After the breaking news of the birth of the "Independent Goan Observer" a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. The Goan bashing, the editor bashing, the government bashing and at times individual bashing has invariably contributed to the debate whether democracy sustains , should sustain or could sustain a fearless and uncompromising press. We have heard stories of journalists who have come out with marvels in investigative journalism exposing industrialists, politicians, NGOs etc. but these marvels have found their way into the waste paper baskets of the editors of news papers. And many of them (juournalists) have stormed off , in disgust, to search for better conditions to work in and find sympathetic ears for their work. If real stories about the connivance, multiplicity, sabotage, complicity of the police, the government, the industrialists, the chamchas in the NGOs, the so called freedom fighters etc etc which is available with many a free lancers (journalists) or even dedicated individuals, since the so called liberation of Goa, the libraries would have been full with treasure troves, and, many a heads that rolled would have been immortalised in the tomb-heads. But that has not happened. Sycophancy has doggedly prevailed. Today, the situation in Goa is such that there are no takers for the "TRUTH" truth hurts in every respect.
During the Meta Strip fight, when Navhind Time's editor Mr. Arun Sinha tried to portray Goans as thugs and nothing but just plain and simple illmannered thugs, (this with reference to the lynching of the havaldar at Goa Velha who subsequently lost his life), I had personally written him a letter telling him that he, as a non Goan, should not paint all Goans with the same brush and that conflicts always have their casualties. I knew at that time that ANTI -Meta fight was not all that genuine because there were some leaders in it who were not at all sincere and were working at cross purposes. When I mean leaders I mean real top leaders. That letter of mine has probably been the subsequent ' blank- out' on GOA SU-RAJ , later, when it was formed, as it was associated with me. How much did the blue blooded Goan Herald help? I remember the day when I had gone to Rajan Narayan with the constitution of the Party, soliciting his support for the Goan cause. After listening to me for a very brief moment, he made a curt remark "POILEM KITEM KORUN DACOI". To that my reply was " WE WILL, WITH YOUR SUPPORT - BUT DO NOT EXPECT US TO DANCE NAKED ON THE ROADS TO DRAW ATTENTION" The help that HERALD extended to us is, on a scale of 10, about 1 at the most. Most of it has been skeptical. Some overseas Goans (who have been past journalists associated with Goan newspapers) had asked me if it was possible to float a fortnightly which would be the cutting edge, I had informed them that I would try to look at the prospects. After having met with some prominent ex-editors and journos, I found that there was none in Goa who would want to be the double edged cutting sword with a true commitment. This, after a pledge by the overseas Goans for a sponsorship of 48 + 48 issues, with SYMPATHETIC 'printing press' services available at cost in Goa. I could have very well said "YES" I will do it, if I was into journalism. But sadly, I had to let it go, for, I have too many things on my hands and I couln't take on this huge responsibility. The same sponsors are happy to go along with the "Independent Goan Observer" PROVIDED! The provided will come up at tomorrow's meeting at the International Centre at 5 p.m. for which I have been invited. I, AS AN INDIVIDUAL GOAN, BELIEVE THAT GOANS NEED A "GOAN" NEWSPAPER THAT WILL BE THE CATALYST FOR THE 'GOAN REVOLUTION' ON THE LINES OF THE 'FRENCH REVOLUTION' A REVOLUTION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOA, BY THE PEOPLE OF GOA, FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOA. THAT THIS REVOLUTION SHOULD NOT BE THE MOUTH PIECE OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY THAT IS HYPOCRITIC, UNTRUSTWORTHY, AND WHICH IS JUST A WORD OF MOUTH WITHOUT COMMITTED GUARANTEES OF UPLIFTMENT OF GOA AND GOANS. Goans, I believe, are tired of chasing RED HERRINGS, specially me, after the debacle of the all Goan 'UGDP'. This is in appreciation of Valmiki Faleiro, Rui Collaco and host of inputs by many many others on this list. Cheers Floriano ----- Original Message ----- From: Valmiki Faleiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Goanet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 3:04 PM Subject: [Goanet]Rajan Narayan, Herald n Goa > As a person who was closely associated with the late A.C. Fernandes and sons > in their plan to launch an English avatar of the O Heraldo in 1983, as a person > who was virtually *responsible* to get Rajan Narayan as Herald's Editor (await my > full story, see endnote at bottom here), as a former journalist who lived in Goa > and saw the newspaper totter, steady and grow to its present stature, I feel I must > offer my comments (interjected below) on the varied points raised in recent posts > on this subject, as follows:- From: "Rui Collaco" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Goanet]URGENT! URGENT! CM RSS BLACKMAIL HERALD EDITOR TO RESIGN Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:46:40 +0100 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pressures on the press? Systematic sidelining of journalists? "Blocking out of news from the Goa press"? Sacking newspaper editors? Is this going on in "democratic" Goa in 2003? I thought muzzling the press was a feature of dictatorships. What kind of democracy has room for this subversive development? Isn't a free press essential to a democratic set up? Where are all those "freedom fighters", ever so ready and happy to denounce the evils of the colonial regime of more than 40 years ago? The fight is over for them? Have they been silenced too, with their "freedom fighter pensions", college quotas and other privileges? Or perhaps having a free press was not part of what they "fought" for? And the Goan "intelligentsia" in Goa - nobody saying anything on this? Rui Miranda Collaço Lisbon ########################################################################## # 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 # ##########################################################################
