Goan rhapsody continues…..

 I instinctively knew that the police officer whose transfer was being sought must be a no-nonsense man  who could stand up to the crooked politician. Later, when I inquired about the officer in question, I was told, not surprisingly, that he was indeed a fine officer who had done some outstanding work in the area under his charge. There was no reason whatsoever for him to be moved.

 Before proceeding further, I must explain the power dynamics at work in Goa.

 The Goa Legislative Assembly is a small unicameral legislature with only forty members. Generally, no political party emerges as a clear winner in any legislative elections. Whichever party ends up forming the government does so with the support of other smaller parties and independent MLAs. The precarious majority in the house is affected   if even one MLA moves from the ruling coalition to the opposition. Consequently, the delicate political balance can often be in jeopardy, so much so that the government may fall. Therefore, it is not uncommon in Goa for MLAs to flex their political muscles, if their demands—reasonable or otherwise—are not met. They may even intimidate the chief minister with the threat of crossing over to the opposition and pulling down the government.

 Quite expectedly, when his request didn’t cut any  ice with me, the MLA made a complaint against me to the CM. He also covertly threatened the CM, as I came to know later, saying that he would cross over to the opposition if his demand to transfer the officer-in-charge at the Calangute police station was not met. The CM called me and asked me if the MLA’s request could be considered favourably. I shared with him the real reason why the MLA wanted the officer transferred and said that in the interest of police morale, the officer should not be moved. The CM saw the point I was trying to make and did not pressure me further.

 To be continued….