UK: Pre Brexit GPPP back to Goa in Coffins What is going on for newly arrived Goan People with Portuguese Passports –GPPP. As at last week at least a bakers dozen have been sent to Goa a state known for a shortage of grave diggers for burial paid for by generous unaccountable uk collections made at village socials, funerals and other events. Are these our fellow Goans coming to UK to Die with Coffin and Airfreight arrangements administered by GWS –Goan Welfare Society? Could their deaths have been preventable? Perhaps GWS can start up a Goan branch of Samaritans helpline. -
I have to ask this as, in my opinion, there appears to be nothing Goan, or Welfare or Society amongst the people involved in this new business in collecting money for the dead. Is this a move on from bucket collections which, if not done properly, are illegal and, if done, need to be properly accounted for in a democratic, civilised society. One can see these are tactics by the very same people who have over ten years decimated our community which was once a show case to be envied. The recent Inferno in the UK at the 22 floors tower block in West London known as Grenfell Tower claimed the lives of over seventy people in twenty minutes. This building is similar to the Colonies you see at Margao –Aquem and Mumbai a lot of poor people live here and the surrounding areas will have had a population of GPPP. The Indian High Commission very efficiently put up a helpline where any Indian distressed because of this fire or stuck in it could call up the High Commission public response unit at 02086295950.Thankfully and by the Grace of God there were no death announcements on Goan voice or the community would have faced yet another appeal for coffin funding from GWS. The new arrivals in Breadline Britain are also known as Khoito Heads as like the Khoito they are sharp bent and given the opportunity they will eat you out of house and home. GWS appears to have picked on this. Sob stories are the name of the game leading to lucrative begging on the good will of our community resulting in unregulated collections in the name of charity. A gala new years dance is being arranged to boost this effort of collecting money with no apparent audit trail. I am thinking of applying for a Portuguese Passport to avail myself of a free funeral arrangement administered by GWS and paid by your generous donations to be buried in amche warm Goa after all who would want to be buried with Cold people in a cemetery in England where the mud is also cold. In Goa no advance arrangements can be made unless you die first. Having a Portuguese Passport and no money you have to die an unnatural death to qualify. It has been brought to my attention that instant membership forms were given at a recent funeral, I wonder if the flip side gave people a choice in method of dying. We are told there are thousands and thousands of Goans in the United Kingdom the last membership declared of GWS was only one hundred @GBP1.00. who is telling Porky pies? These people remind me of my school days watching helicopters going on missions to eradicate locusts that devoured all greenery. It is not the evil killing us but all of us acting like spectators with better things to do rather than striving to do things better. The views expressed in this missive are personal and should not be used as any authority. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom [email protected] 24 Ju
