With the Regional and CRZ Plans for Goa going to be the eye of the storm in the coming Assembly session, now is the time for brave and genuine Goemkars to show their true identity and publicly proclaim their love for their state and home of their birth.
As our villages is where the majority of Goans live and where their heart is, it is now a historic moment in our history; we need to declare that the height of a house should be no higher than a coconut tree. Some countries have done so, and the question is, can we act as enlightened as them? Goemkarponn has to be more than a mantra which puts us into a state of sleepiness. It should wake us up and not the contrary, as is often the case with too much booze when we fall asleep, mentally. Our leaders, and especially the Goa Forward Party who swears by Goemkarponn will no doubt take the lead by taking us forward in the right direction. Big buildings are okay within the city limits, but never in heritage areas, anywhere in Goa. I'm sure the soldiers of Goan identity would rather die than betray Goan identity, values, and culture. Please don't prove me wrong. Otherwise, the people will have a feeling of betrayal and your future will be darker than a rainy monsoon night in July. Some politicians - meaning most - are full of themselves and in Goa presently a sad picture emerges of them as they cling desperately on to power even while in very poor health. Is power so intoxicating? I've never been interested in politics nor power, and have no idea at all. Henry Kissinger - a US Secretary of State - someone who should know, once said power is the greatest aphrodisiac! So, is this as good as it gets? No politician's head should be allowed to get bigger than a coconut nor higher than a coconut tree or otherwise he will get ill and suffer from mental and heart disease. His unhealthy heart will no longer beat for Goa and Goans and their welfare and, like Scrooge the miser, will not be able to enjoy anything more than counting his ill-gotten money all night. Maybe, not always money but fish. What are we going to do about this problem? A lot is going on in the media about the new IT start-ups most of which is positive although there is a part which is a mystery: Why are we starting up so late? Decades after Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune? It is embarrassing, as everyone is wondering about it. And, can we reverse the brain drain at this point? Let's wait and see, and wish this venture well. Let's think positive even if we fail. Why don't we do with fish, fruit and vegetables what we are doing in the IT sector? Encourage Goans to get into these industries in Goa by banning fish, fruit and vegetables from outside Goa. Fish and other perishables coming from outside Goa has to have preservatives to increase the shelf life. With regard to fish, other states which are not on the coasts maybe have to live with it; we do not as the sea is a part of our border, a long coastline which is inextricably a part of our lives. It is certain the outsiders have used formalin to preserve the fish (even within so-called limits.) It is, of course, internationally banned; when you buy the fish, you get more than you bargained for, you get cancer! We can be compassionate enough not to ask that the perpetrators go to jail which they should but in no way should fish from outside be allowed to be sold in Goa in future. If we do then we might as well be brain dead. Why give them another chance when what they have been doing is bad for the health of the people who live in Goa? Is our government listening? Fruit sellers are also using chemicals to ripen fruit and they should also have to pay the price. Stop the fruit from outside Goa from entering the state. We need to recognize the danger; the fruit sellers are as or more dangerous than Muthalitk. Government can ban immediately fish and fruit from outside the state and start encouraging famers and fishermen in these two sectors, as we are doing with IT. Add vegetables, and give a boost to agriculture. Give the FDA independent authority so they can defend themselves from the grubby fingers of politicians. The crux of the problem is this: the further the source of food from where it is eaten, the greater is the danger to health, as is obvious in the case of fish. A good profit demands the use of strong and deadly chemicals. Ban fish from Goa from entering the state as well as the export of Goan fish. The health of the people of Goa has to be the top priority. Not foreign exchange nor the support of people from outside the state at the cost of the health of Goans. Our Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who was Defense Minister resigned and returned to Goa as he missed his fish. He asks if Goans can live without fish? As Goa is a coastal state, what is the need to import fish from outside the state? Give jobs to Goans and allow them to make a decent livelihood. No need to buy fish from outside the state, fruit or vegetables. Now, isn't this all about Goan identity and Goemkarponn?
