Boa tarde. É o Dr. Antonio Manuel Pacheco de Figueiredo Sonia Gomes
On Fri, 10 Jul, 2026, 5:32 pm António Colaço, <[email protected]> wrote: > Concerning M. Sonia Gomes' comment, is Dr. John M. de Figueiredo, Dr. > Pacheco Figueiredo? > > Sonia Gomes <[email protected]> escreveu (domingo, 5/07/2026 à(s) 08:25): > >> Thank you very much Dr. Pacheco de Figueiredo. Truly appreciated. >> >> Have a great 4th of July. >> >> Sonia >> >> On Sun, 5 Jul, 2026, 10:01 am JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO, < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Today (July 4, 2026) the people of the United States commemorate the >>> 250th anniversary of the birth of their Nation. Today is also a day of >>> reflection to all Goans because it is the 96th anniversary of the Goan >>> Declaration of Self-Determination. By issuing this Declaration, the >>> democratically elected representatives of the people of Goa to the >>> Government Council made sure that we, Goans, would never again be told that >>> we never asked for that right and that for future reference we should >>> always ask. 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. The Council was chaired by Governor >>> Joao Carlos Craveiro Lopes (father of Francisco Higinio Craveiro Lopes, >>> future President of the Portuguese Republic). Governor Craveiro Lopes >>> continued to condemn the Acto Colonial and defend the right of the Goans to >>> self-determination after he returned to Portugal, thereby risking his >>> career. Two anniversaries of legitimate protest leading to two drastically >>> different fates. The United States became the most powerful democracy on >>> earth. The Goans never exercised their right to self-determination and were >>> destined to never exercise that right. Below is an article I wrote to >>> commemorate these memorable anniversaries: >>> >>> >>> *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 >>> John M. de Figueiredo, MD, ScD >>> >>> On July 4, 1776, a courageous group of English citizens established >>> in North America declared their desire to separate from England to form a >>> new nation, the United States of America. More than a century and a half >>> later, on July 4, 1930, in a remote corner of the western coast of India, >>> while the Americans were celebrating their Independence Day, four Goans >>> presented in Goa a declaration to the Government Council of Portuguese >>> India. The declaration responded to the request of Dr. Oliveira Salazar, >>> then Minister of the Colonies, for an opinion from Portuguese India through >>> its Government Council on his project of the Colonial Act. That Act stated >>> in Article 2: “It is of the organic essence of the Portuguese Nation to >>> perform the historical function of owning and colonizing overseas domains >>> and to civilize the indigenous populations that are comprised in them, also >>> exercising the moral influence assigned to it by the ‘Padroado do Oriente’ >>> " And in Article 3: “The overseas domains of Portugal are called colonies >>> and constitute the Portuguese Colonial Empire.” The four Goans made up the >>> elected part of the Government Council: Luiz de Menezes Bragança, author of >>> the Declaration, António Xavier Gomes Pereira, Naraina Bandorcar, and >>> Cipriano da Cunha Gomes, co-signatories. The declaration was adopted by the >>> Government Council by unanimous vote. This statement, transcribed from the >>> Minutes of the Government Council, ran as follow*s:* >>> >>> *“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. >>> The Declaration of Self-Determination is the most important >>> document in the modern history of Portuguese India. July 4th is not a day >>> of joy and pride for the Americans only; it is also for the Goans. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/979926520.966876.1783225706084%40mail.yahoo.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/979926520.966876.1783225706084%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAG_LhYMqfUiiEWCdTuyZWmhXnrjfM8W5Q%2BW%2BMPw_yw3maJo5Vw%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAG_LhYMqfUiiEWCdTuyZWmhXnrjfM8W5Q%2BW%2BMPw_yw3maJo5Vw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > normetica.blogspot.com > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGt%3DGnP2UrJ_RP_p4B_trz%2Bhe56%3D6iD_MxvzAC61T%2BzM-dkX3A%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGt%3DGnP2UrJ_RP_p4B_trz%2Bhe56%3D6iD_MxvzAC61T%2BzM-dkX3A%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAG_LhYMoHWTEPRR0vb4fjR178yv_eJBQQY%2Bgzom%2B3-bG5dCeLg%40mail.gmail.com.
