SADDAM'S BRIBE REJECTED BY KUWAIT GOANS.

Second of August will be remembered in the history as the most brutal day since on this date in 1990 worst incident took place, that was, Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Invasion is always bad and Kuwait’s  invasion was not an exception.  

My beloved Goa was also invaded by the Indian Government of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 19^th December 1961 without our consent inflicting heavy damages on Goa and since then Goa is suffering from innumerable ills making genuine Goans as strangers in their own land. Goa's invasion was welcomed in Goa by the robbers, cheats, criminals and other such Goans of ill repute with big celebrations on the streets by welcoming invading army while those opponents of good repute remained silent, they should have at least come out on to the streets with Black Flags thereby openly opposing Indian intervention in Goa as if Goa was Nehru's father's property. At that time I was very young boy otherwise I would do that. 

Every invasion keeps the invaded country and its people under its bondage, so Kuwait too and its people were kept totally under Iraq’s bondage.  The entire country came to an abrupt halt and we as expatriates were terrified, trembling with fear knowing not what will happen to us. We as expatriates came to Kuwait to earn our livelihood but in the bargain we became victims of this brutal invasion for no fault of ours.

No doubt we were as we are now working very hard in Kuwait under very harsh circumstances because of our financial stringency.  When we work very hard in this country then only we get our daily bread, Heavenly Manna are not falling for us to feed our bellies. 

India is a rich country but unfortunately inhabited by poor people and ruled by the most corrupt rulers available on this planet. The major portion of India’s wealth is cornered by the corrupt politicians and their families thereby denying to major portion of Indians their share of wealth. India has vast wealth but its distribution is not done properly for this reason inequality exists in India.  The poor are becoming poorer while the rich are becoming richer because there is no proper system of economic governance in India.  For this reason to acquire little more wealth Indians migrate to outside for greener pastures and in the bargain they suffer as they suffered in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

We Goans started coming to Kuwait since 1950 and since then the flow of Goans into Kuwait continues though it is very much thinning now. When we come to Kuwait we come not because we are beggars in Goa but only to enhance our economic conditions.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2^nd August in 1990 we were caught totally unaware and when I witnessed this invasion on that day early in the morning then and there I took a decision to fight against this invasion on ideological ground and on gratitude ground;  ideological because my ideology told me what Iraq did was wrong and as such we must fight to right it and on gratitude ground because we have gratitude to this country for giving us an opportunity to earn our sustenance even though we don’t get excellent treatment in this country from many of the locals who are known to “judge the contents of the letter by looking at its envelope”.

I said to myself that I will not remain silent to this invasion as my elders remained in Goa when Goa was invaded by India in 1961.  I vowed to show our Opposition to Iraq for illegally invading Kuwait and this was what I did in Goa in support of Kuwait against Iraq, of course with the support of our community members.

As unexpectedly to many in India, Kuwait and elsewhere, under my initiative and stewardship after our returning to Goa from invaded Kuwait, we Goans joined together and formed an organisation in Goa called GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER” to raise our voice from Goa against this brutal invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Because of this movement there was heavy pressure on the government of India in Delhi to change its stance in support of Kuwait’s liberation. Otherwise in the beginning Indian government was playing the game of hide and seek. 

From Panjim Goa in front of the multitude of people and on behalf of them, I gave a threat to Indian government in  Delhi that if Indian government does not support Kuwait’s liberation movement we from Goa in thousands will march to Delhi and ”gherao” the Parliament House forcing Indian government to openly support Kuwait and condemn Iraq for illegally invading Kuwait.

Saddam Hussein in Iraq was alerted of our movement in which we organised in Goa public meetings and public rallies which were covered even by the international media including CNN.  Saddam Hussein was annoyed because he was expecting India would support him, so also some top Indian “Chamchas” of Iraq stationed in Delhi but our movement proved otherwise; Feelers started pouring in for me with inducement and also with threats to stop this movement. But I was defying as my inner circle colleagues. 

Then on the eve of our first Public Rally followed by Public Meeting in Panjim - the capital city of Goa, which was attended even by the Kuwaitis, three young Arab possibly the emissaries of Saddam Hussein met me with a request to cancel the scheduled Rally and Meeting with a promise to me of a Signed Blank Cheque – the amount to be filled in by me.  But again I was defying and refusing the offer, politely.  Surprised as they were for my negative response, they turned back with a threat to my life, to my wife and to my two children who were young then.

By the grace of God till today no Satanic power succeeded in executing threats against me and my family. God is protecting us because I am doing nothing with ulterior motives and for selfish ends.  Without expecting any personal gains in return, we went ahead in organising our movement with the help and participation of our supporters very successfully in support of Kuwait’s liberation.  

Our movement was the movement of Kuwait’s expatriates who received no financial assistance from Kuwait to organise such a massive movement for the benefit of Kuwait. In this movement we Goans only spent our own money and I spent my own money without expecting anything from Kuwait because this was not my motto. If money was my motto, I would have been a Millionaire by accepting that Signed Blank Cheque.

I am an expatriate in Kuwait and as an expatriate I expect nothing extra from Kuwait expect good treatment as a Human being. As an expatriate I am not a beggar in Kuwait and I resent treating me as such. As an expatriate worker I am selling my services for a price.  This is only a commercial transaction and NOT A BEGGARY NOR A SLAVERY.  

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.