It was approved yesterday and with the highest qualification an MPhil dissertation of a Portuguese lady researcher, Susana Costa Pinho (with MA in Political Science and working presently as Journalist) on the Representatives of Portuguese India in the Portuguese Parliament (1822-1892) I had the privilege of guiding this research, and the juri of examinors consisted of a Portuguese lady anthropologist-historian, Dr. Cristiana Bastos (of the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon) and Prof. Narana Coissor� (Long-standing Goan MP in the Portuguese Parliament, and Professor of Political Science and Law at the ISCPS (Institute for Higher Studies in Political and Social Sciences, Tehcnical University of Lisbon). Both are conversant with the socio-political situation in Portuguese India during the period covered by the research in question.
The dissertation makes fresh contribution to our knowledge of the theme, and we could have for the first time a comparative picture of who were the various MPs and how they performed in the Portuguese parliament. Among the MPs were natives, mesti�os and the ethnic Portuguese. Nearly 35 of in all for the period covered. Their performance for the benefit of Goa was not restricted only to the native MPs. The dissertation concentrated upon the natives and presents many details of the outstanding peformance of Bernardo Peres da Silva, Antonio Caetano Pacheco, Jo�o Xavier de Sousa Trindade, Estevam Jeremias Mascarenhas, Bernardo Francisco da Costa. Only very little of this was known from the existing historiography. I was wondering if anyone on Goanet would take the initiative of publishing an English version of this research. It permits us to grasp the hard process and the early steps of the Goans in western political institutions. It would be a pity if this research remained confined to Portugal and unknown to Goans who are trying to understand Goa's march towards democratic institutions. Whatever the negative colonial political experiences that are repeated *ad nauseam* on the goanet, there can be no doubts that the exposure of Goans to western political ideas and institutions much earlier than the rest of India has had its positive value and prepared Goans to face globalization with much confidence and success. Teotonio R. de Souza ************************************************************** Greet your loved ones in Goa with flowers! http://www.goa-world.com/goa/expressions/ EXPRESSIONS - The Flower Shop. World famous all over Goa! **************************************************************
