Folks, Re: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Goa_never_a_part_of_Karnataka_Histori ans_/articleshow/3438761.cms (Goa never a part of Karnataka - Times of India, 3rd September 2008)
It is extremely interesting to read the reaction of some Goan Historians to the statement by the Chief Secretary of the State of Karnataka with the guidance of Karnataka's Advocate General. For those who have not read that statement yet, it is as follows: "it reserves the right to file the full history of Goa to show that Goa is part of Karnataka" - Chief Secretary, Karnataka. After some strong protests, the State of Karnataka recognised there was an oversight in the statement and issued a clarification to the effect that "is" should be read as "was". However, in my opinion, even after the change of "is" to "was", the claim is still very serious and indeed represents a grave threat to the future territorial integrity of Goa. It seems to mean that Karnataka can issue territorial claims over Goa at some point in the future ending once and for all the existence of the State of Goa as it is today. I think this is a quite serious claim issued by the State of Karnataka and it does affect us all. Let us see what the Supreme Court of India determines as response to this claim. The reaction of Prof. Olivinho Gomes, former Goa University Professor, is most interesting. He says: "You can't say that historically Goa was a part of Karnataka, because Karnataka didn't exist at that time. There were rulers from that area who ruled over our living space." Prof. Olivinho Gomes statement above is quite right. The State of Karnataka did not exist prior to the existence of the territorial map of Goa that we know today. I think we all agree with this. However, a very similar argument can be used against the Indian Union (Republic of India) action of 19th December 1961 against Goa. The Indian Union (Republic of India) was created in 1947 and did not exist prior to the existence of the territorial map of Goa which was ruled by the Portuguese centuries before the arrival of the British (who ultimately were responsible for the creation of the map of the Republic of India as we know it today). Therefore, you can't say that historically Goa was a part of the Republic of India, because the Republic of India didn't exist at that time. There were rulers from the Indian subcontinent who ruled over our living space, but the country that we know as Republic of India did not exist before the creation of the territorial map of the State of Goa (as defined by the Portuguese centuries earlier). The territorial claims from the Republic of India over Goa can be deemed wrong by the same argument issued by Prof. Olivinho Gomes. But we all know that the Supreme Court of India determined that the Portuguese State of Goa was conquered by the Republic of India on the 19th December 1961. Luckily, not everything was lost for the dream of Goa independence and Goa became a State of the Republic of India in 1987 giving Goans a great degree of freedom and legislative administration over our territory. Can this be taken away from us in the future? Well, it does looks like Karnataka is reserving the right to do so in the future. Is this another threat to Goa? Yes. It is indeed. Best regards Paulo Colaco Dias No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.6.17/1657 - Release Date: 06/09/2008 20:07
