At this crucial movement, we need to remember the person who fought tooth and nail to protect the people of Goa and Goans, who sealed the identity and preserved its culture and language for generations to come, a man who played a very important role during Opinion Poll 1967. This person is none other than late Dr Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira popularly known as Dr Jack de Sequeira also known as Jak Siker who was the founder president of the United Goans Party, the first opposition leader of Goa in the first legislative assembly in the history of Goa and the Father of the Opinion Poll of Goa 1967.
Goans have recently celebrated the birth centenary of Dr Jack de Sequeira on 20 April 2015. We are in the birth centenary year of Dr Sequeira (i.e. 20 April 1915 to 20 April 2015)..
The poll was held on 16 January 1967, and the result was declared as follows:- people of Goa voted against the merger with Maharashtra and to keep the separate union territory by a total 1,72,191 votes and the pro-merger voted in favour or Maharashtra led by Dayanand Bandodkar by a total 1,38,170 votes. The anti-mergerists forces led by Dr Sequeira won the opinion poll by a lead margin of 34,021 votes and saved Goa and Goan Identity, (Goychi Osmitai), its language and culture and he has been declared as the father of opinion poll of Goa 1967 so Goa never became a part of Maharashtra, geographically, culturally and historically.
Dr Sequeira had a vision for Goa and his vision had come true. It was a very tough situation for Dr Sequeira to pilot the Goan ship but he worked very hard by putting his life at risk to protect Goa and Goan identity, to helm the ship to victory.
On 17th October 1989, Dr Sequeira passed away at the age of 74, leaving Goa to enjoy its independent identity and our present days politician to enjoy the fruits of his vision. It was the opinion poll that made Goa a vibrant state politically strong, culturally shining and economically a number one state.
Today, the unique identity, culture and language of Goa is under threat. It is a high time that we pay our tributes to this great and most honest leader in his birth centenary year. I hope the government honor this great leader by installing a life size statue at a prominent place in Panjim.
While we celebrate the opinion poll day today I on behalf of the Goan’s urge the government to enshrine his name and contributions in our hitory books and acknowledge and recognize all his work by installing his life size statue for the future generation to remember forever the leader and the historic day of the opinion poll which changed the destiny of Goa.
