The political mischief being resorted to by the power intoxicated Goa Government to malafiedly postpone the Panchayat elections comes as no surprise. Holding elections on time is the very essence of democracy.
Panchayats have been the backbone of Indian villages since the beginning of recorded history and play an important role in rural reconstruction with people participation. Elections belong to the people. For the Government to postpone at a whim the one cherished right to vote that people have in a democracy puts the State on a slippery slope towards a dictatorship.
The cavalier manner that this government is functioning is reprehensible. The very Independence and autonomy of the State Election Commission is flagrantly being breached in absolute misuse of power and authority.
After having promised good governance and transparency, it is now clear that there is no respect for the Rule of law. The silence of Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai over issues that concern the public is deafening, as he is duty bound to reprimand the government on wrong decisions taken. Or is it that the Governor and the Goa State Election Commissioner are being kept deliberately in the dark by a government whose motive for this postponement remains highly questionable and plain wrong in the minds of most Goans.
Constitutional order and values must always prevail as Constitutional morality thrives when misuse of executive power is restrained. Guided by the principle of limited government we need to protect and safeguard our Constitution by ensuring that the executive does not do whatever it wants, bypassing constitutional morality.
William Shakespeare had said ‘there is something rotten in the State of Denmark’. It is time to get to the bottom of the rot in Goa.
