As Remo Fernandes, arguably Goa’s favourite son, an icon, and a brand ambassador of this land and its people not just abroad but to the rest of India, walks on the cobbled streets of Porto or Lisbon, his mind would perhaps be on a little misdemeanour his son committed in his presence. A “very trivial” act of son at the wheel of his car knocking down a 17-year-old girl walking from Malvan to Old Goa for the feast of Francis Xavier.
Remo is aghast at what this hullabuloo is all about. So are many in his circuit of socialities as well as a few indignant columnists and activists who sarcastically ask ”Doesn’t the police have anything better to do than run after poor Remo, our sixty plus year boy”. Get the rapists, drug pushers and flesh trade pashas first. While there may be a reason to at least show empathy at such an outburst, why is there no corresponding empathy towards the girl who was knocked down by Remo Fernandes’ son, and allegedly scoffed at by himself.
Since today is Christmas, we should move out of the legal implications of the case and look at this purely in terms of whether Remo Fernandes behaved like a good human with the added responsibility of going that extra yard due to the his position in Goan society and the love, respect and affection showered upon him by many. We completely accept that it was a pure accident and let us assume that it was not due to bad driving but because the spot was dark and the victim may have come in front of the car. In such a situation, the normal thing to do was not just call the ambulance but leave everything else and be by the side of the victim and pay for her hospitalisation expenses, speak to doctors and ensure she gets the best medical treatment. And especially with his iconic status in society he could have managed all this far more easily than a common man in the same position.
Remo Fernandes may not have hit and run but he has pretty much moved on as soon as the ambulance arrived to take the girl away, barring one stop at the hospital, where he allegedly spoke rudely to her. But this is just an allegation and needs to be confirmed. In the fourteen days between the accident and the discovery of the same, Remo was confident that the issue was covered, till a senior priest of the Old Goa Basilica, informed Advocate Aires Rodrigues. It needn’t have to be this way. If Remo had himself announced that his car, with his son at the wheel, had knocked down a pedestrian and he was very sorry about this and would do everything he could to ensure that she recovered, the whole of Goa would have embraced him. This cat and mouse game of the police issuing a look out notice for him wouldn’t have been necessary at all.
At the same time, those who are indicating that the police should hold back and wait for Remo to arrive, to dictate when investigations against him should commence, are asking for too big a privilege. Does a common man have these privileges? Can a common man send an email saying he is trying to get tickets and will inform as soon as he books them, as to when he can join the investigation? We ask all of them to go to the website of any airline leaving Lisbon and arriving in Mumbai-Goa or any travel portal. They will find tickets available on at least one flight on any day starting today.
Those who write that the offence is minor should visit ward no 105 of the GMC where the grievously hurt Helen D’ Souza has or will undergo multiple operations for her head and leg injuries. Those who call it “minor” should ask if they would describe this incident in the same words if their own daughter was lying on that bed in ward no 105 of GMC.
