CONDEMNING ARREST OF TIATRIST FRANCIS DE TUEM.

The arrest of Tiatrist Francis de Tuem by the Hitlerian Goa police of Verna is a condemnable act and from Kuwait I and on behalf of all my  likeminded  friends and colleagues,  condemn it in the strongest terms.  It is a rape of freedom of speech given to Indians by the constitution; such a rape was not done by the Portuguese government in Goa even though we accuse Portuguese government of being the government of dictatorship while the democratic system of India is found dead killed by the Goa government under BJP Parrikar.  BJP at the Centre is accusing Uttar Pradesh government of trampling justice under its feet by undemocratically sacking Durga Shakti but in Goa BJP does worst undemocratic act.

Portuguese may be bad in some aspects but it always permitted Tiatrists to criticize anyone from the Stage rightly except Portuguese government and that also if it was done maliciously and wrongly. The little restriction lawfully applied by the Portuguese government to Tiatrists was inflated by the local Goan Regidores to prove their super affiliation to the ruling regime. When Portuguese government asked the Goan Regidores to bend down, they stooped down shamelessly. Portuguese government may be bad but surely our Regidores were the worst who were responsible to create a bad image of Portguese rule in Goa.

By arresting Francis de Tuem under the instigation of Mickey Pacheco, the Goa government enhanced the ratings of Tuem and gave an added booster to the might of the Tiatrists.  It is once again proved that how powerful Tiatro and Tiatrists are become in Goa.  During powerfully aristocratic  Bandodkar’s rule in Goa, Bandodkar was not afraid of 12 Opposition MLA’s of powerful UG but terribly afraid of Trio Kings of Tiatrists Conception-Nelson-Anthony and to woo them in his side he was ready to do anything for them but they never bowed down because they were the real sons of their real fathers.

Singing political songs, reprimanding Tiatrists and arresting them for criticizing government, its wrong policies and its leaders is not the first time in Tuem’s arrest. About 80 years back Goa government imposed tax on “Renders” for the Coconut Trees they used for extracting Toddy.  To oppose this, all the Toddy Tappers from Agacaim joined together and put a boycott on extracting Toddy any further.  One Render defied this boycott by refusing to toe the line of his other colleagues. Hence, on one fine evening he was shot dead while he was extracting Toddy on top of the Coconut Tree. He was shot dead by one of the boycotters Render but none divulged his name to the Panjim Police when they were summoned for questioning. Government wanted to suppress this news from spreading beyond Ilhas but within a week or so at Anjuna in a traditional “Zagor” one singer rendered a beautiful solo on the beats of “Gumott, Madyem and Kansaem”.  One verse of this song I quote hereunder:

“JANERACHEA PIRMERAK DHORUN VHELET RENDRANK,

ANI PONJE VHORON PIREZ KELET KHUIM TEAM AGXIKARANK,

HE BHAXEN VINCHAR KELO TANCHE LAGUIM SERKARAN,

KI HI BUDH KONNE DILEA TI SANGAT MHONON JURAMENTAN

CH

AGXIKARANIM SANGLEM AMI AZIR MHONN MORNANK

PUNNI ZAMNNO ANINK KEDINCH GHALCHENAUM MADDANK

AGXI EKLEAN MADD DOVORLOLE TAKA JITOCH MARLO FARAN,

TACHO DEMAN CHOLTA ATAM PONJE SERKARAN.

Because of its matter and catchy tune the popularity of this song spread far and wide. Immediately the local Regidor summoned the singer to his house and gave him verbal bashing.  The effect of this reprimanding was so great on the singer that thenceforth the poor guy stoped acting in Zagor.

KID Boxer was the first known professional Tiatrist to be arrested in Bombay by the government of India, somewhere in 1958 for singing a song against Indian government’s faulty policies towards Goa. In this song he opposed India’s annexation of Goa.  Immediately he was arrested, tortured in prison and after imprisonment deported to Goa where he was open heartedly welcomed by the Portuguese government of Goa and offered a very lucrative job as a Konkani artiste at the Emisora de Goa for a very handsome salary of Rps. 400/- which was highest among all the artistes then.

Following the invasion of Goa, there was a Tiatro at Mapusa, first time under Indian regime. In this Tiatro there were 2 political songs against Bharat; one from the Trio Kings and the other from Kid Boxer. Immediately when Tiatro was still in progress they were arrested, Kid Boxer before the completion of his song in which he curses Bharat for invading Goa against the wishes of majority of Goans.  A few lines of this song I quote hereunder:

 “TUM BHITOR SORLAI CHUKON, MORTOLOI SUKON, DUSREACHO DESH POCHONA, (Referring to Bharat for illegally invading Goa)

TUM PAN POTTI KHATAI ANI POCHHU KORUN THUKTAI, LOZUI KAIM DISSONA (Referring to Indian Ghanttis)

 TUM NESTAI FOKOT VALO ANI KHATAI FOKOT PALO (Referring to dress code and eating habits of Bharati people).

Then again in mid-sixties Kid Boxer was arrested in Bombay for singing a solo  against wrong policies of government of India and he was sentenced by the Bombay Court to undergo 6 months imprisonment at Nashik High Risk Prison where he wrote his Tiatro “Somzonen Zatoch Chukh”.  In this Tiatro he rendered one beautiful song reprimanding Indian government for curtailing freedom of speech.  Further in this song he says sarcastically that:

“AUM SOU MHOINE NASHIK CONVETAN RAVON AILAM PUN KAINCH MUDAR ZAUNKNA”.

William de Curtorim was another noted political singer whose hard hitting political solos directly attacking the politicians created so much of uproar in Goa that once about 8 years back he was summoned to Mapusa Police Station for reprimanding him for singing a solo against Rane.  For the next Show William invited Dayananda Narvenkar as a chief guest at the same Mapusa venue where in his speech Narvenkar lashed out Mapusa Police for suppressing democratic rights of Tiatrist William de Curtorim. 

Comig back to the unwarranted and undemocratically arrest of Tiatrist Francis de Tuem, I say it was the malicious act of Mickey Pacheco and clandestinely supported by Parrikar. Do not except anything good from Parrikar, he is acting worst than a dictator.  He thinks he is too smart, too intelligent and too educated.  My foot!  If Congressmen were good,  people in Goa would never elect him and his BJP. Today he is ok playing his "dadagiri" but tomorrow he will face the consequences of his misdeeds.

Baba Francis de Tuem we are all with you at this hour of your arrest, don’t think that you are alone, we are not going to leave you alone into the hands of vultures of Parrikar. Be strong and remain cool and calm in these crises. You are not wrong, you are right in all aspects and because you are right they got you arrested. They are afraid of you because you are exposing their misdeeds.  Treat this arrest as a joke. 

They want to silence your voice by putting you into prison. But remember well, the prison that they put you will never be a prison Cell for you even though it is built of concrete walls with Iron Door as long as you have freedom of mind to think free. By putting you in prison they may stop you physically from moving an inch further but they will never stop you from thinking further. This is your freedom even though you are physically imprisoned.  

A. VERONICA FERNANDES,

KUWAIT.

IN ANOTHER U TURN THE CM NOW GIVES M.V.HORSESHOE HIS GREEN SIGNAL

  
By Aires Rodrigues

A very sad day for Goa. The monstrous Casino ‘M.V. Horseshoe’ begins operating today with a ‘soft opening’. We would now just have to keep count of how many more Goan families will be wrecked with this new added menace in the River Mandovi. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had publicly vowed that he had rejected their application and that he would not allow it. What backdoor manoeurves? Is he their sleeping partner? Trust him to pull more wool on our eyes.

It is appalling that to help his friend Jaydev Mody, the Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar has overlooked the best interests of the State.  The M.V. Horseshoe is owned by business tycoon Jaydev Mody who is the son-in-law of former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee. It may not be just a coincidence that Soli Sorabjee was the Chairman of the Jury that selected Manohar Parrikar last December for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year award in Politics? We also all saw Jaydev Mody prominently seated at Manohar 

Parrikar’s swearing in ceremony on March 9^th last year at SAG grounds in Campal. You can fool some people some time, but cannot fool all the people all the time!

Some may feel that I only criticize the government. But that has been my mission for the last over three decades. I have taken on the illegalities committed by successive governments.

While as the Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar had consistently vehemently opposed the Casinos branding them as a social evil and had vowed to throw them out of the River Mandovi if he came to power. I was part of the demonstrations he then led in Panaji. After his coming to power, I was hoping that I would be able to commend Manohar Parrikar at least on the Casino issue. But not surprisingly Manohar Parrikar has jumped right on to the ship and is firmly aboard in love with the Casino brigade.

Manohar Parrikar’s claim that casinos will bring in much needed revenue for the State is outrageous and no justification. There are many more dishounourable means of collecting revenue. But surely, they cannot be used as justifications for collecting revenue. Mr. Chief Minister you have a lot to explain on your U turn vis a vis the Casinos. Has the colour of money, turned Manohar Parrikar a shade more different or just exposed his inner hidden shade?

TERRORISTS DESGUISE IN MILITARY UNIFORMS.

There is a commotion in India now regarding the contradictory statements issued by the Malyali Defense Minister of India, Antony.  First he said the Pakistani terrorists crossed Indian border wearing Military Uniforms giving an impression that they are Pakistani Military personnel and when there was furor in India over this statement glorifying Pakistan as innocent,  he later on clarified his statement in the Lokh Sabah stating just the opposite and temporarily calmed down the prevailing noise in India. When things are at this boiling point, Sardarji Premier of India is keeping his stoic silence when he should not as the leader of the government. Is he fit to be the Premier of India? He is fit to be a very good soldier but surely not a very good commander.

Earlier in 1962 during the Chinese war with India in which India suffered a humiliating defeat, another Malyali  Defense Minister of India at that time, Krishna Menon was also issuing such contradictory statements as if he was supporting China just as Antony doing as if he is supporting Pakistan. The whole of India at that time accused Menon of telling lies and because of him as a weak Defense Minister, India suffered a humiliating defeat from the hands of China, that was the first defeat India suffered in its lifetime. Then there was a heavy pressure on the then Indian Premier Nehru to sack him from the Cabinet and succumbing to the mood of the people and his Congress colleagues, Nehru unceremoniously dismissed Menon from his ministry.

Is it not the turn now of the current Defense Minister of India to get a kick from the Cabinet for his leaning towards Pakistan? It is time now for the Indian public and all the Congressmen to demand dismissal from the Cabinet of Antony before he enters into another goof whose knowledge of war and defense strategy is minus Zero. 

Similarly, earlier in 1961 December, to invade Goa, the same Krishna Menon told lies to Nehru and the Cabinet so as to get the green signal for him to invade Goa against the wishes of overwhelming majority of Goans.  Even now if opinion poll is held in Goa, surely Goans will reject Indian involvement in Goa and opt for Independent sovereign Goa, that includes me as well because Indian Raj is the Raj of Chor, corrupt leaders and maladministration.

Even if Pakistani terrorists came disguised as Military personnel, why Indian border security guards could not repel them or shoot them to death instead of allowing them to kill 5 Indian Jawans? At the border post there should be sophisticated instruments to detect enemy incursion.  Was there no such facility at the India’s border?  Good that Bin Laden was killed by the Americans otherwise he and his Al Qaeda band would destroy India as he did in America.

In this connection, I would like to share with the readers one incident occurred about 50 years back. Cold war between the two Super Powers was at its pedestal and both the USA ad USSR were living in fear of each other.  At Alaska where Americans were having its base, on the Radar it showed innumerable objects like Fighter Jet Planes coming towards USA. Within a few seconds an alert was sounded by the Americans and Americans readied for a war with USSR assuming that Russians were coming to bomb America. 

While Americans were readying to defend itself, within another few seconds another alert came saying the first Alarm was wrong and it was given on fallacious observation by the American security at Alaska.  In fact what the Americans noticed were not the Russian Bombers but migratory Birds. This is the alertness of USA where American security guarding its borders are kept on their toes constantly while our border security guards are taking time off to rest and to sleep as it looks from the current situation.

Terrorists faking as local Military personnel disguised in local Military Uniforms is common everywhere.  Even yesterday in Yemen Al Qaeda terrorists were planning to wear Uniforms of the type local Military personnel wear and attack western interest in Yemen. 

Somewhere in 1959 it happened in Goa too. Some Goan terrorists in the garb of Goan Freedom Fighters fighting against the Portuguese Rule in Goa, dressed as local Policemen came to the house of the Regidor of Siolim Bardez at about 9.00 PM,  asking him to come to Mapusa Police Station where there is an immediate summon for him at Mapusa Police Station for one urgent criminal case. Regidor dressed and went with the fake Policemen thinking they were genuine Policemen came with genuine summon.  After 10 minutes of drive and seeing outside in the darkness, Regidor noticed the vehicle in which he was traveling along with those fake Policemen, was not going to Mapusa Road but different. Immediately he realized the conspiracy to liquidate him.  He was taken to a lonely place near the River in Siolim only and killed him.  His body was next day found near the River.  He was killed because he was considered as “Chamcha” of Portuguese regime in Goa. 

In fact during those days, every Regidor of Goa was a “Chamcha” of Portuguese regime whether he was a Christian or a Hindu and unless he is a “Chamcha” he would not be appointed a Regidor in Goa.

Meantime what will be the compensation paid to the families of the 5 dead Jawans who laid their young and precious lives in the service of the nation? Where are the Indian Millionaires and Business Magnates now?  Why they are silent?  Can’t they afford to help financially the family members of the dead Jawans?  Where are the Millionaire Indian Cricketers gone now?  Can’t they organize benefit matches in aid of the family members of the 5 dead Jawans?  State Honours and other such official ceremonies is a big joke.  What are required now are financial doles for the decent sustenance of the families of the 5 dead Jawans because they lost their bread winners.

    A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.