What a shame that some of the leaders are making statements of closing the Portuguese Consulate in Goa. In the modern world we need Portuguese Consulate to keep cultural ties with nation with whom we have a deep bond. Portuguese Consulates not only issues Portuguese passports, Cartao Cidadao and Assentos/registrations but conducts Portuguese language courses, offers scholarships, offers visas if anyone wants to do business and organises other cultural events in collaboration with other Portuguese Institutes in Goa.
Your elected leaders can’t provide decent employment to Goans. It is only because we have so many Goans in UK, on cruise ships and other countries abroad that the state gets revenue and has a good standard of living. Yes Goans can surrender their Portuguese passports and come back to Goa but are you able to provide them employment to make a living. Our ex-chief minister assured that employment exchange be refocused, that all qualified people get jobs. But it is still a white elephant. Also he assured of starting institutes to train IAS, IFS, IPS and other services training institutes in Goa but it will be bad for our ministers if Goans get to these positions. Where are all the promised gone?
All Goans having Portuguese passports are eligible for Overseas Citizens Card (OCI) which is almost like Indian passport except you can’t take government jobs, vote in elections. Please don’t put fear in the minds of Goans with these scaremongering statements.
Goa is a special case. In Pondicherry now Puducherry was a French colony. People here have French passports and they vote for elections in Puducherry during elections in France. Goa was still a Portuguese colony when rest of India was Independent. India attacked Portuguese in Goa and Goa got Liberation. Goa is a special case and they can’t blindly apply the Citizenship Act without knowing the circumstances of Goa. The Citizenship Act needs to be amended to cater to the unique case of Goa. And our MLAs should fight to make this case for Goans.
Lastly Portuguese passport is the right of every Goan. After 500 years of the Portuguese rule we share a deep bond with the country and those who want to opt for Portuguese passport and make a living it is their right and choice.
