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Inaugural speech at Azad Maidan
Obama's speech inspires new Goa CM
By Cecil Pinto
Chief Minister Rosy Sundorem D'Souza Naik was seated at the dais. For
the first time in the history of Goa a common woman with no business
or political family background had swung the polls to the Legislative
Assembly, and from there to the top office. Add to that the fact that
the thirty five year old wheat complexioned spinster, Sundorem, was
the daughter of an inter-religious mixed marriage with no caste
affiliations. The only 'proposals' Rosy looked at were those for the
betterment of Goa. This was truly historic, a CM who genuinely
represented the Common Man - and Aurat.
Trying to ignore the mammoth crowd overflowing Azad Maidan, Sundorem
glanced at the pages of the speech that had been prepared for her. "My
fellow Goans, ask not what Goa can do for you but ask what you can do
for Naikawaddo. And ask in Konkani!" Naaah! That sounded a bit too
regional. "Two score and eight years ago our fathers grabbed back
their land from the Portuguese, and with the preposterous proposition
of buying equality and votes gave it to the tenants!" Naaah! Too
controversial.
Rosy had told her speechwriter to stick to US Presidents but he had
even plundered Martin Luther King, "I have a dream that one day the
state of Goa will be transformed into a situation where little
Scheduled Caste boys and homely Gaud Saraswat Brahmin girls will be
able to join hands with little non-Goan boys and white girls and walk
together as sisters and brothers." Naaah! A bit dicey with the
current situation, and all these underage romances which ended up with
rape allegations.
The Master of Ceremonies Pravin Sabnis, in chaste Konkani, had just
finished his introduction and as he presented her to the audience the
speakers boomed, "Hanv tumchem fuddlean dovortan, Mukhya Mantri Bai
Rosy Sundorem D'Souza Naik!" There was a five minute standing ovation.
There and then Sundorem decided to abandon her prepared speech and
paraphrase Obama. She and stepped forward confidently to the podium
adjusted the mike and spoke.
"My fellow Goan citizens. I stand here today humbled by the task
before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the
sacrifices borne by a handful of genuine Environmental Activists. I
thank the previous CM for his service to our state, despite the fact
that he has shown neither generosity nor cooperation throughout this
transition."
"Eighteen Goans have taken this oath. Some of them more than once. One
lasted for just seventeen days. What message does that give to matka
players? What will be the Open and Close numbers tomorrow? Are Kalyan
and Main still reliable? Why is there this air of uncertainty?"
"Today I say to you that the tourists we face are real. They are
serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short
span of time. But know this, Goa: They will be met. At the airport by
reps - with flower garlands!"
"We remain a young state, but in the words of Scripture, the time has
come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our
enduring spirit; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble
idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise
that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to put up a
seasonal beach shack, drive a tourist taxi, become a DJ or label
oneself an Event Manager."
"In reaffirming the beauty of our state, we understand that beauty is
never a given. It needs constant make-up. Our journey has never been
one of shortcuts. Even the short cuts and the village lanes have been
hot-mixed at election time."
"Our people packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled
across oceans in search of money. For us, they toiled in the Gulf and
on ships and endured the second-class obscurity of Swindon. For us,
they worked and remitted money, from places like Qatar and Florida,
Byculla and the Cayman Islands."
"This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous,
complaining state in India. Our workers are no less productive nor
more productive than the trade unions will allow. Starting today, we
must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and disrupt a Panchayat
Gram Sabha"
"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done, and the 'bhaile'
are doing it. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and
swift, and we will act - not to create new jobs, but to lay a new
foundation for growth with massive PWD tenders. We will build the
roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our
commerce and feed politicians and their hanger-ons."
"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or
too small - we all know the cabinet and the bureaucracy is bloated -
but whether it works. We all know it barely does. Whether it helps
Goans find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement
that is dignified - and good looking maids who are not underage. And
those of us who manage the public's rupees will be held to account -
to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light
of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a
people and their government. And keep within the limits of the Madhya
Pradesh Sound Act."
"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a
weakness. We are a state of Christians and Hindus, Muslims and
Buddhists, Believers and non-believers. We are shaped by two scripts,
many cultures and languages from every end of this Earth including the
Babel along the beach belt. And because we have tasted the bitter
swill of Colonialism, Liberation and FM Radio, and emerged from that
hazy chapter more confused than ever, we cannot help but believe that
that as the world grows smaller, with Broadband and 3G connectivity,
our common humanity shall reveal itself."
"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women
and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration
across this magnificent Maidan, and why a woman whose father less than
60 years ago would have bribed someone for a Government job as a LDC
can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."
"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested,
we refused to let this journey end, and we delivered safely to future
generations a Goa without garbage problems."
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The column above appeared in Gomantak Times dated 22nd January 2009
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