Take action
This is with reference to the editorial ‘New Canon laws’ (The Goan Everyday, June 6). The decision by Pope Francis to clamp down on bishops by establishing legal procedures to remove bishops for their negligence in reining in errant priests involved in sexual abuse cases, is a welcome step. Although there are existing procedures in the Catholic church’s canon law to remove bishops for “grave reasons”, it is surprising that nothing was down over the years to bring them under the ambit and have them removed for shielding priests involved in sex scandals that have rocked the church and for which the church had to pay heavily by way of compensation to the victims and their families. Or was it sufficient for over 300 bishops of America to beg forgiveness from the victims with their ‘mea culpas’ or former Pope Benedict XVI to take upon himself the guilt of the abusive priests and apologise on their behalf?
A F Nazareth, Porvorim
Kudos to AAP?
Against the background of Kejriwal’s statement that Delhi has become a “jungle raj”, the Goa AAP has shown that it does not lack flamboyance. It vows to preserve Goan culture, heritage and identity. It has also taken the bold stand that Sanathan Sanstha is a dangerous organization and must be banned. But besides all that it is seemingly adopting the subterfuge that most vital decisions like casinos, MOI, etc. will be decided by Goans. How? Will they conduct a referendum? Will they resort to the so-called internal surveys? Will they apprise people about their findings? Many of the AAP leaders were dead against casinos. What happened now? What about matka and prostitution? Will that also be decided by Goans? Which ones? Those who are thriving in the field or those who are bearing the brunt of nefarious activities? AAP, after the initial vainglory, seems now in a quandary, and the earlier the Goans realize it the better.
Dr Francisco Colaco, Margao
Dual citizenship
Going by the inter-ministerial committee recommendation on the citizenship issue, it looks as if the committee was appointed with the express purpose of fixing Goans rather than fixing the problem. If tomorrow, Portugal in its wisdom, decides to include the names of all Goans born before “liberation” on its central registry, will they cease to be Indians? What if tomorrow a new legislation in Portugal says that only those who can speak Portuguese can be legally considered as its citizens? What if tomorrow some Banana Republic comes up with a law that confers citizenship to anybody depositing a million dollars in their national bank? My question is: why should our rights as citizens of Indian have to hinge on the laws in some other country?
Given half a chance, a Goan would never cross the borders to slog in an alien and often hostile environment. Even those who have actually acquired Portuguese Passports have done so for pure economic reasons and the country has benefited immensely in term of foreign remittances. Most citizens of the developed world enjoy the benefit of dual citizenship, what has our country got to lose by granting this privilege to the people of Goa?!
Jesuin George Fernandes, Cansaulim
