THIS IS in reference to ‘Open letter to CM’ in Goan Observer (January, 9-15). One has to admit that the late Dr. Jack Sequeira merits installation of his statue being the first Opposition Leader, like we have one that of the first CM of Goa in Panaji. But installing it as the Father of Opinion Poll is not right. There is no one particular father or mother for saving Goa from merger. The identity of Goa as distinct was saved by each and every right thinking Goan, and the work of then political stalwarts like Vassudeva Sarmalkar, Dr. Alvaro Loyola Furtado, Prof Melicio Fernandes, Enio Pimenta, Joaquim Araujo, Urminda Lima Leitao, Orlando Sequeira Lobo and other prominent leaders was not any less.

The idea of an opinion poll was mooted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. But, because of his death in May, 1964 and the Indo-Pak conflict in 1965 the idea remained on hold. I exercised my first adult franchise in this Opinion Poll and the man who did the job to enroll many of us on Electoral Roll, as new entrants, was a staunch Congressman.

Many of those who voted for merger relented soon after and I believe that the then CM, late Bahusaheb Bandodkar, was not a mergerist per se. I still suspect he voted for merger. His only ire was against the chicanery that ignored the laborious class and subjugated those in the lower strata of the society, particularly in the areas of ‘Novas Conquistas’. The man who frequently used the word ‘especialmente’ in his speeches could not be a mergerist.

Sidonio Mendes,
Chandor.

INDIAN SPORT

A country soon to be the most populous in the world has not been able to produce a single gold medal wining athlete at the world stage. It’s an issue that puzzles not just Indians, but people worldwide. How is it, that over the years, we have not won even one individual gold medal at the Olympics, which is considered the ultimate in competition?

The theory why Americans win a lot of medals, that I had once read, was because of the background of the Afro-Americans. From the days of slavery to the present day, this particular community has struggled to survive and, in the process, their bodies have acquired those qualities which make them the top sports personalities in America and in the world. But what about the white natives and the Europeans? How come they have produced winners and now, out of the blue, the Chinese have been giving the others a run for their money whereas we Indians have failed to make our mark. Is it our primordial Indian genes? Is it our non-nutritional diet? Or is it the fault of the sports governing authorities in India?

The Hockey India saga, which was in the news for the last few days, does go to show that the only game in which India ruled the world once, is indeed in dire straits. I still remember how proud I was to have held the stick for the first time as a seven-year-old at the hockey ground where Wankhede Stadium stands today. During my college days, I had the privilege of watching all the then Indian greats play, like Ajit Pal Singh, Surjit Singh, the pair of Govinda and Ashok Kumar, Zaffer Iqbal, Melwyn Fernandes, Aslam Sher Khan and, not forgetting, the handsome Cedric Pereira and Bobby Claudius, who unfortunately died very young in an accident. Those days, at the pinnacle of glory, made every Indian proud.

Over the last two decades, the standard of Indian hockey has been getting from bad to worse and, today, we witnessed the ignominy of the fiasco between the players and the Hockey India body. Who is to be blamed? I am sure the sports body that does not respect the players and does not adhere to its promises has no right to be a sports body. Mismanagement is the cause of lack of funds and I am sure the players are not to be blamed for that. cIt was very good to see a lot of celebrities and associations trying to help the cause of Indian hockey today and hope they will continue to do so as and when required to help take Indian hockey back to it’s old glory.

Freddy Fernandes,
UAE.

ANTI-GOAN DEMOLITIONS

Press reports on January 13, 2010 regarding the demolition of dwellings at Galgibaga located in the CRZ expose the apathy of the government towards implementation of the CRZ regulations in toto. If there are loopholes in the regulations, which are being exploited by non-Goans to construct illegal structures in the CRZ, then why was such an exercise undertaken by the government of Goa? Such an exercise has selectively victimise only poor Goans while, according to press reports, a concrete construction being carried out by a non-Goan in the CRZ was not demolished. This is a real slap in the face to all Goans.

The shameless government officials in charge of the demolition squad should not have paid heed to the Delhi-based party, just as they did not pay heed to the protests and comments of Goans. If the CRZ is clearly demarcated and all constructions in the demarcated area are declared illegal by the courts, how can a new construction obtain astay order? Why was the court order not produced by the Delhi-based party as soon as the demolitions were announced? If government officials follow court orders to the letter, why have scrap yards — which have been served demolition notices — not been demolished? Corrupt government officials have scant respect for courts. They only worship money. The selective demolitions are a clear indicator that the palms of government officials have been thickly greased so that laws can be circumvented as they please.

Michael D’Costa,
Margao.