Between GMB i.e Gabriel, Mario & Bernardo and perhaps maybe many more Goans, this debade 'GOA FOR GOANS' may continue or die its natural death.
But I believe that each one who has participated or is participating in this debade has done his/her best as according to what he/she believes. And those beliefs cannot be discarded off-hand as these have grown up with each person to maturity and is a part of the psyche of that person. However, as one of the minor participants in this ongoing debate and since I too have grown up being part of both the 'ertwhile' and the 'present rule' in Goa and being much involved in bringing-in a face-change in the political system for GOA in particular and for India in general, I will say once again what I have said before, many a times. MINUS THE PORTUGUESE, GOA VERY BADLY NEEDS THE ERSTWHILE PORTUGUESE RULE BACK IN PLACE. For that to happen in Goa, and for it to have a cleansing effect on the political scene in the COUNTRY, acknowledging that INDIA is a sleeping SUPERPOWER, NATIONAL PARTIES MUST BE CONFINED TO CONTEST ONLY THE PARLIAMENTARY SEATS AND LEAVE THE STATE ASSEMBLIES TO THE REGIONAL PARTIES. OR DISBANDON THE STATES ALTOGETHER AND RE-INTEGRATE INDIA INTO FOUR ZONES I.E. NORTH SOUTH EAST & WEST. Amen Floriano Lobo goasuraj check-out the Road Map for Goa at www.goasu-raj.org ---- Original Message ----- From: "Gabriel de Figueiredo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 5:23 PM Subject: Re: [Goanet] GOA FOR GOANS! - final > --- Mario Goveia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > The amusing revisionist nostalgia for colonial > > subservience continues unabated. > > It is not revisionist nostalgia - I lived there at the > time, so did a lot of people still in Goa. Ask the 70 > and 80-year-olds who graduated through Liceu and the > Escola Técnica or Escola Médica (incidentally, the > first allopathic medical college in Asia), and > continue to live in Goa. I just interviewed one on a > personal basis, to confirm my experiences, and we > spoke in Konkani. He graduated from Liceu then from > the Escola Técnica, concluding the latter a year after > "liberation"; then worked for various Govt depts > finally retiring as a Chief Eng at the Electricity > Dept in Panjim. He tells me there were more issues > between Goans (to show who was the "greater" one > amongst them) than between the Portuguese and the > Goans. And on a converse issue, I was also told by > this person that the Brits really ill-treated the > Indian taxi drivers prior to 1947, something that > never even happened in Goa. > > > Gabriel and Bernardo are living proof that there > > will > > always be some Goans who love the notion of being > > sycophants under the heel of a backward third rate > > European country and not part of a budding > > superpower. > > That is your opinion. > > > 45 years later it's still a backward > > third rate European country, but still close to the > > hearts of Gabriel and Bernardo, "Oh, how good their > > boots tasted, and how about all those imported cars > > and duty free cosmetics. Oh, for the good old days! > > > > Can we turn back the clock, PLEASE?" > > I object to that insinuation. > > > > > > > Gabriel, apparently from aristocratic and affluent > > Loutolim, is unaware that most village Goans back > > then > > used bullock-drawn carts for transportation in most > > of > > Goa, not the fancy foreign vehicles he lists, which > > could not make it back to the rutted roads in most > > of > > the villages. > > Perhaps you did not read my last post in its entirety. > I agreed life in villages was like what you stated, > including having hitched many a ride on bullock-carts. > Did I not? But not in Panjim, Mapuçá, Vasco, Margão > or Pondá. So what if the village life was village > life? How long did you spend in Goa pre-1961? And more > importantly, where did you spend that time? > > I know of taxis (the very same the fancy foreign > vehicles) that used to ply on the mud roads of > Darbandora (a border village). And many of these > roads were twin cement-concrete tracks, some of which > can still be seen under that tarmac between Mapuçá and > Moirá/Nachinolá. > > > Gabriel is wrong about colonial Goa being like most > > Indian towns. I grew up in a medium sized Indian > > town > > and know that most of Goa under the Portuguese was > > more like an Indian village rather than any Indian > > town, because the Brits had done a far superior job > > in > > India than the somnolent Portuguese had done in Goa. > > Bah! somnolent Portuguese left a far superior > life-style in the whole of Goa than ever did Brits in > British India. Not my opinion, but various > publications have stated this. > > And the Goan administration under the Portuguese > ensured every village, under a Regedor, was clean and > tidy. And there was an ancient system of Comunidade > that the Portuguese left alone as it was efficient, > but the Indians destroyed replacing it with the > inefficient and corrupt Panchayat system. You can > sneer and fool around with my statements. But you > cannot deny the facts. > > > Apparently, freedom and democracy does not appeal to > > everyone. > > Freedom? Is Goa *really* free? Why is the Navy still > holding on to Dabolim? How was Anjediva handed over > to the Navy? Why is the Navy blocking pilgrims (now > for the last 2 years) to attend the two feasts? Why > are there so many military camps in various parts of > Goa? Why are the citizens of Panjim *not* allowed to > park (By Order PMC) alongside the quartel? And given > recent "warnings" on querying the actions of the > Indian Armed Forces, is there really freedom of > speech? > > This is my final post on this topic. Mário, as usual, > can have the last word. > > Gabriel de Figueiredo.
