Advertisment

What ails Goa IT association?

author-image
CIOL Bureau
Updated On
New Update

GOA, INDIA: During last year’s The DQ Week IT Panchayat in Goa, partners were very indignant about some of the issues in the trade.

Advertisment

But when asked why they were not doing anything about it, they casually shrugged it off saying, “We are like this only!” A year later not much has changed in the attitude and demeanor of the city’s channel community.

This is the same community which feels marginalized as compared to their peers in B-class cities, but will still not come together to fight against those practices that they unanimously declare is affecting their business.

Instead they are looking outward for solutions rather than inwards—seeking a miracle that will banish their problems in a jiffy. But they do not seem to want to band together and then find a joint solution to work towards. And the first one to admit this are the city’s local association’s President—GM Prabhudesai of Amey Computers and Secretary—Sudheer Prabhu of Softek Marketing.

Advertisment

Goa was one of the first cities in the country to get an IT channel association, with the formation of Goa IT Business Association (GIBA) in 1996.

But for several years now, this association has succumbed to a statement of inactivity. Of the 72 partners who were members of the association till 2007, only 63 have renewed their memberships to the association. And less than 10 turn up for any GIBA meeting, informed Prabhudesai.

“We have arranged free picnics for our members with their families as well as lucky dips and early bird prizes at our regular meetings, to entice members to participate in the ongoings of the association.

Advertisment

But despite this, only 15 odd people turn up for these meetings,” said Prabhudesai.

The association will now hold its elections on March 27, 2009, to decide the new executive council for the coming year.

At the last elections, all interested parties who had filed their nominations later withdrew their papers.

Advertisment

Due to this the earlier executive council was re-elected. This time, the executive council members hope that things will change.

“We are trying to bring in some changes in the way the elections are being held and hope that people will come and participate to make it better than the years before,” said Prabhudesai.

In fact there was even talk of disbanding the existing association and starting a new one for those people who believed in its strength, but that decision was not implemented.

Advertisment

Now a lot of hope is pinned on the forthcoming elections.

“There are lot of issues in the Goa market but there is no unity amongst partners,” mentioned Ruben Quadros of Texel Computers.

“When we had an issue with a vendor about the quality of service being offered, we decided to suspend business with that vendor. but some of the GIBA members still went ahead and kept trading with them.

Advertisment

If they do not abide by the general decisions of the association, then how can we have a united front?” he questioned.

It now remains to be see what the outcome of the next election is, and whether there will be more active participation and willingness amongst members to enlist for the various positions in the executive council.

Till then, partners will continue to do business the way they have been doing for so many more years. After all, like the partners themselves admit, they are like this only.

Partners hope that the forthcoming elections on March 27 will usher in a change in the mindset of the local traders

tech-news