertain terms because it is our future and the future of our children that will depend on what they do and what they fail to do.
Irrespective of the outcome of the election results and the judgment that will be delivered on the 6th March, we will have to continue our fight for the betterment of Goa and Goans with vigor and determination. For the next five years let us make sure that our elected representatives fulfill their pre election promises and hold them responsible and accountable for what they do and don’t do.
Freddy Agnelo Fernandes.
The hectic activity of the last two months has all of a sudden ceased. Banners, placards, leaflets and booklets waving maniacs have withdrawn. No more men and women displaying, artificial anxiety of our wellbeing and simplicity of mind and heart, with folded hands standing at our doorstep. No more fake personalities promising us the moon, no, not at least for the next five years. Peace and calm at last or should I say good riddance to the bad rubbish that was floating in abundance ?
The results of the election may be declared in a day’s time but it the response of the electorate that has taken everyone by surprise, more than 80% cast their votes, history has been created, not even the historic Opinion Poll gathered such momentum. We can only guess the reason behind this massive human movement towards the Polling Booths. Goans have moved, the people of Goa have given their verdict and waiting for the judgment.
Everyone is trying to analyze the effect of the massive momentum, while members of each party though overtly concerned, they just say with little conviction that the massive turnout was for their benefit. What has actually happened, we will only know on the 6th March. As I analyze it there could be only two factors for the massive participation. First, everyone would like to believe that this tsunami was indeed clamoring for a change. As Goans in Goa and across the globe, had been lamenting about the unprecedented tide of corruption and nepotism, that’s been flowing throughout the entire length and breadth of Goa which has hampered the constructive development of Goa but has led to the degradation of our environment and our ecology. Second, it could also be a movement where the parents and students have spoken about the freedom that they should have in choosing the medium of instruction. We would be fools if we did not take this factor into account, even though it is not as important as the first.
Does our duty end having cast our vote in great numbers ? Does our responsibility end with the casting of our valuable votes ? Will the judgment of our votes, end our interest in the welfare of Goa ? No my dear Goans, this is not the end of our fight, it is just the beginning. For far too long we have sat in our armchairs in the comforts of our front porches after casting our vote, thinking it’s all done with and it is now the moral responsibility of the elected representatives to do the needful. There is no doubt, that it is their responsibility but does our responsibility end there or do we have to make sure that those elected, do what they are suppose to do, rather than do whatsoever they please ?
Casting of the votes ends nothing. Like us Christians, we go to Church, listen to the word of God and receive the Lord with reverence, but does Christianity end there ? The Bible tells us that we have to live what we acquired in Church. So too after casting our vote we have to make sure that it was not in vain. We have to constantly be vigilant about what our elected representatives are up to and if and when they waver from their promises and their mission, we should be there to point out to them in no uncertain terms because it is our future and the future of our children that will depend on what they do and what they fail to do.
Irrespective of the outcome of the election results and the judgment that will be delivered on the 6th March, we will have to continue our fight for the betterment of Goa and Goans with vigor and determination. For the next five years let us make sure that our elected representatives fulfill their pre election promises and hold them responsible and accountable for what they do and don’t do.
Freddy Agnelo Fernandes.
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