About Luizinho Faleiro
About Me
About LUIZINHO FALEIRO
“As I stood for election to the Goa Legislative Assembly for the first time, my only political capital was my sincerity, my immense desire to be of use to my constituents, to succeed in an endeavour which somehow eluded my predecessors, powerful men as they may have been.”
Luizinho Faleiro served as 13th Chief Minister of Goa, the 10th, since Goa became a State within the Indian Federation. He was member of the Congress Working Committee –the highest decision making body of the Indian National Congress and has been elected MLA from Goa’s Navelim Constituency for the seventh time in 2017.
Prior to this, he was charged with important positions within Indian National Congress, as a Reliable General and Dependable leader:
Former General Secretary All India Congress Committee:
Prior to this, he was charged with important positions within Indian National Congress, as a Reliable General and Dependable leader:
Former General Secretary All India Congress Committee:
- In charge of the North Eastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura;
- Chairman of the Karnataka Pradesh Assembly Elections Screening committee in 2013.
- After successfully steering the Congress party to power in many Indian States, Luizinho was assigned with the special responsibility by the Central Congress leadership, to revive the fortunes of the Congress party in his own state –Goa. And he did not fail to deliver, as he had done in the North East & Karnataka. Under his stewardship the number of Congress MLAs swelled from 9 in 2012, to 17 MLAs in the Goa Assembly Elections 2017, making it the largest party in the House.
CHIEF MINISTER
Due to his commitment, contribution and standing within the party,
Luizinho Faleiro was twice elected to be the Chief Minister of the State of Goa at a crucial juncture amidst rampant political instability. But in both instances, his tenure was cut short by the scourge of defections, wherein he preferred to resign rather than give in to compromises. As Chief Minister, he endeavoured to do his best to initiate steps to build a strong economy. He was the first to create a Ministry of Information Technology, first to create a Department and a Policy of Information Technology at the all India level, with the hope that it would bring about fundamental change in every aspect of the economy, education, health, governance, communications and society.
As Cabinet minister is several Congress Cabinets in Goa, holding portfolios of Industries and Education (June 2005 till 2007); Cabinet Minister for Industries, Law, Judiciary, Legislative Affairs and Labour and Employment (December 1994 to 1999) and Urban Development, Social Welfare, Revenue, Labour and Employment and Housing among other portfolios (January 1990 to 1994), Luizinho was committed to changing the lot of Goa and Goans, since that was the principal motivation which had brought him into public life. He became a forceful champion of employment for Goans, protection of environment and biodiversity, labour welfare, eco-friendly industries, etc, by bringing in path breaking policies in these area, which would prove far ahead of their times. As Leader of Opposition and Chairman of various Legislative Committees, he indulged in constructive opposition, fighting for social equality, to make Goa a progressive state, where participative and sustainable development would benefit each and every Goan.
As Cabinet minister is several Congress Cabinets in Goa, holding portfolios of Industries and Education (June 2005 till 2007); Cabinet Minister for Industries, Law, Judiciary, Legislative Affairs and Labour and Employment (December 1994 to 1999) and Urban Development, Social Welfare, Revenue, Labour and Employment and Housing among other portfolios (January 1990 to 1994), Luizinho was committed to changing the lot of Goa and Goans, since that was the principal motivation which had brought him into public life. He became a forceful champion of employment for Goans, protection of environment and biodiversity, labour welfare, eco-friendly industries, etc, by bringing in path breaking policies in these area, which would prove far ahead of their times. As Leader of Opposition and Chairman of various Legislative Committees, he indulged in constructive opposition, fighting for social equality, to make Goa a progressive state, where participative and sustainable development would benefit each and every Goan.
Mr. Luizinho Faleiro sworn in as Minister for the first time by Governor S C Jamir 1989.
CHILDHOOD
Few Chief Ministers have chartered a more uncertain path to occupy the Chief Minister’s Chair. Born to humble Goan parents on August 26, 1951, during the difficult period of the Portuguese Colonial Rule, Luizinho Faleiro– the third of four siblings, lost his father at the early age of four. In his eventful political journey, Luizinho has not forgotten his roots. He is effusive about his mother ‘who spared no pains, to do a thousand chores well past 10 at night,’ to make ends meet. Luizinho confesses that it was his mother’s example of hard work and constant supplications to excel in life, that instilled in him the fire to become an achiever, gave him clarity of purpose and a talisman to guide his policies, which had the wellbeing and prosperity of Goa and its people, at their very core
YOUTH: most well behaved student in school, his daily journey through the countryside, to the tunes of the birds, had a deep impact in cultivating his vision of preserving the pristine beauty and the resources of Goa and passing it on to future generations. Though he was not exactly excited with the rubrics of academics in college, and hardly attended class, he reveled and prided in his role as a live-wire student leader. Despite his passion for co-curricular activities, he not only went on to do his Masters in Commerce, but took an additional degree of Law, which facilitated his entry into trade unionism, –a road which eventually led to his birth as a fiery young political leader.
INSPIRATION
A proud native of Salcete taluka of South Goa, Luizinho Faleiro draws inspiration from two stalwarts and fellow sons of Navelim –the great Indian patriot Dr Francisco Luis Gomes and Cardinal Valerian Gracias. In 1861, Gomes had famously declared in Paris,
“I was born in the East Indies, once the cradle of poetry, philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to that race which composed the Mahabharata and invented chess. But this nation which made codes of it’s poems and formulated politics in a game is no longer alive! It survives imprisoned in it’s own country. I asked for India liberty and light; as for myself, more happy than my countrymen, i am free – civis sum.”
Luizinho firmly believes that Dr Francisco Luis Gomes is not only an inspiration, but a true patriot and nationalist to the core, since he thought of Goa as being a part of India, even before its Liberation and actual integration with the motherland.
Cardinal Gracias, another patriot, Luizinho recounts, had set the agenda that the Church could no longer be the handmaid of the colonial powers, and implicitly needed to come into its own and decide its own future as an Indian Church.
“I was born in the East Indies, once the cradle of poetry, philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to that race which composed the Mahabharata and invented chess. But this nation which made codes of it’s poems and formulated politics in a game is no longer alive! It survives imprisoned in it’s own country. I asked for India liberty and light; as for myself, more happy than my countrymen, i am free – civis sum.”
Luizinho firmly believes that Dr Francisco Luis Gomes is not only an inspiration, but a true patriot and nationalist to the core, since he thought of Goa as being a part of India, even before its Liberation and actual integration with the motherland.
Cardinal Gracias, another patriot, Luizinho recounts, had set the agenda that the Church could no longer be the handmaid of the colonial powers, and implicitly needed to come into its own and decide its own future as an Indian Church.
PLUNGE INTO POLITICS
After his exploits of fighting for workers’ rights and welfare, while heading several trade unions, Luizinho’s passion for doing something for Goa and its people, urged him to take the political plunge. He won the Goa Assembly election from Navelim Constituency of South Goa in 1980. At the age of 26, he was one of the youngest politicians, bubbling with energy to contribute his mite to society, since
Mr. Luizinho Faleiro with late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Politics played a dominant part in shaping society.
At that juncture, Goa was struggling to free itself from gnawing corruption in government and the spent force agenda of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which worked tirelessly for ‘Merger of Goa with Maharashtra and to make Marathi the official language of Goa’. After the Congress (U) election victory of 1980, Luizinho and other Congressmen went to meet Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to join Congress(I). As Luizinho made his request for Statehood to Indira Gandhi, outside her 10 Safdarjang residence, Indira paused, retraced her steps and posed a challenge to Luizinho Faleiro to go back and first decide on Goa’s official language. This sparked a flame in him to intensify and concretise his fight.
At that juncture, Goa was struggling to free itself from gnawing corruption in government and the spent force agenda of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which worked tirelessly for ‘Merger of Goa with Maharashtra and to make Marathi the official language of Goa’. After the Congress (U) election victory of 1980, Luizinho and other Congressmen went to meet Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to join Congress(I). As Luizinho made his request for Statehood to Indira Gandhi, outside her 10 Safdarjang residence, Indira paused, retraced her steps and posed a challenge to Luizinho Faleiro to go back and first decide on Goa’s official language. This sparked a flame in him to intensify and concretise his fight.
