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Having just returned from a hectic trip to Goa, here are my impressions..........
Everyone I spoke to was upset and annoyed with the political situation as it exists in Goa today. The state treasury is bankrupt while the politicians continue with their shenanigans. While the poor are struggling to make a living, the politicians have built an opulent "National Assembly" which is almost complete, across the river from Panjim.
Money that could and should have been used for development has been used first to assuage the egos of politicians.
Goa is awash with non-Goans who find Goa to be a paradise compared to where they come from. And yet there are glimmers of hope.........
I attended the "Friday Balcao" in Mapusa and learnt a great deal about the work being done by Captain Leo Lobo and his Panjim Activist group. They are trying to get the government to implement laws that have already been passed, banning the use of plastic bags. Leo horrified the audience by his revelations about how the plastic bags are manufactured. Apparently these plastic bags are made from recycled plastics and dyed with used dyes left over from textile dyeing mills in Bombay.
Apparently these dyes contain carcinogens that gradually leak out into whatever is put into them, especially fish. The black bags are the worst of the lot as they are at the tail-end of the recycling and dyeing spectrum. Quite truthfully, I saw fewer bags flying in the wind than I saw last year. But these bags have been implicated in clogged storm water drains, and if at one time they contained some food, cows have been seen chewing on them, leading to their eventual illness.
I met Mario & Muriel and was tremendously impressed by their selfless commitment to the environment. I dropped in on them un-expectedly, and saw Mario leading a contingent of children from the neighborhood collecting trash and debris. I was deeply touched by the commitment of both Mario and Muriel. I visited the offices of the Goa Foundation in Mapusa. I did not meet the principals, but learnt from the staff, that the foundation was involved in fighting through the courts to prevent environmental damage.
I took extensive trips on motorcycle off the beaten path through villages away from the tourist belt and was heartened to see that the traditional and unspoilt life of the Goa of my youth still exists to a very large extent.
Through sheer coincidence, Edgar Martins from Toronto arrived in Goa on the same day, and was staying in my village of Socorro, Maina. We had extensive discussions on Goa and The Goan Forum.
I met several others who are fighting corruption at the Panchayat or Communidade level, as well as fighting against environmental degradation. I believe that a new Goan is emerging, throwing off the mantle of "sossegado" and assuming an activist role.
While nobody asked for assistance, I would like to suggest that Goans in the diaspora set up a Goa Fund that could be used to help nourish the grass root organizations that are fighting despite the tremendous odds for a better and environmentally safe Goa. Yes, there is hope....
Vivian D'Souza Dec 1999