Let us not forget that there is much more behind the face that publicly puts on a pro-goan appearance and wears a broad smile everytime it encounters you on the street or needs to engage you in its covert agendas. Let us also not forget that there is much not spoken by the mouth that excites the Church authorities with flattery about its indispensability when it comes to social and political movements in Goa. For most of the Goan community the era of UG versus MGP and Merger versus Non-Merger may may be a matter of the past. But the mergerists have not given up and are silently chipping at the root of the Goan society to kill it sooner or later. The visit of the Portuguese ship 'NRP Sagres' has only helped expose this nexus between the masked anti-goans and communal elements masquerading in the guise of Desh Premis, F.F's, GPF etc..
With the exception of one letter to the Editor in Herald from one Dr. Shiv Prabhu Naik, assuming that this name is also not fake, the remaining letters published condemning these anti-social elements are unfortunately from the minority community. This does not also mean that the pro-Portuguese sentiments among many others in the majority community are any different from that of the minority community. It is only that they do not have the pro-Goan media forums to express it, or are too traumatised by the influential communal terrorists. This anti-minority virus runs through the devanagiri konknni world and some have been generous enough to admit this fact. It is more the communal intent that is behind the opposition to the roman script for the konkani language than the issue of a foreign script. Because if it was the issue of foreign script then the education in English ought to have been opposed by these Desh Premis and FFs and GPFs.
To the common man's eyes these opinions in favour of the visit of 'NRP Sagres' that run in the 'Herald' may seem entertaining. It is not that anyone needs to fear about speaking the truth, but what is actually being projected by the anti-goan communal agents in the media is that a particular community is anti-national and pro-Portuguese. This has been the modus operandi during the Opinion Poll, the Konkan Railway Realignment Movement and recently during the Anti-Mega Project agitation. The concern about 'denationalised goans' was the argument in defence forwarded by a communalist masquerading as a socialist FF after the vandalisation of name plaques in Fontainhas. Another communal doctor who masquerades as a secularist, tries to compare himself to MF Hussein as a victim of communal bigots, had publicly accused the Church of fuelling anti-mega projects because it fears losing ground in Salcette's villages. And so with all the wonderful talk of Goa being a secular state, let us not deny the underlying asymptomatic malignancy of communal hatred that is only waiting to manifest itself at the opportune moment.
In the 49th year of Goa's liberation the issue about injustices to the Goan people in the name of liberation continues to haunt this tiny State. The total contempt of the Goan community towards many of these so-called FFs, who are more of a disgrace than a matter of pride, has amply been demonstrated during the visit of 'NRP Sagres'. The FFs instead of engaging in adressing the issues of migration, degradation of the environment, degoanisation of Goa's villages and the rest of the liberation rot, have been attempting to attract public attention to non-issues. A Portuguese name plaque is definitely not as hazardous as dengue or malaria or drugs. A visit of a Portuguese ship 'NRP Sagres' is surely not as dangerous as a visiting Margao or Indian real estate developer and builder in the villages of Goa. The loot and plunder of communidade lands to create housing for migrants and economic space of migrant industrialists is a far greater threat to the Goan social and political fabric than the speaking of the Portuguese language. Having pro-Portuguese sentiments is not as destructive as the tonnes of mineral earth being excavated in the Western Ghats and shipped to build the mineral resources of China. And all these atrocities get inflicted upon the Goan people in the name of secularism and socialism. All this crap gets sold to Goans as 'nationalism'
So, in the 49th Year of Goa's Liberation let us resolve not to take this rubbish by lying down. There is a need to be alert of those masquerading as secularists and Desh Premis. There is a need to rewrite the distorted history, by pointing out that it was the opportunistic upper caste Goans who invited the Portuguese to rule Goa, enjoyed prime posts and economic benefits during the Portuguese rule of 450 years and now label the goan minorities as Portuguese sympathisers. There is a need to ensure that Konkani in the heritage roman script gets its due recognition in the governance of Goa. There is a need to question the credibility of so-called FFs and their pro-merger and communal agendas. There is a need to establish that the 50 years existence of Goan miners and real estate developers are a far greater threat to Goan existence than the 450 years of Portuguese rule. There is a need to preserve, and not feel shy about, the positive inheritances left behind by 450 years of Portuguese rule which the agents of Maharashtra aspire to denigrate.
So let the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Goa's liberation be an opportunity for every true Goan to analyse the the last 49 years of political and social subjugation. Let this be an opportunity to learn lessons of the past and ensure that they are not repeated in the future. Let this be an opportunity to chalk out strategies to free Goans from the social and political bondage of neo-Portuguese colonisers.
Viva Goa! Viva Konkani!
(Sentiments of Soter D'Souza in the 49th year of Goan bondage)
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