The Party Must Go On!

There seems to be ample confusion on the party scene in times of the festive season in Goa. Every day seems to throw up conflicting news about the parties in Goa and all of it is not music to Goan ears.

Without a bullet being fired, it seems that the terrorists have won their battle in Goa. They managed to instill enough of fear in the Goan establishment that our government has decided that prevention is better than cure. I say sure it is. However prevention is better. Not a ban. Prevent them by using the entire machinery available at your disposal.

Instead the government has resorted to buckle down and be cowed by the threats of the terrorists. While Indian intelligence has reportedly pinpointed Goa to be a possible target, the response to this threat is indeed very strange. With so much time on hand enough to plan countless defence strategies, our effort should have been to prove to the terrorists and indeed to the world that “the party must go on”. What kind of preparedness are such negative actions showing?

With barely a day to go for Christmas, the government has dropped a new bombshell. The law for a ban on loud music post midnight seems to have come to their rescue and they have been loud to let everyone know that they are going to enforce it strictly this time around. Why? Why was it not enforced strictly every year since its inception? Was this the best time to bail our security apparatus?

But what timing to strictly enforce an anti-tourism law. By the time they decided on this, there will be hundreds of party organizers who must have already spent lakhs of rupees in planning their events for Christmas and New year. Most of these events especially the ones planned at Christmas time, commence only after midnight mass. So what are these organizers expected to do? Who is going to compensate them for their losses? Why was the strict enforcement decision so woefully delayed to pinch Goans so hard?

Hope better sense prevails, better security prevails and the festivities prevail too. After all we cannot be cowed down by a handful of terrorists to curtail our freedom. The state has a responsibility towards its citizens to protect them at all costs. Keeping us indoors is not the solution.

After all, ships anchored on the harbour are safe. But that’s not what ships are meant for. The party must go on. And the government must show its strength of character.

Xittuk Goencar