Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Feb 12: Veteran freedom fighter Libia Lobo Sardessai has clarified that Goa’s historic liberation movement was directed against the Portuguese dictatorship and not against the Portuguese nation or its people.
Reacting to a media query amid ongoing discussions on Goa’s colonial past, Sardessai said, “If Portugal does not exist? If we say long live Portugal, what is wrong with it? We didn’t fight against Portugal; we fought against the dictatorship of Portugal.”
She emphasised that the struggle for Goa’s liberation was aimed at ending authoritarian rule and securing democratic rights and freedoms for its people. According to her, the movement was never rooted in hostility towards a country or its citizens, but rather in opposition to oppression and injustice under dictatorial governance.
Sardessai reiterated that the essence of Goa’s freedom struggle lay in resisting colonial authoritarianism and restoring civil liberties. She called for a balanced and fact-based understanding of history, urging people to interpret the past within its proper context.
Her remarks come at a time when debates surrounding Goa’s colonial legacy and the nature of its freedom movement have resurfaced in public discourse.