Once again Soter, Rajan and their group have been accused of slander by a celebrity architect. An editorial in one of the local corporate mouthpieces mentions campaigner disunity. Why is Soter attacking the poor architect (before this it was the poor doctor) has been the question asked to Soter's friends but not to Soter. Some others express fear that such exposures will embolden the corrupt political establishment and must not be done in larger interest. Whose interest we do not know?
Goa is a small place and if one is observant then double standards in activism gets noticed very easily. Whether these are mere contradictions or betrayals is left for the people of Goa to decide. In some cases it is not less than an irreversible sell out. Activists sometimes have no inhibitions in receiving awards instituted by agencies with controversial or dubious reputation. To err is human but what about these double standards which get marketed as normal and beneficial to the community? These contradictions are something like one consuming poison and also telling others to keep away from the poison. It is a contradiction where corruption by politicians is condemned by professionals but corruption in their own professional dealings gets marketed as entrepreneurship. This contradiction is of a type where one participates (directly or indirectly) in an activity that destroys the environment and at the same time also claims to be an environmental campaigner. This contradiction is of a type where a campaigner demands upholding the freedom of expression by the government but supports the suppression of truth in the media. And while all this goes on, anyone who exposes this contradiction or duplicity gets quickly accused of slander. They get accused of fostering disunity. This double standard club is no small club. Like the politicians, it has influence over the information machinery to distort the truth and portray villains as angels and angels as villains. This is a class that create their own publicity as impeccable champions of the masses. When their contradictions are pointed out it becomes slander. When they expose the double standards of others it becomes a social change campaign. Just as exposing corruption strengthens the nation, similarly exposing double standards of campaigners can only help develop the credibilty of social movements. If not, social activism will also become the refuge for scoundrels which appears to be the case today. -Soter
