The great rush by Goans to get a Portuguese passport is nothing new. This has been going on for several years with an increased momentum in the recent few years. While these Goans choose to take a Portuguese passport, almost every one of these Goans has ended up in the UK.
First let’s discuss the point related to the motivations
which drive people to take the Portuguese passport. We can discuss the point
related to being anti-nationals on another day.
In the last few days, I was lucky to meet with many such Goans who were
down in Goa to celebrate the holidays with their families. This gave me a
chance to explore and find out the key motivations for taking the decision to
become Portuguese citizens.
Without doubt, the greatest motivation is the access to
better economic status. Every person I spoke to was driven by this key driver;
the ability to earn more and support the family back home. Note that I
mentioned ‘every person’. There was not one person who did not mention that the
key motivation in opting for Portuguese nationality was the access to better
economic condition; better salary in GBP and ability to send money to Goa in
order to support the rest of the family. Moving to UK and leaving behind old
parents is a very painful decision for most. Often, even the immediate family
like spouse and children are left behind. Many families get separated in the
course of this quest to improve the financial situation. And that begs the
question. Would these people opt for the Portuguese nationality and access to
UK if comparable opportunities were made available in Goa? Almost every person I
spoke to said they would not move if not for the lack of opportunities in Goa.
I know that this key reason as mentioned by these Goans will
prompt a question. So are the rest of the Goans in Goa starving? Hell no. But
everything is not absolute. Everything does not need to be measured on
extremes. Relativity is important to understand. Many Goans who move, find it
easier to find a decent paying job in UK and are able to save a reasonable
amount for the future relative to those who live in Goa.
The other important motivation for people who chose to move
is caste. We will discuss this in a future post.
While you are here, you can check out this list of Goan houses. Click here.
