In Goa’s early post-Liberation politics of democracy two individuals stood out – Dayanand Bandodkar and Dr Jack de Sequeira. One was the first chief minister of Goa, the other was the leader of the opposition and remained so for 15 years. One has got the recognition as the first to head an elected government in free Goa, but the other who contributed much to Goa and fought for the separate identity of Goa has not received the attention he deserves.
As Goa celebrates the birth centenary of Dr Jack Sequeira on April 20, it is but fitting to pause and recall the contribution of this man who never made it across the floor of the Legislative Assembly from the opposition benches to the treasury benches, but whose ideas and ideals gave Goa direction in those early years after the Portuguese were eased out of the territory.
It was in 1963 that Dr Sequeira, then in his late 40s was able to get five different parties with the same ideology to come together and form a party which was named United Goans Party. The party stood for a separate State and for the Konkani language. Though the party fell short of a majority when the votes were counted and the results declared in 1963, the role that Sequeira and the UGP played in the years immediately following can’t be easily forgotten or even set aside.
The major challenge for Sequeira and his MLAs came when the Legislative Assembly, which had the governing Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party majority, adopted a resolution seeking the merger of Goa with Maharashtra. It was through the efforts of Sequeira, and many other likeminded persons, that the Union government was prevailed upon to hold an Opinion Poll in Goa so as to gauge the support of the residents of the Union Territory to merger. He dealt with three Prime Ministers – Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi – to get the Centre’s nod for the Opinion Poll. A brief campaign, less than a month long, saw Sequeira traverse the then Union Territory, exhorting the people to vote for the two leaves, the symbol for Union Territory. When the votes were counted it was found that the Goans had rejected merger, setting aside this issue permanently.
The fight, however, was not easy, and what those men and women fought for was definitely not the Goa we are living in today. Those who worked alongside Sequeira in that campaign will tell you so. Dr Sequeira was a man who abhorred corruption, he would cringe at the manner in which government services are ‘sold’ when they should be offered free of cost to the citizens of this country. This, the squalor we are living in today, is not what he fought for.
He was straightforward, a man who accepted verdicts and stayed well above petty politics. When he lost the election in 1979, he never sought to return to the electoral fray. He returned to his business and his family. Goa has not seen many politicians like him who quietly walk off the political field with their heads held high.
While in politics, he conducted himself on the floor of the House with utmost dignity, taking on the role of the opposition leader seriously, often flooring the government with his interventions in debates. He did not rely on rhetoric, but on a careful study of the material and issues that allowed him to present his views with the calm dignity of a person who knows his brief. That is sadly lacking in the politicians of today who rely more on shrill tones to get their message across. Goa’s politicos of today could have a lot to learn from him and improve their debating skills.
It is sad that as his family and his admirers come together to celebrate his birth centenary the government stays away. This is indeed petty politics, and exposes the parochial thinking of today’s political class. Had he been alive today, he would probably have called upon the government to broaden its mind and open itself up to embrace everybody no matter their political affiliation. Politics must be left for issues, not for celebrations and today we indeed celebrate the birth of one of Goa’s tallest leader. Let’s keep politics aside.
