From: b sabha <bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com>
http://www.targetgoa.com/goabuzzdet.php?bzid=7369&&id=3 03, Feb 2016 The most clear and exhaustive explanation of why Goa need Special Status to be included in Article 371 (i) of the Constitution of India, comes from Mathany Saldanha's neice Malisa Simoes. She took the time and the trouble to engage with BJP supporters on social media, who are determined to dismiss the Special Status movement as a Christian Church directed movement. This, even though most of the core committee of the Goa's Movement for Special Status are devout Hindus. And that in the run-up to both the state elections and the national elections, these same supporters were gung-ho about Special Status for Goa. The point of view of the governments at state and centre levels can be gauged by the weight of their supporters' arguments. There are many people - Goans and non-Goans - who are still not aware of what we are demanding when we demand Special Status. We ask that it should be added to Article 371 (i) for Goa, which merely allows Goa to have 40 MLAs. We ask that we be given the same protection of our culture and land, just as the same small states that are included in Article 371 like Nagaland and Mizoram and Sikkim. We are not asking for Special Status in terms of a financial package. We are asking for Special Status with in terms of protecting the Goan identity. It does not affect the national exchequer. It only affects the land sharks and their clients who would just love to have a villa in Goa which is used to party in or chill at after the rigors of making more disposable cash in their cities of origin. It was the land sharks that convinced the BJP Government to remove protection to the coconut tree. It was the land sharks who are determined to replace the stately coconut trees with hybrid short Kerala coconut palms, which don't need a padekar to climb dizzy heights, but can be plucked by hand. It is ridiculous ideas like these, for short term profits that are changing the face of the Goa that is loved not just by Goans but by visitors who flock here for the peace and tranquility of swaying palms and sandy beaches. Uncontrolled construction along the beach belt which complete disregard to coastal regulation zone rules is turning a number of beaches into rocks. The sand is being washed away. MLAs often smirk and say, but it is Goans themselves who are selling off their land, what can Government do about that? Government should set up a 20 year Regional Plan for land use, with clear zoning for NDZ, CRZ, agricultural, orchard, forest and settlement, after which no land conversions should take place for 20 years. If you would like to know the arguments for Special Status for Goa, here are some: * Special Status is a way of making sure that Goans do not die in their own home town due to the shattering economic (buying capacity) changes that Goa is facing right now. When there is an influx of black money that comes into the market from Delhi etc. there is a disconnect with the earning capacity of a local as opposed to those pumping in money for the purpose of purchasing land or property at exorbitant prices. * If we receive Special Status we may help our modestly earning hard working brethren and sisteren (which are 90% of the locals, including me) not getting pushed to the outskirts of Goa. Answer to the claim of Special Status being anti-national: * A lot of the so-called 'nationalist' speak about Special Status being anti-national, well, ask any of these so-called nationalists, whether they can even dream of buying a two-bedroom apartment in any of the cities. * Special Status is a way of the locals getting a share in their cities and villages. * Special Status is the answer to every cry of our youth not to be pushed to the periphery. * Special Status is the answer to the hurting land not to be further destructed. * Special Status is the answer for sustenance. Answer to Goans are against non-Goans: * Nobody is against non locals, we are against the disconnect that they create in terms of economics. Goa is becoming a land for the UBER RICH, and yet nobody has a problem with the UBER RICH until they mess up economics of a sustainable society. * Save Goa to save India, or else you are looking at another Monte Carlo, Phi Phi Islands, Bali, The Galapagos Islands, Cozumel - Mexico etc. [https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpt1/t31.0-8/12658004_10207167244597347_7043579362428683670_o.jpg] This is how Monte Carlo looks and if Goa does not stop this rampant haphazard unsustainable destruction of land and economics by the UBER rich who are in cahoots with most politicians and the damming church, we are definitely heading the Monte Carlo way. Answer to this is unconstitutional: * There are two terms ‘Special Status’ and ‘Special Category Status’ which is granted by the Constitution of India without trampling into anyone's fundamental right. The difference between them is that Special Status is guaranteed by the Constitution of India through an Act passed by a two-third majority in both houses of the Parliament, as in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, whereas Special Category Status is granted by the National Development Council, an administrative body of the government. * While Special Status empowers legislative and political rights, Special Category Status deals only with economic, administrative and financial aspects. * At present there are 11 States that enjoy Special Status and Special Category Status: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand. * We are asking for a combination of special status and special category status under article 370 and 371 of the Indian Constitution, and it is possible if our national leaders understand the issue of Goa and our local leaders represent the problem correctly. * Our leaders do not know what they are fighting for, lack of knowledge is the reason we are losing this fight. * The Parliament must amend article 370 and article 371 in order to grant Goa special status. The answer to why now, why the urgency? * The rest of India must understand that our land, identity and culture will cease to exist due to rampant and brazen migration and loot of our land and its people (Goans and other Indians are involved in the loot, we are no saints). * We do not mean to state that we are against migration. But a piece of land can handle only that much of migration, beyond a certain capacity, it become exploitation and that is pure common sense. * India is a diverse country and every indigenous group that is close to extinction must be protected. Out of the 14.59 Lakh as per census 2011, we have 6-7 lakhs Goan local population in Goa today, we are already in the minority. Give it another 25-50 years and we will become like any exploited indigenous group in the world. * We are not a metropolitan entity and do not deserve this treatment. * We are a peace loving, unique cultural, tourism booming state. * We don't only have the rest of India exploiting us and our land as of today (and we let them), but also have Russians and Nigerians doing the same. * India must protect one of its 635 indigenous groups from dying. As of now Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand are protected due to its special provisions. Our dwindling population and land deserves the same respect. The answer to what about development: * Let there be sustainable development. We have gone about brazen and haphazard destruction of nature, and that is something that we are against. We are not against growth but unsustainable growth The answer to the unfairness of preventing non-Goans from buying land in Goa: * Do we cry when we cannot buy property in Uttrakhand or Sikkim or Mizzo etc? * Do we call 12 states in India anti national because we cant buy land in their states? No, we don't. * We don't because we understand that these states are tiny and need protection with respect to language, culture, limited resources etc. The principle of justice in its true sense was applied. One rule cant be applicable to every state and you must understand that. * When 3 lakh people from Delhi, Karnataka or Maharashtra come into Goa it heavily burdens the land and its resources. You dont have 3 lakh Goans or Mizo or Uttrakandis migrating to another state. * People from a small place will not change the demography of a place when they migrate; people migrating from a larger place to a smaller place do. * The concept of justice is based on numerous fields, and many differing viewpoints and perspectives including the concepts of moral correctness based on law, equity, ethics, rationality, religion and fairness. * Take all of these factors into consideration and then tell me if it is still unjust to seek for SS. And here is cartoonist's Angela Ferrao's post on social media: If everyone in India 'dreams' of settling in Goa, a former 'colony' of the Portuguese, it says something about the rest of India. But hey let your greed for Goan land and appropriating a Goan identity destroy what you claim to love. Your effing love is killing us. [http://5international.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/unnamgged1.jpg] GOA WON'T FORGIVE US - First the beaches went, then the hills, then the paddy fields, then the islands, now the coconut tree falls victim to construction all over Goa. Our politicians won't stop until every vestige of Goa that is different from the rest of India is removed permanently.
