Source: Goan Voice UK Daily Newsletter of 9 June 2013 at www.goanvoice.org.uk
Is there something in our past that has prevented, nay paralysed, the Diaspora Goan from actively engaging in politics in the West? Is it the legacy of our Portuguese colonialists that has emasculated our talent in public (not bureaucratic) service from the time that Goans were discouraged from any meaningful power in governing themselves or being trained in it like the Indians for whom the Brits allowed Home Rule much before they granted independence? It's not that Goans were not politically conscious during Portuguese dictatorial rule. Instances are rife of bold protest. The one that comes to immediate mind is the recent detailed discussion on Goanet about the ruthless shooting of protestors in the residential circle around the Margao Church where the old municipal office was located. So yes, we have been politically active and no, we are not afraid. Even in Bombay and Karachi, Goans were as engaged in politics as they were in other professions. Crowded out of parties by other blocs, Goans not only survived, they made their mark. They became mayors, state and provincial bigwigs, lawyers and judges, reaching all the way to their respective country's highest courts and enjoying powerful political offices often appointed from non-political backgrounds. What then hinders our political endeavors? Is it that beyond the legacy we are heirs to, we think that it is more important to establish ourselves as first generation immigrants, putting firm financial and educational roots as our primary priorities, positing that indulging in politics is the preoccupation of the idle or the wealthy? The truth betrays both those concerns. We are now into the second generation without any change on the landmark and many of us are quite financially secure if not downright wealthy enough to send a son or daughter into public life. Our children speak like other Canadians, voluble, determined, demanding. Yet the landscape for us remains as dry as when we first came. Politics has been the key to advancement of communities settled in the west and elsewhere. Ask the Ukrainians, the Armenians, the Jews, the Chinese, the Portuguese or the Punjabis and the Tamils. While achieving great individual and personal successes, as a community we have miserably failed. If a minister here or a politician there comes to us to establish a toehold in our vote bank, it is out of a certain bemusement, not out of urgency and it is because we make ourselves part of another cause, thinking that being Goan is not sufficient enough to attract the corridors of power. Take for example a recent attempt of the Federal Immigration Minister to meet with a few Toronto Goans who took the initiative, although not nominated by the community. The cause was Christian persecution in other parts of the globe, not Goan causes, as if we were afraid of our own unimportance and wanted to make common cause with the Italians, Poles and whatever other Catholic majority exists in this city. Besides wealth and education, we have the easy potential to wade into politics. There are many decorated community social activists, recognized by the city, the province and nationally. We have a number of lawyers for whom politics is a natural stepping stone. We have doctors who have served the wider non Goan constituency in their practice and could with little effort garner the votes required for winning. We have realtors who are well travelled and not in distance only and we have aggressive entrepreneurs for whom politics would not be half as taxing as running their businesses. We have demonstrated a deep reservoir of time and effort in organizing dances, church affairs, socials, and whatever hobby and pastime you could think of and yet we don't have the time to encourage and push forward even half-willing Goan candidates who could be our voices when our issues cry out for attention. Even with the fine examples set in a city like Toronto where people take up all manner of challenges and make tremendous sacrifices so that others that follow benefit, we Goans are left to bite the dust, to all appearances like chaff blowing in the wind rather than industrious ants moving in unison to ensure the community prospers. Unless we move fast and furious, finding out and demolishing the obstacles that prevent us from uniting behind the leaders we appoint, we will continue seeing bigger and more powerful institutions and thriving monuments to the determination of others while we languish with no living legacy that says "Goans are here!" ==================================