Because of Corona Virus, we have now realized the real worth of our elected representatives and also of those who are contesting the forthcoming Zilla Parishad election. Though ZP is a powerless body yet the contestants are hell bent to contest this election because some of them will get a fat amount of money as expenses from their political parties, the major part of this money they will keep for them and thus they will gain monetarily, if they win then their party ratings will go high and this is exactly what their political parties want; the others who contest this election is for the enhancement of their personal prestige because they are suffering from ancestral inferiority complex which they want to overcome by gaining cheap publicity and empty prominence as ZP members though they know ZP is an impotent body. And yet there is one more category comprising revengeful persons who for one reason or the other are hurt by somebody and they want to challenge this somebody. They know in the bargain they will lose the election but they don’t mind losing, what they want is to give to their opponents a very good confrontation. To fight this election, they will spend the money from their own pockets because they are moneyed people.
Before the Corona Virus “bondi” was introduced, all the three types of candidates came to my place and when I asked them why you are contesting this election, what are your powers once you are elected and what make you to contest this election to the Toothless body ZP? The answer they all but one gave me was this: “our main priority once we get elected will be to fight for restoring ZP of all its powers”. These candidates came to my place not because they liked me but may be to prevent me from raising my voice against voting them to power otherwise they would send their election papers/cards thru any “Altu-Faltu” because they don’t care the worth of the voters major portion of whom are stupid who will Cast their votes by taking money. In view of this, is it right on our part to vote for these candidates by expecting anything good from them once they are elected? Do they have any attribute in their blood to help others? If they had, they would during these critical days at least “fattlea dharantlean thinkxanichea vellar pasun, gop-chup” they would visit us enquiring of what we are doing and what we are getting etc. But they failed us.
What about our MLA’s? Did they find out by personally visiting us as they came just before their last election to beg for our votes? Are they afraid of Lock Down? Then they should have come at least at “modianir” carrying a “Pontti” but that too they did not do. This indicates how careless they are and for such persons should we re-elect? My fellow Goans please think hard. These MLA’s are so arrogant, so proud and so selfish that once they get elected then they never viśīṭ you again enquiring whether you need anything? They don’t care for you and me, they want us only to vote for them afterwards they don’t even know us. When they come to our places just before the election they tell us all the “bondols” saying they are all equal with us the voters and live the life as simple as their voters live. There is so vast difference in living standard of theirs and that of ours. See how rubbish they talk. They are the biggest discriminators, they are acting like casteists who are not even ready to touch the commoner, they are acting like racists in the then Rodhesia and South Africa, they are not equivalent to the commoner, they don’t live the life of the common men, they live the life of the feudal lords, maharajas and monarchs, they believe in segregation and to practice genuine segregation when they become ministers they live in posh Bungalows at Panjim Altinho, they don’t identify themselves with the masses, their living standard is much higher than that of the masses, besides they don’t integrate with the masses, they want to maintain their superiority over the masses by living a totally different life with ample of “Chorieche duddu” which they collect thru bribes from the common men, see the posh and luxiriouss cars they drive, do the commoner drive such expensive cars and on top of it they say they identify themselves with the masses? Some of them they convert their official Bungalows - as given to understand - into high class places.
After reading the above, can we say that their life style is same as that of ours? Their lifestyle is totally different from our life style, they never identify themselves with us. They make millions thru “lootmaro”, do we do such “lootmaro”? We alone can teach them a very good lesson by NOT VOTING THEM. They are very cunning and as part of cunningness they will give us money in exchange of our votes. Now at this time let us be double cunning and without telling anyone we must deny them our votes inspite of receiving their money. Take their money that they give you but don’t vote for them and nobody will come to know whom actually you have voted, only you know and God knows whom you vote. And God will never punish you for not voting such candidates because on the contrary God will punish these candidates for criminalizing our voting system by trying to bribe the voters which is absolutely the biggest sinful act.
A.Veronica Fernades.