*The Third Man* Tue Apr 21 13:43:41 PDT 2009
I believe that Joao's post makes reasonable reading. There is (in myopinion) no difference between the Congress and the BJP except thatone is more corrupt, the other more prone to communalism. (I do notneed to repeat the VideoCD and Vandalism incidents as examples)One continues to destroy Goa's land, the other, Goa's (former)communal harmony. Apart from that, nothing else separates the parties.Many of the individuals who support the party in power are the samecorrupt ones who brought down the preceding government (or votedagainst it). With regard to Matanhy, he is indeed a better candidate than manyothers, and on that basis alone, he deserves to be voted in. However,let's not get too carried away. A few questions remain:(a) Would the BJP have been able to be in power in Goa withoutMatanhy's support? (inside/outside whatever)(b) What did he (not) say about the VideoCD ?(c) What did he (not) say when my Velim MLA was physically removedfrom the House ?(d) What did he (not) say about the above MLA's forged signature situation?So please, do NOT canonise Matanhy yet. Joao agrees: Mathany should be asked to answer the questions you have raised here. He has a right to his explanation. We, however, both agree that he is the better candidate! The struggle to canonise PadreJose Vas will become even more difficult. Goans will be thought of ashaving limited sense. Joao comments: When it comes to voting for politicians, the principle is simple: choose the least evil among them! But are priests and politicians all that different ...? They are both engaged in the business of hope. The politicians exploits our hope for a better tomorrow in this world and the priests our fear of death and greed for eternal life after death. When an election is over, we can take the politician to task for not doing what s/he promised to do before the elections. But, the priest? I'm reminded of a scene from a Japanese movie. The dialogue in English would go something like this ... Undertaker: We agreed on ten lakhs for the funeral expenses. But, this is only two! Gangster: How do I know my friend is in heaven? You should be grateful, I'm giving you this much! Yes, YOU decide who is the lesser evil! - Show quoted text -