The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh promises NRI voting rights as early as the next general elections; a move welcomed by the BJP Opposition party. What consequences could such a move have for us Goans who boast of a sizeable Diaspora relative to Goa's size in the Indian subcontinent? As someone who has been part of Goa's Diaspora almost from birth, I can attest with quite, if disturbing certainty, that second-generation immigrants, that is children of those who emigrated, are clueless about Goa.

Goans, perhaps to their advantage or detriment, depending on how one looks at it, assimilate almost seamlessly into their adopted countries, most of which are liberal, Western democracies; finding a sort of cultural resonance with these countries. Second generation immigrants born in the Diaspora, still have a strong sense that they are Goan, that something in their internal compass points towards Goa, but what exactly does being Goan mean to them? They are a synthesis of being inherently Goan in terms of their middle-class Catholic morality and the more liberal influence of their Western environments but of Goa itself, they know very little. Besides vacations which allow them contact with distant family, they have few roots there. They know nothing about her history. They've read none of her great writers. Most of them, even as tourists, fail to appreciate her architectural heritage. Certainly they are not invested in either Goa's politics or its economic development. Ironically the more educated, affluent and successful the second-generation immigrant is, the more divorced he tends to be from anything Goan, a consciousness carved by a certain degree of condescension. For others, mildly interested or goaded into taking an interest, being Goan means attending the odd function hosted by ageing and anachronistic Goan associations sprinkled across the globe, who themselves are wracked by internal politics. What contribution can such apathy bring to the ballot box?

Which leaves the first generation immigrants who migrated out of Goa. They are fiercely loyal to Goa, but their loyalties are tied into nostalgia, faint memories of how Goa used to be prior to Liberation and all the Catholic attachment or prejudice their upbringing in Colonial Goa engendered. Of its present reality, and its evolution since Liberation they are ill-informed about. But herein lies an unopened Pandora's box. Poised at the brink of this historic move, lies an opportunity for grass-root movements to find support in the Goans of the Diaspora. A ground-swell of support can be galvanized if regional movements are smart enough to make themselves heard abroad. The springing up of regional movements is not a sign of a successful democracy. It doesn't engender a sense of nationhood but the Centre in India has failed to prove itself insightful into regional affairs, sensibilities and they have failed particularly with Goa, refusing to understand the absolute need for her environmental and cultural preservation. The thought that Goa is in a state of evolution, that it is no more or no less disadvantaged that other states, is scant consolation. Progress doesn't always take place in a linear progression. There are times in history when societies actually regress and just such a regression is happening in Goa in terms of its polity. The fact that the State polity is completely incapable of either moral or any other form of leadership is a frightening omen.

We as Diaspora Goans can make a fundamental change in the destiny of Goa. Precisely because of its small size, elections are won and lost by a hair's margin, thus allowing for their manipulations. We can make a difference by casting our vote. But for that we have to become smarter. We have to make a conscious effort to take an interest in Goa, to inform ourselves of what is happening in Goa. To read the newspapers online and discuss the issues with Goan friends. We have to stop being tourists in Goa and start being concerned citizens.