One may be a state and the other a capital city, but Goa and Adelaide (South Australia) have some things in common. Both have about 1.3 million people, are surrounded by hills (east) and a coastline (west), are considered ‘less-rushed’ communities and even have an important Catholic church dedicated to St Francis Xavier.
These similarities between Adelaide and Goa quickly evaporate when one begins to compare the ABCs – attitudes, beliefs and culture – of the two societies, something that Goans have found out, either while on a visit to Adelaide or as permanent residents there.
During my recent visit to Adelaide as part of a media awareness programme, I was immediately struck by three aspects of life in Adelaide, which differ quite sharply in Goa.
TRAFFIC DISCIPLINE: The superb traffic system in South Australia left me amazed and in awe of its motorists and pedestrians. Despite travelling around the place, I heard only two vehicles honking during my six-day trip. Well-planned roadways, elaborate traffic signboards/signals and orderly movement of motorists ensured a perfect traffic system.
Why do motorists in South Australia zealously follow a traffic system? Is it because human safety is valued? Or is the motorist deterred by stiff fines or deduction of points from one’s driving licence?
Compare two road mishaps and their consequences in Adelaide and Goa to get an idea of contrasting approaches to traffic discipline and enforcement.
A South Australian Supreme Court judge was recently fined AUD $1,300 and her licence disqualified for eight months after she injured a cyclist while driving under the influence of alcohol.
In Goa, a female ‘drunk driver’ rammed into two youth in Panjim and severely injured them. She still has her license and has, so far, only got a show-cause notice from the RTO.
Since traffic discipline is abysmal and enforcement is woefully ineffective in Goa, I interacted with some Goans settled in Adelaide, to compare different attitudes towards traffic discipline and enforcement.
“Traffic here in Adelaide is taken seriously not just because of hefty fines, but because motorists drive more by rules and less on instinct,” says Blaise Fernandes, hailing from Merces and a PhD student at the University of Adelaide.
“In Goa, traffic was quite orderly around the 70’s and mid 80’s. As affluence increased, more vehicles filled the roads. New found wealth also brought with it arrogance, often displayed on the roads. Affiliations to politicians further worsened the problem, thus we see people with rash and arrogant road behaviour. Lack of patience is also a major difference,” he adds.
For leading urologist, Dr Agnelo de Souza, traffic discipline occurs as the police are very strict in Adelaide. “One cannot bribe the police when there is an infringement. With cameras everywhere, it is near impossible to contradict photographic evidence,” says Dr Agnelo.
CLEANLINESS: I was impressed by the strong sense of cleanliness, even though I was told that there are no fines for littering in Adelaide. Garbage bins were all over the area, encouraging people to properly dispose off their waste.
Why do people in South Australia take cleanliness so seriously? Why are they even willing to pick up a stranger’s litter and dispose it in a proper manner? On the other hand, why are people in general so lax about garbage disposal in Goa?
Consider a recent excursion by a school in Adelaide to a local Waste and Recycling Centre (WRC). Nine-year-old students were taken to the WRC as part of a geography project to look at waste management. Students participated in a guided tour, recording observations and participating in activities at the education centre in the WRC.
How often have education institutions conducted excursions to a WRC in Goa? Ever heard of “guided tours” or “education centres” within WRCs in Goa?
“People will not look kindly if someone disposes rubbish without care. Also, some are so civically motivated that they may even clear the mess of unknown people,” says Blaise.
“Till the 80’s, Goa was quite clean, but with the influx of people, especially from the poorer sections, cleanliness became an issue,” Blaise adds.
Dr Agnelo feels that cleanliness occurs for two reasons in Adelaide. “Children are taught in primary schools not to throw any kind of waste on the streets. Dustbins are all over the place and are used by people to discard their waste.”
Adds community mental health practitioner, Frankey Fernandes, who hails from Vasco: “Civic councils expect that properties within Adelaide are maintained to a satisfactory condition. Residents are made aware that ill-maintained properties can cause many adverse effects, which eventually reflects on the presentation of the city as a whole.”
HERITAGE: For a city officially set up barely 180 years ago, Adelaide has had a relatively recent history. Yet, I found Adelaideans proud of their heritage and the many well-designed museums bear testimony to this aspect. Such pride is rarely prevalent in Goa.
That authorities and people in Adelaide allowed heritage trees to remain on one end of the Adelaide Oval stadium, ignoring the possible loss of revenue from additional stands which could have been built in the area, left me admiring their policy and importance towards heritage.
Compare this situation with Goa, where residents had had to agitate on the streets to protect age-old trees from being chopped down in Campal-Panjim. Had it not been for many heritage lovers in Goa, other heritage sites could also have disappeared under the pretext of development.
“South Australians know that this country was built from scratch by their own family people, ancestors. They respect the facilities and the foresight of the people before them,” observed Blaise.
“On the other hand, though the original inhabitants of Goa do have pride for their heritage, the large influx of people from other parts of India does not give heritage a place of pride.”
“Goa’s heritage and history is far more ancient and remarkable than many parts of the world. But the materialistic greed of the real estate lobby and the populace at large takes precedence over the interest and preservation of heritage structures and locations,” Blaise said.
