Once again, Britain will go to the polls on 12 December, 2019, to form a new government who will have a final say on Brexit. Three years of negotiations have only turned Britain into a more divided nation, unable to agree on what is best for the country, and more importantly unable to decide the way forward because the current hung government does not have a clear majority. If a Labour government is elected or a coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrats propped up, it might mean Brexit being negated altogether. But the Conservative party at the moment has a clear lead in the polls. Although polls have been wrong before and two weeks is a long time in British politics, every indication points to the Conservatives winning and returning to parliament with a clear mandate to proceed with Brexit.
For those in the UK, it will be a cold, long and dark winter night as they await the results. But there will also be restless souls in Goa awaiting the outcome of the election. For many Goan families their future plans depend on whether the UK leaves or stays within the European Union. This much is clear though, even if the UK shuts its doors on Portuguese passport-holding Goans, there will be no let up in the number of Goans seeking Portuguese passports. The passport itself allows access to Europe, and Europe has become an aspirational destination. There are thousands of people every year from as far as China trying to get into Europe illegally, pursuing dangerous sea crossings or hiding in the back of lorries. Goans have legal and safe passage to Europe. It is unlikely that they will not avail of it – if not for themselves then for their children.
If they cannot work in England, which is the destination of first choice, the Portuguese passport will still allow them to work in Portugal, Germany or France, some of the biggest economies in the world, and also allow them easier entry to other Anglophone countries like Australia and Canada. But why has Europe, Australia and North America become such a magnet for people from Asia, Africa and the Middle East? Why does it entice people to leave their homes, even lives which may be moderately comfortable, and travel to an alien, unfamiliar country? This is the more relevant question Goa must ask itself. It is quite clear, that developing countries cannot compete with Europe or America in terms of infrastructure or job opportunities or educational institutions for future generations. Add to it, chaotic governance which everyday turns more turgid, leaning towards a totalitarian nationalism which is uncomfortable for minorities in their home countries. These push and pull factors are going to drive Goans to seek livelihoods elsewhere. But can Goa, in the end, benefit tremendously because of its migration outflow?
Historically, Goans have been migrating in substantial numbers since the mid-1800s. By the late 19th century, Portugal encouraged migration from Goa into British colonies, depending on the remittances to buffer Goa’s failing economy. Despite such a long migratory history, Goa continues to be a centripetal force. Early Goans in Bombay and East Africa ensured money was repatriated to build ancestral houses and repair churches. This was the golden age of Goan philanthropy when the well-off thought it their responsibility to take care of the less fortunate, to assist with their medical bills and the education of their children.
In the 1960s, large number of Goans began to emigrate to the Arabian Gulf for work. In a brilliant stroke of monetary policy manoeuvring the Indian government in February 1970, introduced the Non-Resident (External) Rupee Account, which would allow Indians working abroad to repatriate their money safely back home. All through the 1970s and 1980s, the Indian government worked hard to offer lucrative interest rates luring capital which might have shifted to western countries back to India. By 1990, NRI deposits had grown to US$12.4 billion.
Quite apart from the fillip these remittances provided to the flagging Indian economy, it did something else that was extraordinary. It created an unwavering loyalty to India within the expatriate Indian community. Because their money resided in India, they thought of India as home. It gave rise to the term ‘NRI’, which initially referred to Indians working abroad, but now is more loosely used to describe a ‘Person of Indian origin’ (also referred to as PIO or OCI) who is in some way inexplicably linked to India.
This amorphous entity of dual loyalty, in more liberal times, initiated conversations about dual citizenship. This, it was hoped would rake in more investment and give these individuals a say in the governance of India. The idea has languished and possibly died a slow death, as the nation grapples with questions about who is an Indian? But it is exactly this notion of duality that the Goa government must pursue with the Centre, if Goa is to somehow benefit from substantial numbers emigrating. Unlike the Arabian Gulf which never afforded its expatriate workers the opportunity to become citizens or put down roots, Europe, Australia and North America affords Goans the possibility of permanent citizenship, house ownership, political franchise, and a sincere investment in their children’s education. In short, these countries are more than just a place to work, they are home.
Allowing for a process which fully acknowledges a dual-citizenship for Goans, will mean a continued interest in Goa, in buying property, in opening business ventures, in pursuing cultural, social and educational interactions between native Goans and NRI Goans. The central government in India has to start thinking innovatively if they want to reap the benefits of foreign exchange remittances, it has to look beyond geography to define who is an Indian.
(The writer is the author
of Goan Pioneers of
East Africa)
