To Vivian Yes, you are right, if the Goan local authorities are told by central govermnent they can do as they please, then if some are as corrupt as has been posted here so far this year alone, then its a disgrace that Goans continue to vote for this style of local government. We see that the electorate in South Goa did not bother much to turn out to vote out or vote in someone who may have been a better devil. But such is life in Goa I guess, no different to when I was there last, in 1961. But no doubt we live continue to live in hope and the next generation will die in despair, if we continue the infighting & rubbishing each other, rather than take up the plough & not leave the fields fallow again, as it were. There is much good being done in Goa, we concentrate much on the negatives, but when you say in your post that all & sundry can come to Goa to buy & desecrate then we are in for the long haul. The majority of us being over 50 yrs old does not leave much for the next generation to care for, only memories. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever have the balls to get those tickets next year and come back for one last time, just so that I can lay my ghosts to rest, but the more negatives I hear, I think maybe the past ought to be laid to rest, forgotten & maybe spend most of my time I have living for my childrens' futures, in Mauritius. I do believe that quotas for PRIVATE LAND & for BUSINESS ought to be offered, firstly all offers to be made to GOANS and then to any other person in INDIA itself. Lastly if the investment (for BUSINESS) is to be beneficial to Goa then these are to be given next to whosoever Goans feel they would welcome better in their country, notwithstanding any "xenophobia" or mixing my words here, this is purely for the BENEFIT of Goans, such as bringing EMPLOYMENT and imporved INFRASTRUCTURE to Goa, without turning so much of rural Goa into cement jungles, and keeping CHEMICALS and other HARMFUL elecments OUT of the state. Sad indeed but I think there are some fighters out there who will continue the good fight, they who have the time and patience to join together instead of worrying about whose faith is the better one or who said what and when, who lives where and why this will affect anything, other than their ultimate goal, because me, me, me, me seems to be the way these days. Yes, SAD !! But dont give up hope, I am just feeling a little down today, maybe tomorrow I will feel like fighting (ah, yes tomorrow, its another day.............) John Monteiro 01.11.07.....18.10hrs
"Vivian A. DSouza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote In December 1961, Goa was liberated from the Portuguese through the Conquest of Goa by India. We were conquered. Liberated from the Portuguese but Conguered by India. We Goans were eiither too susegard or too inebriated to fight for our freedom. Promises by Nehru to maintain the unique identity of Goa a la Kashmir, were not kept Non-Kashmiri Indians cannot acquire land in Kashmir but anyone can buy land in Goa. Slowly but surely the Goan identity is being diluted, and the sons of Goa are largely to be blamed for selling their ancestral homes to Delhiites and other foreigners. Our elected officials are also to be blamed for facilitating the process of selling off Goa to enrich themselves. Communidade lands have been usurped by the Government and sold off to Industrialists enriching primarily the elected officials who arrange these deals. Sadly this is the state of affairs in Goa today. ---------------------------------------
