Dear friends,
The following is my letter which appeared in today’s GT, albeit grossly
truncated:
Sir,
Tomazinho Cardozo (GT June 30) is wasting his own "precious minutes" and
newspaper space on irrelevant peripherals instead of addressing core questions.
He is trying all the tricks of his trade to avoid answering my queries based
on his own statement in his own column in GT. He claims to have left the trade
for good but his behaviour is still that of the trader he was! He could have
answered my questions in one-third of the time and space, had he a modicum of
honesty and valued his own credibility. In spite of my doubts about the
efficacy of the medium, I had agreed to debate with him; I have NEVER rejected
his invitation. It is he who has FAILED in his duty as a columnist towards me
as a reader of GT, when he refused to answer my questions, stating that I am
"not the authority to decide the issue. " In which case, for whom is he
writing his piffle in GT? In such a situation, can I expect him to truthfully
answer my questions during the debate?
If yes, on what grounds? Will he confer on me the requisite "authority"? If
no, then what is the purpose of debating? I think he is now trying to wriggle
out of the predicament.
He has deliberately misread my statement. I said that he made the promise in
GT, NOT NOW but in Sept. 2008 (16th to be exact).
Cardozo does not deny that he is yet to provide the proof that Uday Bhembre
demanded of him, nearly four years ago. And why should anyone demand a proof,
unless the charge was serious?
He has not substantiated his claim that I am enjoying goodies, courtesy
politicians. He is also yet to prove the charge he made in Sept. 2008 that I
fall in the category of "people who earn and get financial benefits in writing
Konkani in Roman script. "
My writings are available in BLACK AND WHITE (in Konkani and English) on print
media and on the internet. So, when the debate does occur, I shall expect
Cardozo to quote me VERBATIM from those sources, and not from his own frayed
memory. I shall expect him to use these to show where I have used lies and
manipulations, and what I have done to destroy Konkani in Roman script. I
shall demand hard VERIFIABLE facts, nothing less; certainly not MANUFACTURED
facts like "Dalgado Konkani Akademi was formed in 1989 to fight against
injustice to Konkani in Roman script. "
Cardozo is welcome to imagine himself in the league of the governments of India
and Pakistan discussing Kashmir; I am too insignificant to put on such airs.
But, in spite of having the mandate to act on the matter, have they ever
resorted to open debates? Be that as it may, I have some questions for
knowledgeable readers of GT: Would you engage in an ORAL debate with a person
who (a) repeatedly WRITES manufactured “facts” and refuses to defend them, in
spite of repeated coaxing, (b) misreads and misinterprets WRITTEN matter, (c)
makes wild accusations, but DOES NOT PROVIDE THE PROOF THEREOF FOR YEARS?
Would you be able to squeeze the TRUTH out of such a person in a "debate"
lasting a maximum of one hour? Do you think theatrical entertainment is the
only goal of a debate?
Yours truly,
S. M. Borges
Nagdoli, Velim.
The details that he has proffered about DKA are not relevant to my queries
which pertain to a statement that he repeatedly makes on GT, but is unable to
defend. They may, therefore, be treated as propaganda for himself, and nothing
more.
Having witnessed his shenanigans over the years, I wonder whether he will
actually come to debate. And, if he does, whether he will truthfully answer
any questions that will be posed to him.
I would also love to have your answers to the questions that I have posed to
the readers of GT in the final para of my letter.
Sotachench zoit zatolem.
Mog asum.
Sebastian Borges
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