‘We have serious doubts regarding people who have betrayed us in the past’
Fr Eremito Rebelo,
Convenor Goans For Dabolim Only
Herald: You demanded that Churchill Alemao announce that he won’t stand for elections at his public meeting. Instead at the meeting there were indirect calls for him to stand. What is your reaction?
Fr Eremito Rebelo: We are not changing our stand and we stick by what we said on the eve of his meeting. We want to make that clear and are continuing with our fight for Dabolim irrespective and going to the villages and concentrating on the facts alone to get the public’s support. We are here to get people aware of the facts so they can know the consequences of having two airports.
Herald: But won’t the overall cause get diluted in the long run given that there are now two movements for the same issue?
Fr Rebello: The true sheep will follow the true shepherd and the genuine sheep will follow the right voice. GFDO will stay true to the cause and we do not want anyone to hijack this issue by dividing the people for ulterior motives. We have been fighting for the last two years now.
Herald: Churchill questions your seriousness on this issue. He says this is not about you or him but about the public and that he called everyone for his public meeting which was not political.
Fr Rebello: We don’t want to take names but we have some serious doubts regarding some people who have betrayed us in the past. Remember, we are ready to align with any person provided that person doesn’t intend to use the issue for his own personal interest. Regarding some politicians, we have no faith as we know their history. Things have been hijacked in the past and in so many ways. We do want this movement to get hijacked for any self-interest. We smell a rat in all these things.
Herald: Churchill rejects your charge that he did nothing when he was a cabinet minister. He says you are ill informed as you were not part of the government. He says there was no land acquisition at Mopa.
Fr Eremito: It is sad that he formed the Save Goa Front to fight for this issue. So after the elections for five years the issue was left open. It was not cancelled and he had got elected after assuring the people that he would fight for Dabolim only. Let’s not get stuck on small things. What is the reality? The process for Mopa began during the Congress government and the current BJP government is going forward and trying to complete it. There was only silence during the Congress rule when he was part of the government. The process for Mopa was not dropped in toto as he had demanded. Why not have continued his public agitation the way he was doing before the elections?
Herald: On GFDO’s criticism of Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha regarding her stance demanding the shifting of the Navy and her silence on this issue now, Churchill says you are showing double standards. You are the first person to call her to join politics and now you are telling her to go back he says.
Fr Eremito: The late Matanhy Saldanha was a great fighter and he fought for the true causes and issues of Goa. And his voice is no more. At that time, I felt somebody has to take up these issues and be the voice. I felt his wife was the right person and that is why I had said that. Please note, we are not here to talk about names and people but about the causes only.
Herald: What if GFDO decides to become political and contest elections? You are already calling for resignations of MLAs people to reject the government.
Fr Rebello: GFDO will never want to contest the elections. GFDO is apolitical and we feel the current government and the MLAs supporting the government have let the people down and not just on this one issue. The matter is still in court and the BJP government is still going ahead with the airport despite that and public opposition.
‘If I want to contest elections, can anyone stop me?’
Churchill Alemao, Former PWD Minister
Herald: Fr Eremito Rebelo of Goans For Dabolim Only has demanded that you should not contest elections if you are taking up Dabolim airport issue?
Churchill Alemao: Who is he to tell me? Is he my father? This is not about Fr Eremito or Churchill Alemao but about the public and what the public wants. My meeting in Margao was a public meeting and not a political meeting. This was not about elections but about saving Dabolim. I also deny that I called people saying that Fr Eremito is with me. I called everyone.
Herald: So you will contest elections? Do you think you will get support for the elections? You lost the last election?
Alemao: If I want to contest elections, can anyone stop me? If the public wants me and says sit for the elections, I will. But this is not the right time to talk about elections. Look at the support I got for the meeting. Today I got a hundred calls from all over and people want meetings held in Mapusa, Dabolim etc. Regarding the last elections, see, everyone makes mistakes and politicians make mistakes but politicians can also rectify mistakes. When I was with the Congress I was not the chief minister nor was I the finance minister. If was the chief minister, I would have seen that an agency was appointed and the land of Birla near the airport was acquired.
Herald: What about Valanka Alemao?
Alemao: Valanka has not shown interest in contesting elections. Valanka is not someone who is new to politics. Last time for the elections she was asked to stand and that is why she stood. There is still time for elections.
Herald: What if the BJP goes ahead with the airport plan? Radharao Gracias says priests can’t stop Mopa only politicians can.
Alemao: Look at the Zilla Panchayat elections. If the elections are held through ballot then BJP won’t win more than eight seats. I agree 102 percent with Radharao. People will want change this elections.
Herald: Is there any personal problem between you and Fr Eremito? Do you have a problem with him?
Alemao: Fr Eremito is a good friend and will be a good friend. I don’t know why he has said what he has said and I don’t know what is going on in his mind. When he held his meeting, he said politicians can come but can’t come on the stage. They have to sit down. Yet there were Aam Aadmi Party people on his stage. Were they not politicians? I am told there is a BJP person in GFDO committee. For my meeting I did not say who can come and who can’t come.
Herald: GFDO is criticizing politicians who are silent on the airport issue when elections are over and part of the government. They have criticized Alina Saldanha for example for asking Navy to be moved out and now is silent
Alemao: This Fr Eremito is the one who pushed Alina to join politics on the day of her husband’s funeral. When Matanhy Saldanha died he called the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar and called on Alina to take over Matanhy’s work. And now he is telling her to back out.
Herald: Fr Eremito says last time when you got elected on the Save Goa Front ticket you did nothing.
Alemao: Was Fr Eremito a part of the cabinet? Do you want to see my file of my correspondence? Did I do any work on Mopa when I was the minister. What land acquisition took place? Ask Fr Eremito if he knows how much land was acquired. When we were elected on South Goa Front we were not given the mandate. We won only two seats. If we had to win ten seats definitely we would have done much more. We joined the government on the promise that Dabolim will be retained. People all over Goa know in their heart how much work I have done for Goa and how much I fought against Mopa airport. What Fr Eremito says won’t change anything.
