DEATH SENTENCE IN KUWAIT COMMUTED.

DEATH SENTENCE TO FILIPINA COMMUTED IN KUWAIT.

In Kuwait approximately there are about 1,30,000 Filipino workers amongst them a major portion consists of Maids. Overwhelming majority of these maids are not meant to work as maids since they are qualified and professionals in their respective professions but they come to work here as maids because of financial necessity and to alleviate their poverty back at home. Having no other choice, they come to work in Kuwait as maids which is the easiest and cheapest mode of coming to Kuwait to earn Dinars. A year ago one maid named Marilou Ranario was arrested by the Kuwait Police for stabbing to death her employer Madame because as reported, according to Ranario her Madame insulted her and her nationality. Humiliated by the insults Ranario took this extreme step. After a fair trial conducted by the Kuwait’s judiciary, Marilou Ranario was sentenced to death by hanging. Hearing this news the entire Filipino community in Kuwait was shocked. So too Ranario’s people and well wishers in Philippines. There was heavy pressure on the Government of Philippines in Manila to use its influence and good offices with the Government of Kuwait and its leadership to save Ranario from the gallows thru mercy petition. Philipinos in Philippines organized rallies and public meetings to exert pressure on their Government headed by Mrs. Arroyo to act and to act fast. Philipinos in Kuwait too created a heavy awakening amongst them to influence their Embassy in Kuwait to put pressure on their Government back at home in Manila to rescue Ranario from the clutches of death sentence by hanging.

Finally the power of people’s movement in Kuwait amongst the Philipinos and back at home too awakened their Government. The Government of Philippines is otherwise very sensitive of the well being and plight of its citizens abroad especially in the Gulf where lot of harassments are meted out to the expatriate workers, especially from the domestic sector. When the death sentence of Ranario was confirmed and upheld by the higher court, the vice president of Philippines immediately issued a statement pleading with the Government of Kuwait and its leadership to commute it. He even went a step ahead and with all his humility and with all the love and concern for for its small citizen Marilou Ranario the vice president of Philippines said “if necessary, I will go on my knees to the Amir of Kuwait to beg with him to spare the life of Ranario”. Oh my God!! What a humility and concern shown by the Philippines Government for its one ordinary citizen? Will our Government display such a love and concern for our citizens found in similar situation?

Finally a few days back the president of Philippines Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with a delegation of 120 top personnel arrived in Kuwait on a special mission where Mrs. Arroyo pleaded with the Amir of Kuwait the clemency for Marilou Ranario. Bowing down to the plea of Arroyo, the Amir of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah commuted the death sentence of Marilou Ranario to life imprisonment with a promise to further reduce it after certain conditions and obligations are met. Though the trial given to Marilou Ranario was fair as per some legal experts yet the compassion shown by the Amir of Kuwait in this case is really laudable. While giving clemency to Ranario, the Amir of Kuwait said to Arroyo that normally he does not interfere with the judicial process “but since you are here to personally appeal for Ranario, I will not sign the decree of execution. That is within my power. I will reduce the penalty to life and when the other parties sign the forgiveness, I will further reduce the penalty”.

Now take the case of our Goan Francisco Araujo from St. Cruz, Ilhas who was hanged in Kuwait approximately a year before the invasion of Kuwait. He was sentenced for capital punishment – death by hanging – because he killed two persons, one bus driver and the other bus conductor of Kuwait Public Transport. Araujo was a poor man having his mother, sister, brother and other relatives working in Kuwait as domestics. His poor brother Daniel begged – borrowed money from here and there and hired a lawyer to fight the case of Francisco Araujo. But nothing has changed, his sentence was finally upheld by the higher court and ultimately Francisco Araujo was hanged. Before the execution of this sentence Daniel as he told me, went to Indian Embassy to arrange a mercy petition for clemency for his brother in death row Francisco Araujo. Regrettably and of course shockingly, Daniel told me that instead of giving a keen hearing to his plea, he was diplomatically told to get out by our Embassy personnel saying “you Goans are killing people and want mercy?? For what??” Having no choice, Daniel came back. Then he approached our Catholic Church where the then Bishop Mechallef gave a very sympathetic hearing to Daniel, prepared a mercy petition on behalf of the Catholic Church and presented it to the authority concerned but nothing worked in favour of our Goan brother who was finally hanged.

The Bishop of Kuwait Mong. Francisco Mechallef a Maltese citizen that time shown lot of sympathy to Araujo in death row, personally himself went to the prison to pay visit to Araujo, consoled him and even hearing his confession. Sometimes Bishop used to take in his car the mother of Francisco Araujo to see her son. Even the coffin for the funeral of Araujo was provided by the Church. The funeral scene in the Church and in the Cemetry was terrible. Almost everybody was crying, some sobbing softly while others screaming. It was an unbearable scene. Everybody was terrified but as instructed the body was not allowed to keep open in the Church nor in the Cemetry. The coffin was firmly screwed so that nobody can open it.

The funeral of Francisco Araujo was held in Kuwait attended by the Church packed faithfuls. Goans in good number joined in the funeral mass and burial. I was one of the persons who washed and dressed the body of Francisco Araujo and was too deeply involved in making arrangement for the funeral and burial formalities. My greatest act was to lower his coffin from one end into the grave by firmly standing in the grave. Next day, local Arab Times published a front page story of this funeral service in the Church and mine too carrying the coffin of Francisco Araujo on my shoulder and also one more photo where I was holding and pacifying the sister and mother of hanged Francisco Araujo. Though I went all out to assist in the funeral and burial yet many of my compatriots criticized me for involving with the funeral of a criminal. Even at my work place my superiors showed their dislike for my involvement in this funeral as if it was a sin to help the criminal. But I cared none and if worst came I was prepared myself for any eventuality.

While concluding, I ask one BIG QUESTION to my fellow citizens in Kuwait and in Goa in particular and in India in general. Is our Indian Embassy capable to climb mountains to save the life of any Indian citizen in a similar case as Filippines Embassy did? Is our Indian Government willing to condescend like Philippines Government and work strenuously to save the life of any Indian citizen awaiting the gallows? Will our Indian president or vice president or Prime Minister dare to take the course of action as done by the president and vice president of Philippines? Will our Indian public in India bring pressure on our Government in Delhi the way Philipinos did in Philippines to save the life of Ms Ranario? Will our Indian – leave aside Goan – Government take interest in its citizens the way Philippines Government did? NEVER EVER. Indian Government treats its citizens especially expatriates and mainly from the Gulf as non-entities. Who cares for us and for our woes? NRI Commissioners and Ministers for Overseas Indians are just a big tamasha and they will remain so. Because of the careless attitude of our government towards us, we are treated as dirt. Our importance will go up only when we as citizens of India are granted Voting Rights from outside India as others are having. Because we are not voting for our representatives, our representatives in Indian Parliament and Legislative Assemblies are not caring for our woes and pleas. Why only our government in India? Even our own Embassy below our noses does not care for us. Sometimes Embassy staff are acting like Maharajas exactly the way our Ministers and elected representatives are acting in Goa in particular and India as a whole in general. What good one can get from these artificial Maharajas for the common Indian and especially for those working in domestic sector? To fight for our rights and privileges we as expatriates will have to create a front of ours manned by the ex - expatriates only and not by Faleiros, not by Goa based Advocates, not by retired army generals and not by any Altu-Faltu nor any Ladru Pedru who is ignorant of our difficulties. By coming to Kuwait with the excuse of fact finding mission for 2-3 days as visitors nothing will change for us.

Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

KUWAITKARS SUPPORT KONKANI MARTYRS

KUWAITKARS SUPPORT KONKANI MARTYS.

On behalf of all my like minded friends and colleagues in Kuwait I strongly support the meeting arranged by Romi Lipi Action Front on 19th of this month at 3.30 p.m. at Lohia Maidan, Margao, as indicated in the below mentioned Press Release.

Everybody must be well aware how Kuwaitkars on behalf of "KUWAIT KONKNNI KENDR" collected a fund for these Martyrs after their martyrdom and disbursed to their next of kin thru proper channel.

KKK in particular and Kuwaitkars in general will never forget the immense sacrifices these Martyrs have made for the cause of Konkani. They have sacrificed their precious lives for the cause of Konkani and Goa. May their Romi Konkani souls rest in peace and may God give wisdom to the hard core Nagrivadis to accept the reality of Romi Konkani and support its recognition.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.


ROMI LIPI ACTION FRONT

c/o Rhythm House, Below City Hospital ,Opp. Meenaxi Hotel, Margao, Goa.403 601. Mob. 9822386579Ref:- RLAF/LIB.DAY/FUNC
Date:- 10.12.2007 Press Note (For Kind Favour of Publicity )

“Romi Lipi Action Front” to honour Konkani Martyrs on Goa Liberation Day.

The “Romi Lipi Action Front” which is spearheading the popular movement in Goa, to amend the Goa’s “Official Language Act of 1987” to include in it, the Roman Script as an official script for Konkani, will be organizing a function to honour Late Shri Floriano Vaz (the First Konkani Martyr) along with 6 other Konkani Martyrs from Agassaim , on the 19th Dec.2007 at 3.30 pm (Venue: Lohia Maidan –Margao).These Konkani Martyrs laid down their lives, for their mother tongue Konkani. The only Konkani they knew , they wrote and they read was Konkani in the Roman Script. They made the supreme sacrifice for this “Konkani” ie Konkani in the Roman Script. This blood of our Konkani-Martyrs cries for justice. It should not be allowed to go in vain. So says the convenor of the “Romi Lipi Action Front”, Mr Wilmix Wilson Mazarello.

The Programme will be a Show of Solidarity of Educationists, Linguists , Social-Activists, Priests, Nuns, Tiatrists, Entrepreneurs and Goans from all sections of Society. In short, it will be the entire of Goa paying their respect to the Konkani Martyrs and demanding official recognition to the Roman Script, which is the all-important need of the hour. Goans from every corner of Salcete and beyond are expected to turn up in large numbers , for a cause , which is very very dear to their hearts.

Wilmix Wilson Mazarello (Convenor)