Mickey Pacheco to be the chief guest at Konkani drama in Kuwait

Mickey Pacheco to be the chief guest at Konkani drama in Kuwait

 

Francisco Pacheco, popularly known as Mickey Pacheco, a social worker and a football enthusiast, will be on a private visit to Kuwait and will be attending the Konkani drama this weekend at the Kuwait Medical Association Auditorium the chief guest.   In the last elections in Goa under the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the Benaulim constituency of votes polled numbering 15674 under heavy contest received 8092.  Goa's ex-Tourism Minister was born in Panjim, Goa, he is well known for several interest of the Goan community and Indian populace at large including: Social and cultural Activities, Sponsoring free education, books, imparting computer education to children, encouraging and assisting in the promotion of young and local talents in art, culture and sports.

 His special interest is in helping the poor and needy and development of Benaulim constituency. While his hobbies include sports, fishing, visiting places of touristic interests, fashion designing, and reading, he has also been keen in activities and membership of prominent clubs as also being the ex-promoter and financer of Fransa Football Club (Goa) at the National level. Presently, encouraging local youths to participate in sports activities/sports events all over Goa and rendering them with all the Financial assistance required, Mickey is the patron and chairman of the Real Betalbatim Football Club in Kuwait since September 2010 which was formed by a group of Football enthusiasts under their district/taluka name "Salcette United" later to be re-christened to "Real Betalbatim FC".  Last year a major glittering football festival "Sheikha Huda Al-Sabah Memorial International Tournament" was organized by Real Betalbatim in which Indian football teams from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries participated along with local expatriate teams at the Salmiya Baladiya Stadium.  This year, Real Betalbatim has joined as a member club of the Kuwait Indian Football Federation (KIFF) and are participating in the regular football tournaments.  Mickey Pacheco will be accompanied by Real Betalbatim FC's CEO Robino Fernandes, ex-Kuwait "Incredible XI" football team member, and can be contacted at 66060985.

 

BOOT OUT PARRIKAR.

Time to boot-out Parrikar

Parrikar’s outbursts on mining in Goa have come too late as if he has suddenly woken up from the grave. He has sat in the authority of PAC for such a long time while the loot and plunder of iron ore continued in every sphere. Such a long delay in bringing out the truth only reflects his failure to prevent the loot of Goa’s rich reserves. After disastrously nose diving in popularity on MoI- English issue, Parrikar’s present political stunts and deliberations are apparently best ways to take advantage of the public sentiments to ride on the storm engulfing the illegal mining issue. Goans don’t need his statements and press conferences to enlighten them. The electorate is more wise and sensible now. They are aware that the commuanal snakes have to be booted-out of the arena. The entire local, national and international print and electronic media which has given special coverage to all the illegalities that have plagued Goa, is more powerful and has done its part more than Parrikar. He should realise that Goans will not be fooled this time and are more sensible and can see beyond the scenes of this opportunist political tamasha of Congress, BJP and the Axis of Evil. Nobody wants to listen to him. His comments are viewed as cheap and disgraceful and too late to do any good.

Parrikar has failed to take on the powerful oligarchy, the traders, middle-men, strong industrialists and mining barons from the mining statistics available. His focus is more on Congress to polarise the gullible Goan voters to give the CM-in-waiting another opportunity which no doubt will be again be a set of another manipulations spiced with communalism or temporary minority appeasements. Parrikar should first clarify the issue of donations from mining companies to his party exposed by Goa Chronicle and come out clean. Now that the Congress ship is sinking due to their wrongdoings and if Digambar Kamat decides to re-enter BJP’s lotus, Goans have no doubt that Parrikar will welcome him with open arms for yet another stint in the greed for power. Parrikar’s rule gave lucrative career bases to people like Mickky and Monsarette which is now very difficult to dismantle. In the eyes of the Goan electorate, Parrikar has lost the moral legitimacy to get elected for another term. He is no longer needed anymore. It is time that not only Parrikar but even the Congress and the other constituents of the Axis of Evil namely MGP and UGDP to be booted out from the coming elections. Goans will see a new hope and new era in good honest candidates.

Rupert Coutinho
UAE

CHURCHIL'S SUFFERING ....

Churchill Continues To Suffer From Foot In The Mouth Syndrome

A few years ago, when Canacona saw its worst flooding due to a cloud burst, our enlightened and intelligent PWD, Science and Technology Minister blamed a mini tsunami in the Indian ocean for the downpour at that time, for which he should have been awarded a Phd. If that was not enough, now with his wide vision spectrum, he has come to the conclusion that mangroves are the cause of the deterioration of the life line of south Goa, the River Sal.

It’s no doubt Churchill has often contributed some conciliating one liners over the years, be it “on the Fatorda ground” or “the mini tsunami” he keeps Goans laughing and amused and that’s as far as it goes, but the abject fact that we are left with only remorse and guilt to drown ourselves in, that we Goans who call ourselves literate and educated have only clowns and buffoons to show for our intelligence and literacy, isn’t that a pity ?

Over the years I have been constantly reading about the deterioration of River Sal in the Goan media, one of the main river of South Goa, I too had contributed to the print media on a couple of occasions, but unfortunately it has had no effect on our intelligent and enlightened politicians, as sewerage and garbage in all forms, plastic, construction debris, food and from dead wood to dead animals, has led to the heavy silting of our beloved River Sal, which has further given rise to mangroves.

Fortunately or unfortunately our enlightened and intelligent PWD, Science and Technology Minister flies by in his red light cars day in and day out but so far failed miserably to take care of this river which flows around and through his own backyard and now after 20 years in Goan politics when this river is turned into a marsh land with mangroves evolving around it’s periphery, he has suddenly come to the conclusion that the reason for the rapid deterioration of this great river are the mangroves, isn’t that another bolt of thunder and lightening coming out of the mouth of our Minister ?

Some time back I had the misfortune of visiting the site of one abandoned bridge in Navelim along the river Sal, which was in a pathetic state, with construction debris blocking half of the river on either side and iron rods were visible all along the banks with heaps of garbage, now I wonder which mangroves were responsible for that ?

Building and abandoning bridges is not enough, the river beds and the river banks should be protected and maintained so that the river itself and the water life is not affected or destroyed. This is the responsibility of our Authorities but we all know that our politicians are experts in the equation of convenience of passing the buck around and it is indeed become an incompetent and unimaginative political habit to blame everything and everyone else and even the mangroves for their own lack of commitment and competence, that is why I am forced to say, that when we sell our votes for peanuts we invite monkeys to govern us !

Freddy Agnelo Fernandes.