Goa's democratic political institutions at the turn of the century

Abstract

In Goa, two perceptions of political institutions are visible at the turn of the century. One, that political institutions are facing dissipation and decay. The second perception views political institutions with democratic complexity and appreciates the struggle of institutions against the backdrop of colonialism and the novelty of their introduction in Goa, and the difficulties faced with the interplay of caste, religion, region and economic status parameters within these institutions. Institutions such as the legislature have witnessed intermittent defections across political parties, cabinets face chronic instability and concentrate more on holding on to office rather than governing and constitutional offices of the Governor and Speaker are drawn from their relatively neutral status into power politics and are increasingly seen as biased.