Goa Diary

Narcotics as tradeThe holier than thou BJP which screams hoarse about enforcing prohibition in Goa seems to have adopted a slacker standar...

Narcotics as trade
The holier than thou BJP which screams hoarse about enforcing prohibition in Goa seems to have adopted a slacker standard of morals when it comes to “rave” parties. These dos which attract foreigners in large numbers due to their unrestricted availability of drugs and opportunities for free sex are big business in Goa. And politicians cutting across party ideologies support these parties.

Just before the Christmas weekend local newspapers reported about a 12-day-long party organised by Ness and Jehangir Wadia, sons of Mumbai-based industrialist Nusli Wadia. The evidence indicated the organisers had encroached on government land to hold the party. Expectedly, the forest and tourism departments got into the act to demolish the structures only to be stopped on the orders of Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha himself.

The grapevine has it that Sardinha who was at the airport to receive the presidentwas called on his mobile by the national security advisor Brajesh Mishra andUnion Minister Ram Jethmalani to do the needful. Of course, Jethmalani’s son Mahesh defended the Wadias.

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Smokers’ Choice
When Goa’s politicians wink at large-scale drug usage can they be expected to crack down on abuse of tobacco? After enacting a tough law to ban smoking in public and promotion of tobacco, the state’s leaders have stopped short of implementing it. On the eve of a notification to implement the ban. Chief Minister Fransisco Sardinha gave into pressure from the tobacco and tourism lobbies.

Sardinha, a non-smoker who was part of the Luizinho Faleiro government that brought about the law, now insists that the ban is unenforceable. Roads, beaches, bus terminals and railway stations that were to be designed as no-smoking will now be out of the ambit of the legislation. Incidentally, railway stations are already no-smoking areas thanks to laws enacted by the railway ministry. The CM is now trying to amend the anti-smoking law which even prohibits persons from wearing T-shirtsadvertising tobacco products.

“We have enough rules for bad people to break, but was want rules for good people as well as bad people to follow,” Sardinha told reporters.

Grand homecoming
Trust football to unite the members of the Goan diaspora scattered all over the the world. Goan expatriates in the Gulf who normally return home for Christmas and New Year have decided to make the millennial occasion a memorable one. Eight football teams comprising of locals working in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, UAE, India and rest of the world will vie with the locals for the Goan soccer world cup which kicked off on Sunday.

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While there is no age-limit on the visitors entering the competition, only locals above the age of 40 well be allowed to participate. This is tokeep out professional footballers from the amateur competition. And the state government is not providing a paisa in funds.

Tailpiece
THE passing of the millennium saw old-timers mourning the gradual ebbing away of the oldLusitanian culture at least among the old elite of Goa. Though Portuguese is still spoken in many homes one sees a cultural homogenisation of the Goan middle class with its Indian counterpart. As a commentator said in his column in a local newspaper, the Goans have replaced Portuguese culture with American!