'Govt must come out with white paper on Portuguese citizenship'

MARGAO: Goans for Goa (GFG), a newly formed organization believed to be propped up by former PWD minister Churchill Alemao, has demanded that the state government come out with a "white paper" over the issue of Goans holding Portuguese citizenship.
"The vague and often baseless statements by politicians emanating from press reports have created a sense of insecurity and uncertainty in the minds of many Goans who have registered their births in Portugal.The government should make clear the status of such Goans over their citizenship and advise them about the steps they need to take (in order that they stay on the right side of the law of the land)," president of GFG Kennedy Afonso told mediapersons on Tuesday.
Stating that they will "fight tooth and nail" to protect the interests of all Goans holding dual citizenship, GFG members also condemned the statements of transport minister Sudin Dhavalikar to the effect that the Portguese consulate in Goa should be closed and that the properties of Goans holding Portuguese citizenship be confiscated.
"Dhavalikar's statements are absolutely wrong and baseless, and need to be condemned," treasurer of GFG Prashant Naik said.
Afonso said that the GFG will seek the governor's intervention in the matter "to liase with the Centre" to resolve the issue "as both political parties are only playing to the galleries with an eye on the vote bank".
"Goans had applied for Portuguese passports only to give their children better job prospects, as successive governments had failed to create better employment facilities in Goa. GGF is not interested in the fate of politicians and let the rule of the law prevail. For the politicians it's a game for power, but for thousands of Goans it's a matter of life and death, as thousands will be rendered homeless, if steps are not taken in the right direction," Afonso said.