In fact, until today our land does belong to us, Goans, in the broad sense of the word possession or ownership.There is here, not a single tree, fruit bearing or wild, a single building, a single stone or even a single grain of sand, that is not owned by Goans. The restrictions that exist in our legislation, for foreigners to acquire real estate, have contributed, without any conscious effort on our part, to keep our heritage intact. Even Portuguese citizens from other parts of the nation do not own any property here.
Goa belongs physically and effectively to the sons and daughters of Goa. Perhaps no one has ever looked at this aspect of our economic life, as it occurred to nobody that these wonderful conditions exist in our land, and because this equilibrium has been existing for centuries, it appeared to be the most natural thing in theworld, for the resources of a land, tobelong to its inhabitants.
And in this comforting certainty that this land will be forever ours, as it has so been until now, Goans immigrated and do migrate abroad, develop their potential, some of them amassing fortunes, thanks to their talents, their immense capacity for work and their honesty, but they never forget their home land, loving it with the nostalgia of lovers.
But the centuries roll. The days though physically uniform and having a regular succession of daylight hours and hours of darkness, are however different in their course of events. The circumstances of the moment – the conditions of uncertainty and restrictions throughout the world – have placed our land at a pleasant crossroad, giving it the opportunity tobecome, for the moment at least, a trading post to satisfy the needs that cannot be quenched anywhere else nearby. Shops and establishments are crammed with goods , and prospects for the consolidation of prosperity abound.
However, this prosperity will becomelike fireworks, crumbling in smoke, if this fleeting moment is not seized, by initiatives and capital, exclusively Goan.
The Goan out there has shown admirable qualities of courage and determination! What a beautiful page has been registered in these pics of the history of humanity, of daring launches in the five parts of the world and in the five oceans! What diplomas and credentials did they take with them for their triumph, other than their own person, two arms to work with and an intrepid heart to adapt to all situations?
This man who triumphed in the wide world is today grappling with the problem of deciphering the shape and colour of the future. Take the caseof Pakistan, of the big city of Karachi, where the Goan, more than anywhere else, did his apprenticeship in theschool of self-help, in order to attain victory. Why not to start a movement now in an opposite direction, back- to-home-land , with experienced Goans – masters of fortune and initiative – returning home to their land, totake in their hands the reins of the economic future of our land, with all theimports and exports, all the purchases and sales, all the operations of exploration of mineral ore and other natural resources of our land, being done by Goans?
It is a deciding moment. Opportunities come and we need to reach out thehand to grab them by the hair. But once in a lifetime comes the one which is decisive and taking advantage of it or not, can decide the victory or thedefeat.
This article first appeared in O Heraldo, dated December 15, 1950, written by the then editor Amadeu Prazeres da Costa
Translated by Shanti Colaço
