Can’t democracy be more meaningful?
India is a democracy. This is supposed to mean rule by the people, or their representatives. But if you check out with voters – at least in Goa – you will find that most do not like many of the decisions of the government; that some voters might be even furious about the actions of the government; and that almost everybody feels helpless. For example, when the members of the Goa government recently awarded themselves a hike in pay – how many of the voters of Goa agreed with this decision? How many voters in Pernem support the recent zoning changes proposed by the government, converting huge swathes of non-settlement zone land into settlement, that too when Pernem is already facing a crippling shortage of drinking water? How many voters in Panjim like the incessant building projects and roadworks, and exorbitant projects of what can only be called uglification of the city? How many voters across Goa like the great seemingly-unstoppable land-grab, which directly imperils the environment as well as the lives of all vulnerable peoples, even as there remains – according to official sources – a backlog of 16,000 hectares of destroyed Goan forest waiting for afforestation? (more…)