OPEN LETTER TO THE CM by Praxy Fernandes, Sanquelim

Dear CM,
Even though I am tough person with hardly any emotions, I felt like committing suicide when I read your statehood day speech on Herald newspaper today, apparently because I have been terribly betrayed by the political class and have been responsible for the destruction and decay of my beloved land of Goa. I really cry when I travel around on buses and aan see the brazen destruction of my land, courtesy the politicians greed and lust for votes and money. I’d like to mention that I would not like to be even buried here, rather I wish lightening strikes me and blows away my ash to far off places so I’ll be at peace that I am far away from the land which I loved so dearly and yet could not do anything to save it from you greedy monsters. May I ask you to soothe my feelings by giving me a truthful reply which I know you cannot, but still, if you can, knowing very well how you are at the forefront of building colonies for non-Goans by giving our poor farmers fields and our heritage and communidade buildings/lands to migrants and builders for illegal constructions and by promoting mining and hazardous industries which are ever detrimental to the livelihood of our state and our hard working Goans. Having read the news item I would like to ask you the following:
1. What distinct identity for Goans are you talking about when we Goans have been made slaves and ghantis in our own state thanks to the gross acumen displayed by all our politicians who in connivance with the real estate builders and mining lobby have taken the local Goans for a ride and betrayed us by allowing all non-goans to loot and plunder us just to fill the pockets of all the politicians with immense wealth, which is enough for the future ten generations of your families.
2. You are well aware your general administrations and bureaucrats treat us original Goans like second class citizens by giving preferential treatment to outsiders only because they can fill their pockets full. I cry and yes I do cry when I visit the government offices to find the employees waiting in anticipation that their palms be greased to get even a small job done or else we are driven away because they know very well that doing a non-Goans’ job provides them with a better bounty.
3. Where are your police and law enforcement officials when our churches and temples are looted and vandalized, when robbery, rapes and drugs are order of the day and such criminal activities are prospering and that too openly promoted and conducted by family members of your political class and their cohorts and friends. And may I ask, what laws have your class of politicians framed for the betterment of Goans?; rather on the contrary your type of lawful approach has resulted in the present chaos and terrible sorry state of our affairs today. What animals/immoral characters form your cabinet; those who call us locals’ pigs and those who have no morality and social values who have raped our beautiful girls and have driven them to commit suicide sometimes? Or those who openly support the destruction of our field and who support outsiders in their evil designs of making Goa a concrete jungle?
4. What logical freedom are you talking about. If at all there is any logical freedom it is the migrants and the criminals who are enjoying it only because they form your vote bank and the politicians cannot think beyond that but to come back to power by hook or crook with the help of these non-Goans who are at the forefront of destroying not only our beautiful land with their mindless and insensible approach and lifestyles, but also our well appreciated communal harmony. No wonder you nowadays don’t feel the need for our votes and have the cheek to tell it to us openly, as we Goans are very much a minority in our own land today.
5. Mr Chief Minister, do you remember of any one good solution that you have provided to us Goans. It remains only as far as words come out from your mouth, beyond that exactly opposite is being done. Show me one instance where you have stopped a mega project meant for outsiders and which has resulted in the destruction of trees and our environment, show me when you have stopped mining misadventures carried out by fly-by-night operators or by wealthy non-Goans, on the contrary you have gone out of the way to bring an ordinance just to save some illegal demolition of a hotel belonging to your relatives and that too at the cost of the locals there. Why are local Goans who pass engineering promoted as contractors in constructing infrastructure for our state.
6. Can you let me know what benefit we have got by having a Rajya Sabha nomination. The MP there sometimes speaks of things which have put us Goans to shame although I do appreciate some of his views on the non-performance of his party here in Goa.
7. And I think the Governor(s) should congratulate themselves because they cannot and are not in a position to do anything for us locals as their appointment bestows them only with facilities and lifestyles to help outsiders and that too at the cost of the tax-payers here.
Infact there are so many issues which worry me about my dear land and which I would want to ask about the same but unfortunately we have reached an irreversible stage that has only left me to cry as neither I nor my like-minded Goans can do anything about them as we are already a minority in our own land. I have been left gasping for breathe many a times when I read some Goans criticizing our own people like me for protesting the influx of non-Goans and migrants but I would like to state that these people have done more harm than good by accepting these migrants quoting various silly reasons including the fundamental right of Indians to move anywhere n the country. Some have even gone to the extent of saying that we cannot survive without these migrants but it is this very foolishness and weakness in the mind as well as the physical body of such Goans which have made a mockery of the locals. Such Goans don’t deserve to be staying here because I can myself prove to them that a lot of Goans can do any type of work and survive as a better civic society. I still feel and say with conviction that we would have been much better off with the Portuguese ruling us than with the present dispensation looting and cheating us.

Praxy Fernandes a NIZ GOENKAR

NIZ GOENKAR ADDS: Can the Chief Minister Digamber Kamat resdpond to this letter of a Niz Goenkar. Can he address the querry put forward in this letter? I would really like to see more people from Goa and Goans overseas coming up with this type of articles and their views. Email us at meninogptf@rediffmail.com along with your photograph.