Few politicians in Goa have had the vision that Dr Wilfred de Souza had. Even fewer perhaps understood him or appreciated his ability to anticipate the future needs of the State. When in the 1980s Dr de Souza ordered water pipes projecting the needs of the future, he was accused by the editor of a newspaper of ‘pickling pipes for posterity’. Few years later the projections of the PWD engineers proved wrong and the pipes had to be changed. The attack on him in that period was so virulent, that Remo even wrote and sang the song: ‘Willy’s to Blame – If the sun doesn’t shine/Willy’s to blame, If the rain doesn’t come/Willy’s to blame…’.
These are excerpts from an interview with Dr de Souza conducted in 1998, when he assumed office as Chief Minister for the third time.
On the first Congress government
For the first time MG was defeated and Congress came to power. I won 20 seats on the Congress symbol. At that time it was not Congress I it was Congress U. That has another history behind it. We won 20 seats and three independents supporting us – Mr Harish Zantye in Bicholim, Mr Vishnu Naik in Panjim and Mr Chandrakant Chodankar in Siolim. So we basically won 23 seats out of 28 in Goa. MG won five plus they won Daman and Diu. So since that time I had visions for Goa but I couldn’t put them into effect. All right, things happened in 1981. Two ministers were removed and two ministers were added – myself and Babu Naik. I became PWD minister, Town and Country Planning minister, Tourism minister plus Fisheries minister and Health minister. I did a lot of things. That whole medical college there is a testimony to me. I did all the planning. Nobody can say I did nothing, I did a lot.
On Konkani as the Official Language
Before Statehood we got Konkani. I told Rajiv Gandhi at that time, he used to call me frequently then, ‘don’t worry about Konkani we will look after Konkani. You give us Statehood first’. He said ‘no. First solve the language issue, then I’ll give you Statehood’. So we solved the language issue. And (Pratapsingh) Rane was playing tricks. He and (Ramakant) Khalap were together in playing tricks. They wanted Marathi as the Official Language of Goa, which I refused. I was the only spokesman for Konkani at New Delhi. Here there were plenty, the Konknni Porjecho Avaz etc.
On his return to Congress
Having done that we went back to Rajiv and told him we have got what we want, now you tell us what to do. He said ‘come back to Congress’. So we went back to Congress. When we went back to Congress I was still number two in the Congress. Why? Because the leadership of the Congress had faith in me. Congress came back in 1989. But then, we also had a fellow called Churchill Alemao who ruined that Congress and a chap called (Luis Proto) Barbosa who went into the PDF experiment and threw down Rane. The moment they threw down Rane in March 1990, what did Congress do? They elected me leader of the opposition. They gave the whole Congress to me and said ‘you run it now’, even though I had been out of the Congress for five years.
On the PDF failure and Congress comeback
Then Khalap and Barbosa fought and everything crumbled. Only one year had passed of the Assembly, four years were left. So I thought we must do something to salvage this Assembly. So I started approaching these MG fellows. And, the only fellow I could get was Ravi Naik. But I didn’t know he was of a devious character. He went with me, the first day to H K L Bhagat. He fell at his feet and kissed his feet. Believe me I was there. Then I had a suspicion of things to come. We don’t do these things. Not Goans. But then I took him to Rajiv, he gave in writing to Rajiv that you ‘make me chief minister…’ Rajiv told me, ‘arre you are making a mistake don’t trust this guy’, he told me, Ask Margaret Alva, she was there physically present, HKL Bhagat was there ‘don’t trust this fellow’, he told me. I made Bhagat write down – he said take it down in writing, take his signature, Parliament House room number 10, Rajiv told me ‘don’t trust this chap’. I said ‘chalo janne do in three months he promised to vacate, Dr Willy will become the chief minister I will become the deputy chief minister’. Unfortunately for me, Rajiv was assassinated. These things happen. What was the end result? It went on and on and on and eventually he was disqualified and I became Chief Minister and continued till these elections. In between Bhanu Prakash Singh decided he would throw me out and threw me out one day. I did not use the court. What I used was political influence. I got all my friends together and told them what was happening. That day Narasimha Rao had gone to Andhra. He came back late at night and was briefed early in the morning. He went to the President and got this fellow, Bhanu Prakash Singh, sacked. Not through courts, but politically. But then Congress was in power at the Centre (laughs) and Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister. Within a few days I was back and Ravi was refusing to give up the oath he had taken. So I talked to Sharad Pawar – ‘arre Sharad you tell this fellow’. Sharad says, ‘Willy you don’t worry I will do it’. I said, ‘I don’t think you will be able to do it’. At four in the evening he phoned me. He told me, ‘I have told that fellow, if he doesn’t resign by tonight we will throw him out of the Congress’. He resigned. Sharad Pawar told me this.
On the Goa Rajiv Congress and coalition with MGP and BJP
There are no differences. We started our deal not on the day that we split. Whatever we did on the 24th of July 1998 was the culmination of a long process which started nearly one and a half year ago. To tell you the truth, it started three and a half year’s back. Why did it start three and a half years back? Because in December 1994 four States went to the polls – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Goa. I was the Chief Minister of Goa. Only Goa won for the Congress. What did they do to me? They took me out. Now what was I supposed to do to them? 27 of July. So I did to them what they did to me.
On the Medium of Instruction
There are certain things that are not done. Personally when the PDF government was there and I was the leader of the opposition, I made a speech during the controversy over the education policy. I said, ‘English should be the language from standard one to standard twelve. But no medium of Konkani, because you can’t teach in the Konkani medium, it’s too far back. But, Konkani must be a compulsory subject from standard one to twelve’. I made that speech and then I went from here to Margao and got myself arrested. That’s what I told the then education minister Mrs Shashikla Kakodkar, ‘From standard one to standard twelve Konkani must be compulsory. Not medium of instruction. Language, because everyone must know that Konkani is your language.’
(Interview courtesy, Goa Today)
