Jack de Sequeira

Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira (20 April 1915 – 17 October 1989), popularly known as Dr. Jack de Sequeira; also known as Jak Siker according to local naming conventions, was a prominent Goan politician and is popularly known in Goa as the Father of the Opinion Poll. The father of the Opinion Poll laid the foundation for Goa's Statehood. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and the Department of Posts released a special cover on Dr Jack de Sequeira on the occasion of Goa Statehood Day (May 30, 2015). Speaking about Dr Sequeira, the Chief Minister said, “Sequeira fought to keep Goa as a separate entity with a unique identity.” Parsekar further went on to say, “He brought in referendum to determine whether Goa should be merged with Maharashtra or not. It is only because of him that Goa got statehood on May 30, 1987.

Dr. Jack de Sequeira was the founder president of the United Goans Party. He played a pivotal role in convincing the government of India to hold an opinion poll to decide the issue of the merger of Goa into the state of Maharashtra.

Dr. Sequeira was born in Burma (now Myanmar) on 20 April 1915, to Mr. Erasmo de Sequeira and Mrs. Ana Julia de Sa e Sequeira.

After completing schooling in Portuguese medium at the Lyceum, he studied medicine at Escola Médica de Goa. However, his father died when he was 21, forcing him to discontinue studies in order to look after the family business

At the age of 23, he married Lilia Margarida de Gouveia Pinto. They had nine children.

He died on 17 October 1989, aged 74.

Sequeira was the leader of a group known as ‘Goyncho Pokx’, which was one of the groups that later came together to form United Goans (UG) Party. He became the president of the UGP, which was an antithesis to MGP that was formed with the core ideology of merging Goa with Maharashtra. Countering this stand of MGP, the United Goans Party was formed by merging Goencho Pokx of Jack Sequeira, the Partido Indiano of Alvsaro Loyola de Furtado, the Goa National union of J M Desouza and United Fronts of Goans and Democratic Party who shared a common goal, that of separate identity for Goa, and which was against the merger of Goa with Maharashtra. Sequeira was the president of the party since its inception in 1963 till its merger with Janata Dal in 1977.

Dr. Jack de Sequeira was the founder president of the United Goans Party. He represented Santa Cruz assembly constituency three times. He lost in the fourth attempt in 1979 and did not contest elections again.

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