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Defection taints all political parties in Goa

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

With election fever fast gripping Goa, almost all the political parties are grappling with the question of how to convince the electorate of their blueprint to stop the defections game in the state, which has wrecked the state's polity.

So intense is the problem in Goa, that not a single party is in a position to go to the polls with the claim that it has no defectors or opportunist politicians in its ranks.

The general voter, however, is happy with President's rule, for the sole reason that the toppling games have finally stopped.

In fact, the prematurely dissolved Goa assembly witnessed the formation of a new political group without the people's mandate, while the one that had the mandate, collapsed thanks to defections. All three legislators belonging to the United Goans Democratic Party joined the Congress, while Dr Wilfred de Souza formed the Goa Rajiv Congress, changing the original structure of the eighth assembly.

Similarly, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party remained with only eight legislators, as four defected immediately after the 1994 elections, to form the Congress government. Though de Souza later defected from the Congress along with nine others, four among them rejoined the party to topple his coalition government within three months.

In the bargain, the Congress gained in terms of numbers, its original strength of 18 rising to 19 despite six legislators forming the GRC, de Souza's rebel group. But the national party's unethical role in the last four years had also made its unpopular to a large extent, making it difficult for it to face the electorate.

"My experiment of taking an oath from the legislators not to defect did not work. Now I am planning to take an affidavit from them that they would not defect", says Shantaram Naik, the Goa PCC chief. He fully supports the view that defections should be totally banned, but is still admitting several defectors who had revolted against the party in the past.

"The defection games are more seen in small states like Goa," feels MGP leader Dr Kashinath Jalmi, "because the law-makers did not think of regional parties and small states where legal defections with one-third of legislative strength sometimes involves just about one or two MLAs. Even the wholesale defection becomes a retail one".

"The best short-term solution is to prevent defectors from holding any post, be it minister, corporation chairman or even a member of any government committee", opines UGDP vice president Adv Radharao Gracias, pointing out that power is the root-cause of defections.

"But they can defect even in exchange of briefcases full of grey notes", says Jalmi, one of the few legislators who has not changed his party during his decade-long career. His opinion that defection provides a right to dissent, however, is flayed by Congress leader Naik, who admits that the breed which dissents on grounds of principle has vanished long ago.

Dr de Souza, the mastermind behind several defection games Goa has witnessed, however justifies defections, stating that they are sometimes necessary to condone corruption in the government and save the state from getting ruined. He however agrees 'in principle' that resigning and facing the polls afresh, instead of defecting, is the best solution.

"Parliament could also think of amending the Anti-Defection Act by making it mandatory that a member loses his or her seat the minute they vote against the finance bill or against the party's policy stance, instead of authorising the speaker to decide about disqualification", feels BJP leader Manohar Parrikar.

Speaker Tomazinho Cardoz, whose allegedly political decisions on disqualification were even struck down by the high court, however still defends his actions, claiming that it had the peoples' support. "The best remedy, however, is to resign and seek re-election, instead of defecting", he agreed.

As Parliament seems to be not in a mood to reconsider the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution before Goa goes to polls, it has to be seen how all these politicians will win over the voters, who appear to be in a mood to make public morality the prime electoral issue this time.

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