PEZ!

On 6 December 2006, a meeting was convened in Goa to discuss the then impending danger of the proposed SEZs (Special Economic Zones). During the deliberations, somebody suggested that the alternatives to SEZs were PEZ (People’s Economic Zone). And thus was born a highly stimulating slogan in the local Konkani lingo – “amka naka SEZ, amka zai PEZ” (We do not want SEZ, we want PEZ)

It is pertinent to note that ‘pez’ is also another Goan word for kanji – rice gruel.It is an integral part of the meals of the poor. Yet, others too opt for the ‘pez’ diet whenever confronted with illness. The elders recommended ‘pez’ as a healthy habit. Clearly, ‘pez’ is more than a tradition… it is a fundamentally simple yet highly nourishing meal of Goans and so many who reside on the coast.

Similarly, PEZ as People’s Economic Zone remains a fundamentally simple yet highly sustainable concept. SEZs and all their other avatars are essentially land grabs and their development brings along destructive, irreversible impacts on lands, lives and livelihoods. Thus they are at best an oxymoron of destructive development and are invariably fuelled not by the stated need of the stakeholders but the ravenous greed of a few.

Any so-called development that deteriorates the land, lives and livelihoods cannot be accepted as real development. Development is not about creating newer things and situations. It should be about enhancing value of existing resources and conditions. It is all about trying to be better, not worse! But like pez, PEZ should not be about solutions to be chosen after a problem happens… it should be the basic prevention of the problem’s occurrence.

Not just when the situation gets worse and toxic

Let’s BE BETTER at choosing PEZ as a practice!

- Pravin K. Sabnis