From: [email protected]
To:
The man who wanted Goa to be a ‘ROLE-MODEL STATE OF INDIA’Apr 20, 2015
For Goencho Bapui—'Father of the Opinion Poll', Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira,
widely known as Jack de Sequeira or JakSiker—politics was a pure calling to
serve Goa and Goans selflessly and not as an avenue to embezzle public funds,
the seeming mantra of most present-day politicos.
"For pai (father), offering altruistic service to Goem (Goa) and Goenkars
(Goans) was his lone mission, and politics was the route to achieve the ideal
of a chokchokit bhangarachem noketr (illuminating golden star) where good,
honest, corruption-free governance would be the only credo. Politics was not a
way of life; he wanted Goa to be developed as an important tourism destination.
In a nutshell, he wanted Goa to be a role-model state of India," recalls
Sequeira's daughter, Lillia Sequeira e Sukhija, a paediatrician popularly known
as Dr Lily.
Mission: Save Goa's identity
After Goa was liberated in 1961, all-out attempts were being made by then
politicians of neighbouring Maharashtra, including by its then chief minister
Vasantrao Naik, and ably assisted by the 1963-founded regional outfit in Goa,
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), led by Dayanand Bandodkar, to merge Goa
with its larger neighbour in the north.
MGP, which was at the helm of power in Goa from December 1963 to 1979, had a
large following, particularly among the economically-weaker, non-Brahmin Hindu
sections that were numerically larger than any other ethnic group in Goa at
that time.
The sole endeavour of Sequeira was to safeguard Goa's distinct identity by
keeping its separate territory status within the Indian union.
To fructify his dream of Goa not getting merged with Maharashtra, his
1962-formed political outfit, Goencho Paksh, and four other political
parties—Partido Indiano (Alvaro de Loyola Furtado), United Fronts of Goa
(Melicio Fernandes), Democratic Party (Joao Da Costa Pereira) and Goan National
Union (J M De Souza)—were united under one banner to form United Goans Party
(UGP) on September 13, 1963.
Sequeira was helped in his endeavour by close comrades from across Goa and
hailing from different communities, such as: Margao's Narcinva Naik (father of
late politician Babu Naik), Abdula Bhai Laljee, Pandurang Silimkhan from
Taleigao), Alvaro de Loyola Furtado from Chinchinim), Umakant Sarlicar,
Vasudeva Sarmalkar aka Anna Sarmalkar, Mahambre from Bardez and Cristovao
Furtado.
Sequeira's cordial relations with central government leaders such as Jawaharlal
Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, etc helped a great deal in deciding
Goa's future—to stay separate or be merged with Maharashtra—through an Opinion
Poll and not the simple vote in the Goa legislative assembly sought by the MGP,
which enjoyed a majority in the House.
Sequeira's efforts received a further boost through the awareness efforts made
by Purushottam Kakodkar, president of the then Goa Congress, tiatrists and
writers like , Manohar Rai Sardesai, , etc.
"In the run-up to the Opinion Poll, Pai addressed Goans in over 1,200 public
meetings across Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, etc," recalls Lily, "His
phrase—Goa will not become the backyard of Maharashtra—became immortal. Though
the MGP had a large support base in Goa, by Opinion Poll day, even hardcore MGP
supporters voted in line with anti-merger-ists. Niz Goenkars (real Goans) voted
against a merger with Maharashtra. I am sure even Bandodkar would have voted in
favour of Goa remaining a separate territory as he also knew that his chair of
CM would go the moment Goa went to Maharashtra."
Lost '1979', quit politics
Apart from Sequeira's son, Erasmo, who served as a UGP leader from the time of
its inception and went on to serve two terms as Lok Sabha Member of Parliament
(1967-77) from Mormugao, no other member of the Sequeira clan has stepped into
politics.
"We do not have any regrets about not entering politics. Pai wanted his
daughters to concentrate on their families, he was against us entering
politics," says Lily, the fourth of nine children born to Sequeira and his
wife, Lilia Margarida de Gouveia Pinto e Sequeira. The other eight children, in
ascending order, are Erasmo (died in 1997), Julia (2010), Margarida, Teresa,
Jack (1959), Joana, Jose Manuel (2009) and Manuela.
Sequeira, a three-term MLA (1963, 1967 and 1973) from Santa Cruz, and the first
leader of opposition in the Goa assembly, never contested again after losing
the assembly election in 1979. "People have rejected me and I will accept the
verdict with full humility," Lily remembers her then 64-year-old father's
candid admission, "I will have nothing to do with politics anymore."
The children, who were Sequeira's election agents, saw their father personally
congratulate the victor after the election results were announced at the
Institute Menezes Braganza hall, Panaji, and walk away.
That "poignant moment" was as much testament to Sequeira's towering personality
as the guests that thronged the Sequeira household at Campal in Panaji. "Along
with ordinary folk our house also paid host to Shastri, Karan Singh, Mother
Teresa, etc," recalls Lily.
Only 'amchi maim bhas'
Ruing the slow death of Konkani as a medium of communication in Goa today, Lily
remembers how using the language was among the most important factors to keep
Goa's identity distinct as it sought its separate territory status during the
Opinion Poll.
"For Pai, amchi maim bhas Konkani was his lingua franca as it was the language
freely conversed both in office and at home. He was also well versed in
Portuguese, Hindi and to some extent Spanish. But we nine siblings and even our
14 children choose to converse in Konkani," says Lily.
She gets emotional recalling how her father was both a disciplinarian and
large-hearted. "As a doting father he would correct us whenever we faltered,
and yet we could approach him anytime and discuss any problem. On Sundays and
holidays, he would take us in his station wagon on picnics or to our ancestral
house in Carambolim. Because of his liberal attitude, we three sisters faced no
objections from our parents to marry outside the community."
While Julia married colonel Gurdeep Singh Gill, Teresa wed admiral (retd)
Sureesh Mehta who was Navy chief from October 31, 2006 to August 31, 2009, and
Lily married hotelier Ajit Sukhija.
An honest businessman
Sequeira was also a reputed businessman, at one time owning almost all the
Bharat Petroleum pumps in the state. He was also a dealer for Wimco matches.
Integrity and honesty were so integral to his character that during World War
II, when black-marketing and hoarding were rampant, he would travel in his own
car to villages across Goa to ensure kerosene and matches were being sold at
fair price, recalls Lily.
Sequeira, who was born in Burma (present-day Myanmar), completed his school
education from the Portuguese-medium Lyceum in Goa, completed medical school at
age 21, and then gave up his specialization in blood research to take over the
family business as his father, Erasmo de Sequeira, had passed away. Sequeira
himself breathed his last around 11.30pm on October 17, 1989, aged 74, after a
heart attack.
He loved to read—books and newspapers, especially Konkani-weekly Vauraddeancho
Ixtt and Time magazine—and during his younger days he played tennis with his
brother Frank at various clubs in Goa, including Gasper Dias, Miramar, BPS,
Margao, etc.
Ask Lily what she thinks her father would feel about Goa today and pat comes
the reply, "Despondent and downhearted... looking at the way Goa is being
turned into a concrete jungle with high-rise buildings and ecological norms
taking a backseat. Pai would have been completely depressed to see fellow Goans
not getting priority in employment opportunities in their own land."
Despite his priceless role in galvanizing Goans to vote by 54.20% against the
merger with Maharashtra in the historic Opinion Poll of January 16, 1967, there
has been almost no concerted political will from past and present governments
to commemorate Sequeira. As one political commentator points out, had Goa
merged with Maharashtra, only two MLAs, one MP and one collector would have
been designated to Goa, which would have been just another district of that
state.
To the unsung 'Father of Goa', a small thank you!
