Paulo Colaco Dias wrote: > To put things into perspective, it is a fact that Goa has currently today a > Chief Minister > called Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar who was born on the 13 December > 1955 > at Mapusa, Bardez, Portuguese Province of Goa - an integrant part of the > Portuguese > Republic. Mr. Parrikar's country of birth whether he likes it or not was the > Portuguese > > Presuming that Mr. Parrikar was not residing in the ex-Portuguese provinces > of Africa during > 1974 to 1975, Portuguese Nationality Law confers Portuguese Citizenship of > origin to him. > > The current Chief Minister of Goa is, therefore, a Portuguese citizen of > origin, according to > Portuguese Nationality Law. This is the position of Portugal according to the > Portuguese > Nationality Law. Of course Mr. Parrikar and all Goans born before 1961 in Goa > are free to > renounce Portuguese citizenship of origin of their own free will if they also > have another citizenship. > The fact remains that if they do not renounce it, they are indeed Portuguese > citizens of origin > according to Portugal and its Portuguese Nationality Laws, regardless of them > being registered > in Portugal or not. Registration in Portugal is merely a formal recognition > of title of Portuguese > citizenship. Granting of the same title is conferred by the Portuguese > Nationality Law and not in > the act of registering the birth in Portugal alone.
Paulo Colaco Dias, I can always depend on you to provide comic relief on Goanet. The only reason why Goans born before Dec 1961 are Portuguese is because the Portuguese insist they are. The confused Goans of that age, insist they are Portuguese too. I am not sure if you have had the privilege of visiting Africa but almost every Head of State there has been born a British subject or a French citizen. By law. To these Africans, the concept of them being subjected to the whims of an er, 'queen' of the UK or socialist 'president' of France is so foreign that they stood up and kicked the British and French out of the continent. Goans did not do the same. They waited for the Indians to do the job for them. The Indians, thanks be to Allah, allowed the Goans, for the first time in history, to elect any leader they desired. The current elected leader of Goa, according to you, is Portuguese by birth. Incredibly, he won the majority of votes of those who vote in Goa. He reminds me of the African Presidents. Not the Portuguese. As for renouncing Portuguese citizenship, that is the domain only of those who still find the desire to abide by the laws of one of the most troubled economies in the world. The rest of the world has moved on. For better or for worse. Mervyn
