Mario observes:
Excellent points, Joe. It always amuses me when
the
staunchest Portophiles and others on Goanet who
regularly call for GOA FOR GOANS and other
similar
sentiments do not live there, and probably never
will.
I hope they will at least buy some properties in
Goa
and keep these out of the hands of the dastardly
"foreigners" from India and elsewhere who have
"discovered" the beauty of Goa that Goans have
taken
for granted for far too long.
.
..
A few years ago I had met a wealthy Goan on the plane heading for Goa, who
said that his heart yearns for Goa, but his wife for Switzerland. The
couple had obviously been rancorously at rift whether to resettle in Goa or
stay-put in their new-found-land Switzerland. I sympathized with the
man who I was told made several trips to Goa, just to be in one in spirit
with homeland Goa.
Goa is not what it used to be many years ago; its ambiance, its demographics
and its culture is changing rapidly (and I cant say its for the good). If
any Goan who has his/her heart in the right place for Goa, will know that it
takes more than mere words to set things in the right direction. Foreigners
have come to appreciate Goa, where Goans have not.
Goans working in the Gulf and their seafaring counterparts may have invested
in lands Goa, in-as-much-as they can, while noting that they already have
ancestral homes and properties. Whereas, some of those who work back home
may wish to buy more land mainly to build a home, would those
settled/settling abroad and selling their lands be willing to sell them at
prices the local Goans can afford? I guess not. And I am not advocating
that they should, because everyone who is selling is seeking a best possible
offer, and amongst those that can afford that price tag are obviously
non-Goans (or foreigners).
The foreign remittances by Gulf-Goans has helped coffer up significant
amounts of funds in Banks that can afford loans to local borrowers.
Apparently, those that are capitalizing on this opportunity are non-Goans
who have set up their businesses, since they find Goa has become a good
market, where Goans have the purchasing power, and most of the profits are
siphoned off by non-Goans to their own states. Goans too must seize this
opportunity (before its too late) and set up businesses so that the capital
is circulated and remains within Goa, which would help raise Goan wealth.
Best,
Joe Vaz
"Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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