Tragic death of Tourism and Environment Minister, Hon. Jose Matanhy Saldanha
Two days before my departure from Goa I was so privileged to attend and witness
the sad final journey of late Mr Matanhy
on 24 March with full honours of 21 guns salute and coffin draped in the
national tri-colour of India. It was one of the biggest
funeral rites in Goa’s history.
Mr. Matanhy died of massive cardiac arrest at the age of 64 years. The
tribute was so moving and thousands of inconsolable
mourners from all walks of life gathered together whole day long to his
residence and St. Thomas Church in Cansaulim to pay
their last respects to their beloved leader of humanity, teacher, orator,
activist, social worker, and visionary prophet of Goa .
He fought for the rights of besieged fishermen, toddy-tappers, poor and
marginalised people. I had never heard Mr. Matanhy’s
name before this recent election, but when he was sworn in as the Minister of
Tourism I read every article about him and thought
he was the saviour of Goa. I even prayed for his good health. Alas, God
only knows why he was snatched away so prematurely
from his beloved family, friends and of course Goa lost a dedicated, honest
fighter and a great son of the soil. I have been told
that he was born in my village of Carmona ( I do not know how far it is
true). I visited the house to say a prayer for his soul and
met his elderly aunt.
However, I understand that Mr. Matanhy devoted his entire life to save Goa from
the clutches of evil dministration, destruction and
degradation of forest and environment. He was the hope for these causes and
vowed to save
Goa’s forest, fragile environment and land for posterity.
The funeral Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Goa, Filipe Neri Ferrao .
The Archbishop spoke so highly about Matanhy
and his relentless hard work to save Goa from destruction and he implored the
people of Goa to continue walking along the path
Matanhy had chosen and to live by his high moral principles and ideals.
The first tribute of condolences came from Mr. Arun Jaitley, the Opposition
Leader of Raj Sabha. He called him a crusader for
people’s rights and said that Goa has lost one of the noblest and greatest sons
of the soil. The Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar
gave the eulogy and mentioned that he was a simple man and always believed in
working for the welfare of Goa and Goans.
They shared a common bond for believing in similar principles. He assured the
public that his government would ensure that
Matanhy’s rich legacy will not be forgotten. Remo Fernandes dedicated a
flute solo as a tribute to Matanhy.
The moving speech of Mr. Matanhy’s niece, Malisa Simoes on behalf of the family
touched the hearts of thousands who cried
bitter tears after hearing the heart-rendering story of a man who was more
concerned for the welfare of Goa and working for
the downtrodden than winning the election. His courageous wife Alina showed
great strength and admiration for the man she
loved for twenty years of their married life and worked together to fulfil his
dreams. She also mentioned that he always told
her that everything he did will be remembered after his death. It was sad to
hear her words that the light of her life was no more.
May God grant her and his family strength, courage fortitude and serenity to
bear this cruel blow and to keep alive his vision
and dreams of a better Goa in union with his legacy. Fr. Eremito Rebello
delivered a strong-worded homily praising Mr. Matanhy
for his kindly deeds and said that his wife Alina is a strong, courageous
woman and the people of Goa needs her now to take up
the challenge by contesting the Cortalim Constituency by polls.
There is no doubt, Mr. Matanhy died as a happy man for the love of his beloved
Goa and Goans. Let us pray that in future
Goans will elect good and honest politicians to keep his memory and legacy
alive. May God grant him an eternal rest in heaven.
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