Thought provoking indeed Fred. You have however, provided us only one side of the argument. And perhaps as you intended, you have indeed struck a raw nerve.
Not all Non-Resident Goans or their parents were born, nurtured and educated in Goa. I dare guess that if not the majority, a significant percentage of Goans, especially in the non-Gulf countries migrated there after having been born, educated and made their careers outside of Goa. Many were forced to migrate when the British and Portuguese colonies in Africa gained their independence, and from Pakistan. Nevertheless, whether first, second,third or even fourth generation, a deep reservoir of goodwill and nostalgia towards Goa exists among Goans and their progeny overseas. Undoubtedly this love for Goa was instilled by their parents or grandparents. The success of the World Goa Day observations throughout the Globe are clear evidence that Goans wherever they may be are proud of their heritage and proud to call themselves Goan. With a cosmopolitan outlook on life, Goans overseas have largely been very successful in every endeavour one can think of. Given the right official climate and the right attitude by the people who rule Goa, I am sure that there a lot of them who would love to do something for Goa. This is not necessarily giving back, as many of them may have received nothing "zilch" from Goa, baving been born, educated and launched and established their careers outside of Goa . Coming back to Goa is another matter. One must be very idealistic,highly committed and have a missionary zeal to come and live in Goa with the "few hundred pounds of pension" earned during their careers in the colonies. Many have bitter experiences of losing their ancestral properties and having to deal with very un-helpful elected officials unless allegedly one is able to profer a bribe. Those who choose to come to Goa to settle or to purchase a holiday home or deal with routine matters such as purchasing a vehicle or getting a drivers license can tell you about their experience dealing with corrupt bureaucrats, the endless queues, being shunted from one office to another, or one officer to another, or being told to come another day because the person handling a particular matter is "out of station" and so no business can be transacted on that day. And what is particularly galling and derisive is the appellation of "Bhailo" given to those of us "niz" Goenkars when dealing with bureacrats. When dealing with an official matter in Goa, there does not seem to be a set criteria of requirements. Many times the person one first encounters at a Government office is not on duty on the follwing day and the new person on duty sets up a whole new criteria of requirements. Harass the hapless citizen appears to be the mantra of governmental bureaucrats. I wonder if this is a colonial legacy ? Give to Goa we must, not necessarily give "back". However we must stop thinking of overseas Goans as mere cash cows, but as partners in Goa's progress. We must have an NRI cell or whatever it is called that is made up equally of NRIs so that the concerns of non-resident Goans can be articulated and whatever decisions are taken, are balanced and have the views of the NRIs that the cell supposedly represents. When the Government of Goa shows that it truly respects and welcomes its world-wide diaspora, and changes its attitude from one of envy to one of equal partnership, you will have created the right climate for overseas Goans to participate in the development of Goa. (Having said that, the raw nerve throbs no more !) Vivian A. D'Souza ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
