TIME 4 A CHANGE?

The blame game and finger pointing over the recent attack outside a pub in Panjim is seemingly never- ending. Questions are now being asked as to whether the late night ( 4 am) operations of pubs themselves are to blame, rather than greater investigation into the near murderous act of a frenzied individual. Herald Café digs deeper FERNANDO MONTE DA SILVA / Team Café cafe@ herald- goa. com In the past few years, a sizeable crowd has been coming to Goa to party at the pubs/ bars. The question of keeping bars or pubs open till 4 am is not pertinent.

The problem is how much a person should be allowed to consume. Secondly, just about anybody and everybody is given a bar licence without any background check. ‘ Anything is acceptable in Goa’ is the ultimate mantra. And even if we have these checks in place, then do we have the emergency services in place which can handle any untoward incident which might occur in these wee hours? – Shawn D’Souza, Proprietor, Kudos What has to be noted in the first place, is that there are several health issues that crop up when these late night operations are allowed to perpetuate. The health department has very clearly stated that whether food or alcohol, the last suitable time for consumption is 9 pm. Several people will say that we should be allowed to function late because we are a tourist state. One has to ask two questions: What happens after the tourists leave? Who are they accountable to? After the tourists leave, the ones who avail of the sanctions are the lay people, who are affected adversely by issues that arise.

– Dr Sabina Martins, Social Worker As far as pubs and nightclubs are concerned it makes sense to keep them open till late, as everyone wants to go out and party post their work timings. People will and want to visit pubs to let their hair down after a hard day’s work or maybe just meet up and not necessarily to drink. If we close these places early, then people will be forced to go elsewhere. Secondly, around 30% of the people who visit Goa come here to drink and party.

If we put out a statement that these places will close early, rather than being allowed to remain open late, then the tourism barometer will take a sharp dip.

– Mackenzie E Pereira, Proprietor, EMC/ Bullfrog Other tourist destinations like Singapore and Malaysia offer police protection outside tourist spots. The same should be applied to the coastal belt in Goa. There are people who habitually fight, but others should not suffer because of such anti- social elements. I prefer establishments especially on the coastal belt to remain open till morning because the tourism industry survives on it. In this fight, if the attacker was caught when he was involved in previous fights with the police and put in the lock- up for a few days, he would at least have fear of the law.

– Michael Lobo, MLA Calangute Since we are promoting tourism and Goa is a popular holiday destination where everybody likes to come and have a good time; and given the fact that Goa is also known as a safe place, keeping pubs/ nightclubs open till 4 am is not improper. Certain measures and conditions should be put down and ensured they are abided by. For example in Mumbai, there are certain safety rules in place. An alcohol test is conducted. No drinking and driving is allowed, so pickup and drop is arranged for. With these kinds of measure everyone will not only be made aware but also accountable.

– Nisha Vaz, Entrepreneur Having demarcated zones and letting nightclubs and pubs in only a certain part of the state run until the wee hours of the morning, doesn’t make sense to me. A person who wants to resort to violence, does not necessarily have to drink or go to a pub to execute his act. Also, it is not that people in a certain area in Goa are well- behaved and others are not. There should be standard rules for everyone. People should drink responsibly knowing what their capacity is. They should be in a state of getting home in one piece and without causing harm or injury to others.

– Shannon Smith, Proprietor, The Backyard The real issue that I believe needs to be addressed here is the individual’s violence. Are we really of the opinion that if no pubs were open, this incident would not have happened? I most certainly think it would, regardless.

The location is a complete non- factor here, as opposed to the person’s state of mind that definitely is. You can’t cut off your nose to spite your face, given the kind of state that Goa is. Take it from someone who has been working in the nightlife industry for over a decade now.

This behaviour, in my opinion, is nothing short of extraordinary! – Aneesh Gera, Internationally acclaimed DJ Every business does at some point face some unfortunate circumstances. The responsibility of the actions in question, lie with the accused. If his alcohol content was as negligible as claimed, his acts were committed with awareness and knowledge of what he was doing.

If we observe a curfew, or take away licenses, that will not help in preventing violence. Vigilance and levels of preparation, on the other hand, would be able to ensure that. Violent individuals, should be black listed, immediately. There should be an effective ratio of the capacity of the people to the number of security staff.

– Desiree Alemao, Public Relations Coordinator T he incident that happened in the wee hours of Easter morning has been thoroughly documented and publicised. However, when all is said and done, the latest trend is resorting to apportioning blame to the establishments that stay open late into the night, just so that people who want to stay out that little bit longer, will have someplace to go.

“ I am someone who works long hours and at the end of a massive working day, all I really want to do is just let my hair down and relax. If pub and nightlife timings are curtailed and brought forward, I will find myself with no place to go, but straight home. Is it fair that I should be curtailed of that right/ choice, just because one person decided that martial law was the way to resolve his issues?” says musician, Daniel Miranda.

In perhaps hushed whispers, over the last week or two, views of conservative members of the society include the highlighting of three main thoughts and issues surrounding the late night functioning of these establishments: ( i) That there is a largely increased probability of the arising of conflict either between individuals and/ or groups of individuals. ( ii) That there will be an increased number of opportunities either for acts of ‘ self- presentation’, or just showing off to peers due to the fact that there will be the presence of a large and ( most often) encouraging audience.

( iii) That the task at hand for the police at these times is difficult, due to the possibility of minor confrontations escalating into disturbances involving more drastic issues.

However, these views are quickly countered by entertainer and entrepreneur, Ashly Fernandes, who puts things into perspective when he says, “ One isolated incident cannot be taken as the norm. If we go with the mind- set that the serving of alcohol was the perpetrator of the crime, heinous as it was, before we know it, people will stop serving alcohol at weddings for fear of brawls between feuding family members.” Many people staunchly continue to believe that the prudent course of action is for establishments to call it a nearly night. They might want to, however, consider a recent study conducted in Britain, by the Canterbury City Council, that indicates that it is far from the most advisable course of action. The study highlights that fixed closing times are, at the very least, partially responsible, for certain drinking trends in British pubs. The intake of alcohol increases drastically, just prior to having to leave, when one is prompted by the call of a ‘ last order’. This leads to that final drink being hastily consumed, which creates a temporary peak of intoxication. Former celebrity bartender turned restaurateur, Shawn D’Souza feels, “ While there may be no hard and fast rule in place, upon being informed of final orders, customers have been known to go up to my bartenders for a refill to prolong their evening.” One thing is for sure though. Pubs ( whether in a modern avatar or the age old village taverna) have always been an integral part of Goa’s idyllic meeting places. A place where good friends could meet, greet and perhaps ( if the in- house cook were prodigious) eat. To have their operations curtailed because of an incident that is caused by what can be termed as ( in) human nature comes across as harsh. After all, it was not the pub that wielded the weapon on that fateful night.