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BEING AN INDIAN NO SOFT
OPTIONS
Chandrakant Keni
Navhind Times - Panorama, November 24, 2002
Goans, born prior to liberation of Goa, are
entitled to opt for Portuguese citizenship, which can be obtained by
submitting a simple application.
Agencies have
emerged to motivate the Goans, falling under the above category, to obtain
Portuguese citizenship. They undertake to complete all prescribed formalities
so that prospective honourable citizens of Portugal need not rush from
pillar to the post, if they are willing to spare the agent's commission.
Every one should seek Portuguese citizenship? What are its advantages? You
ask any agent engaged in this mission and he will give you a list of tempting
advantages, which you can have if you are willing to mortgage your
self-respect.
"Portugal
is no more an isolated country; it is now a member of the European Union. It
is no more backward as the entire Western world is providing financial
assistance to Portugal
to bring it at par with other European nations. Moreover, a citizen of Portugal gets the privilege to become a
citizen of Europe, in which capacity he is entitled for free movement
throughout Europe without a visa. That is
not an end by itself," the agents say, "a citizen of Europe is entitled to receive unemployment dole from
the government of the European country in which such a citizen may opt to
settle. Thus, it is a God sent opportunity, for Goans, born during Portuguese
regime to get away from this unhealthy country and live a more decent and
dignified life without any worries."
Will that be a dignified life in real sense of the terms?
Prior to liberation of Goa, all Goans were
Portuguese citizens. As Portuguese citizens from Goa, we had a long
association with the successive governments in Portugal and our experiences have
been horrible. Few good things that we inherited have been outnumbered by an
overwhelming number of onslaughts by the ruthless rulers, in their effort to
root us out from our culture. That, of course, need not be a consideration
now since much water has flown through rivers Tejo and Mandovi, after the
fall of Salazar regime in Portugal.
But still it will be a burden on a small country, which is still struggling
to rebuild its post de colonisation economy and badly mauled glory.
It was not anybody's choice, but even under Portuguese domination, in our day
to day life, people in Goa as also those living in other parts of the
country, considered themselves as citizens of India, whatever may be the legal
status. For them it was a matter of shame to be called British citizens and
they made supreme sacrifices in order to be legitimate citizens of a free
country. For them no sacrifice was too much to preserve values like loyalty
to the motherland and self-respect. Goans were no exception. They fought a
relentless battle for freedom, for centuries, in order to be in fold of the
motherland as its inseparable part and to become the citizens of India. With
the success of the freedom struggle, our Portuguese citizenship was
automatically terminated and we obtained Indian citizenship
Goa today is part of India
and Goans are its citizens. Those who are tempted to be foreigners will
have to repent, sooner or later. Their extra territorial loyalties cannot be
tolerated. Earlier they leave the shores of this country, better it will be
for them and for Goa too. To become a
citizen of Portugal while
staying outside India
and yet to wear the gown of Indian citizenship while returning cannot be
tolerated. Whatever may be anybody's convenience, this type of dual
citizenship amounts to manifestation of dubious loyalties to both the
countries.
People speak about conversions. Conversions are welcome so long as they take
place out of conviction. Similarly conversion to Portuguese citizenship
should be the final decision taken by a Goan to say goodbye to the land of
their ancestors. They should bear in mind that Goa will remain in India. No
power in this universe can take it away. As such, citizens of Goa shall ever
remain citizens of India
and in which capacity they shall remain loyal to the soil. In fact, government should take
the initiative to identify such citizens who have no self-respect and have
scant love for their motherland and send them away as quickly as possible so
that no traitor is left behind.
I am at a loss to know whether the government of Portugal is encouraging such a
move or is it a conspiracy hatched by some vested interests with some ulterior
motives. Whatever may be their motives and however attractive the benefits a
person may get by switching over his loyalty, it will amount to an act of
treason, which no nation worth its name will tolerate.
Chandrakant
Keni
November
24, 2002
TGF comment :
[Chandrakant Keni must be living in la-la land if he thinks that "Portuguese citizenship, can be obtained merely by
submitting a simple application".
It's as easy as that, Mr. Keni! - Yeah Right!!
As far
as the concept of dual nationality is concerned, TGF agrees wholeheartedly
with Chandrakant Keni. One cannot simultaneously be a true subject of two
countries. That BJP-Vajpayee bit about PIO & dual nationality was only
meant to please the overseas funders of the BJP. Keni is also right about Goa
being irrevocably a part of India.
But what exactly does Keni mean by "government should take the initiative to
identify such citizens who have no self-respect and have scant love for their
motherland (i.e those who apply for another country's nationality) and send them away as
quickly as possible so that no traitor is left behind"?
Is he suggesting that India
expels citizens of other countries 'as quickly as possible'?
Is
he also suggesting that other countries should expel Indian citizens 'as
quickly as possible'?
Does this apply ONLY to Goans who apply for Portuguese nationality? What
about Goan citizens of the UK,
Canada, Australia or the US? What if a (Goan) citizen of India has a child who is born in the UK, Canada,
Australia or the US....or Portugal for that matter? or a
wife who is a citizen of those countries? Would they too have to leave Goa 'as quickly as possible' under the Keni doctrine?
Now that Mr. Chandrakant Keni has identified them as traitors...should they
ever be allowed to visit Goa again? What if
the husband has Indian passport but the wife is a Portuguese national? Should
the wife be deported?
AND should these Goans of foreign nationality only be 'utilized' to send
money to Goa? BTW, How much foreign exchange
do non-Indian Goans remit to Goa?
It is
possible that Mr. Keni wanted to say something else, but did not get around
to it. Words spouted, Mr. Keni, are like egg-shells broken. They cannot ever be totally
repaired. I hope you now understand why such a small number of non-resident
Goans are collaborating with the so called NRI cell you chair. The problem, Mr. Keni, might be more than the
politicians. It just might be you!
One wonders whether Mr. Keni would also classify as traitors, erstwhile
Freedom Fighters like Jose Inacio (Fanchu) de Loyola, Dr. Ramakrishna
Hegde & Dr. Pundalik Gaitonde who left Goa after 1962 and settled
in Portugal and in the UK. BTW, Mr. Keni, Why did these Freedom Fighters leave Goa and settle in Portugal and the UK, Mr. Keni?
The following is typical of the obsession that Goan journalists have with Portugal: "I am at a loss to know
whether the government of Portugal
is encouraging such a move or is it a conspiracy hatched by some vested
interests with some ulterior motives." Is it possible Mr. Keni, that there is a simpler
explanation than any conspiracy or ulterior motives; something like Portugal
according the rights to her citizens. After all, Portugal is not forcing the
nationality upon Goans. They have to apply for it and go through a fairly
tedious process to obtain it.
TGF suggests that Keni try understand WHY Indians ( Goans as well as
non-Goans) are trying so desperately to obtain a passport other than Indian,
and why non-Goan Indians are producing fake birth certificates to show that their
parents were Portuguese citizens prior to 1961.
The
real traitors, Mr. Keni, are not the poor, disillusioned and disheartened Goans nor
the agents who prey upon them, but the greedy and politicians and business
folk who have ripped Goa over the past 40 years, AND those who make a
living off the greedy politicians & business folk's coat tails. Has
Keni ever ascertained where ALL the billions of dollars ( millions of crores
of Rupees, if you will) meant for the development of Goa,
have gone? We suggest that it is these greedy and corrupt ones 'who have no
self-respect and have scant love for their motherland'.
All this high velocity pseudo-patriotic love & gas is fine for those who
sit in feathered arm chairs. But exactly when has Keni questioned the corrupt
and greedy ones in political and financial control of Goa?
and what answers has he received thus far?
Hopefully, he will let us know.]
TGF
December 21, 2002
Responses
to Chandrakant Keni's artucle - from Navhind Times, Goa
Clean the
System !
APROPOS the article by Mr Chandrakant Keni titled ‘Being an Indian’
(Panorama, November 24), I have two observations to make.
First, I
hear that many of those who apply for Portuguese citizenship do so out
of sheer desperation. Disillusioned with the prevailing situation here, they
take recourse in this extreme measure. If the living conditions in Goa go from bad to worse, what choice do they have? I
was pained to know that even respectable men who hated the Portuguese
are forced to take this step.
This is a
sad commentary, and instead of ridiculing them, I feel, we ought to do all
within our means to cleanse the system.
Secondly,
we need to stop harping on the “still struggling to rebuild the
post-decolonisation economy and badly mauled glory” theory. So many
years on, isn’t it time we stop passing the buck? Had we behaved like responsible
adults after Liberation, we would have been reaping the fruits of our good
deeds by now.
Sadly, all
of us are growing more and more greedy, corrupt and unprincipled day by day
while relegating secularism to the dustbin. We refuse to learn from
progressive nations who today reap dividends for assimilating what is best in
all cultures. We are suffering because of our own misdeeds and deplorably
we try to cover our shortcomings by blaming our past colonial masters.
FRANCISCO
C COLACO, Margao
NT November
27, 2002
Illegal, but not Treacherous
I was very surprised by certain comments made by Mr Chandrakant Keni in his
article titled ‘Being an Indian’ (Panorama, November 24).
It is
common knowledge that since the restoration of friendly relations between India and Portugal,
many Indian citizens from Goa, Daman and Diu, taking advantage of the
relevant Portuguese law, have registered their birth certificates in Portugal so
as to enable their children to obtain Portuguese citizenship.
Lately, it
has come to light that many Indian citizens from outside Goa, Daman and Diu have obtained Portuguese passports through
fraudulent means. Portuguese citizenship is used as a means to
obtain employment in other parts of Europe as Portugal does not have much to
offer in that line. This Portuguese law is being used to bypass the
immigration laws of other European countries in general. It is akin to migrating
to the United States, Canada or Britain
owing to the miserable employment situation in India. However, our country also
seeks to benefit from this migration. The soaring unemployment rate is
reduced and the remittances from these migrants adds to the foreign
exchange reserves. The substantial remittances also prove where the
real roots and loyalties of the migrants lie.
Even the
central government has turned a blind eye to this matter seeing that our
country only stands to gain. Although opting for another citizenship without
renouncing Indian citizenship is illegal since India
does not accept dual citizenship, it is accepted without reservations by the US, Canada,
Britain
and other European nations. Even the present government has been toying with
the idea of allowing NRIs to have dual citizenship. To adduce disloyalty and
even treason to these de facto migrants is simply preposterous. Would Mr
Keni call the migrants to the US,
disloyal and traitors? Or does he consider Portugal an enemy country?
Dual
citizenship is illegal, Mr Keni but not treacherous by any stretch of the
imagination.
AMILCAR
DA CUNHA SOUSA, Margao
NT
December 10, 2002
Double Standards
MR Chandrakant Keni’s article titled ‘Being an Indian: no soft options’ on
the contrary spoke volumes on Indian hypocrisy exposed by the term ‘People of Indian Origin’ or PIO.
So many
Indian choose to ‘abandon’ India
and live in foreign lands. And many of them are illegal immigrants thus
embarrassing India
in the eyes of the world. It’s all about the great Indian game of double standards.
We seem to
have different rules for different Indian communities. Indians hold elected
office in 19 nations as follows, 200 MPs, 68 ministers, 4 presiding officers
and 2 PMs. This was proudly stated by Mr A B Vajpayee at a conference of
parliamentarians of Indian origin in New
Delhi a couple of years ago. “Truly, this is a
success story without parallel,” he told the assembled legislators, adding
they did India
proud with their enormous political achievements around the globe. He also
told his audience that Indian civilisation was founded on the principle of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam (the entire world is one family). So really for some of us, it
is a good thing Indians go abroad. It is good too that Indians can possess
dual citizenship.
According
to Mr Keni, it is bad when Goans hold Portuguese citizenship but at least
they do so legally unlike so many of their countrymen who obtain it by
fraudulent means. It is not about loyalty but better job prospects.
LIONEL
MESSIAS,
Calangute
NT Dec 14, 2002
TGF
comment : This so called dual citizenship bit is a sham! How on earth can
anybody be a true citizen of more than one country?
When one
looks at the list of target countries, it says "US, UK, Canada,
Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, EU countries ". You mean
the mainly affluent Caucasian countries? So, Why not South Africa or Guyana,
Trinidad, Jamaica
& Fiji,
where a lot of PIOs live.
Wonder
what Mr. Chandrakant Keni has now to say about EU countries ...oops!...which
includes the country Goans love to love and hate at the same time i.e. Portugal!
TGF
would also like to question the so called DOUBLE BENEFITS & DOWNSIDE listed above.
re: An Indian passport is a
benefit.
Why are so many Indian Passport holders trying to shed the Indian passport in
favour of another? Why do so many pregnant Indian women travel to the US, Canada,
the UK
and other Western nations to deliver their newborns? How Indian passport
holders are treated at various Immigration checkpoints ?- India
included!
Buying
property in India
is
an infinite risk for those who do NOT live in/on the property. If one rents
it out, it is lost for good while squatters are famous for
"converting" property.
Finally, not being able to vote
or contest elections. in India
is
NO DOWNSIDE;
Neither is
the restriction from joining the Indian armed forces or civil services.
WHY
on earth would any sensible person want to do that?
As far
as TGF sees it, this pseudo-dual citizenship is ONLY of benefit for those who
wish to get involved in business in India.
MONEY.....or perhaps the
lack of it, we believe, is the main reason behind all this.....also behind
the NRI Goa cell that Chandrakant Keni
heads.
Get it?!
TGF
December 31, 2002
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