MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARIES
JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO
This article is protected by Copyright. No part of it should be reproduced without the author’s written permission. This article was published in “Revista da Casa de Goa” and it is reproduced here with the Editor’s permission. The opinions expressed by the author in this article are exclusively his own.
A DAY OF JOY FOR GOANS
“1st Portuguese India does not renounce the right of peoples to reach the fullness of their individuality, until they become units capable of directing their destinies, since it is an original right, of its organic essence;
2nd Recommends that, maintaining the organization of the Portuguese State established in the Political Constitution of the Republic:
a) There is no discrimination between the Metropolis and the Overseas Provinces of individual rights and guarantees expressed in Art. 3 and its Constitution numbers and the representation of India in the Congress of the Republic is maintained
b) The regime of administrative decentralization and financial autonomy of the Overseas Provinces is reestablished in the terms defined in Articles 67 B and 67 F of the Constitution as a starting point for representative institutions of broader action.
c) The principle of majority elected in the highest deliberative body in the country is reestablished in India, the intervention of that majority being recognized, through its representatives, in the special function of the “examination and visa”, of ordering the expenses and accounts of management"
Unlike the founders of the United States, Menezes Bragança, Gomes Pereira, Naraina Bandorcar, and Cipriano da Cunha Gomes did not ask for political independence for Goa. Nor was their desire to transfer sovereignty to the Indian Union, which, at the time, did not yet exist as a nation. Known as the “Greatest of All”, Menezes Bragança thought that the people of Goa had an individuality and psychology fundamentally different from the peoples of the rest of India, the result of Portugal's assimilationist policy, and it was always of the opinion that Portuguese India was part and portion of the spiritual unity of the Portuguese Nation. Despite his vehement opposition to the Colonial Act, he simply asked for the people of his homeland democratic representation and maximum administrative and financial autonomy under Portuguese sovereignty.
To say that Menezes Bragança was the “Tilak of Goa” shows ignorance of what he wanted for his homeland. Lokmanya Tilak wanted, for his India, complete and immediate independence (‘Swaraj”) from the British colonial rule. Menezes Bragança was always loyal to Portugal and during the First Republic he was praised by Dr. Jaime de Morais, Governor of Portuguese India, for his loyalty to Portugal and his honesty. Unfortunately, the little he asked for, he did not obtain, and the Colonial Act was promulgated and incorporated into the 1933 Constitution. Menezes Bragança's reaction was to state that “the 1933 Constitution betrayed the spirit of the 1911 Constitution”. His newspaper “Luz - Pracasha” was closed by order of the Government, forever silencing his voice.
In this manner was born the historical fatality of the people of Portuguese India. As the Viceroy of Portuguese India Count of S. Vicente said so well, “Portuguese India is only seen from far away and only heard too late”. The voice of Portuguese India echoed in the desert and died. Goa's fate was decided by others, not by the Goans themselves. The human right of self-determination, an “original right, of its organic essence” was never exercised by the Goans through a plebiscite, and will never be exercised, but the protest of the Goans against the Colonial Act and the expression of their natural desire to “reach the fullness of their individuality” were recorded forever in the annals of history.
Sonia Gomes
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John de Figueiredo
On Jul 5, 2026, at 12:25 AM, Sonia Gomes <rgs...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Alberto
John amigo
The 13 colonies revolted against England because they refused to be considered second-class citizens. Whites born in America were forming a resistance against the white colonizers who imposed high taxes. The true Americans, the so-called Indians, were meanwhile being exterminated.
In Goa during the Portuguese colonial regime, there never were "democratically elected representatives of the people of Goa." Only Christians were well regarded by the unelected government in Lisbon, and most Hindus in Goa were treated with disdain. As for "it is the 96th anniversary of the Goan Declaration of Self-Determination," only a minority group of Christians defended that declaration.
The majority, through integration with Mother India, was led by Ram Manohar Lohia, Julião Meneses, T.B. Cunha, Luís Menezes Bragança, Evágrio George, P.D. Gaitone, and even Jack Sequeira.
António Anastásio Bruto da Costa, a landowner and admirer of Salazar, did not want a break with Lisbon and defended dependence with limited autonomy from foreigners, second-class citizens.
Goa, today, as one of the states of India, is governed by Goans elected democratically. The rulers are natives of Goa and speak Konkani, and Lisbon does not send a governor-general who only spoke Portuguese and defended foreign interests.
A day of joy for Goans occurred on 19/12/1961.
Alberto
Mensagem de JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO <>Data: Sun, 5 Jul 2026 04:28:26 +0000 (UTC)De: JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO <>Assunto: [GRN] MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARIESPara: Goa-Research-Net <>
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Alberto
John
António Colaço
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John de Figueiredo
On Jul 10, 2026, at 5:02 AM, 'Alberto' via Goa-Research-Net <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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Sonia Gomes
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JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO
Frederick Noronha
“July 4, 1930 was the 96th anniversary of the Goan Declaration of Self-Determination.”
“The democratically elected representatives of the people of Goa to the Government Council issued the Declaration.”
“The Declaration was a protest against the Acto Colonial that had condemned the Goans to perpetual servitude.”
“The Declaration was approved by the Council by unanimity.”
“Governor Craveiro Lopes continued to condemn the Acto Colonial and defend Goan self-determination after returning to Portugal, risking his career.”
“They did not seek transfer of sovereignty to the Indian Union because it did not yet exist as a nation.”
True. But the Indian independence movement already existed, and some Goan nationalists were already linked to it. Saying it was impossible to seek transfer to India because India did not exist as a nation is anachronistic; political movements can anticipate future states and political trajectories. The 1946 movement (a few months before 1947) could be seen as a good example of this.
“Menezes Bragança believed Goa had a distinct individuality and psychology.”
True. Menezes Bragança did emphasise Goan distinctiveness. But his views also evolved, and he combined Goan identity with Portuguese cultural affiliation at times. Possibly the jury is still out among the historians on how to interpret his views.
“Menezes Bragança was always loyal to Portugal.”
He has sometimes been described as a Portuguese constitutionalist and a Goan autonomist. He criticised colonial domination, demanded rights, and opposed Salazar's colonial system. So he's more complex than being "loyal to Portugal".
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