Francis D’Souza has been for years a faithful BJP man, more loyalist than the king, more papist than the pope. He would always pursue and defend BJP’s policies and ideology more vehemently than the BJP pracharaks themselves. To endear himself to the RSS bosses he even went to the extent of saying absurd things like ‘I am a Christian Hindu.’ Before the last Assembly elections, I remember, Francis D’Souza talking paternalistically urged the minorities to vote for the BJP, “As long as I am in the BJP, Catholics must vote freely for the BJP and fear nothing,” he had vouched. It is sad that today he himself is a harassed man, unwanted by the party. You rightly say in your edit titled, “The Deputy CM feels frustrated and lonely (Herald 22 Jan)” that “A ring of RSS boys are running the party whose colours are not changing. They are merely getting back to the normal hue of saffron…Francis D’Souza does not fit into their scheme of things.” Could it be that the worse is yet to happen? Should the BJP pocket the Panjim seat (alas, with a little help from the gullible minorities!)? We all better be prepared for major tectonic shifts and then Francis D’Souza (with all his foibles) will not be the only lonely man in Goa.
Dr Francisco Colaco, Margao
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Garbage and plague
There seems to be no sign of the menace of garbage being strewn by the roadside and piling of trash around the garbage bin dying down. The mounds of garbage at the garbage dump sites growing by the day. Is there a solution in sight to the garbage disposal problem in the State? It must be said that garbage attracts rats in a big way which feed on the trash. The presence of a large number of rats could well lead to an outbreak of plague. It may be recalled that there was a plague outbreak in Surat in 1994. Rats were blamed for the outbreak of plague there. This outbreak shook the city into action. Surat got into the clean-up act in a big way which has made it one of the cleanest cities in the country. Are we Goans going for (God forbid) an outbreak of plague in the State to wake us up from our deep slumber and get into the clean-up act? With garbage strewn all over the place, an outbreak of plague is always a possibility. We should be aware and beware. We should not wait till it is too late.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Paris attack was cold blooded murder
I do not wish to buy or even read Charlie Hebdo and I don’t eat Kosher, but what happened to the staff of this journal, and the staff and customers of the Kosher supermarket as well as the police officers who were just doing their job is nothing short of cold blooded murder. Yet I would not say “Murder hailed as Muslim values” for the majority of Muslims are and have been appalled by these murders. Politics is often a dirty business as individual and group interests fail to recognize the interests of others as being equal to theirs. Abuses of human rights have happened throughout history – from slavery to discrimination based on race, gender, political affiliation, religion, social group or caste, privilege or money, mental or intellectual ability. Although this has not always been the case, they are now recognized as deplorable and unjustifiable. I do recognize that we are lucky to be able to publish and read what others may find deeply offensive.
Marianne Labio, by email
To the unknown (Saintly) Mother
On Jan 14, I sent the following WhatsApp msg from Goa to my sister in Mumbai: “On the occasion of mummy’s 95th birthday, bells were pealing at 9 am in all churches and chapels across Goa announcing the canonization of Joseph Vaz, the first Goan saint”. My sister replied “Seems like she (mother) has some influence up there!” My mother passed away a couple of months ago. She was a pious and virtuous woman. We never ever heard her use a harsh word or speak ill of anyone. Her name was Martha but she chose the path of Mary. There are millions of such pious mothers who have long since passed away. They led simple but exemplary lives. It is because of them that we have most of our priests today. We remember them fondly and owe much to them. Sometimes we lament that we did not do enough for them in their last years when they needed us the most. But we are sure of one thing — they have forgiven us — for they are mothers in the mould of Mary. They are our unsung and uncanonized saints. It would be fitting to honour all such mothers in some way. In several countries and cities we have monuments to honour ‘The Unknown Soldier’. Similarly, we may also raise a monument: ‘To the unknown (Saintly) Mother’.
Prof Robert Castellino, Calangute
