http://www.goa-world.com All About Goa & Goans Worldwide GULF-GOANS E-NEWSLETTER (SINCE 1994) A Letter to the Archbishop of Goa By Mario Cabral e Sa Dear Archbishop, We are just a few days away from X'mas, a day of joy, a day of celebration of love, but unfortunately not a very happy Christmas this is going to be. The economy is on a downward slide. The two mainstays of our economy were mining and tourism. Tourism is down, so is mining, and the manufacturing industry has stagnated. No new industries are coming to Goa for a variety of reasons, not least being the phase of aggressive negativism Goa is going through. Students are passing out from schools, high schools, technical schools, colleges, the Goa University, etc. Many of the institutions, much to the Archdiocese's credit, are run by it. Also much to the Archdiocese�s credit the institutions are secular and not reserved to Catholics; in fact, statistically, it is the other communities who are the biggest beneficiaries. I will not say − because logically I cannot � that the institutions are ideally run, but, comparatively, they are better and turn out better products. The same is the case of the archdiocesan healthcare and social upliftment organisations. The point to bear in mind is that we are manufacturing thousands of job seekers. Where are the jobs, Sir? The society owes the Catholic community and its leaders an immense debt of gratitude. But, as you have said yourself, a few years back, in your memorable Christmas address to the state's political leaders invited to the reception, all is not well in Goa and urgent attention is needed. I wish my request for a meeting with you had been conceded. Instead, it was suggested to me by one of your aides that I either send a questionnaire or contact the respective diocesan organ handling the problem. I wished to acquaint you and seek your point of view on various problems, which are assuming daunting proportions. Such problems, in my belief, cannot be ventilated, leave alone solved, by remote control. I am fully aware of the weight and importance of the Catholic vote bank, particularly in South Goa. That gives it leverage totally disproportionate to its size. And just as well. Despite its minuscule share of Goa's population, it asserts itself several times beyond the physical reach of its demographic strength. As a result, the community is vocal. It is visible. It is powerful. It is not in too many states of India that such a small community has such a dominant presence in the legislature (14 out of 40, of which one is the Deputy Speaker;) and in the 12-strong cabinet (6 full-fledged ministers out of 12 + 2 parliamentary secretaries) and two chairpersons of some of the more important PSUs. Also to be reckoned is that, though concentrated in South Goa and pockets of Tiswadi, Bardez and Mormugao or, to put it in geographical terms, on the Goan littoral (thanks to the intensive proselytistic drive our masters in the 16th and 17th and early 18th centuries) the community has considerable weightage in Ponda, Bicholim, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona perhaps even in Pernem. The former CM, now leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar, a BJP stalwart who is proud of his RSS roots, respects the Catholic community in his Panaji constituency, cultivates it, and, in turn, religious differences no matter, is backed by a strong lobby of staunch Catholics in the Fontainhas ward. That is no mean miracle. It could be argued that if mining is in a crisis that is a blessing in disguise. It will save Goa from further deforestation. Likewise, if tourism is on the wane, so be it. A lot of nefarious activities would come to an end. But would they? Would not unemployment instead degenerate into uncontrollable crime? An eminent military surgeon at the famous artificial limb centre at Pune once told me that he never amputates unless it is absolutely necessary, and when he does, he always gives a thought to the patient�s rehabilitation. Archbishop, you don�t need me to alert you to the social perils of a drastic and sudden stoppage of profitable activity. You are intelligent. You are highly educated. You are very well read. And though younger than I in years, you are, perhaps, much wiser. Have you taken careful note of the kind of negativism furiously pursued by some archdiocesan organs? What kind of negativism am I talking about? "Say No" to whatever is the current slogan. But pray, "Say Yes" to what? Nature does not gladly suffer vacuum. One way or the other it fills it. You surely have the intelligence to anticipate the consequences of the ongoing unbridled joy of contrariness. Remember the heroic pro-ramponkar and anti-trawler agitation of the 1970s? What is the reality now? The rampons, the few that still survive, have to largely depend on migrant labour to draw their nets. Many, if not most of the trawlers, are owned by former ramponkars but their boats are crewed by migrant labourers. Where have our own boys gone? I tried to find out. Most, it seems, have migrated. The result is that at Malim, one of the state's main fishing jetties, the lingua franca is not our native Konkani. It is either Kannada or Malayalam. Is the purpose of the present "Say No" campaign to drive our own youth to migration? Save Goa, is a very resonant slogan. But, pray, Save a Goan-less Goa? I have only touched upon only some of the points on my agenda, and that too perhaps ineptly. I belong to the dying generation, those that do not have much to look forward to. But believe me, Archbishop, if you continue to delegate powers to ancillary diocesan bodies and let them run wild - god forbid - this beautiful Goa our ancestors so lovingly crafted for us, will topple over. (courtesy: The Navhind Times/21-12-2008) Goa-World http://www.goa-world.com Gulf Goans Mailing List email: [email protected] The First e-Newsletter for the Goans in the Gulf region and beyond ~ Important Notice ~ Articles/Messages appearing here contain copyright material. They are meant for your personal use and may not be reproduced or redistributed. While the goa-world.com team makes every effort to ensure accuracy, we can not be held responsible for the content nor the views expressed, which may not necessarily be those of either the original author or www.goa-world.com team members or associates. Please feel free to contact us via email [email protected] . 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[Goanet] A Letter to the Archbishop of Goa - By Mario Cabral e Sa
Goa's Pride www.goa-world.com Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:59:21 -0800
