Is there something rotten in the state of Denmark.....?
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." Voltaire
I have read the two interviews. The Sarpanch and the 'sundori'. And despite or rather because of the hubris of some, I am still a wee bit unsure. A nagging feeling deep down.
Maybe I have misread the whole thing. I do not find the situation all black and white. There are a lot of grey areas. For one, is there an illegally constructed garage or was there an attempt to illegally construct one? Have other activists been served with show cause notices? Are they all whiter than white? Have any of them broken the law, been penalised for it, and now is this payback time?
I accept that the swallowing of Moira by the behemoth Mapusa is the last thing one wants. Unthinkable. But was there a bit of 'elitism' in this crusade? Are the populace not being involved in the fight? Why were only two people forthcoming with suggestions regarding the twenty point plan?
Surely absolutely no one in our village wants to be a mhapxekar? And I am 'cent per cent' sure that if approached, 99.99% of the ganvcars and ganvcarns, would have vociferously backed the no to the urbanisation campaign.
And however well conceived and intended the twenty point plan, its quality does not ensure or even require uncritical acceptance. The people of Moira, or at least the majority, must agree to accept it. That is democracy.
The Sarpanch and Panchas, even if one views their elections with incredulity, are the representatives of the villagers. That does not make them perfect or honest or right. And when they fail in their duty to the people they must be held to account. By the people of Moira. By the majority of Moidecars.
A small cabal however well intentioned cannot ride roughshod over the whims of the electorate.
The best way to prove this is at the elections. And even making allowance for corruption and graft, when the chips are down, the good people win. They have to.
The other thing that I could not understand was why, if the main thrust was to expose or espouse a cause, was proof not furnished when requested? Evidence of eligibility to attend and participate in the Gram Sabha. The paramount consideration for Ms Coelho, I would have thought, should have been to present her case at the forum and enlighten those present with her views, ideas, fears and hopes. The scoring of points, technical or otherwise, should not have played any part in this tamasha.
A simple production of the EPIC card, I am given to understand, would have sufficed to set at rest the objections of the Sarpanch and his coterie. In any case it would have made sense for someone anticipating such objections to go prepared with the requisite proof.
Not fair, I accept, but prudent. Irritating but necessary.
So why did Ms Coelho not produce the proof which would have permitted her presence? Was her obduracy in questioning the authority of an elected Sarpach, to verify and ascertain her eligibility, the catalyst for this cause celebre?
Also, if I read the interviews right, Ms Coelho, though she did not display it, did have the necessary qualification, to sign on and be present this time. But did she break the eligibility rules in the two previous instances?
The conundrum of Marie Yvonne, James and Reis also needs solving. Why would these upright Moidecars back someone or something unpalatable? If it is that. I find it very hard to accept that they are the bad guys. Are these three privy to some undisclosed details? Has anyone approached them for their version of the events? Or are we all being blinded by the 'glamour' of the persons perceived as the victims?
I do not know. I want to know. I am in the process of finding out.
I know of Philip the Pancha. He comes from a God fearing family. Is he tainted? Why is he being tarred?
Is there a hint of settling of personal scores in the equation?
To be able to accuse someone of graft and corruption, one needs proof. Is there any? If there is, this needs to be put before a court of law. Moidecars, or at least one of them, has a history of succeeding with public interest litigation. If the evidence is available, is there a possibility of a filing of a case?
I shall be contributing to this debate.
Till then.
Sincerely
Xanno Moidecar http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104225
I have read the two interviews. The Sarpanch and the 'sundori'. And despite or rather because of the hubris of some, I am still a wee bit unsure. A nagging feeling deep down.
Maybe I have misread the whole thing. I do not find the situation all black and white. There are a lot of grey areas. For one, is there an illegally constructed garage or was there an attempt to illegally construct one? Have other activists been served with show cause notices? Are they all whiter than white? Have any of them broken the law, been penalised for it, and now is this payback time?
I accept that the swallowing of Moira by the behemoth Mapusa is the last thing one wants. Unthinkable. But was there a bit of 'elitism' in this crusade? Are the populace not being involved in the fight? Why were only two people forthcoming with suggestions regarding the twenty point plan?
Surely absolutely no one in our village wants to be a mhapxekar? And I am 'cent per cent' sure that if approached, 99.99% of the ganvcars and ganvcarns, would have vociferously backed the no to the urbanisation campaign.
And however well conceived and intended the twenty point plan, its quality does not ensure or even require uncritical acceptance. The people of Moira, or at least the majority, must agree to accept it. That is democracy.
The Sarpanch and Panchas, even if one views their elections with incredulity, are the representatives of the villagers. That does not make them perfect or honest or right. And when they fail in their duty to the people they must be held to account. By the people of Moira. By the majority of Moidecars.
A small cabal however well intentioned cannot ride roughshod over the whims of the electorate.
The best way to prove this is at the elections. And even making allowance for corruption and graft, when the chips are down, the good people win. They have to.
The other thing that I could not understand was why, if the main thrust was to expose or espouse a cause, was proof not furnished when requested? Evidence of eligibility to attend and participate in the Gram Sabha. The paramount consideration for Ms Coelho, I would have thought, should have been to present her case at the forum and enlighten those present with her views, ideas, fears and hopes. The scoring of points, technical or otherwise, should not have played any part in this tamasha.
A simple production of the EPIC card, I am given to understand, would have sufficed to set at rest the objections of the Sarpanch and his coterie. In any case it would have made sense for someone anticipating such objections to go prepared with the requisite proof.
Not fair, I accept, but prudent. Irritating but necessary.
So why did Ms Coelho not produce the proof which would have permitted her presence? Was her obduracy in questioning the authority of an elected Sarpach, to verify and ascertain her eligibility, the catalyst for this cause celebre?
Also, if I read the interviews right, Ms Coelho, though she did not display it, did have the necessary qualification, to sign on and be present this time. But did she break the eligibility rules in the two previous instances?
The conundrum of Marie Yvonne, James and Reis also needs solving. Why would these upright Moidecars back someone or something unpalatable? If it is that. I find it very hard to accept that they are the bad guys. Are these three privy to some undisclosed details? Has anyone approached them for their version of the events? Or are we all being blinded by the 'glamour' of the persons perceived as the victims?
I do not know. I want to know. I am in the process of finding out.
I know of Philip the Pancha. He comes from a God fearing family. Is he tainted? Why is he being tarred?
Is there a hint of settling of personal scores in the equation?
To be able to accuse someone of graft and corruption, one needs proof. Is there any? If there is, this needs to be put before a court of law. Moidecars, or at least one of them, has a history of succeeding with public interest litigation. If the evidence is available, is there a possibility of a filing of a case?
I shall be contributing to this debate.
Till then.
Sincerely
Xanno Moidecar http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104225
posted by Xanno Moidecar | Friday, November 07, 2008
1 Comments:
Dear Xanno
1. What is in question is not a 20 point programme - it is a 20 year plan for the village which is yet to be created.
2. I do not need an EPIC card to attend a Gram Sabha. My name needed to be on the electoral rolls which it was. I repeatedly asked for the rolls to be produced as evidence - which the Sarpanch refused.
3. The garage in question is 15 years old and built by the previous owner. Perhaps you should ask the Sarpanch why the Communidade has sent him official notice asking him to explain why his house is on communidade land.
4. The 20 year plan is obviously a threat. If correctly done, and all land usage mapped, there will be no longer any more scope to illegally convert land usage. I leave you to work out why it was then important to silence me when I stood up to ask 'What is the status of the 20 year plan?'
5. The Sarpanch as Advocate should have known that the burden of proof lies with the Panchyat not with the individual. Even if he has lost his copy of the rule book, the rules still exist and I asked several times for the rolls to be produced.
6. Our upright and god fearing Panchas from good families sat by and watched while a woman was dragged from an assembly by the police.
7. What is at stake is not settling of personal scores. What is at stake is crores of rupees. Issuing licences to large projects is now a lucrative business. Awkward questions get in the way.
8. Planning is the key. Open and transparent planning that correctly maps land use.
9. Not just two people, but the MAC in association with the MOira Consumer Forum had submitted and entire plan on how we could go about doing a 20 year plan - we had put together a panel of experts to advise, and we even offered to raise the funds for the entire effort. All of which was rejected by the Panchayat and completely ignored. For obvious reasons.
I would suggest that you understand the issues at stake since you seem to be a concerned party. The issues are great cause for concern. They are nothing less that the survival of the village.
Thank you
Venita Coelho
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