‘Indo-Portuguese bonds are not similar to Indo-British ties’

MARGAO: Five decades after Goa was liberated from the Portuguese, history needs to be revisited and both India and Portugal need to embrace each other, says Edgar Valles, President of Casa de Goa, an organisation of Goans in Lisbon.

Referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Portugal on June 25 this year and his thoughts to the Portuguese PM to look towards India to contribute for the development of India and build a partnership between two nations, Valles feels that Goans need to understand that Indo-Portuguese ties are not similar to Indo-British ties.

On his recent visit to Goa, Valles spoke to Herald and said, “Firstly Goans need to understand that Indo-Portuguese ties are not similar to Indo-British ties post-Independence and liberation. Ours is one where Goa is valued by Portugal and offers Goans citizenship. But the British rule in India was one where India was a colony and there’s no moral obligation to the past rule unlike ours which is a partnership moving ahead, even in the Portuguese colonies in Africa but Goa was never considered a colony.”

Casa de Goa is an organisation in Lisbon discussing, debating and looking into Goa’s progress and interests. Valles is of Goan origin whose parents were born in Goa and worked in Angola while he has settled in Lisbon and visits Goa thrice a year since 1981. His panel at Casa de Goa has changed its complete approach to Goa and wants ties to be beyond Liberation and not one of not respecting each other’s progress post 1961.

Last week Valles met Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and presented him a document of all that was discussed at the recently concluded international conference at Lisbon that had Goans from global diaspora discussing sustainable development in Goa in the 21st century looking at Goa in the field of education, economy, culture and education. 

Valles says, “It is understandable there was a takeover, there was Liberation, Salazar behaved in a manner that left displeasure between Goa and Portugal in 1961 and Freedom fighters were happy Portuguese returned.”

“Firstly we at Casa de Goa adopted a stand that we can’t condemn Goa’s growth, Goa’s development, Goa’s population and freedom of movement on Indians into Goa and we can’t dictate our ideas from here in Lisbon. This agitates Goans and especially Indians. I tell people, you want to change something in Goa, go live there, contribute to the economy there and work there for the change, don’t dictate it from Portugal,” stated Valles.

The Lisbon-based lawyer, who has 13 books published and is living in Lisbon since 1970 after his return from Angola, explains that, also in Goa, “Portuguese needs to be taught to everybody as the language of the ancestors of all Goans and also Indians coming and staying in Goa should learn the language.”

“Portugal’s association with Goans is not to take a Portuguese passport and go work in the UK. Portuguese is the fourth most spoken language in the world. Goans should learn the language and get jobs in Portugal or other parts of Europe and globally wherever Portuguese language is a requirement. Let learning the language open more opportunities for Goans,” stated an excited Valles who wants a way forward of understanding.

Valles feels that if Goans know Portuguese, it will mean that “the younger generation can read Portuguese documents, past land deeds, study Indo-Portuguese history, research about the ties and avail more benefits of this partnership and more importantly, it will mean knowing Portuguese is not to migrate but to be proud of our historical association.”

He also hopes that the diaspora in UK, Canada, USA and many other parts also follow the same association to learn and embrace Goa and to play a role in Goa’s development rather than preaching, dictating and condemning the democracy in the state of Goa.

Valles stated that the children and the younger generation of Goans in Portugal have completely turned to their European roots and are more European than their Goan past. Hence the diaspora needs to encourage and educate their children about Goa to get them to visit the land of their ancestors and similarly, Goans should keep the partnership and friendship to get Goans to come to Portugal, the government of their ancestors.

Similarly also present at the interaction at Margao was President of the Indo-Portuguese Friendship Society, Tolentino Colaco who feels that Goans should know Portuguese as the language of our ancestors and the government should promote the same and teach the language in government schools thus not making learning Portuguese as something elite and only in the towns of Margao and Panjim.

Colaco, an employee of Goa Shipyard and a part time Portuguese teacher in Chowgule College, feels that Goans after learning Portuguese will have better access to matters of history, civil code and the land laws. Reminding Goans that Modi recently signed an agreement with the Portuguese PM Antonio Costa for all the correspondences between Goa and Portugal pre-Liberation be made available to India, will throw lots of light on town plannings, decisions on employment and the role of the Portuguese government in Goa. “All this access needs a requirement to know the language,” Colaco added.

He also stated the fact that a Goan origin can be a Prime Minister of Portugal shows the fondness for Goans in Portugal.