Claude Alvares, Extortionist?

29/April/2003

 

 

To,
The Editor,
Navhind Times.

Sir,

It is with deep concern that I have read your front page report in  today's  edition of the Navhind Times  captioned "Claude Alvares extorting money from hoteliers" , a serious charge the  people's representative has  made in the open house. For whatever it is worth, we take it that  these are the ramblings of the Calangute MLA accruing from his  personal biases and prejudices against a person who is well connected with CRZ violations in the beach belt, and where Mr. Agnelo Fernandes is himself a hotelier, who has been at the receiving end from the concerned authorities as per recent newspaper reports.  Also, we have not been made aware through  your above report if the serious charges made by Mr. Agnelo Fernandes against Mr. Claude Alvares are fully substantiated in evidential proofs.  We believe that unsubstantiated statements in the 'open house of the representatives' violates the "code of conduct" of the house. As such, in the absence of any reports of expunging of these accusations by the MLA from the house proceedings, or, of attracting the appropriate reprimand from the august chair, or  the condemnation of these accusations from the ruling and/or the opposition members of the house, we believe that the chair has satisfied itself on the evidential proofs of the alleged malpractices by Mr. Claude Alvares.    

 

We have noticed, for quite some time now, that your esteemed newspaper has been  crusading against the flawed workings of  Goa based NGOs w.r.t. financial irregularities. And we believe that  Mr. Claude Alvares  merited  some of those  insinuations as the director of a premier NGO of Goa. And this front page report certainly smacks of such well groomed biases and prejudices. However, you   will have  done a wonderful job, a novel piece of reporting, if the charges made by Agnelo Fernandes are appropriately substantiated. In doing so, you will have done a service to Goa and Goans in exposing the nexus between the NGOs and CORRUPTION.  And  keeping in mind the stature of your newspaper, as well as  the recently reported exhortation by the CM to the journalists to indulge in truth reporting, we believe that you will have done your homework well,  rather than to fall prey to inner biases and prejudices of  indulging  in character assassination of a person of the stature of Dr. Claude Alvares.

 

Floriano Lobo

President, Goa Su-Raj Party.