Citizens’ group seeks amnesty for Goans over Portuguese citizenship
Margao: The Goans for Goa (GFG) on Friday urged the chief electoral officer (CEO) to grant amnesty to three of the four categories of Goans who have opted
for Portuguese citizenship. This follows the CEO’s call for such individuals to declare and delete their names from the electoral roll.
“The CEO may not know the intricacies and the issues involved, and unless certain steps are taken by the government, this will be an exercise in futility. If the CEO and the Goan government want the people of Goa to come forward and make the declaration, they must first understand the intricacies of the five categories of people who have become Portuguese citizens,” said GFG president Kennedy Afonso.
He said that many Goans earlier faced difficulties after their Indian passports were revoked and they became ineligible for OCI status, a matter GFG had taken to court.
Afonso said the first category comprises Portuguese passport holders who surrendered their Indian passports and whose names have already been deleted from the electoral roll. The second category involves rare cases where individuals obtained Portuguese passports but did not surrender their Indian passports.
“The Indian government has no way of knowing if someone has obtained the Portuguese passport unless the Portuguese passport holder applies for the surrender of the Indian passport. If much time has lapsed since they have not surrendered their Indian passport, they will not come out to declare, due to fear of legal repercussions and fines, unless the government gives them an amnesty period to do so,” said Afonso.
The third category includes those who registered their birth in Portugal and obtained the BI (Bilhete de Identidade) but have not applied for a Portuguese passport. The fourth category consists of elderly persons who registered their birth only to benefit their children.
Afonso said the FRRO has data only for the first category. “Unless an amnesty period is given … they will not come forward to declare their foreign citizenship, due to fear of legal repercussions by the Indian government,” he added.
