BLOOD MONEY
This was what has happened in Kuwait a year back. The whole trouble started during the domestic Cricket match between the two teams. Neither of the teams was aspiring to win the world cup and in Kuwait with the exception of microscopic number of expatriates mainly from the sub-continent, nobody else is taking interest in Cricket. Yet this particular match created ripples all around, not because it created cricket genius on the field but because of this match a murder was committed by one of the supporters of one team. Two rivals came into heated argument because of the disputable decision of the umpire and in the ensuing fight one of them a Malyali young man stabbed to death with a knife his Hyderabadi opponent. After this unexpected murder, the Malyali murderer meekly surrendered to the police.
As per the laws of the land, crime merits gallows unless there are some valid reasons for the judiciary to refrain from passing such a sentence. However, the death sentence can be waived if the murderer or his family members agree to pay the “blood money” to the nearest and dearest of the victim. According to the information, the criminal was not a rich man nor his family members back at home in Kerala to pay the blood money and get escaped from the capital punishment. Secondly, the victim’s family must also agree for the blood money. Finally, the few prominent Malyalis in Kuwait joined together and decided to save the life of their citizen by collecting money from them to pay for the blood money. They firmly resolved to go ahead, went ahead, used their influence in Kerala and Hyderabad as well to impress upon the victim’s family to accept the blood money and finally their efforts worked wonders and created miracle. In this endeavour, in Kerala their Ministers and MLA’s also worked hard to bring pressure on the Chief Minister of Andra Pradesh to impress upon the next of kin of the victim which also finally worked. Not only this, the Andra Chief Minister also contributed half the blood money.
While condemning the murder of a young Hyderabadi man by another Malyali young man I strongly admire the sense of brotherhood displayed by the Malyalis in Kuwait first by collecting blood money to save the life of their fellow brother in Kuwait and later on the same supported by their colleagues back at home. Rarely such a sense of unity has been shown in the past by any other community in Kuwait. It is only because of such strong sense of unity and brotherhood, a life has been saved otherwise just because of this cricket match which was just an ordinary encounter in Kuwait, second life would have also been snatched from this planet, of course thru legal process. Malyalis are known to create wonders and many of these wonders are unique in their own ways. The money collection drive initiated by them to save the life of one of their citizens likely facing the gallows was yet another wonder. I salute them for doing something extraordinary for their own brother in Kuwait by collecting KD 8000/- which is not a small and easy job, it was a difficult task but made easy by their strong sense of unity and collective efforts.
Now writing of my Goan community, if such an incident had to occur in my community for any of our members, what would be the outcome? Would we be able to emulate the example of Malyalis in Kuwait? Who amongst us would come forward to dole out such a big amount? I do agree that economically, Malyalis are outbeating Goans though Goans may outbeat them in organsing cheap activities like Ballroom dancing and 7-a-side soccer tournaments to promote the organizers and not soccer. Financially, Malyalis are far advanced than Goans who will surely find difficult to compete with Malyalis. Taking this view of our financial incompetence to rise to the occasion to help our community members in their hour of crisis, Goan Welfare Society was formed thru the initiative of once powerful Goan social worker in Kuwait, Mr. Vincente D’Souza, who unfortunately is no more in Kuwait now. This GWS was established a few years before the invasion of Kuwait. The purpose of this GWS was to create a fund to help the community affairs and community members in Kuwait, especially to render financial assistance to the needy Goans. Thru the combined efforts of the community members, GWS succeeded in accumulating a huge fund but instead of using it for the welfare of the community in Kuwait from where it was collected and where rightly it is to be used, GWS has transferred it to Goa. Besides this and regretfully, about KD 30 thousand are retained in their personal account by its three members one of them is the current president. All these three persons are from the same village in Goa and coming from the same clan. This is a very dangerous precedent created by the members of the GWS who like “ignoramus” are allowing the three persons to do anything they want and yet they call themselves intelligent. Intelligent in what? In mortgaging the rights of the Society to the three?
After speaking to some of the members of GWS, they feel GWS is taken hostage by the three and there is nobody in the committee or on the members role to use saner counsel to put things right so that the likely robbery may be averted. It is Society’s money and as such it must legally return to the Society. It is public’s money and as such it must come for the use of public needs. Up to now nobody knows who uses the interest of this KD 30 thousand, surely it must be the three persons only for their personal benefits. It is a pity that the community members who boast of being intelligent are become dumb and deaf when acting rightly and justly. It is a pity that a batallion of yes men and yes women in GWS are become impotent to fight for justice. What good one can expect from these yes men and yes women when they return back to Goa for the cause of society and justice? It is these people who are responsible for the promotion of injustice in the community. I am surprised, how the high profile patron of the Society is keeping silence on the poor happenings in GWS. I am equally surprised how the official custodian of the Indian community is also keeping its silence over this sad episode. It is risky business to allow the three persons to hold such a big amount in their personal account when all of them are having questionable past as one of them was involved in misusing Kuwait Goan Evacuees funds in Goa during the invasion of Kuwait If by chance, tomorrow all of them die, who will inherit this big amount? GWS? Surely not but the families of the three.
In case there is any member in GWS who can call himself an upright then he or she will fight for justice, if necessary, even by filing a court case by utilizing the legal assistance from Kuwait because this society was established in Kuwait for the welfare of local community members. Some of the members of GWS who are escaping from accepting their responsibility for fighting for the justice are doing more injustice than the unjust members in GWS. This is not the time to escape from one’s responsibility and allow the robbers to rob. This is the time to fight for the justice. This is the time to raise this issue vociferously not in the committee only but also in the community, not only in Kuwait but also throughout the Goan world. This is the time for every Goykar to talk and talk loudly and by doing so nobody will lose anything. By doing this everyone stands to win only. If there are upright and people of justice in the committee and in the community then now will be their chance to prove that they are for justice. Otherwise, they have no right not only to talk of justice in the community but they have no right even to think of justice. Moreover, they have no right to question me of my prerogative to fight for justice. Those who are questioning me of my right to fight for justice are the supporters and promoters of injustice. Such people will do nothing in society. They are worms and they will disappear as worms only.
While concluding, once again I salute Malyalis in Kuwait for helping their own brother to save from the gallows and hope other communities would emulate this example.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Safat, Kuwait”.
