“The Church in Goa is doing what the Portuguese could not do
to finish Indian culture. The Church has a design for promoting English medium
at primary level. It is to suppress the Indian culture and ethos. “The
suppression by Church today is much larger than the way Portuguese suppressed
it in the 16th and 17thcentury.” – Naguesh Karmali, freedom fighter with close
links to the sang parivar
“Firstly Savio (Savio
Lopes, the convenor of FORCE) is nobody in Goa in the world of intellects and
literary people. This is someone who has been rushed back from the ship and
made a front for the Church. The Church wants to safe guard the interest of its
Diocesan Schools and speaks through that Diocesan Schools forum or the Center
for Social Justice and Peace and now through its puppet Savio. He’s a front of
the Bishop while the Bishop himself doesn’t speak out on the Medium of
Instruction.” – Uday Bhembre, author, protagonist of the Konkani movement
“Savio Lopes is neither qualified nor has experience in the
field of education. He has a diploma in Food ‘Technology’ from a government
polytechnic and has worked for many years on cruise ships. “I am ready to
debate the issue of grant in aid to English medium primary schools but not with
Shri Savio Lopes. As an Ex IAS officer and also one who is closely connected
with the field of Education in Goa, I would love to debate the issue either
with Smriti Irani who does not seem to be aware of the grant in aid mess in
Goa, or with Manohar Parrikar who is responsible for this mess or with
Laxmikant Parsekar who has failed so far to clear the mess.” – Arvind Bhatikar,
ex MPT Chairman
If Claude Alvares was our choice of Person of 2015, we pick
three people who were the biggest disappointments of the year. Three educated
people whose vitriolic and in one case communal remarks, have sought to
polarize, humiliate, subjugate and ostracise on the ground of religion,
education and background. Each of them have sought to surpass each other (since
they had no other competition) in being boorish, snobbish and condescending to
those who have taken up the cause of parents and fighting for grants for
English in the primary section.
Moreover, displaying a clear communal and divisive design,
one of them Karmali has sought to make this into a Church vs the Hindu majority
issue. While the diabolical remarks have a clear communal agenda, the move is
also political to try and make this divide a source of strength for the BJP,
especially in Salcete.
But Goa is bigger than this and knows how to respond to all
three
1 Naguesh Karmali
The Diosecan schools have undoubtedly been in the forefront
for grants in English but the majority of students in these schools are from
all communities with Hindu parents in the forefront of demanding a better
future for their children.
Message to Naguesh Karmali: Do not come in the way of
parents and their children
2 Arvind Bhatikar
When Arvind Bhatikar refuses to debate with Savio Lopes
because he has a diploma in Food Technology and apparently comes off the boat
(as a seafarer), he forfeits the right
to call himself either educated, or wise. He can go looking for Smriti Irani or
Mr Parrikar and Mr Parsekar to debate this issue but the truth lies in the hearts of so many
parents who may go either to a mosque, church or temple but feel the same way
for their children.
Message to Arvind Bhatikar: Lead a retired life and bring
harmony not disparity through your words and writings
3) Uday Bhembre
He first says that Lopes does not belong to the class of
intellectual and literary people and then says that he is a front of the
Bishop. Is he then saying that the Bishop has ‘fronts’ who are not literary or
intelligent?
Bhembre’s remarks again seek to polarize and are communal.
The lies of Bhembre have contributed hugely towards making a simple issue of
the right education for children into a full-fledged politico-communal issue.
Message to Bhembre: The constitution of India has enacted
legislation to protect India from communal remarks which seek to hurt
communities and divide society. It doesn’t matter who he is, he will be subject
to the same laws of the land.
