CM, Goans have been greatly pained by you calling the activities of St Jacinto Islanders ‘anti-national’

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, by virtue of his position is as a parent of the State. A guardian elected for the welfare and protection of all. Therefore when he put out a tweet Saturday morning, “It is unfortunate and shameful that some individuals at St Jacinto Island have objected to hoisting the National Flag by the Indian Navy on the Occasion of India’s Independence Day… these attempts of Anti India activities shall be deal with an iron fist”, it deeply pained the simple, harmless peace-loving people of Sao Jacinto Island, off Sancoale in Chicalim.
After all it was a statement from the head of government, and or any political group or said during any political fight. It was the CM saying the action of the islanders of Sao Jacinto, his own Goans, of “objecting” to the hoisting of the
national flag was an anti-national activity
Before we go further, let us ask if the islanders had indeed objected to the flag hoisting. From conversations with the villagers and others like the local Priest, and other civic and social leaders, it is clear that no villager objected to the hoisting of the flag per se. So the basis of the CMs tweet was incorrect, everyone on the Island felt.
And that is clear from some videos in Herald’s possession. On Saturday afternoon when a Navy official reached the Island once again to speak to the villagers, the video clearly shows that locals say that they have no objection to the flag hoisting. In fact, they would like to do it jointly. What they objected to was the sudden arrival of the Navy personnel on Friday and digging the ground for the flag hoisting, with the villagers in the dark about their arrival and their plans.
Hear the words of Franzel Dcruz a 28-year-old young man whose family has always lived in the island and have only one home. “Initially we did not what was going on. We have been nervous because the in Coastal Zone Management Plan big roads have been shown and we fear that megaprojects will come and our land might be under threat. Other laws make us nervous that we won’t have control over our land. So when the Navy personnel came. The Islanders sought to know if they had documents and we did not get a proper explanation.”
But Dcruz commended the Navy for their understanding since they returned and spoke again to the Islanders, after the CM’s tweets had created so much worry and tension that the Church bell was rung for the village folk to gather and have a meeting at 5 pm. “The officer who came was very polite and said he “felt bad” and “understood” the sentiments of the villagers.
According to Franzel, the officer expressed regret at the turn of events and he explained the flag hoisting was a part of a countrywide programme of hoisting flags on all islands. Franzel who spoke to the officer himself said, “We then said we have no objection to the flag hoisting and that we the villagers, who have been hoisting the flag proudly, would like to hoist it jointly with the Navy. Later senior officer arrived and the flag was hoisted in a nice cordial atmosphere.”
Even as the situation ended amicably, the pain of the CM’s remarks has hurt the young and the old.
The only island where land is not allowed to be sold to outsiders
These islanders are the only ones in Goa who have pledged not to sell land to outsiders. Many of them live in ancestral homes and preserve and protect them and the lands around them. Sao Jacinto has not allowed any mega project to enter their island. And many are worried about new laws which they feel could make their island vulnerable and their land going to others. The islanders just expressed this. And importantly, the Navy understood. No one in the Navy wanted to take any issue with the villagers or wanted to force them. It is only when they realised that the CM’s tweets could have caused a deep misunderstanding that they reached out to the villagers again out of understanding and went to diffuse the situation.
How can peace loving fiercely loyal Goans indulge in anti-national activity? Have they ever done that? But they want to know if some of the other things happening in Goa are anti-national or not
When our young Goan sister/daughter from Bardez disappears while on her way to work and her body is found on Calangute beach and the case literally passed off as drowning without exploring the murder angle, and absolutely no police investigations are done, shouldn’t the denial of justice to her family, be called an anti- national activity? Is the police meant only to be sent to St Jacinto Island to act against harmless villagers?
When it has become a practice in every government institution, body or department to take bribes from common Goans, even to give jobs, and people have to sell off their land and jewellery for this, should this activity on part of the bribe taker be called anti-national or not?
When simple people in the island are worried and ask simple questions, mainly out of fear, should this activity be called anti-national?
These are the people who actually showed great maturity by engaging again with the Navy, understand each other and then make themselves proud by not only hoisting the flag but also participating in the flag-lowering ceremony at 6.59 pm as per protocol.
As they shook hands, surrounded by men, women, including the elderly and many children, can anyone ever say that there were anti-nationals standing there?
The Chief Minister did say it was heartening and “betters sense prevailed”. But the truth is that the villagers always had better sense. They did not do anything that was anti-national.