And so, the British people have spoken. Again. The Conservatives win yet again with a
larger seat count. The victorious have been making the appropriate sounds and
the man at the helm Boris Johnson has promised to be aggressive while
negotiating a good deal for the UK. Michael Gove has said a new Brexit deal
will be concluded by the end of next year. High-level political negotiations
will start in February, and the detail of getting Britain ready for Brexit is
where the devil lies.
There is talk of overhauling the entire
system but in all this where does average Goan fit in. Richard Dias who left
Goa in 2015 to work in a shop in Redding or Satish Naik who left to work as a
security guard in a retail outlet. Like them there are thousands who moved to
the UK on the strength of the fact that either they or their parents were born
in Goa during the Portuguese rule. Thousands left for greener pastures in the
UK via Portugal. The move by the UK however raise question marks as to the
future of this movement.
The decision to move surprised even
Britishers many of whom live in Goa for several months in a year. Richard Maddison said he voted liberal as a vote in protest
at the general manner in which the general political class had pitched their
respective ideas. It would be tough years ahead because, the state was now a
service state with a huge interest in the banking sector. He expected several
banks to exit the city thus ensuring a dramatic drop in jobs. He expected tough
times for everyone including Goans.
Former Advocate general of Goa, Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira and one who has been watching the
developments with interest said “Boris Johnson has said he will be aggressive
while negotiating, you have to remember he is also under tremendous pressure,
it has to be operationalised in 2 years. If there is no deal then how do you
impose taxes. Industries will start collapsing and Goans will be without jobs.”
He said there were Goans working but not many in the senior posts. The few who
rise up will be declared surplus. The problem he said for the Goans was that
many could barely speak Portuguese. Old timers could manage very well but the
people going now he said were struggling even with English. Perhaps it was
time, he said for Goans to look at other countries
Cleofato Countinho was however optimistic saying that Goans
would not be affected because they were needed. He however felt that there
could be problems on citizenship but the companies would need workers and that
would have to be satisfied. He said “If there is a no deal Brexit then I
believe, that people will have to go back to Portugal.
Goans in England on Portuguese passports may be given temporary
residence status but I think perhaps it is time to look at new pastures.
Germany is a very good option, the language is tougher and this will mean our
people will have to learn a new language if they want to expand their options”.
He compared the situation with Goa saying, the state needed workers but the
young Goan leaving to work outside, young men from other states were working
here which raised the hackles of some people here. The economy needs workers to
keep sustaining itself and this was a truth all over the place.
Eduardo Faleiro former Union Minister of state for External
Affairs and NRI Commissioner of Goa believed that those who were there would
not be troubled. However new people would not be welcome. He however reasoned
that with a Portuguese passport one could look at other places in the EU as a
possible destination.
While
there is no immediate worry, especially for those who would have lived in the
UK for 5 years till December 31 2020, the worry lines seem to come from the
reality of the ground situation and not the specific points etched in
documents. The Portuguese passport may no longer give an unchecked free run on
benefits and jobs in the UK.
