If one were to think about the federal democracy of India, in the spirit of Tocqueville, then the current political happenings in Goa are an opportunity for us to examine our democratic practices. Goan politics is exposing once again the limits of our institutional order. By asking hard questions of what is happening, and by taking harder decisions, we may be able to use this phase to strengthen our democracy.

The first question is, of course, to ask why is Goa so often plagued by political instability? Why are parties unable to work out stable coalitions? Is this because of the weakness of the moral culture of the people (as Nehru reportedly said in another context, “Yeh Goa ke lok ajeeb hain”)? How can the political leaders shift sides with such impunity, without significant public protest? And how can they be made more accountable for their behaviour?

To explain this instability brought about by politicians regularly shifting sides in Goa for the last 18 years, we need to recognise that politics today provides the biggest opportunity for rent-taking, to a rising class. Democracy creates a new class of political entrepreneurs for whom rent-taking becomes possible. Through control of the state, these elected representatives are able to enter an informal process of accumulation of capital where their discretionary power, over the structure of rules, gives them the means of accumulation. This is true in all democracies. But in liberal democracies, some checks are in place to limit such activity.

... contd.