I have a dream that in a country of millions we shall manage to elect the few hundreds that will run this rich country in the right manner, truthfully and honestly.
I have a dream that one day we will respect each other lives, value each others lives and not endanger ourselves or others in any way, be it speeding recklessly on the roads or committing heinous crimes. I have a dream that economically we will reach other upper echelons of this fourth rock from the sun that third world debt shall be done away with and poverty shall no longer exist. I have a dream that wars shall be outlawed, people shall live free and no mindless president shall wage war for oil under the pretext of eradicating terrorism.
I have a dream that one day we shall be free, because free we are not. How can we be free, if we can’t live freely, if we can’t get our basic amenities, if we have to struggle to put our children in the right schools, work all day and into the night sometimes and still have pending debts, not because we don’t spend wisely, but because our cost of living is high. High enough that we have to pay through our noses for the simplest of things, that our taxes are high and we just never get paid enough to survive.
I have a dream that we will not have to run around from pillar to post for our basic rights, that our roads will be even, and that our power supply will always stay on.
I have a dream that hospitals will not refuse patients, that we also get more hospitals, and we manage to live such healthy and fulfilling lives that we won’t have to go there anyway. I have a dream that we shall respect the authorities, and they learn to respect us, because at the end of the day, we put them there, and our taxes pay their salaries. That they don’t treat us as lesser individuals just because they have some sort of power, power which was bestowed on them to help us, not hinder our rights.
I have a dream that one day politicians shall not ask for bribes to grant us something that should be granted anyway, and that they shall bow their heads to the public in shame when caught, not turn around with an angel face and claim their innocence.
This is not a dream that will never become reality. This is not a dream that will never see the light of day. For as long as there is hope, love and brotherhood, we shall be able to stand together and fight for our rights. This is a call to arms, let us stand up and demand that our voices be recognised. It is not an easy task, and for this to happen we need to stand – shoulder-to-shoulder, arms linked, ready to face the onslaught of resistance - the resistance of the greedy and unjust. We need, not to sit in our chairs and criticise, but go out there and let the cry of the faithful and the voices of the common man be heard.
I have a dream, that since all men and women are created equal, we shall treat each other with respect and support each other in need. I have a dream today. That in this new year we shall realise what we haven’t realised before, that we can all live together in peace and harmony if we start from within, start with ourselves. I have a dream that one day we shall rise above the shackles that bind us, and go forth and spread the message of love and peace.
I have a dream that Martin Luther King does not turn in his grave due to part plagiarism, but smiles at the thought of his immortal speech making to the editorial page of a Goan daily.
Happy New Year! May 2006 be a wake up call for most of us.
Jan 4 - Gomantak Times, Goa
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