The just-concluded session brought up core issues and exposed the govt’s shortcomings
The monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, which ended on August 8, was absorbing, fruitful, and positive. The 15-day session, spanning over three weeks, featured discussions on key issues, with members actively participating in them.
The legislative assembly is a crucial part of the democratic process of any state and is the one by which the government of the day is questioned about its decisions and policies. Members, mainly from the opposition, have a bigger role in highlighting the lack of transparency in governance and exposing corruption and matters of commission and omission. It is also a forum where they legislate laws and amend old ones. In this backdrop, during the session, MLAs—both from the opposition and the ruling party—rose to the occasion to highlight major issues dogging the state and its people. The assembly transacted a lot of significant business benefiting the common man and the state. The Opposition, though just seven in the House of 40, was combative and did a good job.
One may say that it is the opposition’s job to put the government on the mat, but this is easier said than done. Meticulous planning, information gathering from departments, fact-checking and much more go on behind the scenes before issues are brought up in the assembly and we see what we see on the floor of the House. Opposition members burn the midnight oil to carefully study issues before raising them. Looking at their performance, it is clear that the Opposition members were well-prepared, touched on core issues, and came up with meaningful private member resolutions. There may be differences of opinion among the opposition members, but keeping them aside, they worked in unison (except on one or two occasions) and exposed the government on several issues. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao led from the front, and though this is just his first term as an MLA, with his deep study of issues, his articulation, and his interjections, he made the people’s voice heard loud and clear. GFP president Vijai Sardesai, who has been an MLA since 2012 and was deputy chief minister for a while, has created a brand for himself in the opposition. Before the assembly session began, Sardesai toured several constituencies and was in a better position to know the issues affecting the common man.
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira may not be loud and shout slogans, but he is one who caught the government on legal points for which the treasury benches did not have answers. Being a former Advocate General, Ferreira could pinpoint legal lacunae in the bills. The three were well backed by AAP’s Venzy Viegas, RGP’s Viresh Borkar, Congress’ Altone D’Costa, and AAP’s Cruz Silva. With convincing arguments, they forced the Public Universities Bill to be referred to a Select Committee.
Well, it was not just the opposition members who raised issues. There were some from the ruling benches who also called for action on people’s concerns. These included Michael Lobo, Govind Gaude, and Dr Chandrakant Shetye, among others.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant managed the floor well. On several occasions when a minister was under fire from the opposition, Sawant would intervene and explain the issues in detail, showing his mastery over other ministers’ portfolios. It was a hectic session for him, being the leader of the House. Credit goes to him for handling the issues with efficiency and tact. The House proceedings also showed that the longer the session, the more the issues that are brought to the fore. Overall, it was a session to remember.
