43 Years After The Opinion Poll 16th January 1967 was a dawn of a new era for Goans all over the world, it enhanced our dreams that were ignited by the end of the Salazar era, the day of exuberance when finally we Goans put an end to the depraved infatuation of the pro Maharashtra lobby within the Goan borders, sons of the soil turned traitors for a few pieces of silver.
The struggle enforced by the proud son of the soil Dr Jack de Sequeira, under whose stewardship we safeguarded, what we call our prized Goan Identity, if not we might have been residents of some remote coast of western Maharashtra. We have to be thankful to Dr. Jack de Sequeira and his erstwhile comrades for protecting our most cherished procession, our unique Goan Identity. In 1961 it was the fight of the united Goa that paved the way for the so called liberation, only to fall prey to the pseudo secular, pseudo democratic and corrupt ideologies of the Indian Union. In 1967 it was a literary a civil war in Goa, Goans fighting against their very own, one to safeguard it’s integrity, while the other, traitors trying to sell the mother for personal gains. In the end the power and the will of the people prevailed through sheer determination. Forty three years down the line and we are still fighting demons within the Goan borders and now it’s again the turn of the very sons of the soil, who are trying to tear their mother apart in the name of religion and language. What an ugly situation ? The erstwhile former leaders must be rolling in their graves, trying to figure out why on earth, have their sacrifices been in vain ? Once again it is the politicians, the very people who were elected to safeguard Goa and Goans, who are the culprits, continuing to fool Goans, dividing it’s people for personal gains. When the Indian Union was formed at the end of the British rule all the princely states and regions were divided on the basis of language and culture that was shared by the majority of the people in that particular area and as such in 1961 Nerhu at the time of annexation of Goa into the Indian Union, Goans were promised that their culture and their language would be safe guarded through the special status for Goa, the promises that the Delhi babus have continently and conspicuously forgotten. The very essence and the fervor of the opinion poll was to safe guard our unique Goan Identity. Which now is being diluted with the influx of migrants from all over India, I agree that being Indians anyone and everyone is entitled to settle any where in India, the right given by the Constitution of India, but unfortunately Goa was neither a part to the Constitution nor a member of the Indian Union when it was drafted. Due to the small geographical size of Goa, precautions should have been taken by Delhi and our own Politicians that our own culture and our Identity does not get overwhelmed by the larger cultures and other parts of the Indian union. In 1985 when pro Marathi activists reared their ugly head once again, the pro Konkani movement gathered momentum under the able leadership of the Konkani Pojecho Awaz (KPA), but then in 1986 December only when the wave of the Konkani movement turned into a tsunami and the loss of seven innocent lives, our politicians were once again forced to accept the will of the people, as Konkani was made the official language of Goa on 4th February 1987 soon after which Goa got statehood on 30th May 1987. Konkani then found a place in 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution, five years later on 20th August 1992. Our politicians conniving as usual though made Konkani the official language, left a back door open for Marathi to weave it’s way in, any time in the future and till today there is the evil of suspicion making it presence felt every single day in the lives of Goans. Today, as we Goans are on the verge of becoming a minority in our own land, our politicians are playing the dirty card called vote bank politics as migrants are brought in hoards and given the right to overwhelm the Goan voting public as a result of which illegal migrant colonies and shanties have changed the landscapes of a good number of places, which stand out like sore eyes and also emit and harbor crime and criminals, a perfect breading ground for anti social elements. Forty three years down the line and we Goans are still insecure in our own land as once again our inapt politicians are hell bent on leather to feed the fruits of the historic opinion poll to the outsiders for their own personal gains. Was this the vision we had forty three years ago ? Was this what we wanted as the stepping stone into the 21st century ? Was this the Goa we all wanted ? If yes, then we have got what we deserved, and the opinion poll had no meaning what so ever, but if not, what do we intend to do about it ? The ball is in our court ? It’s each one’s Call ! Freddy Agnelo Fernandes
