The skewed move by Goa Government to give cabinet status to the recently appointed Chairman of the Haj Committee is outrageous. Bestowing cabinet status would be a fraud as it violates the spirit and intent of the 91st Amendment to the Constitution meant to restrict the size of the Cabinet. This cabinet status will be an unwarranted heavy financial burden on the State exchequer as by virtue of cabinet status the person would be entitled to a dozen staff besides an official car, office and all other benefits on par with a Cabinet Minister.
It is very appalling that despite State coffers being empty, the government is acting very high-handedly in total breach of law only as a political appeasement. It would be illegal, patently unconstitutional being without jurisdiction and a very blatant disgusting abuse of Power. No government should ever act with vested political motives in contravention of law.
It beggars belief that nobody in Government would understand the significance and meaning of a Cabinet status, which makes it all the more obvious and unacceptable that this appointment is a blatant abuse of power for the Government’s own selfish and ulterior motive. How can the Chief Minister not realise that a Cabinet is a body of high-ranking officials, the most senior Ministers who are chosen by him to lead on specific policy areas and head the principal government departments or ministries and are usually all elected to serve the common good? This is all a far cry from the Chairman of the Haj Committee who is not in the same league.
But given the way the Goa Government has been functioning nothing should ever surprise us as they have no regard for good governance and the Rule of law. Misusing high offices of state for personal or a party’s selfish purpose undermines our democracy and the diminishing trust that people have in politicians to act prudently and with integrity in their best interests.
