“My sons will not be my sons, they will be bastards if they don’t take the revenge of those who perpetrate this crime on me. Who are my sons? My sons are Shanawaz and Murtaza (his real sons) and all the sons of Pakistan”, said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the hanged Premier of Pakistan in his masterpiece IF i AM ASSASSINATED, he wrote from his prison cell before he was sent to the gallows by General Zia’s Government. Similarly, from my home place in Goa, I write now that “Christians will not be Christians; they will be Christ killer traitor Jews if they do not help defeat the anti-Christian BJP candidates in the coming election. BJP’s only agenda is to liquidate Christians and harass Muslims, both these communities must join together to give a heavy defeat to BJP candidates. Being more numerically than Muslims, Christians in general and Catholics in particular in Goa have to play a major role in defeating both the BJP candidates in Goa. Christians were persecuted in many parts of India by the BJP and these persecutions have been sheltered by the BJP ruled states. When BJP candidates come at our door steps for electioneering, Christian voters should ask the BJP candidates their stand on these persecutions and also make them first apologise for the sins their partymen committed against Christians in other parts of India. Goa BJP unit and its candidates must be made responsible for the ills their colleagues committed against peace loving Christians elsewhere in India. The Goa BJP unit under Parrikar regime has done lot of injustice for Goan Chrsitians, namely producing of anti-Christian VCD, removal of Good Friday Holiday etc, and for this Goan Christian voters must never forgive Parrikar and his BJP. This is the right moment for Christians in Goa to show their true Chriastian colours, if they are real Christians and not basterdised Christians. If we forgive them, they will come again with more fury against us.
While election is approaching fast, what will be the role of Catholic Church in Goa? It has not come out with challenging and daring statement so far. There were no guidelines from the Church to Catholic voters in this direction. It looks Goan Church leadership may from behind the curtain support BJP as it was done by Rahul Gonsalves earlier, as reported. Our Church leadership cannot remain as silent spectator at this crucial hour saying "Church role is not to involve in politics". River Princess issue is a big political issue in Candolim and it was strongly and openly campaigned by the Candolim Church. Our Church in Goa should come out strongly against BJP and tell the faithfuls in the Churches and Chapels openly not to vote for BJP. The faithfuls are eagerly awaiting the instructions from the Church. The safety of Christianity and Christians lies in the defeat of BJP candidates. As I informed once to Rahul Gonsalves from Kuwait, 'we in Goa are victimised by communal political parties only because we are Christians'. In view of this our leadership from Altinho, Panjim must guide us in right direction and not to keep silence at this critical time. By keeping silence we will not gain anything, hence we must be vocal now. We don’t have as our friends in BJP.
In Phillippines with the open and strong backing of the Church the Government of Ferdinand Marcus was demolished. Cardinal Sin of Manila told the Catholic voters from the Pulpit to throw out Ferdinand Marcus Government and voters there obliged and did the needful. Even the then Pope backed Cardinal Sin. To help protect the rights of the persecuted and minorities, Vatican even supported the terrorist activities in Palestine under the leadership of Archobishop Capucchi. We in Goa were persecuted minority community by BJP and if we allow BJP candidates to win in Goa they will increase their strength in Parliament thereby giving more power to BJP at the Centre to harass Christians. We by all means must help demolition of BJP candidates in Goa to secure our community. Hence, the Church leadership in Goa must come out with open statement against BJP. At this hour Church leadership in Goa should not feel shy and afraid. We need a strong and daring leadership from our Church otherwise Christianity and Christians in Goa will suffer a lot and our Church leadership alone will be responsible for this.
In the past especially immediately following the annexing of Goa by Bharat, Dayananda Bandodkar and his lobby dubbed Goan Christians as anti-Indian and Pro-Portugues. Christians were treated as second class citizens and were denied some of the normal privileges. At that hour our Church leadership was into the hands of weak leader Mong. Francisco Rebello who did not even know that Dayananda Bandodkar was the Chief Minister of Goa. Instead he told me once “this president of Goa is a ‘POKO’”. During the regime of Bandodkar, Catholics in Goa were living in fear while our Church leadership did nothing to give a booster for Catholics in Goa. Our Church leadership and priests were acting like cowards. They should have issued heavy statements in our support by citing innumerable examples of how Goan Christians have fought for the freedom of Goa and India. Much before Nehrus and Gandhis our Christian Goans raised their voices for the liberation not only of Goa but of the entire India. Dr. Francis Luis Gomes and Abade de Faria were the first Indians to raise the voice of Indians in foreign soil against colonisers. Men like Bandodkar were traitors. They slipped themselves into the pants of Portugues Governador like slaves during the Portuguese regime to get personal benefits for them and when time came they called Goan Christians as anti-Indians. The same song is now sung by BJP. We have to oppose them and our Church must now direct and guide the faithfuls in right direction and that too immediately. If we win in our ideology it will be because of our Chuch guidance and if lose it will be only because of the silence of our Church. Hence, Neri Ferrao and his advisers must wake up and wake up now and now only.
A. Veronica Fernandes.
