UNGRATEFULL RECIPIENTS OF OUR DONATION FROM KUWAIT.

The greatest tragedy in our life was the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on 02.08.1990 because of which many of us suffered too much financially and because of this our family members too suffered along with us. Life was till that time going smoothly for MANY of us but with it, the invasion, everything went upside down since we  fell into financial bankruptcy. The financial crisis were so deep that some Kuwait evacuees from invaded Kuwait suffered mental strokes and other different sicknesses and many of them even died out of shock not  knowing  how to survive in such  a situation.  In fact, I was keeping a track of the obituaries appearing in Herald during that time whence I noticed continuously for so many weeks  one or two obituaries appearing per week of persons ex Kuwait, Kuwait returnees. This tragic event of Kuwaitkars made some people very happy and among these people were priests one of them was in fact enjoyed our  assistance which we  rendered to him in collecting funds from Kuwait for his activities and projects in Goa.  Besides him there were others too following him because I was demanding explanation of their expenses and transparency of our donations, they did not like my way of exposing our donations to the public and what fund we sent to them in Goa, they wanted everything to be done silently in the name of God. They should have realized that we had obligations towards those Goans from whom we collected the donations money which finally we sent to them.  As for me I did not want to be doubted by our donors in Kuwait and hence I wanted to open out every  paisa received as donation from our donors in Kuwait.   

The greatest beneficiary of our largesse were the priests but when Kuwait was invaded by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and when we organized a movement in Goa by organising Public Meetings and Public Rallies in Panjim in support of Kuwait’s liberation, none of the priests associated with us.  In fact not even those who enjoyed our financial benefits  showed their solidarity to Kuwait openly by actively supporting us by joining us in Panjim in our Meetings and Rallies. Otherwise during that particular time almost every week there were so many Rallies and Public Meetings at Azad Maidan in Panjim on different issues, where so many Priests and Nuns seen participating but for our Public Meetings and Rallies none of them participated, so great “BEIMAN” were these so called Godly creatures wearing the holy robes when they were unholy.  They had firm opinion that Kuwait will never be liberated and Kuwaitkars who are barking like dogs in Panjim in the Public Meetings and Public Rallies will achieve nothing. I fail to understand how our priests the so called emissaries of God indicated their ingratitude to us and especially for me when I did so much for them in my individual capacity.  Were there no human hearts in them? Even the wild animals would not indicate such a hard heartedness.  Earlier, I never knew priests could come to this ebb.      

One priest in Mapusa said “Kuwaitkarank boot laglo tem borench zalem”.  Another priest at Old Goa when we went to offer a Mass for our cause, he said mockingly “Zalem, tumchem anik kitem urlam, Miss diun koslo faido?”. Likewise, many priests in Goa put salt on our wounds which was unbearable at that particular time when we were already sinking.  It hurt us more because the very persons who enjoyed our donations have criticized us for no fault of us. Our Parish Priest even refused to conduct especial prayers for the war/invasion of Kuwait victims when this priest knew how we Kuwaitkars supported the Church activities financially and its School. Here I came to know that how Satanisation of Priestly robes can be.  Here I came to know how cruel a priest can become.

There are a few who object my views expressed on this topic and they accuse me for resurfacing this topic again.  In fact these idiots have done nothing compared to what I have done to support the Priests especially before the invasion of Kuwait. It is very easy to pass comment and to quote Biblical quotes but to collect funds is not easy especially  from Kuwait, some of those who pass such comments were not even born at that time, one of them  from Kuwait came up in life by using his wife and preaching me “Padricho Sermao” when he is not even aware of what I have done, for him to do what I did he will have to take one more birth, the other objecting me by hiding his name under the petticoat of his concubine, like him there are others too.  If they are true and genuine then they must express their views by identifying themselves clearly and not by hiding their identities. This is the job of the cowards. 

Now some of the priests and other so called social workers are targeting Goans from UK and elsewhere for donations for them, for their activities which are morally upright and not upright, concerned Goans should be careful in sending donations to these people, many of them are corrupt, they are spending lavishly after their luxuries.  Do not allow them to misuse your donations and money, see that every donation is properly used. Money is the cause of all evil deeds and when you get easy money you are bound to spend it recklessly.   

While concluding, let me quote one incident happened in Kuwait.  One young Goan girl was selling Lottery Coupons in the Church Compound in Kuwait City.  Suddenly, the then Maltese Bishop of Kuwait Monsg. Fraancis Mechallef happened to reach there.  He immediately spotted that Lottery selling girl and asked her what she is doing?  The girl replied “these Lottery Coupons are sent from Goa by our Pe. Vigar to ollect fund to construct/repair our Church.  Then the Bishop asked her, do you have a house for you as your own? She said no.  Then the Bishop said “Why don’t you make Lottery Coupons for collecting money for your house? Don’t you need a house for you? She said “Yes I need”.  Then the Bishop said “come on, go ahead and I will also buy these Lotteries of yours.  Then he told her, “you don’t bring this type of Lottery business from your Church, your Goa Church is very rich, your Church leaders in Goa should know how to collect funds for such ventures instead of sending these coupons here.  Your Pe. Vigars and other priests don’t know how much difficulties you are facing in this country.  They think in Goa that money is just falling from top”?

A.Veronica Fernandes.      

DID OUR ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH FAIL US?

It is approximately since last 65 years we Goans started coming to Kuwait in particular and  to other parts in the Gulf.  During these many years we earned hundreds of Dinars in Kuwait and converted into Rupees it turned out to be millions of rupees.  From Kuwait we sent lakhs of rupees as donations to so many activities in Goa, for Cancer Society to construct the Cancer Hospital approximately 20 lakhs as per the information I received last.  Inspite of this huge donations Novem Goem Daily died within a short time.  Why this has happened inspite of the Trust formed comprising the prominent personalities namely Doctors, Advocates, Social Workers and Konkani promoters?  Inspite of our fatty donations for Cancer Hospital, there is no Hospital as envisioned in the beginning and as detailed by its emissary Dr. Vaidya who came to Kuwait in mid seventies to ask for donations to construct this hospital.  This Hospital is become now something else.

Additonally we sent lakhs of rupees to many other organisations to help them to carry on with their work.  Our greater efforts was put into arranging donations for the constructions and repairs of Churches, Shrines, Chapels, Crosses, Church Schools and  Colleges, Church managed organisations and many more. We brought from Goa so many priests to Kuwait and organized functions including Tiatros and Ball Room Dance to raise funds for their activities in Goa but never questioned them how they are spending this money neither we sought transparency in their work. But did our Church and especially those who enjoyed the fruits of our employment in Kuwait indicate any concern for us even when we were caught in the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq?  The recipient of our donations have totally forgotten us.  Who were they? Most of them were those who say Mass every day from the holy Altar and from there preach the word of God by telling the congregation to be truthful, to be faithful, to be grateful and to be BEIMAN – FUL to Kuwaitkars when they are in problem?.  I don’t name them but by ignoring us they have disgraced their Catholicism and brought shame on their Padripon.  They are not true Padris but in the name of Padripon they practice Saitanpon.  And because of such disgraceful Padris Roman Catholicism is weakening in Goa. And if tomorrow Roman Catholicism is evaporated like an aether from the Goan soil it will be only because of such crook Padris who are all out like the corrupt Goan politicians to damage our religion.  After our evacuation from Kuwait penniless and many of us like beggars, no recipient of our donations from the Clergy side bothered to enquire what we are doing, what we are eating and what we are drinking and how are we surviving.   

From Kuwait itself our doonations was highest for the Roman Catholic Church activities and to the projects undertaken by the priests. Additonally for Goa Cancer Hospital at Dona Paula about 20 lakhs of rupees as per the last information. For Konkani movement we sent in lakhs of rupees including for Novem Goem Daily approximately 5 lakhs of rupees when they wanted only one lakh.  What a tremendous negligence in mismanagement by Novem Goem Prathisthan manned by the learned Trustees!!  It is surprising that these respectable personalities are not even ashamed to move in society with their heads high.  They have committed a crime on the trust and money the Kokani people entrusted with them.  If Konkani movement was  yesterday  successful in Goa leading to the recognition of Konkani by the Goa government and thereby conferring  Statehood on Goa, it was mainly because of Kuwaitkars’  money which poured like water during that time.  Now anybody may say anything but at that particular point we from Kuwait have done great sacrifices especially some of us who were on forefront in this job, we deprived so many amenities for oursleves and to our families only to help Goan causes like Konkani which was very much backed by the Church.  

Our major contribution in the form of donations and doles went to our Church, when I say our Church it should be understood as Roman Catholic Church but did our Church fulfill its obligation towards us?  Whenever they wanted any financial help the Church leaders and our priests used to approach me directly and indirectly besides they used to approach others too.  We brought so many priests to Kuwait and kept them at our  place for number of days taking care of their every need and helping them to collect funds for their missions in Goa.  But never I heard from any one of them asking me whether I need any assistance in Goa.  Not only that, none of those priests and our Church leaders asked me thus: “ARE VERONICA, TUM ANI TUMCHE SANGATI ITLE NETTAN VAVURTAT AMKAM DUDDVANCHO ADHAR DIVPAK, PUN TUMI TUMCHEA PASSOT KITEM TORI KELAM MURE?”  OU AMKANCH  POIXE PUNZAUPAK URLEAT?”  No priest from our Church who enjoyed our donations said  like what I indicated above.  They could have pushed us or advised us to purchase the land and property and Plots from the Confraria which were sold to non-Catholics and non Goans who after buying the same from our Church Pe. Vigars finally they became Bhattkars and we still remained Mundkars.  Likewise, they knew so many prospective sellers of the Plots in Goa who were selling properties in Goa so cheaply but here too our Church leaders and our priests failed us.  In the end many of our Cathoic Bhattkars sold their prime land so cheaply to the buyers and builders from Delhi, Bengalore, Madras, Bombay and other parts of India. Even here our priests and Church leaders could have used  their influence and goowill to make contacts with those Bhattkars most of them Catholics to sell their properties to us.  We were in Kuwait and other parts of the Gulf and in Goa many of us lacked clever people to hunt for these Plots and properties and this same job our Church leaders and priests could have done for us.  But they failed us, may be they thought “AMKAM KITEAK PODDLAM?” May be they thought “AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?”  Yes, our Church leaders are “my brother’s keeper” and if they don’t accept this fact then they are not true  Roman Catholics.

My resentment on our Church is because being priests they should have analysed our capacity and involve us into investment so that we could build our future on stronger base and by purchasing Goan land we could have kept the custody of our land in our hands. Money was flowing into  our hands during that time nicely especially in late seventies, eighties and nineties but instead we spent  our money into conspicuous consumption and unwanted luxuries, instead we blocked our money in the zero return investment like big bungalows and more in Bank deposits.  Instead of keeping our, costly Limousines and keeping money in the Banks as fixed deposits, however,  if we had to invest in land and properties, it would fetch us better dividends because money invested in the land and properties evaluates faster with greater degree than money deposited in the Bank.  But to understand this Economy our  people in Kuwait in particular and in the Gulf in general were not clever enough having their intellectual power less since most of them were not educationally advanced.  See now the Goan land is gone into the hands of non-Goans and they are owning the great portion of Goan land.  This same job Gulfies could have done nicely if there were Bom Samaritans to help them in which case  our Church could have given direction and lead to do this job.  But it looks they did not want us to develop but on the strength of our money they wanted to develop them only. They are the most selfish folks.

Taking this view into consideration, I feel our Church leaders in Goa and especially our Padris mainly those who were having direct link with Kuwait Goans should have applied their minds.  But they failed to move in this direction because they were as they are now, still selfish, they did not care for our needs but they cared for their needs only.  They knew if they give us the ideas and backing of above nature we would be involving in protecting our finances in which case we would be stopping financing Church activities that would be a great set back for them, the priests, our Church leaders and our Roman Catholic Church as a whole which is not interested much in the development of financial status of the faithful. They are not even praying for the finances and other imperative needs of the faithful in the Churches as Non-Roman Catholic denominations are praying. And precisely because of this, these Non-Catholic denominations are mushrooming all over Goa where more and more people from Roman Catholics are flooding there because what Roman Catholic Church is not doing they are doing especially in helping their members in their material  needs while our Roman Catholics are asking  everything what little we have.   There is going to be very stiff opposition for the Roman Catholicism to survive in Goa when other denominations are doing so wonderful job not only in protecting their members soully but also bodily while Roman Catholicism is sleeping and if it is surviving till now it is only because of the strong base put by our elder Priests and Church leaders.

At one particular time at the later stage I requested one priest who was very close to Kuwait Goans and who was one of the major recipients of our donations, this:  Fr. Why don’t you come forward and establish our own Bank  so that we can channelise all our remittances from the entire Gulf and other places where expatriate Goans are residing, to this Bank?  We will finance this Bank in whatever way we can.  But he refused to interfere in this proposal saying priests and Church cannot involve in business ventures.  For this I replied to him saying  “Vatican has its own Bank  and In South India also there is one Bank the Catholic Syrian Bank.  Besides I told him “how Fr. X  being a priest is having his own  Magazine? Is it not a business venture” Then this priest and others of his like kept their eyes on me thinking that I may involve our Kuwait and Gulf Goans into doing financial ventures and thereby killing their chances of getting easy donations from the Gulf and thus started speaking ill of me. 

Finally, inspite of all the hurdles for so many years, we Kuwaitcars managed to establish our own company known as “GULF GOANS HOTELS COMPANY “ and under this company we already built our own Hotel known as “Hotel Goan Heritage" at Calangute Ghavravaddo.  But we found it very difficult to complete this project because first Goa government under Shashikala Kakodkar opposed us and later on the fringe ingredients from the ambient area.

A.Veronica Fernandes.                     

IN SCARLET MURDER CASE, SAMMSON D'SOUZA WAS SENTENCED.

Finally the verdict has been passed by the High Court and Samson D’Souza has been sentenced for 10 years rigorous imprisonment. I am not sure whether this judgement is ok but only the apex court of the country will decide when the accused as informed, will approach the apex court.  Till then let us accept this verdict as Gospel Truth.  

The important aspect of this case is how the Goa Police made the blunder first by dismissing it as an accidental drowning case of Scarlet Keeling and when the CBI took over the case then only the real truth was surfaced thereby baring the flaws committed by the Goa Police and also by the Juvenile Court.  I think all the Judicial luminaries of Juvenile  Court must be acting only as Juveniles and as such can any person rely on this Juvenile Court for proper deliverance of justice?  

  I have totally lost my confidence in Goa Police who as alleged are bribe prone and to make illicit money they will go to any extent. Most shameless and hard hearted people on our planet are the Policemen, they neither have shame to demand Bribe nor if offered bribe they are ashamed to accept it. Many of them are  even capable to sell their conscience because some of these third class Policemen are first to shift their attention on the young females when they enter for any investigation at  your place. Precisely because of this the tag as “cheap and undignified” Goans, during the Porotuguese time in Goa, Policeman’s job was discarded even by the lower strata of Goans. If you want to know what segment of Goan society Mr. X Policeman belongs to, you need not go miles on foot but the moment you say you are a Policeman then it is enough for you to know the whole background of that particular Policeman. This  quality of the Goan Policemen in Goa disgraces the already disgraceful image  of the Goan Policemen who during the Portuguese regime were not given any important rank by our colonial masters, in fact during that time they were kept in the government sectors as third class personnel and as such Portuguese Pakles used to use some of them as Pimps. The  real respect Goan Policemen are not getting only because traditionally and historically they are known to get no respect and as things are moving now these Goan Policemen will never receive the real respect whatever rank they may hold.  

  

Now I realized why the authorities concerned refused to hand over the case of Fr. Bismarque to CBI because knowing its uprightness CBI will catch the correct culprit and bare the mystery surrounding around the mysterious death of Fr. Bismarque.  What a tragedy that if the concerned authority wants to protect the murderer it can easily do so by denying justice to the victim thru its powerful wings that are existing only to serve the powerful!!  This is what has happened in case of Fr. Bismarque. Such high handedness and “Dadagiri” with regards to meting out justice to the victims were not done even by thePortuguese dictator Dr. Antonio Oliveira SALAZAR. It looks to me in the Salazar’s regime we were far beter than   in this bloddy so called liberated Goa.  Liberated Goa is become good for the rogues, rascals, thieves, murderers, defectors and the Rostad Goenkars.  In such a situation, what good we will see in this dirty and foul Goa?

It is since the end of Portuguese rule that obtaining proper justice by the victim is become very hard because the money power in the hands of culprits is become very big that can easily purchase the cheap police force and unprincipled judiciary.  Who can rectify this mistake?

A.Veronica Fernandes.