Evening star., 1960-05-20
The Unity Of the
Portuguese Nation
BY Admiral Sarmento ROdrigues

The recent verdict of the international Tribunal of JUS
impartial manner possible the rights Of the Portuguese
nation those lands in India constitutonally belong
coSnPys territory additionally known as The state
OF India whose inhabitants are Portuguese and have
never expressed wish to be otherwise.
1t possible however that the position is still not clear
to many persons and should like to explain it further
Many who not Portuguese whs have but imper
feet knowledge of history and way of e made
that the Portuguese nation has indeed sovereign
rights the SubContinent but they still cannot under
stand what interest Portugal has in retaining her hold
lands and peoples that bring only duties expense and
have heard it said Portugal draws no revenue from
Goa has trade with India any military positions in
deal Of money the defense made necessary
the present tense relations with the Republic of india
1T difficult to understand why the Portuguese govern
ment took such pains to defend and safeguard Portu
resources and the he of mind Of the Portuguese people
The explanation is not so difficult as might appear In
the first place Portugal and the Portuguese government
are not limited to the land in Europe and its respective
government By Portugal meant the Portuguese nation
Islands on the African continent India Macau and IT.
NOR. All the parts make up whole which is the Republic
of Portugal and its government presides equally
their destinies
They may separate Budgets but that is merely an
administrative requirement and it does not break the
show that of the component parts of the nation
has economic advantages over the Others that the Oldest
the that has to bear the heaviest burden of
pendture when there is crisis in any of the Others
the of India the economic aid granted to the Prov
ince Of Cape Verde during the caamitouS years Of
drought and to the Province Of Tmor to help to make
good the devastation resulting from its occupation by
japanese forces during the last Though assistance
was also Forthcoming from other overseas provinces
there doubt that the greatest share borne by
the metropolitan territory the seat of the central govern
ment 1t is therefore not of certain territories be-
ing held possessions but of union of territories and
peoples forming one nation and having government
Therefore in the recent troubles India not
question Of defending trading inerestwhich in this
case is no-existent-but Of the home government dis
charging its duty Of defending the liberty and enSurng
the security of all Portuguese in part of Portuguese
territory Because of this the of all contribute
to the defense needs of of them 1t is absolute
moral duty which no government could ignore.
Any who followed the course of events during the
dispute with the Republic of India must have noticed
that there upsurge of patriotic feeling in Portu
gueSe India Just there in Portugal in Europe
the African continent for all of them hold that Goa
part OF the Portuguese nation and her people Portu
gueSe citizens and indeed among the most worthy.
This holds good equally for the other Eastern provinces
Macau and Tfmor They cannot be regarded colonial
Factories or Trading Posts but primarily lands in
habed by Portuguese who four hundred years ago
became part OF the nation and these Portuguese
have no other designs than to live in peace and
operate with Their neghbors in the peacabe spirit
which animates the country Of which they part
In the East they have been the of the
unversaist spirit of Portugal with essentially western