LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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On Obama's Rise To Power IMr Obama's victory is not just significant for America but also victory of all those who reject discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin. We must appreciate Americans for upholding human values and deciding to elect a man originally from a black nation. Mr Obama’s victory also shows that Americans are wise enough to decide what is good and what is bad for them. When it comes to the welfare of the nation, they only see the abilities of a person rather than his origin. While countries speculate what Mr Obama has in store for them, only time will prove whether he will live up to these expectations of the people. America being the most powerful nation, its policies would bring change across the globe. The world expects Mr Obama to be talking more about peace rather than war, frank discussion on global issues rather than dictatorship and friendly behaviour with nations rather than bossism.

MR Barack Obama’s victory is the beginning of a new era of freedom. It is also significant of accepting people the way they are and breaking racial barriers built over the years. It is a new beginning of a new hope. The whole world is waiting for this change towards building a new world that will be just and sustainable to all and for racism and other differences to be abolished forever. Mr Obama has changed the world’s perception of America and the world is looking forward to the new President’s approach towards the transformation of the country and the world.

I CANNOT agree more with the letter ‘Better infrastructure for Bihar’ (NT, November 6). Take the example of our little state of Goa. The ethnic ‘poder’ (bread seller) or ‘nustekan’ (fishmonger) of twenty years ago have long since become non-existent. Their jobs are now taken over by immigrants who are ever ready to step into their shoes. Immigrants bring along with them poverty and crime. It is therefore no wonder that of late, the rate of robberies taking place in Goa have increased. The boom in real estate and the Regional Plan bring along its own problems. Homes became scarce to Goans, while rich non-Goans are buying homes all over Goa. Immigrants also have another problem – that of forming regional ghettoes. They don’t merge with the local culture and very rarely learn the local language. True immigrant labour builds our cities. But if ethnic Goans don’t reclaim their rightful places, the Goa of yore will be swallowed by outside influences and be lost forever. Goa has become a mini-India. But isn’t it nice to maintain our unique identity, which is the very reason why lakhs of people from all over the world flock to Goa every year.

THE National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has been implemented in Canacona taluka and is being expanded to other areas in Goa. But how many of the local people are benefited by these programmes. True to past practice the government should not stuff the beneficiaries from the ranks of the migrants. There is a need even within the government to show that schemes like the NREGA work, and performance is judged by the numbers they enrol. This is the practice all over India and there have been numerous questions related to manipulation and malpractice. However, we should try and ensure that our people are benefited. Already there are murmurs that the daily rate given in Goa is not enough and needs to be reviewed upwards. But administrative orders have not yet come and very few people are willing to take up NREGA work at reduced rates. Again, it should not be for lack of enrolment that the administration washes its hands off the programme stating that no one here is interested and thus like many other programmes, this one too is returned to the Centre without proper implementation.