WHAT WE WANT FROM OUR CANDIDATES.

Election is approaching very fast. Before any candidates are imposed on us without consulting us, we must make our wish very clear on our candidates.

First of all, our candidates whoever they may be, must have a good character, they must not be known to demand bribe earlier as Panchayat Members or MLA’s or Ministers or in any form of their public life, they must declare their wealth and also they must declare how they accumulated their wealth.  We want to know how many of the candidates managed to own fleet of expensive cars, number of Hotels, number of Mistresses and number of Bouncers. We also want to know whether they are involved in human trafficking and demanding sexual favours for the official work they do.   

We further want to know from these candidates what was their role in getting justice for Fr. Bismarq.  Do they approve the government decision of attacking Catholic Church thru sudden IT circular and do they feel it is wrong to select only the Catholic Church while leaving others scot-free? Do they support MEI - grant to Church Schools?  Do they support Konkani and its elevation in Roman script? Will they swear that they will not defect to any other party once elected? Will they observe Secularism in dealing with the public even by opposing their party stand and their government principle?  Will they oppose their government stand if it goes against secularism and minorities?

This is the only opportunity for the electorate to discuss with their representatives and get the proper answers  to their queries thru the direct process of democracy.  Hence, we must make good use of this opportunity to grill them once in five years.  

These are the very important queries to all the election contestants we as electorate must ask when they come at our doors for campaigning and canvassing.  This is the only opportunity the voters are getting to reprimand our candidates for their failure in fulfilling their given promise.  This will be theright time for us to show our real democratic power.  Early Democracy is based on this prnciple.  This is called real "DEMOS KRATIA"

A.Veronica Fernandes.

42 YEARS OF WEDDED LIFE OF JERRY CAL.

To my Beloved Wife Teresa

42 Years of Wedded bliss we complete today (14.12.16) 
Even though its been 5 Years you've gone away
My heart still beats,
My life still Yearns for you to be beside me .
Your my first and only love.
Miss you Teresa.

GOAN CATHOLICS ARE PATRIOTIC.

This is to thank Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas for openly voicing out the hardships Catholic community is facing in Goa, on 3^rd of this month at Old Goa feast while delivering his sermon. In the past no Catholic Leader of the Goa Church gathered courage to preach like this. My compliments to Bishop Mascharenhas. Our Church since te invasion of Goa by Bharat on 19.12.61 is living in fear of the majority community because our Church leaders have no trust in Indian SECULARISM though it is constitutional.  Secondly, many in the majority community are become communal.  Any humiliation, any hardship and any discomfort to Catholics in Goa are silently absorbed by the Catholic Church leadership in Goa without even a murmur openly. When Catholics were put into inconvenience, leader of Catholicism in Philippines revolted against the government of Ferdinand Marcos.  So did Fr. Torres in South America. So much so, Fr. Torres turned like a Terrorist against government machinery there to protect his Christian duty to serve the downtrodden.

Bishop Mascarenhas said “Catholic Church  and  its community is a faithful and a peace loving community involved in nation building”. Moreover, Catholic community is a strong patriotic community not only in Goa but also in India.  If not then General Francis Sunit Rodrigues a Goan would not have been elevated to the position of Army Chief of India and the other Christians namely Admirals Ronnie Pereira and Stan Dawson would not serve as chiefs of the naval staff and Air Chief Marshall Denis de la Fontaine as chief of air staff.  The greatest patriots among Goans who fought for Goa’s freedom from colonial rule were Goan Catholics like Pintos & Abe Faria from Candolim and Parliamentarian Francis Luis Gomes from Navelim.  Moreover, the Pintos were Catholic Priests who indicated greatest patriotism for Goa than for their vocation.

   

Our Church authority is afraid that its protest over unfair treatment to Catholics may be misunderstood because those who put fear in Catholics in Goa feel they are more Indians and Christians are less. Unfortunately, in Goa there is no leader from our community to fight for us openly but rightly.   Even the late Mathanay Saldanha the Cabinet Minister on whom we were counting so much remained a silent spectator when Parricar dismantled Christian holidays. And regretfully, currently there is not a single MLA in BJP group on whom Christians can count on their open support. They look so slavish that to please Parsencar and Parricar they would condescend to any level.

I admire Bishop Mascarenhas for being open and vocal in putting forth our grievances. It is time for Christians now to be assertive of their rights forcefully and peacefully. By opening our mouth if  our Church authority feels it is useless then by closing our mouth it is any better?   

Goan Christians are great patriots, their patriotism and their contributions in the development of Goa and India should be highlighted in the Church sermons regularly and also taught in the Diocesan schools so that they are known for what they did for Goa. The new and young generation of Goans are not well aware of what our  elder Christians have done for the cause of Goa.

 A.Veronica Fernandes.