WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk Margaret Mascarenhas
Who's sorry now So now we know. We know that the Goan electorate is a lot more politically savvy than the parties give them credit for. We know that Goans have once again delivered a fractured mandate, and left the Assembly hung out to dry. In the process; regional parties made a bit of a come-back and the national parties were taught a lesson. The Congress learned that most people are sick of the same robber barons, and that relying exclusively on the communal card to win votes is really stupid. The NCP learned that 1 out of 15 is a joke and that they had better come up with an election agenda that isn't complete gibberish. The BJP learned to pay as much attention to Fundamental Rights as to fundamentalists, not to count their chickens before they hatch, and that arrogance is not bliss. For some reason Dr Willy de Sousa, the NCP's one-man-show, continues to insist that his own version of politics does not constitute defection. Which has led me to the conclusion that the doctor could use an English lesson. The standard dictionary definition of defection is: desertion/abandonment of one's leader, or side, or cause. That is to say: it is the act of departing, not the destination, that is relevant. Whether one leaves to join another party or to form a new one, has nothing to do with the price of tea in China. Leaving, quite simply, constitutes defection, not to mention a betrayal of the electorate. I can't be positive, but I'd be willing to wager that under this definition, Dr Willy is the biggest defector on Planet Earth. Also: if he wants to be Speaker, it might be a good idea for him to learn the meanings of words. Incidentally, "winnability" is not a word. And, speaking of words, while the heat was on, veteran columnist Mario Cabral e Sa likened the antics of Goa's political hopefuls to a "naughty can-can", where the participants perform a zany dance, kick up their heels, and then turn around and expose their tushes (hey, guys, shake your bootie)-the most apt and hilarious campaign analysis I've read to date. I nearly fell on the floor laughing. Some analysts are of the opinion that the BJP emerged from the election fray with a slight majority based predominantly on the outstanding administrative performance and squeaky clean personal record of Manohar Parrikar during his unelected tenure as CM. (Just about everyone agrees that there was never any question of him losing in his own constituency.) The stats seem to show that the voting public is increasingly disillusioned with the Congress' refusal to divest itself of the taint of defection politics and widespread corruption, and that a considerable portion of the secular vote went to the BJP for this reason. (Personally, I think it is pathetic that out of one billion people, the Congress can't find a single Indian to serve as its national leader.) Other analysts have gone so far as to say that, had it not been for Gujarat and the rabid communal mumbo-jumbo emanating from the VHP, Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Vajpayee, the BJP would have won, at the very least, three more seats in Goa. Certainly, the BJP had it's act together on the campaign front -website, front page ads, brochures, rallies, and seemingly tireless footwork-which, by comparison, made most of the other parties seem lazy, confused and/or ridiculous. Anyway, Goa now has, for the first time, an elected BJP CM, and only time will tell whether he is up to the task of running Goa effectively and fair-mindedly. It would be nice if he would follow the 5-point plan of Nandkumar Kamat (Navind Times, June 3), but I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to contemplate nuclear war and have switched my focus to the three Fs: Fashion, Football, and Fish-Curry-Rice. Wendell Rodricks has apparently retired from a brief stint in politics and opened his new showroom at Altinho, followed by a fun-filled party at the Ozone Bar. Those of you with adequate cash flow will rush up and stake your claim to a designer original; those of you without, well.what the hell is that you're wearing? Goa Foundation has released the long-awaited revised fourth edition of Fish, Curry and Rice (at Hotel Nova Goa (hard and soft-cover, priced at Rs 750 and 500 respectively). Those who attended the launch, received an attractive one-time-only discount. All over Panjim, on June 1st, people were panicking and phoning each other because they didn't have TenSports. I myself was ready to pack my bags and move to the suburbs, which were already 'on the ball', so to speak. But the Panjim connection finally kicked in for the inaugural ceremony (the BOOM song failed to turn me on). The World Cup got off to an exciting start, with some unexpected results: Senegal beat France, the defending champions, 1 to 0, and Germany whipped Saudi Arabia's butt, 8 to 0. But I have eyes only for Brazil and Argentina. http://mmascgoa.tripod.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? 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