Dears,
One thing one must admit, Dr. Oscar Rebelo can be quite forthright and candid.
With his powerful oratory, innocent looks and expressive eyes, he had become
the darling of the Press. He knew it , too. At the "Solidarity" meeting with
the "Naxalite" turned "Goa SuRaj" party member, he decline to speak because the
newspaers and the print media would use his face and diminish the importance of
the other speakers who were "more involved" with Seby than him. He did right.
Outside the GBA, it can still be great to be with him ... as it was in the GBA
till Valentine's Day in 2008. After that every GBA meeting with him was like a
date-rape ... late arrivals, early departures, sullen moments, abuse and the
verge of violence on 28 July, 2008. He had become as insolent as a infatuated
guy who cannot handle genuine love. The writing was on the wall.
If the GBA used Oscar as its public face earlier, so are the others who are out
to destroy the very image that Oscar had helped to build. To them Oscar is
expendable. It becomes imperative that one man must die, for the movement to
survive. Oscar will soon realise that it suits both sides to destroy his image.
It took some leaders of the KPA more than a decade to regain their credibility
after the 04 February, 1987, betrayal left them red-faced.
The Regional Plan for Goa 2021, if it comes out in the form it is now on the
drawing boards ...without the PEOPLE actually being consulted on what was being
PLANNED FOR THEM by the builders, industrialists, the mine owners and the
politicians with willing helpers signing off without even the concurrence of
the GBA ....will most definitely be rejected by the People of Goa. The man and
the woman in the street will want to agitate. They will look to the GBA for
leadership. It is for this reason that a concerted effort is being made through
the Print and the Electronic mediato defame the GBA, to break it up. Even
Oscar's interview is a part of the process in which young journalists and TV
crew are sucked in like floatsam in a tsunami .... before it strikes. I have
been researching the Opinion Poll and the KPA while documenting the progress of
the GBA since its inception. The tell-tale signs are there.
Red herrings abound to divert the attention of the people from the REgional
Plan for Goa 2021. The induction of one minister after another is used to
further marginalize the marginalized ST and OBC leaders. Give the dog a bad
name and shoot it in the leg. No one will accuse or abuse you. It is a dog
after all. Besides the dog has a bad name! We have other red herrings, too.
Then will come the tsunami of the Regional Plan 2021 .... worse than Regional
Plan 2011.
Dr. Oscar Rebelo's face will continue to be used for some more time by the
media. Then it will be consigned to the dustbin of history. There will be no
statue built in his honour. The Government of Goa has to this date NOT built a
statue in honour of Dr. Jack de Sequeira. Rightly so. The ones who fathered the
"Opinion Poll" by ripping the garments and raping Goa in the backrooms of their
mansions, know who the REAL father is .... but one cannot honour a rapist with
a statue, either. Nor name a road after him. He does not even get a Padma
Shree!
If we are NOT to be condemned to see history repeat itself, we must act now
....RESPONSIBLY. Why call oneself a GOAN or a PRO-Goan when one's commitment
for Goa is best described as under:
QUOTE "I don't think I had the time and commitment towards it because of my
practice -- as I am a full-time physician." UNQUOTE.
So who exactly is an ANTI-Goan, my dears? Soter D'Souza who leads the "shouting
brigade" of the GBA, Ramesh Gauns who fights the expansion of mines in
Bicholim, Rama Velip who fights the re-opening of disused mines in colomb,
Geraldine Fernandes who fights the mega housing projects
in Benaulim, Elsy da Costa who fights against the basalt crushers in Santo Jose
de Areal, Rui Araujo who fights against the Pinky shipyard in Chicalim, Sabina
who fights the Casino ships ....or the neo chamchas of the Establishment??
Shall we have the trial by the media that is busy celebrating vana-mahotsav
with "plants" on its front pages and editorials this season?
If one calls oneself a Goan, it is time to ask for proof thereof. Actions speak
louder than words. Give me a silent doer like Fr.Romualdo de Souza SJ any day!
Mog asundi.
Miguel
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:05:13 +0530
From: "Goanet News" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Oscar Rebello: I am a social activist by accident
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
GOMANTAK TIMES, August 7, 2008, Page A10
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Oscar Rebello: I am a social activist by accident
Q: Can you tell us about the experience of being convenor of
the GBA and what you learnt from it?
I don't think I had the time and commitment towards it because of my
practice -- as I am a full-time physician.
You have to study laws and acquaint yourself with the social
problems afflicting the people. But, I never had time for
that.
Q: GBA made you more famous than you already were. Of course,
your skills as a public speaker also helped. Are there any
chances of you joining active politics in the near future?
As I said before, I don't have time for that social
commitment. And I think that I am a good communicator who did
the job of passing our message to the society, and I did only
that.
I believe that my contribution to the GBA is just two per
cent. The rest of the groundwork was done by the other
members. It is just that the media needed a face for the
organization and that was mine.
Q: Do you think that the GBA should have been dismantled soon
after the Regional Plan 2011 was scrapped by the government?
GBA was not some association but an idea that brought people
together. If we had to dismantle it after the scrapping of
the Regional Plan, then it would have been like shunning
our responsibilities. It was very important to work towards
the solutions and participate in the process.
Q: Is your resignation a result of the failure to bring about
a consensus in the GBA on certain issues?
Yes I accept it as my personal failure. I feel that I
couldn't hold people together and also couldn't push forward
my viewpoints forcefully. But I am now not in a mood to join
back. At the same time, I am of the opinion that I did my
best. There is a lot of distrust now. I hope the new Regional
Plan 2021 will come up as a healthy plan.
Q: Now that you are no longer the convenor of the GBA, what
is keeping you busy these days?
It is my practice and more practice. There were days when I
had to leave the GBA meeting in between as I used to get
calls from my patients. But i had to go because of my
professional commitments. Now, I am relaxed and enjoying my
'mental holiday'. [GOMANTAK TIMES, August 7, 2008, Page A10]
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