Re: [Goanet]A letter from Canada
Floriano, First of all, what are you doing living in Canada with a Sancharnet email address? Secondly, my advice to you is to take whatever happens in distant Goa as it comes, with a minimum of sentimental and emotional baggage, to avoid unnecessary angst. After all, you no longer live there, and have little input or influence over what does happen. I now go there for a few weeks every year, while it is still bearably cool, enjoy the sun, sand, exquisite food and feni, and bask in the warmth of friends and family, then get the heck away before it gets too hot. I don't know about you, but I came to the US years ago to make the best of both worlds, in true capitalist style. I have no pretentions of "giving back" or "making Goa better", other than through my self-serving investments in Goan real estate, which I recommend as still a bargain, some charitable contributions to worthy causes and personal expenditures when we go there. Good luck to you. --- Floriano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sir, > > Thoughts of Goa from distant Canada > > Today I browsed the internet for the latest news > about our dear old Goa from > where I now live in distant Canada and learnt that > both the Congress and the > BJP are hopeful of forming the next government. My > good old friend Ravi Naik > who is hopefully still drinking his daily > strengthening doze of Aloe Vera > Gel as advised by me while in Goa is reportedly very > hopeful of majority > strength after more strong armed nourishments to his > party from victorious > MLAs specially from the one that bears my first > name. But whether the > Congress comes to power in Goa or not does not > really matter for Goa or for > Goans. It does not really matter because either > party is going to damage Goa > much more than it has ever been. > > Looking back at the Congress in Goa, it was people > like myself that worked > hard for the Congress Party in Goa from childhood > and ultimately brought it > to power somewhere in 1977 thinking that it was the > end of the MGP misrule > and good things would now happen. However, in our > short sightedness, we > failed to realize that although we did not like the > communal mentality of > the MGP, the persons who had flocked into the > Congress at the time were > infact MGP people. We would not vote for these > people while they were in the > MGP, but we got the same rascals elected as > Congressmen believing on party > labels. Very soon they showed their selfish > ambitions and their stink > filled the Congress to such an extent that good > congressmen started feeling > claustrophobic. Looking back, I feel ashamed of > myself today and feel guilty > of the fact that it is under the Congress party, the > party that I worked > for, that Goa joined the national mainstream of > corruption. Ever since, Goa > has never looked back. Every subsequent new > legislator resourcefully > invented newer ways of indulging in corrupt ways of > enriching himself and > the rags to riches transformation of almost all of > the modern day > legislators is a testimony. No matter what happened, > Rane is always imposed > by Delhi as the CM as he and he alone has the > infinite patience of > tolerating any amount of corruption from his > ministers and MLAs as long as > he is in the chair. Additionally, he alone has > always had the right > connections to keep the people at the Goa Desk at > the Delhi Party High > Command totally flushed with currency sent from Goa > as a share of the loot > which explained why they never had the time nor the > inclination to look into > the complaints of aggrieved Goan Congressmen. We > have seen it all from Bhuta > Singh's time right up to the time of Ramesh > Chinithala when election tickets > were literally sold to the highest bidding > ex-defector against our warnings > to Sonia Gandhi that BJP's victory in Goa was > inevitable if these defectors > were fielded again. They did what they had to do > and the frustrated voters > taught the Congress a lesson. The BJP came in with > their venomous snakes and > people like myself had to leave the motherland and > the land of our ancestors > with many still on the way out. > > Looking back, is the Congress Party the same as it > used to be? Except for > the name, everything has changed for the worst. All > the good people in the > party have been systematically harassed, victimized, > threatened and > vandalized to such an extent that they were forced > to get out of the party > or to give up politics altogether. I myself spent > the prime of my youth > thinking that we could make Goa a better place. I > got involved. I even spent > 10 years in the Panchayat even rising up to the > position of Sarpanch of > Moira/Nachinola. That is the time my troubles > started. My very own MLA, Mr. > Dyanand Narvekar whom I was instrumental in > supporting in his victory in > Tivim with a landslide voting from Moira/Nachinola > after he was thrown out > by Aldona for one term made my
[Goanet]A letter from Canada
Sir, Thoughts of Goa from distant Canada Today I browsed the internet for the latest news about our dear old Goa from where I now live in distant Canada and learnt that both the Congress and the BJP are hopeful of forming the next government. My good old friend Ravi Naik who is hopefully still drinking his daily strengthening doze of Aloe Vera Gel as advised by me while in Goa is reportedly very hopeful of majority strength after more strong armed nourishments to his party from victorious MLAs specially from the one that bears my first name. But whether the Congress comes to power in Goa or not does not really matter for Goa or for Goans. It does not really matter because either party is going to damage Goa much more than it has ever been. Looking back at the Congress in Goa, it was people like myself that worked hard for the Congress Party in Goa from childhood and ultimately brought it to power somewhere in 1977 thinking that it was the end of the MGP misrule and good things would now happen. However, in our short sightedness, we failed to realize that although we did not like the communal mentality of the MGP, the persons who had flocked into the Congress at the time were infact MGP people. We would not vote for these people while they were in the MGP, but we got the same rascals elected as Congressmen believing on party labels. Very soon they showed their selfish ambitions and their stink filled the Congress to such an extent that good congressmen started feeling claustrophobic. Looking back, I feel ashamed of myself today and feel guilty of the fact that it is under the Congress party, the party that I worked for, that Goa joined the national mainstream of corruption. Ever since, Goa has never looked back. Every subsequent new legislator resourcefully invented newer ways of indulging in corrupt ways of enriching himself and the rags to riches transformation of almost all of the modern day legislators is a testimony. No matter what happened, Rane is always imposed by Delhi as the CM as he and he alone has the infinite patience of tolerating any amount of corruption from his ministers and MLAs as long as he is in the chair. Additionally, he alone has always had the right connections to keep the people at the Goa Desk at the Delhi Party High Command totally flushed with currency sent from Goa as a share of the loot which explained why they never had the time nor the inclination to look into the complaints of aggrieved Goan Congressmen. We have seen it all from Bhuta Singh's time right up to the time of Ramesh Chinithala when election tickets were literally sold to the highest bidding ex-defector against our warnings to Sonia Gandhi that BJP's victory in Goa was inevitable if these defectors were fielded again. They did what they had to do and the frustrated voters taught the Congress a lesson. The BJP came in with their venomous snakes and people like myself had to leave the motherland and the land of our ancestors with many still on the way out. Looking back, is the Congress Party the same as it used to be? Except for the name, everything has changed for the worst. All the good people in the party have been systematically harassed, victimized, threatened and vandalized to such an extent that they were forced to get out of the party or to give up politics altogether. I myself spent the prime of my youth thinking that we could make Goa a better place. I got involved. I even spent 10 years in the Panchayat even rising up to the position of Sarpanch of Moira/Nachinola. That is the time my troubles started. My very own MLA, Mr. Dyanand Narvekar whom I was instrumental in supporting in his victory in Tivim with a landslide voting from Moira/Nachinola after he was thrown out by Aldona for one term made my life absolutely miserable. Through his own and his PA's intercession, the police even booked criminal cases against me and made me appear in court of law as a criminal for alleged criminal activities like rioting at a site of illegal construction where in fact, I was myself the complainant and was part of the Panchayat Site Inspection team. I was also similarly prosecuted for allegedly threatening to kill my own Panchayat Secretary while I was the Sarpanch for I had the audacity of filing a complaint of forgery against the said secretary before the police and also before the Director of Panchayats. While the crooks had political protection, I was spending most of my time either in courts or with lawyers away from work and family. Ultimately, both cases were thrown out by the court of law as being without any substance. It not only happened to me, but it also happened to a whole lot of other good members of the Congress Party. Ultimately every good member has either left the party or are just continuing the membership discussing their frustrations over a plate of bhaji not very far from the Congress House in Panjim. Like myself, many packed up and immigrated to distant countries where at least there is n
