By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
As kids growing up, we would be presented with two similar pictures and asked to spot the difference. While that was a good exercise for sharpening visual observation, our political acumen should have driven us to take that skillset to another level, to detect the political hypocrisy, chicanery and cunning of today. (more…)
By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
Oftentimes, we are so obsessed with ourselves and our aspirations, demands and objectives, that we do not realise that the (political) positions we take vis a vis ‘others’ are a slippery slope towards disaster for us ourselves. I will illustrate this with the use of the word ‘outsider’. (more…)
By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
We are witness today to a heightened terrorizing by the State of the marginalized sections of society and of those who support the marginalized sections, in order to stomp over their lives and usurp their resources, especially land. The State has been deploying various means to do this, one being the weaponising of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 (UAPA), or by repeatedly invoking the equally draconian National Security Act, 1980, for crimes, or under the guise of redressing or preventing crimes, that can well be handled by the existing criminal law, if only the police and other authorities are efficient with their investigations. (more…)
By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
While still a student, Prof. A. P. Kamat, who taught at the Dempo College of Commerce in Panjim introduced us to the concept of “Small is Beautiful” taken from the book of that title by E.F. Schumacher, and it stands firmly engraved in my mind. But when we are confronted with the reality of small Goa, we find that the smallness has been (ab)used to (mis)appropriate. (more…)
By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
The pandemic seems to have accelerated a pre-existing trend of work from home, that seems to have gained very good press. What we broadly know is that ‘Work From Home’ involves working at home instead of at the physical premises of the office, and teleconnectivity to be able to work. And when one looks at it this way, one would think that working from home is something beneficial, and it was even heralded by some workers initially after work from home was started when partial lockdowns were in operation. But as the glamour wears thin, it is now increasingly obvious that while COVID19 situations could demand staying at home and consequently working from home, working from home can only be a temporary measure, or else it will stifle the working class. (more…)
By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA
The case of M. J. Akbar v Priya Ramani has brought the two issues of lack of due process and rule of law in sharp focus. The judgement in the defamation case by Ravindra Kumar Pandey, the AC Metropolitan Magistrate 01, Rouse Avenue District Courts, Delhi, has highlighted the circumstances under which those who are sexually harassed by persons in power cannot access justice by putting the due process in motion. It can be due to lack of appropriate legislation that provides victims easy access to justice, or it can be due to social factors such as the stigmatization of those who come forward to complain. (more…)
