Clarion calls for unity resonating from atop festive platforms with clarity and a pitch that underscores the urgent need for solidarity amongst Opposition leaders have been exercises that Goans have always found amusing.
Goa Carnival, this year, has become a major stage for political manoeuvring, with Opposition leaders actively utilising the festive atmosphere to set the tone for the 2027 state assembly elections. But the temporary pacts and alliances being stitched have become fleeting, often serving as objects of criticism. These ‘coalitions’ usually turn out to be opportunistic essays, driven by a single goal of defeating the incumbent, rather than shared ideological long-term goals.
Hence, whenever there has been a ‘wake-up’ call being issued with the single-point agenda of stirring up the parochial sentiments of the locals, emotions have always run high amongst locals. Driven by a blend of fear of loss, nostalgia and a desire to protect local interests, such meetings attract a mammoth crowd. It is as if everyone is pained by the current state of affairs, and indignant at the way things have been going on. A sentiment of collective, suppressed frustration and a feeling of being at a tipping point is quite palpable.
With the social unrest and longing for a change, has the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement come at the right time for Goans! ‘Enough is enough’ is a powerful idiomatic expression used to demand the immediate cessation of an action, behaviour or situation that has become intolerable. It acts as an emphatic ‘stop’ signal against trouble-makers, or in opposition to authority. Hence, when the term is being used to protest against rapid environmental destruction, unsustainable development, and the erosion of local identity in Goa, it certainly is an indication of the critical breaking point for many residents regarding the state’s
development trajectory.
As a citizen-driven campaign, the movement in Goa has unified various groups, including environmentalists, farmers, youth and concerned citizens to oppose rapid, and often illegal, development, land conversion and ecological destruction.
Citizens have mobilised under the banner of ‘Enough is Enough,’ creating a People’s Charter to protest against what they perceive as the destruction of Goa’s environment and the marginalisation of locals. But what is exasperating to note is that the simmering cauldron of discontent amongst the locals which threatens to boil over into open conflict and protest hardly galvanises into action without being given the necessary impetus by ‘movements’ initiated by concerned members of the society who, through a metaphorical ‘placing of the mirror’, force the community to confront the reality of their suffering or injustice.
However, the ‘debacle’ that a prominent national movement, which took the nation by storm some years back, virtually turned into after having made a promising start, warns of the deliberate manipulation by agitators, and politically motivated opportunists, which can throw such campaigns off tangent.
Understanding that large-scale, non-partisan and popular agitations can be derailed or steered by political interests, it is pertinent to have locals of the region pursuing such campaigns to their logical conclusion clearly exhibiting the ability to resist the power-advantages of organised, well-funded and often, politically motivated actors.
Although the suppressed rage of the residents is close to breaking point, it is surprising to note that, for the locals, collectively uniting against the powers that be has never featured in their order of priorities. Grassroots anger is a powerful catalyst for social change, but will hardly work any wonders on its own.
When concerns are being raised over protecting Goa’s land, culture and environment, it becomes more than obvious that it is not the sporadic instances of agitation seen over the past few years, but a mass movement that will win the day for Goans. While there is no denying the fact that only a continuous, widespread public participation can halt the destruction of Goa’s unique natural and cultural landscape, the ‘local ennui’ towards such ‘developments’ so far has been quite disheartening.
As torchbearers for their constituencies, tasked with ensuring that public welfare is prioritised through policy and development, legislators in Goa have, however, been accused of turning their backs on the people frequently due to a consistent pattern of party switching, endorsing development projects that conflict with environmental protection, and a lack of accountability to their constituents.
The polls in 2027 will give ample opportunity to Goans to be more assertive about their selection of candidates to represent them in the state assembly. But as a recurring factor that continues to impact voter choice and political outcomes, will the ‘lack of alternatives’ haunt them during this quinquennial exercise as well!
The ‘Enough is Enough’ movement has come at a time when Goa is in the throes of a profound existential crisis with locals suddenly waking up to the fact that they will soon be aliens in their own land. The intense protests against Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, which escalated from an overnight standoff at the TCP office to a massive gathering at the iconic Azad Maidan last Sunday, signals a major confrontation over the environmental and developmental future of the state.
(Pachu Menon is a senior
columnist and author based in Goa.)
