The Goa Chief Minister’s proposal to the Centre to grant one time amnesty for Goans who have registered their birth in Portugal is like a quick fix solution without studying the citizenship matter in detail.
There are several hundreds of Goans who have their birth and marriage registered in Portugal just for the benefit of their children and grandchildren. Some of these Goans are above 60 or 70 years old and have no intention to visit or settle in Europe.
Amnesty is the last resort where governments of several countries adopt to close or settle certain national issues. How come Goans registering their birth in Portugal becomes a national issue when before and after the liberation of Goa, all the successive union governments were aware of the constitution of Portugal. Successive central governments cannot claim ignorance of the constitution of Portugal.
Government of India cannot influence nor instruct a sovereign country to change their constitution. People of Goa were Portuguese citizens before liberation and subsequently after liberation were declared officially as Indian citizens without any bilateral agreement or treaty with Portugal to resolve the citizenship of Goans. Whom to blame for this mess?. Innocent Goans are not responsible as it is beyond their control.
Goans doesn’t need amnesty. Goans need amendment of Indian citizenship act as successive governments since independence never resolved Goans Portuguese citizenship issue. The Chief Minister of Goa should formally propose to the union government that Goans registering their birth or marriage in Portugal should not be considered as formal applicants for Portuguese citizenship until and unless he / she has surrendered the Indian passport.
Paul Pereira, Utorda
