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Mr. Mello, you are tired and disappointed because truth hurts sometimes! Some Indian Goans are so full of nationalistic pride that they can't tolerate any kind of criticism. They have been told since their kindergarten days that India is the best place under the sun and they believed it. They hate being reminded that that is not so. Speaking for myself, I have not been putting down Goa or India. I have dwelt on facts, like my 1998 trip to Goa. I did not like what I saw. Am I supposed to say that I loved it, just to please you and other like-minded Indians? And what about that favourite pastime of some goanetters which is Portugal-bashing, do you ever get tired of it?
I agree with almost everything else you said. Those are facts of history and you are right in reminding us of them. However people should be aware that that was the reality of the anglo-saxon world. In Portugal and its colonies it was a vastly different story. Goans have played a major role in portuguese society for a long, long time. There have been a number of Goan judges, university professors, medical doctors, high Govt. officials, ambassadors (there are probably more Goans as ambassadors of Portugal than as ambassadors of India),etc.from the 19th century onwards, working all across the then portuguese empire.The colonisation of Mozambique was done by Europeans and Goans, side by side.Today there are thousands of goans (or rather, citizens of goan origin, like myself) in the Govt. departments, universities, the judiciary, hospitals, foreign service, etc., in the most qualified positions. They get there based on merit, because there is no discrimination against them. I was born in 1963 in Mozambique, under portuguese colonial rule. I have always been a fully fledged portuguese national. Never ever did I feel discriminated by the whites or the authorities. And we do not owe this to "India's standing in the world". We were integrated and respected long before India even existed as an independent country. Portugal knows Goa and Goans and respects them on their own merits. People tend to forget or ignore that the Portuguese experience is very different from the anglo-saxon one.
Rui Collaço
Lisbon
From: "Tim de Mello" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Goanet] I am a Goan! Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 18:55:58 +0000
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I am tired (and disappointed) reading e-mails from Goans that put down India and Goa and extoll the virtues of Europe, America, Australia/NZ, etc.
We must remember that we are in these countries at the sufferance of the indigineous populations - particularly in the ones governed by the Anglo-Saxons (A-S). Let us not lose sight of the fact that if suitable A-S's could be found we would not be allowed to set foot in these countries. These countries (and South Africa, until recently) were developed for THEIR people - not for us! History books have recorded these facts - "White Australia", "Apartheid" (which incidentally was based on the Canadian system of separating the Whites from the native populations, etc. Also, look at the history of the Sikhs looking to settle in Vancouver (Komagata Maru in 1914), the way the Chinese & Japanese people were dealt with in the 1940s in the US and Canada, and recently the plight of Berna Cruz at the hands of US officials. Berna Cruz was one case that received a lot of publicity, but I have heard of many such cases which go unreported. Think about this the next time you try and visit one of these A-S countries.
Many Goans who keep casting aspersions on India and Goa, I am sure, just managed to qualify for entry into these A-S countries by the skin of their teeth and now prance around as something superior to those in India. In fairness, there are also many Indians (i.e. not from Goa) who do the same.
They must remember one thing. YOU ARE AFFORDED RESPECT (OR DIS-RESPECT) (and suffer or enjoy your position in this society) BECAUSE OF THE STANDING OF INDIA IN THE WORLD TODAY. e.g. If you are considered clever in IT it is because of the standing of India in the world today - and a prospective employer is likely to give you preference over some other non-Indian immigrant. You are seen and viewed by the mainstream majority as Indian not as Goan - however much you try and argue your pathetic cases here on Goa-Net.
India has many problems and they are they there for all to see. e.g. Just go to Agra to view the Taj Mahal and you will pass through some of the filthiest places on earth. But just as well, India has made giant strides in almost every field of human endeavour.
Yes, they are there - if you choose to see.
Tim de Mello [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ontario, CANADA
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