To magnify, click on the photos.Today 12th November 1990, Goans evacuated from Iraq invaded Kuwait, gathered in the capital city of Goa,Panaji, in India, and organised a rally on the streets of Panaji, held open demonstration in support of Kuwait and also held a public meeting at Azad Maidan, Panaji. Some Kuwaitis have also attended the day long protest including a ranking officer from the Ministry of Interior - Kuwait, Col. Juma Al Kholifi. Col. Kholifi also addressed the public meeting along with other speakers.
Seen in the first picture, top, Goans preparing to start the public rally while in the second picture are seen Goans proceeding with the big public rally and the third picture shows the public meeting in progress.
Thru this pblic rally and public meeting, Goans are showing their strong support and gratitude to Kuwait.
By organising pulic rallies and public meetings and open demonstrations in Goa, we the Kuwait Goans showed our love and solidarity to Kuwait and its citizens during their hour of sufferings. I as a convenor and initiator of this movement went ahead in the formation of this movement in Goa under Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center with the consent of the people whom I invited with public announcement thru newspaper, at TB Cunha Hall, Panaji, for this purpose. This movement was not of mine alone, it was of all Kuwait Goan evacuees who associated with us in G-KSC and who loved Kuwait. By organising this movement nothing bad came to anyone, on the contrary everything good happened thru the enermous goodwill gained from Kuwaitis for Goa and Goans.
To organise this rally, close associates of G-KSC worked very hard by bringing people in especial buses from Verna, Navelim, Agacaim, Sanguem and other places in Goa. It was a sea of Kuwait evacuee Goans at Azad Maidan at the time of starting of this rally at 3.00 p.m., it looked we were all in Kuwait only, people were carrying the banners of Kuwait and posters and photograhps of Amir and Crown Prince of Kuwait. Never in the history of Goa such a massive rally was organised in Goa for the cause of a foreign country. My close colleagues in this movement namely Caetano Joao and Manuel Fernandes from M/s Boodai, Elvino Rodrigues from Alghanim, Evaristo Fernades from National Bank, the late Jack Santano Fernandes from Commercial Bank, Sheikh Agnelo and Mario Rebello and many others worked very hard to help organise this rally very successfully. The contribution and participation of every participant was worth admiring. It was they all who deserve the highest compliments. It was an unified effort of all, even financial contribution for the necessary expenses shared by all.
Though we were expecting more crowd than what attended yet none openly opposed this movement except one wretched, uncultured, uncivilised and ungrateful Kuwait Goan who is currently working in Kuwait as before the invasion of Kuwait. After meeting me in Kuwait following the liberation of Kuwait he threathened me with dire consequences for initiating this movement in Goa in support of Kuwait. Because he is a Goan I refrained from initiating legal action against him. He never associated with us in any of our activities in support of Kuwait. He wants Kuwait only to make money and not for anything. Such traitors do not deserve place for employment in Kuwait. Even the Kuwaitis working with him should be careful and Kuwaiti companies should not employ such traitors and anti-Kuwait people. He is the shame on Kuwait Goans.
Before the invasion of Kuwait many of our Kuwait Goans helped many of the Goan causes in Goa by donating lakhs of rupees but to our regret none of the recipients of our donations joined us, none of them supported us in our movement organised in support of Kuwait's liberation. The PDF Government of Dr. Proto Barbosa ruling at that time in Goa was totally away from us, not a single member of this Government joined us and never supported us openly, on the contrary some Ministers were accusing and threathening me for initiating this movement.
The current NRI Commissioner was in a Congress mode having pro-Iraq leaning. Goa based Tiatrists who are regularly coming to Kuwait and making lot of money never supported our movement, on the contrary some of them criticised us and Kuwait as well while all other Tiatrists watched silently their colleagues giving us "Zupattis"; the padris and madris who received our donations in lakhs of rupees totally forgot our movement; the recipients of our funds in lakhs of rupees for Goa Cancer Hospital and Konkani movement mainly "Novem Goem" did'nt even bother to openly show their solidarity with us. Why they only, even some families of Kuwait evacuees deserted their own people. Brother deserted brother, mother deserted father, sons and daughters deserted their parents and guardians. Through this missery we realised who was mine and who was not mine. It was a very good experience of life. When one person went with folded hands to his brother asking him to take care of me, he said "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" It was nothing but missery for many of us because we were evacuated from Kuwait empty handed. God alone helped us and the same God brought many of us back to Kuwait though all wanted to return but their wishes remained unfulfilled due to many factors.
Because of Kuwait many of us gained a lot though we are working very hard in Kuwait with lot of hardships and humiliations. Yet we love Kuwait and grateful to Kuwait and will always remain grateful to Kuwait for all the benefits we acquired from Kuwait though we may have difference of opinions in many respects.
May God protect Kuwait from where we earn our sustenance and thru this we maintin our people back at home.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
