MATHANY SALDANHA
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| (24 October 1964 - 21 March 2012) |
Ever since the fall of the NDA
government at the Centre, speculations were rife that copious amounts of money
were being channelized into Goa to destabilize the BJP led coalition
government in the state which was surviving on a wafer-thin majority. Though the
Congressmen and their agents were initially unsuccessfully in their numerous
attempts to dethrone CM Manohar Parrikar, their relentless efforts eventually
bore fruits as four members of the BJP resigned to contest the elections on a
Congress ticket. With the strength of the House being reduced to 36 members and
regional outfits as well as independent MLAs switching sides in search of
'greener grass', the government was left stranded in a precarious
situation as its strength was reduced to mere 17 as compared to the Congress
which now enjoyed the backing of 18 legislators. The survival of the state
government, much like the hopes of the Congress to come to power after a gap of
four years, depended on the decision of the 36th MLA - state Tourism Minister and
United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) leader, Mathany Saldanha who was then in
Spain on a state visit.
In spite of being vocal about his
differences with the Congress and its policies throughout his life, the state
unit of the party was optimistic that they could woo Saldanha over to their
side. And the situation was tilted in their favor. After all, only 'fools'
could resist ministerial berths and the loads of money being offered to change
colors, especially in a state like Goa, whose politics is characterized
by horse trading, loyalty switching and MLA poaching. Besides, the other
two members of the UGDP - Antanasio 'Babush' Monserrate and Mickkey Paccheco,
the 'bad boys' of the state had already jumped on to the Congress bandwagon and
were in negotiations with the party bosses to get plum posts in the new
cabinet. Lastly, with the Parrikar regime being accused of bias towards Goa's
minority Catholic community, it would be nothing less than 'political suicide'
for Saldanha to continue his support to the state government which was highly unpopular among Christians.
However, there were in for a rude shock.
Not only did Saldanha turn down their offer, he went straight to meet the CM,
his close friend to pledge his allegiance to state government and
made it clear that he would not go with the Congress under any circumstances.
In a press statement, the politician who had been an integral part of every mass
agitation on issues relating to the Goa, its environment and people in the post
Liberation era said
"I am not a weathercock to change
fields for personal gains,
and for me politics is not making money or power game."
At a time when his principals were put
to test, Saldhana had emerged unscathed and his selfless and upright behavior
during the crisis won him many new admirers (including me) and an equal number
of enemies. When many around him were willing to support any front that was
ready to fulfill their personal interests irrespective of political ideologies,
Mathany had upheld the values that our founding fathers had laid down in the
Constitution by refusing to be a part of this 'politics of
opportunism'. Though, the manner in which he handled the March 2005
situation was a pleasant surprise for any person who has followed the murky
politics of India's smallest state, those close to Mathany say that he had
pretty much spent his entire life on his own terms, never compromising on the ideals
that were dear to him and refusing to budge to any kinds of pressure, especially
on issues relating to his beloved Goy (Goa).
Born on 24th October 1948, Mathany
Saldanha hailed from the scenic coastal village of Cansaulim in South Goa,
famous for the Feast of Three Kings and completed his higher education from the
neighboring district of Belgavi (Belgaum) in Karnataka. In an eventful life
spanning 64 years, he played several roles - that of a teacher to the pupils of
Don Bosco High School in Panjim, a politician who represented the people of
Cortalim constituency on two occasions, a social worker who campaigned for
the rights of the downtrodden and the deprived, an environmentalist who
was a thorn in the flesh of corporates who wanted to destroy nature to satisfy
their greed, an activist who participated in mass movements to preserve
the state's rich culture and tradition and finally and perhaps the most
important, a true Gaonkar (Goan) who fought tooth and nail to
protect Goa from all kinds of exploitation by forces, both internal and
external.
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| A Goan Ramponker (Traditional fisherman) |
Mathany's life long crusade to save
Goa's greenery began in the year 1974 when he took an important part in the
fight against the Birla owned Zuari Agro Chemicals whose effluents were
being discharged into the nearby Sancoale. The contamination of the water
bodies in the village led to the death of fish as well as the cattle which
drank from it, besides, causing withering of coconut trees in the vicinity.
Realizing that the industry would cause irreparable damage to both, the people
and the environment of the region, Saldanha along with Simon Caravalho, Adolf
Gomes, Subash Naik Jorge and others launched a major stir, perhaps
the first of its kind against industrial pollution in India. Fearing a political
back clash, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) government stepped in and
the factory was shut down for few months so that mechanisms could be put into
place to treat the hazardous wastes prior to its release. The issue even
reached the doors of the Parliament and led to the framing of an Act to
regulate pollution in the country. The Zuari agitation heralded the
arrival of a new mass leader in the state; one who would not compromise on his
righteous, but sometimes 'rigid' stand and further strengthened his resolve to
protect the ecology.
For the next two decades, he lent his
voice to highlight the sorry plight for two traditional Gaon communities whose
existence in the modern era has been threatened by a variety of factors. In
the seventies, Goa was a conservative society in which, both the Hindus and the
Christians refrained from mingling around with people who belonged to
the 'lower' castes. But for Mathany all Goans - the Padrees,
the Bammons, the Bhatkars, the Charis, the Mhars,
and the Gavades were all his brethren as he considered
them all to be the children of one mother - Goa. At a time when the caste
equation in the state was at its peak, Saldanha, whose family owns large tracts
of land in their native village of Cansaulim took the case of two socially and
economically backward sections - the Ramponkars (fishermen) and the Renders (toddy-tapers). It was mainly
due to people like him that today, the caste lines in the state have blurred to a
large extent.
Mechanized trawlers that were introduced
along the Goan coast threatened the livelihood of hundreds of local fishermen
who continue to use age old methods to catch fish as well as the diverse
marine ecology. As the trawlers started operating closer to the coasts and in
the areas where the fisher folk would spread out their Ramponi or the fishing nets, the
apprehensions of the coastal people soon started to turn into reality.
Over-fishing led to a steady decline in the population of several species which
are an important ingredient of the Goan meal and further pushed the community
towards poverty. With uncertainty looming over their future, the fisher folk
took the extreme step and gutted several trawlers at high sea. In retaliation,
the owners of the trawlers inflicted severe atrocities on them causing tensions throughout the shore.
To unite the traditional fishermen under
one banner, Saldanha played a pivot role in the formation of the Goencha Ramponkarancho Ekkvott - an organization that works for
the welfare of this community and continued to be its General Secretary till
his death. Under the leadership of this great visionary, the Ramponker stir got a clear direction. A
firm believer in non-violence and rule of law, he decided to take the fight
against mechanized fishing to the court. After enduring several hardships, the
struggle to uphold the basic rights of the people to earn their living through
their traditional ways was eventually successful. The Goa government enacted a
legislation to regulate commercialized fishing which included a clause that
banned fishing using trawlers up to 2.6 nautical miles from the coast.
He was also the founding Chairperson of
the National Fisherworkers Forum (NFF) that works to eradicate the woes of the
fishing community from all parts of the country. It was largely due to the
persistent efforts of the NFF, that the Marine Regulation Act was introduced in
all the states. He was also the founding member of the International Collective
of Fish Workers and their Supporters and a member of the National Fisheries
Board. Thanks to his continuous support to the agitation of the fisher folks,
Mathany's name has become synonymous with the Ramponkar movement. He was a member of
the Anti-Sand Extraction Citizens Committee which emerged victorious in its
battle to prevent illegal exploitation of the sand dunes along the beaches for
commercial gains in the year 1978.
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| The Konkani agitation at Azad Maidan, Panjim |
Few will question Saldanha's pure and
incorruptible love for Goa. He was a champion of the Goan cause much before he entered into
politics and his desire to work for the betterment of the state and its people
remained the same, irrespective of whether or not he was in power. He loved
everything about his Goy - the state's virginal forests and
the wildlife that inhabits them, the lush mangroves along the coastline, the
pristine beaches and the deep blue waters of the Arabian Sea, the swift
flowing rivers flowing through the Western Ghats, the unique culture, the
ancient traditions, the rich heritage and of course, the Goan way of life. As
such he played a pivotal role in every major movement that affected Goa and its
population. His first tryst with politics was when he, along with
Christopher Fonseca, Erasmo Sequeira, Amrut Kansar, Raju Mangueshkar and others
formed the Gomantak Lok Pokx. In an era when the MGP
government went all out to promote Marathi in the state to spread its
pro-Maharashtra propaganda, these leaders came together to collect funds
and stared the publication of the state's first Konkani weekly, namely 'Novem Goem'.
There was a persistent effort during the
tenure of CM Sashikala Kakodkar to marginalize Konkani in favor of the Marathi.
While the latter was made a compulsory subject even in English medium schools,
the former, which is the mother tongue of the majority, was completely
sidelined. With the Congress failing to deliver on its pre-poll promise of
restoring the status of Konkani, the state erupted in what was to become the
biggest mass movement in the history of post Liberation Goa. Once again,
Mathany threw his hat in the ring to fight for his mother tongue. While seven
activists lost their lives, the government in a bid to prevent the law and
order situation from getting out of control, passed the Goa, Daman and Diu
Official Language Bill in Febuary 1987 which declared Konkani as the sole
official language of the union territory and later the new state. Though he was
at the forefront, organizing the rallies and garnering support for the cause,
he, unlike other leaders refused to derive political mileage out of the
situation. While political parties tried to take credit for the success of the
agitation, he preferred to work from the sidelines, content with the fact that
he had restored the pride of his mother tongue.
The 1990s witnessed a state wide awakening
towards the destruction of Goa's natural resources and the Church played a
crucial and in some ways, controversial role, in whipping people's sentiments
against projects that were perceived to be harmful to local ecology. Realizing
that the influence yielded by the clergy could be instrumental in galvanizing
the public to protect Mother Nature, he allied with the Church to drive home
his point of conservation. The first of the green campaigns in the nineties
was with respect to the setting up of a nylon 6.6 factory in the villages of
Kerim and Savoi-Verem in the Ponda taluka by US multinational DuPont
Chemicals in association with the Thapar Group. Thanks to the ban by the US
Health Department on two components of nylon 6.6, namely hexamethylene diammine
(HDMA) and adipic acid for adverse effects on human health and the company's
inability to take the local population into confidence before setting
up the unit coupled with allegations of bribery by the factory official's to
get environmental clearances led to a wave of demonstrations in the
villages, in which Mathany participated wholeheartedly. The sustained campaign
succeeded when the Kerim Panchayat,
empowered by the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution and passage of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act (1993) overruled the decision
of the state government to grant permission to the authorities to set up the
plant, resulting in scrapping of the multi-million dollar project.
Similarly, the laying of the railway
tracks through the state as a part of the ambitious Konkan Railway Project hit
a major road block as a citizen's group, Konkan Railway Re-Alignment Committee
(KRRAC) opposed the proposed alignment on the grounds that it could potentially
destroy the lives of the people along the Goan coast, cause huge losses to the
economy and the ecology of the state and affect the UNESCO listed World
Heritage Sites situated at the Old Goa complex. The KRRAC came up with an
alternative line which passed through the sparsely populated hinterland which
was rejected by the Corporation stating that such a move could escalate costs
and delay the project. It was admits these protests that Saldanha along with 10
other people blocked the Zuari bridge with a truckload of stones for a few
hours to bring to notice of the concerned authorities the impact that the
project could have on the state and its people. However, the High Court while
pronouncing its verdict in this matter observed that the environmental damage
that the Konkan Railways could cause was far less than the prosperity that it
would bring to the people of the west coast and gave a green signal to the
railway line.
While it is true that his fight versus
the Konkan Railways failed to get the desired result, Saldanha continued his
struggle against all odds. In 1999, he took an active role in the movement that
opposed the setting up of Meta Strips factory in Sancoale to manufacture brass
strips and foils. Environmental groups along with some scientists from the Goa
University claimed that the industry may lead to large scale air, water and
noise pollution in the vicinity. Mathany, then a member of the South Goa Zilla Parshid undertook a fast-unto-death,
refusing to consume food till the construction work at the site was stopped
with immediate effect. With the government failing to pacify the protesters,
the stir took a violent turn and enraged public set to fire several state
transport buses and blocked the National Highway. Finally, as the momentum
opposing Meta Strips factory grew on a daily basis, the company was
forced to change its process from smelting copper wastes to a new process of
melting of copper ingots which is accepted worldwide to be more eco-friendly.
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| Saldanha addressing an anti-SEZ rally |
After failing to get elected in his last
seven attempts spanning over two decades, Saldanha, riding on a string of
successes in social sphere won from the Cortalim assembly in 2002 on a UGDP
ticket beating three-time Congress MLA Mauvin Godinho. The BJP emerged as the
single largest party in the House and the UGDP which had three legislators
decided to be a part of the saffron party led coalition government. While his
other two party colleagues, Monserrate and Paccheco continued to blackmail the
Parriker government for satisfy their ulterior motives, Saldanha remained
steady fast and was later made the Tourism Minister. His loyalty towards the
BJP and more particularly, the CM during the 2004 crisis in spite of a UGDP
whip to go with the Opposition was the highlight of his political career.
Saldanha's decision to support the BJP
led government, which was perceived as 'communal' drew a lot of flak,
especially from the significant Catholic populace in the state. He was branded
as 'Judas', the betrayer of the faith. All the good-will that he had earned in
the past few decades, his struggles to safeguard the interests of the people of
the state was forgotten. His conspicuous silence on the issue gave further
wings to the mischief mongers and in a matter of days; Mathany went from being the
Goan hero to a villain. On the contrary, other Christian MLAs like Babush,
Micckey, Alemao etc who had several cases pending against them and were
regularly accused of being involved in anti-social activities continued to
enjoy support and patronage from the same people who attacked Saldanha.
In his short stint as a state minister, he took several steps to promote the
industry in the state. To reduce pressure from the over commercialized coastal
belt, he proposed to develop tourism hubs in the state's interiors. He was an
active member of the Goa Heritage Action Group and had plans of starting a
heritage trail along the Kushawati river valley which have several sites dating
to the pre-historic period and places associated with Buddhism, Jainism and
Hinduism. He was also vocal in his criticism of the River Princess which is
damaging the Candolim beach. After two more MLAs of the ruling party resigned
to move over to the Congress, President's rule was imposed in the state. In the
upcoming by polls, the Congress-NCP combine won all but one of the six seats
and veteran leader Pratapsinh Rane was made the CM. Saldanha decided to warm
the Opposition benches. In the next two years, he went through several
documents on the Dabolim Airport and came up with facts to prove his
point that the Indian Navy, which was given a part of the aerodrome for
servicing of air planes, had, over the years completely gained control over it
citing national security. He said that if the navy would vacate Dabolim and
shift to Sea Bird base at Karwar, the need for a new airport in North Goa would
not arise at all.
In late 2006, the Goa Bacchhao
Abhiyan (GBA) launched a major unrest to force the state government to
shelve the Regional Plan 2011 (RP 2011) which had de-notified vast tracts of
mangroves, forests and agricultural land for residential and commercial
purposes. The GBA headed by Dr. Oscar Rebello had the full backing of thehis
teacher and mentor, Mathany Saldanha who was present at the launch of the
state wide aandolan at the Lohia Maidan in Margao. Following
public pressure and with an eye on the 2007 assembly elections, the Rane regime
scrapped the controversial plan and announced that a new road map, dubbed
Regional Plan 2021 (RP 2021) would be formulated taking into account the views
of GBA members as well as the local Gram Sabhas. In the next
state elections, Saldanha failed to retain his assembly seat and lost to the
Congress candidate Mauvin Godinho. However, Saldanha's crusade
continued without a pause. He played a key role in the Goa Movement Against
SEZ's (GMAS) fight to prevent the setting up of SEZs (Special Economic Zones)
in the tiny state. After months of heated discussions over the pros and cons of
having industrial enclaves in the state at the cost of trees and forests, the
government sent a proposal to the Centre asking it to do away with 15 SEZs that
were to come up across the state. This was yet another victory in a career of a
man who had devoted his entire life to save Goa's natural heritage. He
contested the South Goa parliamentary seat on a UGDP ticket but failed to make
the cut.
Tired of the merciless plunder of the
state by the politicians, builders, miners etc and the threat posed by a steady
influx of migrants on the social fabric, Mathany asked for 'Special Status' to
be bestowed on Goa. He became convinced that only this could preserve the state
for the future generations. When the proposal for RP 2021 was made public
in 2011, Saldanha criticized the Kamat government for ignoring people's views,
especially on the issue of laying a rail line through the mining belt which he
thought was done to please the mining barons, thereby jeopardizing the
occupation of a large number of truck owners.
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| Mathany's funeral |
In the days leading to the 2012 Vidhan
Sabha elections, the issue of illegal mining made all the headlines across the
state. The general public became aware of the threat that modernization posed
to their state and people like Mathany who had always worked in this regard
stood vindicated. After Goa Vika Party (GVP) chief Micckey announced his
party's tie up with the UGDP, Saldanha lashed out at his party boss for not
taking the cadre into consideration prior to the announcement. The very next
day, he joined the BJP where he was welcomed by his friend Manohar Parriker and
was later declared to be the party's candidate from Cortalim. As always,
the moral police termed his move as 'shocking' and 'unbelievable'. Others were
less critical and claimed that he had gone with the saffron outfit only to beat
the 'corrupt' Congress. This time around, Saldanha won a spectacular
victory over Nelly Rodrigues of the GVP by a margin of over 2000 votes. The BJP
won a simple majority on its own and enjoyed the support of 26 members in the
House. The Congress-NCP combine was decimated and reduced to nine seats.
Manohar Parriker was sworn in as the CM of the state and Mathany was put in
charge of the all-important Environmental Ministry. Talking to the journalists
after the swearing in ceremony, he spoke about the agenda for the future. He
made it clear that the Mahadei sanctuary would only be de-notified if it serves
the interest of the local people and not the mining lobby.
For many Goans, the Parriker-Saldanha
combine represented a glimmer of hope at a time when their state was being
devoured by land sharks and foreign mafia in connivance with the netas and bureaucracy. The IIT educated CM
represented the new Goa, a state self-sufficient in terms of food and other
basic necessities, with excellent health-care and educational facilities
available to the masses at a nominal price. Mathany stood for Goy - the beautiful land on the
Western coast, covered with green hills and abundant water, with a culture
which is different from rest of the country. It was very important for these
two Goas to meet and co-exist in a peaceful manner for the state to develop
while retaining its unique elements. Sadly, though at what was to be his time
to implement the myriad plans for the betterment of the state, he passed away
due to a massive heart attack on 21st March, 2012 after visiting the Shigmo
parade at Canacona. The untimely death came as a surprise to thousands of Goans
both within the state and abroad, who looked upon him as the protector of Goa,
her forests, rivers, culture, traditions and heritage. Reports suggest that
when Parriker heard about the sad demise of his close friend, he was in
tears. Saldanha was accorded full state honors, his mortal remains were
wrapped in the national flag and he was given a 21 gun salute. His funeral in
Cansaulim was attended by the CM, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, former CM Sashikala
Kakodker and others. Besides the dignitaries, thousands of common Goankars shed
off their lazy tag to bid farewell to one of the state's most illustrious
sons.
Mathany Saldanha was
amongst the rare breed of Indian leaders who join politics to serve the people
and uphold democratic values. In a state where candidates often use money and
muscle power to win votes, he won the respect of the masses due to his
participation in the numerous mass agitation that the state has witnessed.
Throughout his life, he campaigned to protect the state from harmful elements that
were determined to turn this paradise into a concrete jungle. As an activist he
worked to preserve the livelihood of socially backward sections of the society.
Though he may no more lead morchas and stirs to raise issues
concerning the state, its environment and its people, his legacy will forever
remain in the annals of history and in the hearts and minds of thousands of Goans throughout the world.
SOURCES
(1) Goanews - Not Mathany, we have lost a true comrade (Link)
(2) The Navhind Times - Mathany Saldanha : A Great Goan (Link)
(3) The Navhind Times - Mathany : Profile of an Eco Warrior (Link)
(4) Niz Goenkar - Mathany - you left us at the critical hour (Link)
(5) JSTOR - Panchayat versus Multinationals (Link)
(6) Venky's World - From Goa to Gummidipoondi (Link)
(7) Mathany cautions Meta Strips New Investors (Link)
(8) Rediff News - Goans stage violent protests against Meta Strips (Link)
(9) Goanews - Anti-Meta Strips agitation enters a crucial stage (Link)
(10) Goanet - Victory long over due for Mathany Saldanha (Link)
(11) The Hindu - Anti SEZ agitators warn tourists in Goa (Link)
(12) Environmental Issues in India - Mahesh Rangarajan (Link)
IMAGES
(1) (24 October 1964 - 21 March 2012)
Source : The Sunday Indian - BJP
minister's death postpones Goa's budget presentation (Link)
(2) A Goan Ramponker (Traditional Fisherman)
Source : On The Go Tours (Link)
(3) Konkani agitation at Azad
Maidan, Panjim
Source : Goan Architecture - Corinthian
Capitol of Goa (Link)
(4) Mathany addressing an anti-SEZ rally
in Panjim
Source : Photo Blog by Rajan Parriker (Link)
(5) Mathany's funeral
Source : Goan Voice - News clip from Goa
(Link)
