James Monteiro
I was a toddler then. Goa was governed by sympathisers of Maharashtra who had that State’s name running in their blood, etched in their minds and even carried it in their political party’s name. Plans were afoot to merge Goa into Maharashtra. It was almost a done deal had it not been for some very noble and upright Goenkars who vehemently opposed the merger and demanded a separate identity for Goa and Konkani.
These upright and noble Goans were led from the front by a man called Dr Joao Hugo de Sequeira, endearingly called Dr Jack de Sequeira and became a household name as Jack Sequeira pronounced “JuckCiquer”. He is often referred to as the “Father of the Opinion Poll”. These men managed to impress upon the Centre, then under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, the need to keep a separate identity of Goa and to throw the issue into the people’s court.
Thus the very historic Opinion Poll came about and Goans voted en masse for “don panan” (two leaves) and left the Maharashtrawadis red-faced. President’s rule was imposed around 45 days prior to and 75 days after the poll. Seeing the state of affairs of Goa 51 years down the line, I ask with heaviness “Were the herculean efforts put in by Dr Sequeira and others worth it?” I wonder!
How come not a single political party or politician was able to give the Opinion Poll and Dr Jack Sequeira the pride of place it/he deserves?
Isn’t it ironical that we do not care for the event and people associated with preventing the merger so that it could one day become a State, but go all out to celebrate Statehood Day? Hypocrisy at its best, isn’t it? Kudos to two of Salcete’s politicians (one present and one ex-MLA) who had the spine in demanding the statue of the “Father of Opinion Poll” in the Assembly Complex. And kudos to the people of Calangute for putting “JuckCiquer” high upon the pedestal.
If Goa had merged with Maharashtra would we have an Assembly Complex? So isn’t it in the fitness of things to honour the man responsible for giving us an Assembly by installing his bust there?
Had we merged wouldn’t we now be a small district of Maharashtra called Govapur or Govanagar or something? And just imagine our MLAs would be at best Sarpanchas in that district. And others who consider themselves highly qualified and mastermind politicians may at best have become Zilla members.
Although politicians today profess to be proponents of the separate Goa movement, there are some in the present coalition and outside still smarting and hurting from that resounding slap of 1967. They still hold an inner grudge against the anti-merger lobby and leave no stone unturned to demonstrate their affinity for our neighbouring State when they prefer Marathi to our mother tongue. But true blooded Goans will see that Konkani and only Konkani is, and shall always be, the only mother tongue of Goans.
What about the other MLAs who have always supported the anti-merger cause? Becoming an MLA did not happen with a magic wand, did it? People fought for it vehemently so that we could remain separate, have a separate Assembly where they could be elected.
51 years after the Opinion Poll, the lone minister from Salcete decided to name the Colva Circle as Opinion Poll Square. A good initiative, but was it an official government function? Since the advertisements carried in the local newspapers were government sponsored it would appear so. But from the banners and flags seen at the square it appeared to be a regional party function.
And from when have such official functions of state wide importance (if it were one) been discontinued from the capital? And why were only five MLAs of the ruling coalition present when the CM was supposed to inaugurate a State function? And though the CM’s assurance of inclusion of the anti-merger movement in Goan curriculum is welcome, wouldn’t it have been better to practice a wee bit of the spirit of this people’s movement?
And what followed later at Lohia Maidan takes the cake. At a meeting organized by a regional partner of the coalition, MLAs of that party castigated the other regional partner and the main national party of the coalition for doing precious little for Goa. What is happening? If its coalition partners are so useless, why did this party betray the aspirations of Goans and form this coalition with them?
Does public opinion mean so much to this party as its interest in the Opinion Poll suggests? Or was it an effort to placate and assuage the feelings of the people, especially of South Goa, who hold the Opinion Poll and the subsequent separate identity very close to their hearts, and are very sore about the volte-face of this party? If public opinion matters, why doesn’t it immediately use its office to impress upon its government the need to drop the contentious issue of rivers nationalisation which one after the other Gram Sabhas have opposed? And why is the government adamant and aggressive in turning Goa into a coal hub, even after public opinion strongly supports coal free Goa?
The people want answers. These questions have been asked over and over again but the people’s cries fall on deaf ears. So much for the people and their opinion. Will anyone ever enlighten us?
No wonder I wonder!
