Stewardship of Public Property: The good fight against the Kala Academy annexe

If one is to credit the Panjim gossips, then the trees planted beyond the Campal promenade were motivated by the MGP government’s malice towards the Campal residents. The trees were planted to block the residents’ view of the river. Even if one assumed this yarn to be true however, the current opposition by the Campal residents to the tree felling involved with the construction of the Kala Academy’s annexe need not be laughed away as ironic. On the contrary, it would underscore an important aspect of the environmental movement, that of stewardship. The environmental movement exists not just to preserve what exists, but to extend a rehabilitation of our environment. It is this principle of stewardship that could guide us in the resolution of the conflict that has emerged in the case of the proposed annexe construction.

The Kala Academy is a valuable cultural resource for the people of Goa, and as with all resources under the command of a steward, it deserves to be extended. For this reason, it is somewhat puzzling why the authorities would seek to develop an auditorium and other components of the annexe within the constrained space that now serves as a parking lot. As the opposition to the project has been pointing out, the current parking options for the Kala Academy are woefully inadequate, especially given the Academy’s location along an important artery of the city. The opposition has suggested that the Academy either take over the heritage property of the Escola Medica or erect an appropriate annexe in the government acquired ‘IT Park’ land lying vacant in Dona Paula. These are both wonderful solutions, and the Kala Academy should seize the opportunity, and use these suggestions to take both options. The halls of the Escola Medica would make wonderful exhibition, and music practice, spaces. Giving the Academy the land in Dona Paula would genuinely fulfil the public purpose for which it was acquired. The ‘IT Park’ was a real estate scam, intended to convert public property to private profits. Giving this land to the Kala Academy would extend the concept of stewardship. Just as the current premises were converted into an urban garden that residents are fighting to preserve, this transfer would allow us to convert what is now barren land, into a vast green space for the city and State. Augmenting the holdings of the Kala Academy would allow it to build not just a small annexe but an institution with the infrastructure necessary to host the international events that Goa has begun to attract. While this would culturally benefit the people of Goa, it would also allow the Academy to augment its current offerings for its students of music, dance and theatre. The opposition to the extension should ask the question, why is the Academy thinking so small? Think big, especially when it is in the public interest. For too long politics in Goa has been about augmenting the private pockets of a few, it is time that we also speak of augmenting the public pocket by allowing the Kala Academy a larger access to resources.

The opposition to the annexe highlights the concept of stewardship in yet another manner. It points to the necessary role that residents must play in the design of their neighbourhoods. This concept has already been argued for the villages in Goa, the current opposition is a ripe moment to call for public hearings for proposed developments in Goa’s urban spaces as well. When their neighbourhood is constantly forced to double up as Kala Academy’s parking lot, the residents of Campal have a right to determine what the Kala Academy may, or may not do with its property. To be sure, this principle does not apply only to the residents of Campal, but needs to be adopted more generally as a principle for urban design within Goa.

The arguments that the opposition to the project have raised, and are extracted below, go to demonstrate the manner in which neighbourly concern can generate the basis for sound planning.

‘307 parking spaces have been provided for existing Kala Academy structure as well as the new annexe. Calculate for yourself. One car carries four persons, a scooter two. The present auditorium has 954 seats, the open air amphitheatre has 1034 seats besides people attending exhibitions, consumer melas, music and dance classes as well as offices and the canteen, and add to that seats in the new auditorium and other spaces in the annexe. Are we heading for a disaster?

Good planning should take into consideration the impact the proposed building would have on the surrounding space, its environment i.e. its tree cover as well as the people living or moving around. We feel that all this has been ignored and the authorities have been “pressurized” into issuing the necessary permissions without considering any of
these aspects.’

Valid points that the Kala Academy seems to have strangely ignored. We should not exclude the possibility that these crucial details have been ignored because the Academy is as much a victim of the sorry state of governance in Goa, as the residents of Campal and Panjim. Forced to operate within the land that was granted to it at inception, and forced to augment its capacities, what other options does it have? It would make sense therefore for the opposition to join forces with the Kala Academy and point out that its opposition is not blind opposition, but support for an augmenting of the Kala Academy’s and the Goan public’s common resources. The opposition is in fact opening up opportunities for the Kala Academy to grab while the proverbial iron is hot.

One of the weaknesses of the Goan public is that it fails to convert protest into systemic change. The current opposition would be a good opportunity to change that situation. It offers us numerous opportunities for change. While opposing the extension, it can insist on the principle of public participation in urban design, especially of the neighbourhood to have a say in future development. This must be recognised as a principle of law and enshrined in State law. Second, it opens up the possibility for the citizens of Campal to work with citizens in Taleigão and Dona Paula that were opposed to the land grab scheme that passed under the name of the ‘IT Park’. Creating the Kala Academy’s extension campus on part (or all of) the government land in Dona Paula will create many more public jobs, while retaining real estate in the public account rather than privatising it. There are a number of principles of public interest that can be affirmed through this opposition, and the opposition has already drawn wider public support than merely from the residents of Campal. This must necessarily be converted into a wider movement to affirm the principle of public stewardship.

Finally, given that Panjim was recently the stage for the battle of two Titans who swore their commitment to Panjim, it would not be a bad idea to have these two Titans demonstrate their commitment, not through a piece-meal addressing of the Kala Academy annexe alone, but by converting the demands of the opposition into principles enshrined in law and State practice.

(First published in the Gomantak Times 6 April 2011)

Letters from Portugal V: Reliving Alcácer Quibir

4 August 1578, the youthful King of Portugal Dom Sebastião led his troops and those of his ally, the deposed Sultan of Morocco, against those of the reigning Sultan of Morocco outside the town of Casr al Kabir. Outnumbered and outflanked by the Moroccan armies, the battle was a complete rout for Dom Sebastião’s armies. This young and enthusiastic King lost his life, as did vast numbers of the Portuguese aristocracy who were slaughtered on the battlefield. The resultant power vacuum in the Portuguese kingdom allowed for the Spanish King Phillip II to ride in and lay claim to the Portuguese crown. For the next 60 years, the Portuguese and Spanish crowns would be united while Portugal and its domains, which were maintained as distinct, were nevertheless swallowed into the global Spanish empire.

Following a trend characteristic of history writing where the Southern Europeans are concerned, Dom Sebastião’s decision was cast by some historians as prompted by fanaticism. Others however point that the decision to embark on this ‘crusade’ was not Dom Sebastião’s unilateral decision. On the contrary, he was encouraged by large sections of Portuguese society, both nobility and the merchants, who expected large gains from the enterprise.

The events that have unfolded in Portugal since the last column seem to suggest that the Battle of Alcácer Quibir may not be a terribly inappropriate metaphor for this country that is literally verging on an abyss. A couple of days after the hugely popular demonstration of the Geração a Rasca, a Facebook campaign began demanding that the PS Government headed by Prime Minister José Socrates step down. This demand appeared rather bizarre. After all, nothing radical was going to change if the Prime Minister stepped down. The PS would most likely be replaced by the PSD and the latter would have to make the same or similar unhappy choices for the country. Larger cuts on social spending, higher taxes, lower wages, perhaps take financial support from the ogres in Brussels and Washington.

These Facebook activists however got their wish. In a move seemingly designed to bring down his Government, José Socrates sprung a surprise on the Portuguese, announcing, without earlier consultation with others, renewed financial plans to help deal with the crisis while in Brussels. None too happy with this situation and no doubt hoping to gain from a mid-term election, the PSD indicated that it would not support these budgetary proposals. That was that, political crisis in Portugal.

The crisis is further compounded by the flanking measures of the ratings agencies that additionally assault the country by lowering its credit rating. The options for Portugal are grim. It is suggested, that the prescriptions from Brussels and Washington will lay the Portuguese economy low for a long time to come. In addition, the imperial politics being played will result in Portugal compromising its sovereignty as external forces indicate how the country is best run.

On the other hand, there is the embrace of Empires of a different kind. Both the Chinese and the Brazilians have offered to buy out Portugal’s debt. There is however no such thing as a free lunch. Already Lisbon is awash with jokes suggesting the annexation of Portugal to Brazil. While the thought of an annexation or a departure from the EU into a Luso-commonwealth may be just a joke, it would be interesting to see what implications the eventual resolution of the crisis will bring to the Portuguese self-image.

Dom Sebastião’s body was never recovered from the battle-field. This absence allowed for the emergence of Sebastianism, a Messianic belief, not unlike that of some Shia Muslims, that the young King had hidden himself and would arrive at the opportune moment to lead the country out of its misery into glory. This might not be a bad time for the young Sebastian to wake up and rescue his country.

(First published in the Herald, 3 April 2011)