Dear Readers
I am sending this article to all Goans living abroad to make them aware
what is happening in Goa today. If anyone who have had similar
experiences as I have had should write to the authorities concened and
may be something will be done to improve the present situation in Goa.
A discontented daughter of Goa
The Changing Face of Goa
I am a proud Goan by birth, living abroad for the past 48 years. I love
my motherland and visit every year religiously, spending on average
three months a year. I have many relatives and friends in this beautiful
place. During my youth (all of it spent here in Goa) I came to see Goans
as sincere and God-fearing individuals. This was my real experience.
This image has now become rather distorted and I feel that each year I
return Goa is getting from bad to worse. Once upon a time, Goa was
considered to be so safe that people would sleep at night with doors and
windows open. But not today, our houses are like oppressive cages,
where burglaries still occur, often taking place in broad daylight.
Every year people from abroad experience some very upsetting situations
in Goa. I address in this letter some of these issues. I believe, the
major reasons for these difficulties are the greed, exploitation,
incompetence and corruption from the authorities, including politicians,
government officials, ministers, lawyers, the corrupt police, bank
officials, hoteliers, and taxi-drivers. Even the lowest wage earner like
messengers will demand bribes to perform a simple task for which they
are already paid.
In the past I have written articles to three main newspapers about these
grievances, but to my knowledge none were published. This year I have
been living in Goa for a longer period of five months and have been
following very carefully the interesting newspaper articles written by
individuals on various themes about Goa. I feel very much grieved and
ask why our beloved country is made to look like a scapegoat. In the
past many foreigners were killed in Goa, but none of the deaths were
scrutinised and every time their families were made to believe that the
cause of death was a suspected drug overdose. The case of British
teenager Scarlett Keeling’s rape and murder has highlighted the hidden
evil of the drug mafia which has been going on for years unnoticed under
the protection of the corrupt police officers and the politicians. Yet
the Government of Goa continues to fail to recognise these shortcomings,
thus causing an embarrassing situation for the country abroad and
nationally.
To illustrate my point, I recount just a few tales of my own
experiences. In Nov 2002 I booked a guest house for my family of six
for two weeks and paid a deposit a year in advance. The following
November I visited the owner of the guest house to confirm the
reservation. I was reassured that all was well. A week before my
family’s arrival I received a telephone call from the owner of the guest
house that the booking I made last year was now not available, as he had
found a larger family looking for an accommodation for three weeks (who
obviously were paying more). To my dismay, the owner refused to refund
my deposit. Being the Christmas season, I had to pay an exorbitant
amount to find an alternative accommodation at such a short notice.
Sadly, the sorry tale does not end there. I made new arrangements with
the Manager of a reputable holiday resort and paid a large deposit in
the presence of a witness I had taken with me at the time. When my
family arrived I was astonished to hear the remarks made by the staff of
the hotel. The booking clerk asked me to speak in Konkani because there
were white members in the group. He stated that the original offer had
to be re-negotiated because of the white members. I was flabbergasted
that such a racist attitude could happen here in Goa. To this I replied
the so called ‘white’ members were part of my family and I refused to
speak in Konkani. The Manager of the hotel later apologised for this
act of ignorance. It appears that some of our Goans do not know the
meaning of integrity and manners.
I have been a resident in the UK for the past 37 years. There are
approximately 53,000 ex-pat Goans settled permanently and happily in the
UK enjoying a level of security that our legitimate Goans lack in their
own motherland. How sad this is for me. In the UK, we UK Goans can buy
and sell homes just like any citizen of the country without any
restrictions. We can buy properties abroad in Europe without fear of it
being confiscated or being made to feel unwelcome. I love Goa and
despite the obstacles I have endured I will continue to visit my
motherland to live in hope that the wonderful image of Goa that existed
before will be restored to its glory.
Surprisingly, there has been a lot of publicity that foreigners are
banned in purchasing properties in Goa. Some of the foreigners I have
spoken to were very distressed about this sudden change in the law.
Particularly, the pensioners who have invested their hard-earned
retirement benefits into buying a holiday home in Goa. This is because
they liked the place and the people. Moreover, a few years ago buying
the property in Goa was so easy and tempting – houses were available on
the internet to anyone who wished to purchase and a lot of people showed
interest and bought the properties. Therefore, in my opinion, those who
have already purchased the properties should not be affected and be
allowed to live happily in Goa, just like we Goans live in the United
Kingdom and other foreign countries. Nevertheless, it is necessary for
the benefit of the country to amend the law in the future. Goa is a
small state with a population of approximately 14 lakhs and the area is
about 3,700 square kilometres. But those who are already there should
have equal rights to live in the country, because they have legally
bought their properties according to the existing law of that period.
Retrospective changes in the law seem to be a form of legitimising theft.
What is happening in Goa now is a similar story to that of Idi Amin and
what he did to Ugandan Asians. This brings back for me the bitter
memories of 1972, when Ugandan Asians were deported by Idi Amin of
Uganda. I was one of them. These poor unfortunate people were given
three months’ notice to evacuate the country. They left behind all
their possessions, homes, their life savings and flee to whoever gave
them sanctuary. The British Government took 80,000 Uganda Asians from
Uganda. These Asians have repaid that kindness and have created
prosperity and wealth in the UK. We are eternally grateful to the
United Kingdom. On the other hand, after more than three decades the
poor Ugandans are still suffering the economic damage done to the
country by Idi Amin’s Government. Let’s take this example and treat
people as you would like to be treated.
In January 2007, I flew to Goa to take stock of my brother’s desperate
life. He was terrorised, stripped of his possessions, made homeless and
penniless. My sixty year old brother is a retired Government servant
with 33 years of service. In April 2005 he opened the account with the
State Bank of India, (SBI) Margao in order to receive his gratuity.
Within six months from opening the account his total amount exceeding
Rupees 5 lakhs was swindled by someone in collaboration with the staff
of the SBI Margao. On the 20 February 2007 a complaint was lodged with
the Police of Margao and Colva. I spent two months investigating the
case with my brother’s lawyer. The ex-managers of SBI Margao, Panjim
and the police have been unhelpful, un-cooperative and conveniently wash
their hands to pervert the course of justice. This is another sad tale
of my recent experiences in Goa.
In January 2008 I went back again to Goa to investigate the case
further. The SBI and the Police are still prolonging the case without
any fruitful resolution. My unfortunate brother continues to suffer
financially, emotionally and is now undergoing physical ailments due to
stress. He cannot afford to pay for medical treatment. This is true
injustice done to an innocent victim. In Goa the culprits prosper and
the innocent victims undergo unnecessary sufferings without any mercy
and justice. If people in India really want the country to become a
major commercial power then they had better recognise foreign investors
will want to know that India is a place where contracts are honoured and
the rule of law upheld.
Last year I encountered another shocking incident as a result of simple
mutation work on the property I purchased thirty-seven years ago. After
my interview with the Mamlatdar I had to prepare a deed of
declaration/rectification with the help of the lawyer. Therefore I
consulted a lawyer who advised me that the mutation can be done quickly
if I pay the sum of Rps 10,000. Since I did not know the fee for
mutation work I agreed to pay the sum, but insisted that I would like
the receipt for it. At that point the lawyer looked at me rather
surprisingly and said that no receipt will be given and he will not
accept the cheque. I was rather perplexed and asked him why, as I do
not have cash on me. He then made a gesture with his fingers to make me
understand that the money is required for a ‘bribe’. I handed over Rps
3000 as an advance and the remaining sum to be paid when the work is
complete. I visited him several times to find out the progress of the
work and every time I was asked to come back next week.
Unfortunately, it was time for me to return back to the UK. I left my
certified documents of the deeds with him and instructed him to get in
touch with the person to whom I have given my power of Attorney for the
mutation work. Nothing happened for another four months. I returned to
Goa in January this year and visited him at the beginning of February to
find out why he was prolonging the case. As usual, I was asked to come
next week and the lame excuse was that the Talhati who is dealing with
the case is unavailable. I made eight visits in the short space of two
and half months. I was so exasperated to get back my certified
documents from him. I asked him to give me the name of the Talhati so
that I can see him personally. His answer was that he could not reveal
his name. I visited the Mamlatdar office to find out whether the
mutation case has been registered, but they could not help me without
the copy of the application. I then asked him to give me the copy of
the application he submitted for mutation. At this juncture he
threatened to call the police, as I was giving him hassle. He
reiterated that he would not entertain harassment from foreigners. I
asked him if he treats all foreigners in this manner. For his
information I am a Goan born in Goa, but residing abroad.
Since I was running out of time I asked my brother to intervene. He
told him that the documents are lost and he returned the advance. I can
only say this was a farce to save his glory. He wasted seven months of
my valuable time, energy and cost of two visits to Goa from the UK. I
did not expect a lawyer to be so corrupt and devious. Now I understand
why the Goan media is repeatedly condemning lawyers as cheats, who do
illegal deals, fleece people and cheat them. Lawyers deliberately
prolong cases for their monetary benefits and nothing is done in the
interest of the client. If you cannot trust a lawyer and police, whom
can you trust in Goa? It appears that Goa has become a lawless State,
where law is rarely enforced and hence some people feel free to behave
as they want, without the fear of being punished. It is a fact that
people in Goa do not trust policemen because they believe that policemen
will do nothing if they are bribed by the culprit.
Today Goa is leading the way in corruption and poor governance. The
reason for this malaise is that the self-serving and greedy politicians,
bank officials, lawyers, hotel owners, corrupt police and other
bureaucrats will do anything to stay in power and help themselves rather
than help the poor and the needy. No change can come unless the
citizens of Goa themselves refuse to bribe, ostracize the criminals from
their social circles and most importantly do away from their own
criminality and dishonesty. Goans must all join hands together and show
solidarity to preserve and nurture their beautiful land from disharmony,
promiscuity, corruption, abductions, drug mafia, injustice, rapes,
murders and the ugly incidents on our beautiful beaches. There is so
much hidden evil in Goa and it is time for the people of Goa to wake up
and take the matter into their hands in order to prevent further damage
to India’s little jewel.
I congratulate my village of Carmona and Carmoncars for their brave
united front to protect their beautiful village from the episode of land
sharks trying to build monstrous buildings without giving due
consideration to the lives of the villagers. Let’s hope that many more
villages will follow the example of Carmona and save their villages of
becoming extinct or concrete jungles with huge building projects. It is
of paramount importance that the people of Goa must protect the limited
resources, the pristine beauty and the socio-cultural identity of the
people. For the sake of tourism Goa should not be turned into another
Western tourist resort – over developed and full of ugly social
problems. Its heritage must be kept intact for the future generations.
The successive Governments will come and go, but the villagers are the
backbone of the country. They will either benefit or suffer the
consequences as a result of the actions taken by Governments in power.
A discontented daughter of Goa
