Like many words in the English language which are coined by using the rules of grammar and adding a suffix "ese" to denote "belonging to" the British coined this word for Goans to denote "belonging to nation of Goa". Prior to 1961, when Goa was still a separate entity from India, they used this word all over the British Empire whether it was in high-level official correspondence or references in the press to Goans or in their offices.
There is no evidence whatsoever that it was a pejorative, certainly not in East Africa where perhaps it was most widely used. However, pejoration of words does take place over a period of time. The word "malhindi" in the Gulf has over the years undergone pejoration, although it simply means "from India". The word Asiatic is now considered a pejorative although at one time it would mean anyone from Asia.
To believe that the word Goanese is a pejorative is to somehow give credence and merit to the possibility that Goans were seen as lowly and deserving of disdain. Certainly Alda Figueiredo does not deserve ire for, in some measure, she is rightfully reclaiming the word of its original meaning just as we are now reclaiming our pride in the Konkani language when it was for a few generations seen as the language of the lowly. If we condemn Alda, then we must also demand an apology from the British for all that has been written about Goans prior to 1961, however innocuous and benign.

Here are some more opinions on this issue:
Bernice Pereira: Frederick Noronha: Dominic Fernandes:

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