Hi Goans Everywhere, There have been continuous e-mail correspondence that Goa's "LIBERATION" by India from Portugal's FOUR HUNDRED year rule has not benefited Goans -- most of these comments have originated from Goans who are residing outside Goa -- mostly in USofA and Canada.
I would suggest that these "Goans" look at the positive side -- what has happened in Goa since liberation -- development -- During the Portuguese regime there was little or no crime -- WHY -- because of Portugal's drastic laws as applied to Goa -- no appeal against action taken by the police -- KALABOOSH!!!! Only development in Goa during that regime was the mining and export of iron ore -- this development was due to Goan mine owners assisted by Japanese, German and Italian iron ore importers -- with little help from the Portuguese government. Today Goa is part of a very vibrant economy with growth potential which is just beginning to be tapped -- would some of you expat Goans give us data to compare the growth of India's (and with it Goa's) economy with that of Portugal druing the period 1962 to 2005. I grew up under the British Empire in Burma and India -- and even though I was only 13 at Independence 1947 -- I was happy when the British handed over the reigns of Government to our own people. We have made mistakes but we have learnt from these and to quite an extent we have made up for these mistakes and the economy is now on the right track. Can we say the same of Goa? In 1964 we had all the possibilities of having people of our own to rule us (with the benefit of India's mistakes and corrections) -- and we made a hash of it -- thanks to the greed and power crazy attitude of our MLAs. But in spite of what is almost non-governance during these fourty years, Goa has improved --- new industries -- vast employment potential (to take advantage of which most of us Goans have not equipped ourselves) -- and now those who came to Goa on deputation or to take up the posts for which there were no Goan candidates love our Goa so much that they have purchased property and stayed on -- while our Goans are going abroad to take up jobs which the local people of that country do not want or until those local people equip themselves to take over. If you listen to Indian (non-Goan) tourists talking about Goa, you would imagine they were talking about some exotic foreign holiday place -- to them Goa is totally different from any place in India. As President Kennedy said "DO NOT ASK WHAT THE COUNTRY SHOULD DO FOR YOU, BUT RATHER ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY" (The words of this quotation may not be exact, but the idea is the same) Cheers -- wish all of your ALL THE BEST THROUGHOUT 2006 Aloysius D'souza ---- Original Message ----- From: "Radhakrishnan Nair" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 6:14 AM Subject: [Goanet] Re: Posts on Goa | (Gabriel de Figueiredo wrote: So 44 years on, Goa has deteriorated from being | a neat and civilized society to the shambles it is today.) | | Gabriel, | | Goa might look like "shambles" to you from Melbourne, but to people like us | (resident Goans and other Indians familiar with the place), it's a far more | progressive, prosperous and democratic State than the colonial backwater that | it was when taken from the Portuguese. | | As another poster has pointed out (to whom you replied), Portuguese Goa was | a "neat and civilized society" only to the miniscule minority of bhatkars and | their progeny like you. For the vast majority, it was an awful place with few | opportunities, no freedom and zilch hope, so that they were forced to migrate | to all parts of the globe. | | It's quite easy to put a gloss over distant events and physical distance makes | it easier to talk down to native Indians, especially when you're in a | developed country. But let me tell you (and others of your ilk), my friend, | you're suffering from hypochondria -- things are not so bad as you imagine | them to be. We've our imperfections and shortcomings but we're doing fine, sir! | | Regards, | RKN | India
