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KUWAIT GOANS CONTRIBUTION.
Amongst the expatriate Goans and especially from the Gulf Goans, Kuwait
Goans contribution for the cause of Goa is really great. The early Goans who
landed in Kuwait soon after the Second World War were very much conscious of
their homeland, their homes and their home language that is Konkani. The
first Goan association that was formed in Kuwait was known as Goan
Association Ahmadi Kuwait, it was formed at Ahmadi Oil Center where most
of the early Goans concentrated because of their jobs in KOC and other Oil
companies. Though these Ahmadi resident Goans working at Oil Centre came
under the banner of Goan Association Ahmadi -Kuwait yet it failed to unite
all Goans together because discrimination on the basis of nature of jobs was
a hindrance. Entry into this Association especially at certain locations
and for certain Goan functions for manual workers, for domestic workers and
for other artisans was prohibited. This novel idea was decided by certain
ded Xanne Bamonn Goykar on the pattern of British policy of devide and
rule and also on the basis of discrimination. During those days KOC was the
monopoly of British and to maintain their supremacy they did not allow non
British, non Westerners, non white collar job holders to mingle with them.
Hence, our ded-Xanne Goykar also imitated their masters and introduced
Goan type of apartheid in Goan Association Ahmadi Kuwait. Many of the
Goans residing in Kuwait City and surrounding areas had no role in GAA-K and
because of this they felt something had to be done. Hence under the
co-leadership of one Mr. Armando Carvalho and Mr. Vincente DSouza from
Camurlim formed another Goan Association in Kuwait city known as Kuwait Goan
Association somewhere in mid sixties, in the initial stages it was called
just Kuwait Goans but later on it was called Kuwait Goan Association.
Till 30 years back this was the only Goan Association in Kuwait existing
while Goan Association Ahmadi Kuwait automatically came to an end without
anybodys notice after the formation of KGA, since most of the Goans working
at Oil Centre were either retired by their managements or left from that
place.
Mr. Vincente DSouza was a very dynamic man working for Kuwait Customs for a
long time. He was also a free lance journalist in Kuwait and the only
accredited one amongst the Goan community. Besides writing for the local
media he was also the Kuwait correspondent of Goa Today a monthly from
Panjim for a long time till I took over. He had great love for Goa and Goan
causes. Many times he proved to a revolutionary and visionary person too.
He enjoyed high respect in Goan and Indian societies. He could easily
interact with Indian diplomats with ease. He was very much responsible for
making Goan community known in Kuwait to other communities. He was the first
person responsible to introduce Goan community to other communities in
Kuwait. He highlighted many of the Goan issues to Goan and Indian
Governments and made the voice of Goans very audible in Kuwait. At certain
time he was so powerful that if he said Yes, it should be yes for all his
members in Kuwait Goan Association including to those who later on turned
against him. It was like if comrade Napolean said yes, it must be yes.
He had very good vocabulary in English, very good art of oratory too. During
his stay here in Kuwait till the invasion of Kuwait he played a wonderful
role in the enhancement of community affairs. Some of his initiatives were
really wonderful and worth mentioning here. Raising funds for Goa Cancer
Hospital at Dona Paula was his inititiative, giving access to Dr. Vaidya in
Kuwait for this cause was his responsibility. About 20 lakhs were donated by
Goans from Kuwait for this Hospital according to the information. It was in
mid seventies. And forming of another Goan Association Goan Arts Circle
for organising Goan cultural activities was also his initiative. Direct
Flight from Kuwait to Goa was his initiative and he worked hard for its
success, besides him others also worked, I too have played a good role in
this drive but initiative was of Vincente DSouza. Today we are having
facilities of direct flight much because of his initiative. To get this
flight was a big effort made by Goans in Kuwait. Then came his another
powerful initiative that is of starting a new English School in Kuwait known
as New Indian School at Jabriya Kuwait where thru his pushing a Goan
principal Stanislaus Alemao was recruited as Head of this School. Because of
starting of this school lot of our boys and girls got opportunities to study
in Kuwait otherwise due to shortage of schools in Kuwait parents had to send
their children out of Kuwait which means painful separation of children from
their loving and caring parents. Yet another powerful initiative of this
man was the establishment of Gulf Goans Hotels Company in Goa where this
company has already built a big hotel Goan Heritage at Calangute
Ghauravaddo and where many of our Goans are earning their livelihood. One
more initiative of this dynamic expatriate Goan from Kuwait was the
formation of Goan Welfare Society which is still existing in Kuwait but
since last two years not very active and not performing its annual Goa Day
Function because two of its members has duped this Society of its funds to
the tune of over 30 thousand Kuwaiti Dinars amounting to over half a crore
of Indian Rupees. Because of this daylight robbery, the major activities of
Goan Welfare Society are come to an abrupt halt. The very person who as a
member of KGA was accusing Vicente Desouza of some irregularities once has
himself become the architect of denying the huge funds of GWA. It is a
public fund collected jointly by all for the cause of community. Robbing
community money is a curse which will affect not only the actual robbers but
also their generations and generations. I have seen recently how some Goans
are suffering after robbing the funds of Goan Clubs (Kood) in Bombay. Their
children are gone astray, their wives gone with somebody and they themselves
turned out to be bebde and pixe, mentally ill. In Kuwait the entire
community is hurt by this robbery of over KD 30 thousand by these two Goykar
chors who shamelessly show their faces in the Church and elsewhere as if
they are saintly Goans. And those few Goykars who oppose me from
highlighting this topic are equally guilty because by trying to suppress me
they are trying to support the thieves.
This year under the skippership of NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro some
expatriate Goans were presented with special awards during the global Goan
function in Goa. The contribution of these Goans towards the cause of Goa
was known only to Eduardo Faleiro. None amongst them come closer to Vincente
DSouzas contribution to the cause of Goa. Even when we financed the stay
of Eduardo Faleiro in Kuwait in late seventies it was Vincente DSouza who
initiated this and as such Faleiro knows the dynamism and contribution of
Vincente DSouza to the cause of Goa. Instead of doling out prizes to those
Goans whose contributions to the cause of Goa is nothing compared to what
Vincente DSouza did, would it not be right to honour Vincente DSouza
appropriately even though he is no more an NRI now? Were all those who
honoured in Goa during the Global Goan function, recently, NRI Indians or
they were holders of the citizenship of the countries of their domicile? Is
it right to honour Goans holding non-Indian passports? Those who are
wasting tax payers money on those who pay no taxes should be brought to
their senses. Where is Margareth Alva gone now? Cant anybody inform
Congress High Command of the waste of lakhs by Rane and Faleiro on those
who are least bothered on Goa? I think somebody must come forward to put a
brake on dadagiri of Edward Faleiro. Men like Florian of Suuraj Party,
Adv. Aires Rodrigues and others should demand explanation on the waste of
public money by Rane Government on those Goans whose nationalities are not
Indian and whose contribution in the causes of Goa and Goans is nothing. We
like honouring Goans who love Goa, its culture, tradition and language and
not to those who dont do anything for the cause of Goa and Goans.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
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