Australian parliament elections, which were fought more on the issue of imposing higher tax on mining is slated to result in a hung parliament. With three-fourth of the votes counted in the 150 member house the ruling Labor party won 70 and opposition Coalition of Liberals and Nationals won 70. The final tally may be 72 each. All now hinges on 4 pro-green independents and one Green Party winner, who are being wooed by both sides. Prime Minister Gillard of Labor Party holds the key since she has right to advice the Governor on the formation of next government and therefore has better chances to be PM again. However, the things may be delayed; as the postal votes polled and yet be counted are as high as 1.8 million in a country with a population of 20 million. The significant development is that while vote share of most parties reduced the vote share of Green Party increased from 8% to 12% and that voice of Greens will be heard first time in the Parliament because the PM will need their support to rule. This is a significant development with respect to Goa too. Like Australia, Goa has small population with large dependence on Mining. In Australia, mining is dominant in West, and population is concentrated in East. East Australians are becoming more aware that mining riches are theirs. This led to the government imposing 40% extra Super Profit tax on miners. Miners opposed it tooth and nail and tried to buy out the activists. The increased vote share of Greens in this background points that the silent majority is becoming increasingly aware of the games. In Goa, mining is in East and the Goans residing in the West are either ignorant of the riches exploited by a few or are unconcerned of the wealth they are being deprived of. The profits earned by handful miners in Goa are equivalent to Rs 6 lakhs per family per year. Time is not far that people would demand a portion of this. There are significantly more women followers in the Green Party than men, pointing perhaps that mothers can understand the woes of the Mother Earth. Below is futher info from Wikipedia: The Greens, is an Australian green political party. The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early Environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group (UTG), the first Green party in the world, which first ran candidates in the 1972 Tasmanian state election. Co-ordination between green groups peaked in the 1980s with various environmental protests including one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history against the proposed damming of the Franklin River and the subsequent flooding of Lake Pedder . Key people involved in these campaigns included current leader Bob Brown and Christine Milne who went on to contest and win seats in the Tasmanian Parliament and eventually form the Tasmanian Greens. Through national organisation and affiliations the Greens have grown rapidly in power and scope. The party's policies have broadened from environmentalism to include policies aligned with the philosophies of grassroots democracy, social justice, conservation and the peace movement. Today the Australian Greens have five Senators (2 men and 3 women) in the Parliament of Australia, 22 elected representatives in State and Territory Parliaments, more than 100 local councillors and close to 10,000 party members. Following the 2010 Australian federal election, the Greens won one seat in the Australian House of Representatives and are expected to have six to eight Senators.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ISSUES BEING DEBATED: In East Africa, despite colonialism, the British afforded the Goan a sliver of a socio-political voice. Read *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by Selma Carvalho. Soon to be available in Toronto. Pp 290. Via mail-order from goa1...@gmail.com http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
