MARGAO
The South Goa Comunidades Forum (SGCF) has strongly deprecated the statements of Adv Andre Pereira and his reported attempts to misrepresent facts and cause confusion in the minds of Comunidade members.
"We unequivocally support the recommendations made by the Comunidade Commission and demand that they be implemented without further ado. We have learnt that the Commission made extensive consultations with all stakeholders as well as considered the opinion of the convention under Art 652 held in October 2009 while making its recommendations", Forum President Franky Monteiro stated.
In a statement, Monteiro said that Adv Pereira's reported statements that "Comunidade Commission was taken over by shareholders" and that "shareholders wanted to finish off the institution of Comunidades" only reflect his ignorance of its composition; all members including then Revenue Minister and the advisers are "gaunkars" of some Comunidade or other.
"The allegation that "they are only interested in selling off the land" indicates that Adv Pereira may not even have read the Commission's report. As regards the criticism regarding the authentic translation of the Code of Comunidade to English, Adv Pereira has only exposed his ignorance of the fact that the Comunidade Commission had nothing to do with the translation, and that the same was done independently on directions of Honorable High Court. The personal attack on one of the Commission members was in bad taste and least expected from Adv Pereira", he added.
Saying that unity among all ‘componentes' is the need of the hour and such statements will only foster divisiveness and conflict within, the Forum said that Comunidades have suffered long enough on account of the ego and stubbornness of a few self-proclaimed experts, adding that the consequences are there for all to see.
