Re: [Goanet]Goa v/s Other Portuguese colonies...

[Rui Collaco]

Mr. Bhatcar, you really do not seem to have much knowledge of the world 
outside your little Goa. But you should not talk about what you ignore. I 
was born and lived in Mozambique up to 1977. I assure you that both 
Mozambique and Angola were, at the time they attained independence in 1975, 
among the most developed countries of Africa, far better than most of their 
independent neighbours, and by far better administered. Angola's growth rate 
was about 9% p.a. (something India has never managed). Any honest scholar 
that may dwell on this will reach this conclusion. In any case, these facts 
are well documented. The standard of living and infrastructure were second 
to none among the countries of black Africa. Only Rodhesia and South Africa 
were better off. What happened after independence cannot be blamed on 
Portugal. Marxist regimes, helped by the Soviet Union and Cuba, brought in 
civil war and disastrous socialist experiments. The economies were all but 
destroyed. Even today Mozambique is far from reaching the level where it was 
in 1975. Angola's civil war was a consequence of the cold war. Corruption 
and African-style appropriation of Govt. funds explain the rest. Some Goan 
marxists, like Aquino de Bragan�a in Mozambique, served these regimes, 
contributing  to the disastrous mess into which they became. Goa, by 
comparison, was a backwater (and still is). When I first visited Bombay and 
Goa, in 1978, I could hardly believe in what my eyes saw. Goa and the rest 
of India were the real thirld world, compared to Mozambique. Having been 
born in Beira, Mozambique's second largest city, Goa appeared to me as an 
appaling place (except for its natural beauty). By the present state of 
affairs in those countries you cannot judge how they were in the past!

Rui Manuel Colla�o

Lisbon


From: "Nagesh Bhatcar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Goanet]Goa v/s Other Portuguese colonies...
Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2003 19:19:53 +0000
Of late I have seen many rancourous exchanges on how good Portugal is.
Goa's colonization by Portugal is now a matter for the History books and
cannot be changed.
I was just wondering whether or not Portugal really did a whole lot for all 
of its
colonies. I had read that Angola and Mozambique were resourcefully richer
than Goa. Except for Goa and Macau, most other major Portuguese colonies
have hardly progressed.

Perhaps Goa and Macau were the only two, that progressed as they had
fairly advanced civilizations that were older than the occupying power 
itself.
Some history buff can perhaps dwell into this issue.

Nagesh Bhatcar
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_________________________________________________________________
Get MSN 8 and enjoy automatic e-mail virus protection.    
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

##########################################################################
# Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED]                       #  
 # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts 
#
# More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/              #  
# Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others  #
##########################################################################
_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

##########################################################################
# Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED]                       #   
# PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts #
# More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/              #  
# Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others  #
##########################################################################