Anand Virginkar wrote 1 ) Manohar Parrikar ( along with Matanhy Saldanha , Bab Floriano Lobo , Soter D'Souza and others were the first to raise their voices against SEZ's in a big way ).The others like SVM and GBA only followed after a significant time lag ( in spite of the fact that their leaders had the huge land scam in front of their noses as part of the RP2021 committee )....... The questions which are truely mystifying me are : A ) Why are the activists and leaders of the SVM and GBA ( and the local media ) falling head over heels in praising Digamber Kamat and his goverment to the high heavens for the scrap of ( possible ) good they did in merely making a grand statement that the SEZ's ( which were dumped on Goa by the Congress goverment in the first place ) were being cancelled ? B ) Even more puzzling , why are the activists and leaders of the SVM and GBA ( and the local media ) scraping the barrel to find anything and everything they can find ( including baseless allegations ) to castigate Manohar Parrikar , the GMAS and the YFG ( when the political opposition to the Congress government have had no say in the approval of the SEZ's and cannot stop the cancellation of SEZ's even if they wished to ) ??
RESPONSE: Sorry, Anand-bab, you are carrying this BLAME it on SVM & GBA game too far. You allege that GBA & SVM reacted only after GMAS did. Fr. Maverick, Soter, Albertina and yours truly have created awareness about SEZS in public meetings BEFORE the 2007 ELECTIONS! (All of us were actively part of the GBA and are yet to dissociate with GBA.) Then all the major politicians were singing the ONLY TWO SEZs tune. Why do you deny facts, Anand-bab! Let's go further back to 6 December 2006, when SEZ WATCH was formed Since then, others and I made presentations on SEZs before more than 50 groups. since we didn't issue press notes, we have no evidence to prove to you. But you see on ground, the people know who are paper tigers and who are the real activists. the ordinary Goans who did the extraordinary work include Frank Monteiro, Edwin & Diana Pinto, Charles Fernandes, Allan Faleiro, and so many more who collected documents through RTI and filed a criminal complain against the fraud of the GIDC. Your favoured politician is yet to file his FIR. BUT you want to disregard and discredit all of us instead. Peter Gama, Lawrence, fr Erimito, Br Orville, Videsh Jhalmi, Ramkrishna Jhalmi, Dilesh, Swati, Pratiksha and others are not just names. they are fearless, committed soldiers who have no inclination to be caught on camera or in print. They only want to save their motherland. By the way get the facts right, the CSJP and Fr Maverick were the first off the block in the campaign against SEZ way back in 2005. What time lag are you talking about? It is stupid to presume that since the BJP is part of GMAS then the SVM must be backed by Congress. Well the SVM has always targetted the Congress and its politicians, but it is pertinent to note that Buyao (of the BJP) did not utter Alex Sequiera's name at the YFG rally at Verna on 20 december. Instead he attacked Oscar & Miguel and refused to name the third person lest he be called a communalist. Imagine! he names two Catholic surnames but avoids the third? Why did BJP's Buyao attack GBA instead of Raheja's and Alex? Didn't you wonder why? I have full faith in the sincerity and integrity of Soter, Floriano Lobo, Dhumo, Shashi Kamat, Rajan Parrikar, and so many others who are with GMAS. I visited their hunger strike as well as their public meeting. I was the one who objected to YFG misusing MY name while at the same time abusing the GBA and playing dirty with Nigel & Aaron who did the initial work. I was the one who protested, Miguel only carried it forward. But on the net and on the public platform, Buyao and others don't attack me, they only attack Miguel. don't you wonder WHY? What anand do you get by blaming everything on GBA & SVM Have your anand in giving credit to your favoured politician, even if it is not due. but, refrain from tarnishing the names of those who entered the gates of the SEZs in Keri and Verna and stopped the work without hurling a stone. NO POLITICIAN came anywhere near the site during the entire non-violent stoppage of the SEZs that went on through the day. Anand-bab, we need to attack and expose the politician-bureacrat-developer-broker nexus. and not the ones fighting this dangerous combine. Hope we can move our discussions to greater priorities There is a Goa out there out of the view of our information. where illegalities flourish under the patronage of the very establishment that is supposed to uphold the law. in anguish Pravin Forgot the famous last words? Access your message archive online at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php