Politics & Priorities - Bijoy Joseph

Do we see a complete disregard for probity in public life . Are we too arrogant with authority and complacent in our attitude to be good  examples of austerity & simplicity . When the country is  marching forward in growth and prosperity ( going by the GDP ), let us not close our eyes on the citizen's rights to living in freedom  and with  dignity . The quality of life  of a country which is not measured on just economic prosperity but on the social and cultural  parameters should understand  that real  development is when disparities are leveled and the voice of the poor is not muzzled.  Do we have the right to  freedom of thought without the  fear of being victimised, equal rights to education & employment or in invoking the constitution against corruption . For all the effort taken by the Anti - corruption crusaders, it's indeed unfortunate that a septegenarian senior citizen , Anna Hazare has to take up the gauntlet  against such evils like money laundering. There's little meaning in prosperity when money does not ensure peace and security for the weaker sections.  How long  will you  be living in the security and comfort of a house  surrounded by poor and outlawed citizens on the streets. This is the case in many countries of Africa & the Third World. Is there real freedom ?   

What is being done to speed up the pendency of cases in our courts of law. There are criminal  cases that have not been settled for years. Every Govt just provides lip service when it comes to dealing with issues like delayed justice or criminalization in politics. How do we clean up the system, is the moot question. Yes, there's more transparency today with media & technology taking big strides . But the law enforcement is still weak. We are today talking of FDI in Retail, but what is wrong with  our much maligned  Co operatives. ANAND is one big success we must not gloss over. Thanks to late Dr Kurien's unwavering faith in the feasibility of the  movement empowering millions.  AMUL has proved the model  can work , but there were attempts to dismantle the system. Is the clock ticking.  Grameen Bank of Bangladesh is a case in point , where the Govt has overruled the founding constitutional rights of the poor stakeholders  and lately taken over their  powers  ( Aug' 2012) .  Can we put a priority on governance and accountability .  First things first , when we're in a hurry  to fix something that may not be really broken .  Let us not whitewash the exterior . Politics can play foul and only push  things under the carpet .

For the last few years the global economic scenario has been dim with countries around the world going in for austerity measures. It was only too obvious that India needed to tighten its belt. There are implementation bottlenecks that have to be removed if our social agenda  have to see their desired results. Self  producing and Self reliance is not the same thing , if the produce does not reach the desired people. Our laudable goals like Garibi Hatao is far from over even though we've attained self sufficiency in staple  food. Foreign investment should not be mistaken for economic prosperity if it goes into sectors that only go for more automation & imports.  Our PSUs  and  Navarathnas  have not come to mean White Elephants if they can be turned around with proper management .   Commitment to quality comes from top , not bottom up. It's not about Toilets Vs Temples but if all our Temples, Churches and Mosques have usable toilets, that would do a lot of good especially for our fairer sex.  Do we need foreign money to build toilets in villages and see that they are   kept  clean. We boast of having Mobile phones & TVs, when 7 out of 10  girls drop  out of schools once they attain puberty because the schools don't provide separate toilets for girls. Free Market  mechanism will fix competitive salaries, not necessarily raise remunerations and jobs .The  recent trend in growth sectors of  IT, Biotech, Pharma,  is a downswing in recruitment and pay .  Apparently only private firms are in the reckoning even in social sectors  like Health and Education.  Look at the paradox , when the economy was on a  downside, our Indian Govt in 2010, thought it fit to hike the salaries, 3 times more for the honourable MPs (they gave themselves a hefty raise ).  By comparison their monthly pay check is 30  times more than the average pay in the country today ( going by the per capita Rs 5000/- a month ).  That much for our cost cutting at the helm . Do we  justify the need for taking time bound measures at curbing  our much bloated parallel economy.  Govts  in Countries like France for example has shown fortitude and commitment when the PM & ministers have taken a  30% cut in their salaries when  the Socialists assumed power early this year.  Probably we are too busy crunching numbers  that  such socialist ideals just stand in the way.

 

-Bijoy Joseph

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Indo-US Relations Today

The US operation that killed Osama bin Laden took place in Pakistan. That fact means that Bin Laden’s death, although an unqualified triumph, will have potentially disturbing implications for relations between the two countries. Bin Laden wasn’t hiding in some cave in Afghanistan or even in those northern areas of Pakistan that are arguably beyond the power of that country’s military but in a city just 90 miles north of Islamabad, the capital.

That country has long had an ambivalent approach to dealing with Islamist militants. It has conducted operations against its own Taliban who once even threatened the capital and has had to provide some assistance against al-Qaeda, such as the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. However, it has been accused of continuing to help the Afghani Taliban and has long supported Islamist militants operating against India.

Pakistan has had to officially align itself with the attack on Bin Laden, even inaccurately claiming it as a joint operation. Certainly, it must have had at least the acquiescence of President Asif Zardari. However, Bin Laden was in a compound that was virtually next door to a military academy and that is embarrassing for the ISI, which had long denied knowledge of his whereabouts. Further, it has long bridled at US drone strikes in the anarchic north of the country the killing of two Pakistanis by CIA operative Raymond David in Lahore lead to that country’s military demanding a reduction of US operations in Pakistan.

Bin Laden’s death and the expected draw down in US forces in Afghanistan may ease the strains somewhat. However there is still Ayman al-Zawahiri, presumably now the new head of al-Qaeda who has to be hunted.

There are a couple of implications of this. Civilian government has long had a shaky history in Pakistan, and the sign-off that Zardari must’ve given to the attack won’t make him many friends in the military. The military’s sentiments aren’t just a question of touchiness regarding national sovereignty.

Its generals have question the wisdom of working with the US, no doubt partially motivated by the widespread sympathy for Islamists held by many mid-level officers. There is popular support for such a sentiment. A Pew poll taken last year had only 3 percent of its respondents considering al-Qaeda a threat while 68 percent had a negative opinion of the United States.

There is the likelihood of further pressure on the government to oppose further US operations. On the other hand, US ability to think of Pakistan as a partner will be undercut by where Bin Laden actually was and may be more inclined to proceed unilaterally against those of Bin Laden’s lieutenants who are still at large in Pakistan. Fortunately, that may be offset by what may now be a higher priority to al-Qaeda militants in Yemen.

Jefferson Locke

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A Plausible Reply

Frontline,
November 4, 2011

Cover Story,
Titled: “Modi Makeover”- Anupama Katakam

URL:

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20111104282202400.htm

It is my personal 1st edition of FRONTLINE magazine, bought only because of the bland legacy of THE HINDU.

I was enjoying the article and the credit, quite evidently goes to the content, expressed with utter panache and finesse, until a line on page no. 26, which stated “The arrest of the senior IPS officer with an unblemished record raised eyebrows.” Here in this line, Senior IPS Officer, I palpably assume to be none other than Shri Sanjeev Bhatt, aka now better known as Suspended Senior IPS Officer Shri Sanjeev Bhatt.

The article perturbed me a lot since it was a diligent manifestation of being anti-NaMO by depicting him to be a wily politician, like he is the only one adopting so called ‘sordid’ ways in Indian politics. The uncanny thing of the article; all words were veiled on behest of sociologists, which may be true though, but I can’t stop being skeptical about it all the way.

A very simple question, straight away pointed to Madam Anupama Katakam, Did you ever give it a thought, before proclaiming Shri Sanjeev Bhatt to have an unblemished record, and how far is it true? This proclamation did halt my thoughts and was mystified with the penchant being flaunted for him. I never doubted your journalism skills until this article of yours made me do so.

I will pose another straight question to a veteran writer like you, “why didn’t you do an autopsy before writing such a line?”. Had it been done, you would have realized the reason of my wariness. When an ordinary engineering guy like me can do a bit of digging in this matter then why can’t you? After all it’s your profession and an identity source of yours in the society…

Your article didn’t answer many questions of mine. It was totally biased towards suspended IPS Officer Shri Sanjeev Bhatt. I did not do any research on rocket science but a simple googling helped me to understand the actual facts and not the rant conceived by English Media.

I have enough evidence to show you that truth, which is contradicting to your truth. I will provide you the links and when it comes to authentication of those links, that’s where your real job starts.
1. http://news.oneindia.in/feature/2011/sanjeev-bhatt-arrest-was-inevitable.html
2. http://thammayya.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/a-note-on-the-cases-and-conduct-of-sanjiv-bhatt/
3. http://indiawires.com/2373/news/state-news/a-note-on-the-cases-and-conduct-of-sanjiv-bhatt/

How can a SENIOR IPS OFFICER, having a horrendous criminal record in his career, be credible enough to hide “important” information, which would have purportedly punished the perpetrators by now, is getting such a media hype? Didn’t he consider throwing light upon his STRONG EVIDENCES to show it to the whole Nation so that justice wouldn’t have been delayed??

That was the 1st part of my appalling worry and now comes the latter part; Since three months I have been arduously reading magazines: Outlook, India Today and The Week. Newspapers: The Hindu, TOI, Daily news & analysis and all I can conclude is “Every Journalist and Journals are keen in bringing up the Gujrat riots of 2002 again and again; Trying to indict Shri Narendra Modi for allowing a so called ‘Unprecedented Riot’.

Why it is that all the media personnel only highlight the death toll of Muslims and not even a single Hindu? Is or was it like the corpse of a Hindu a mere zilch? The stats say, for the first two days Hindus were the ones who were killed more than Muslims; who will pave a way for this truth to see the broad daylight i.e. who will tell this to the whole world?

Why aren’t victimized Hindu families fighting for justice? Do they wish to be eluded from justice or dream of some Dancer or a pontificating Justice for Peace Activist, who’s been proved for foiling the truth by forcing to file identical and false affidavit and who is a paradigm of converting facts to fallacies. The rule, as of now in India has changed drastically; Minority Dominating the Majority.

Every journalist claims to be secular and in the process forgets that, not every time the MAJORITY is at fault in being non secular. The articulating reason for this ostentation is clear; write well or highlight the atrocities on the MINORITIES and thus gain fair share of lauds, laurels and not forget, the appraisals for bringing in more readership.

All these months, I was least bothered of what other magazines had to write about this, because I know they are trying hard to prove their liberty in thoughts and articles, but the truth is, they aren’t!!!

A magazine like Frontline, having a tremendous stature and an unchallenged legacy of not being morally corrupt, is not a pretty sight for eyes and an insight for mind.

For the first time ever, I found an article from FRONTLINE, devoid of reality and a sheer attempt to fill the space with ruing words.

I, being a citizen of India and a true apostle of THE HINDU GROUP, have the right to seek an answer for such an unobtrusive mistake…

Aniruddh.V.Naik

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Not an Option...But a Duty

Problems never seem to end for a nation we need to get them to an end. Another problem that needs to be looked after by us which is eating up our country with every passing day is politics. Thinking about the term politics, is it really justified to call the biggest democratic nation’s governing system merely a political game. I guess not. We all know at what stage our country’s leaders have brought us to.

The biggest democracy in the world is run by self-centered, community biased, compassionless politicians who talk about everything but development. The increasing corruption, bureaucracy and blame game doesn’t seem to end for our nation soon. But the thing to think upon is that how come these unworthy people make up to the topmost positions in our country. May be the quote summarizes the answer a bit “Bad leaders are elected by good citizens who don’t vote”.

India is the world’s largest democratic nation with a gigantic electorate of approximately 714 million; it has used 8.2 lakh polling stations, 46.9 lakh polling staff, 15 lakh electronic voting machines with a mammoth sized budget of Rs 1120 crores to complete the election process for its 15thparliamentary elections in year 2009 but its unhealthy 59.7% voter turnout pales in comparison to many of the democracies in the developed world that went to polls in the last five years like France (76.8), Germany (72), Japan (66.6), Argentina (70.9) and Italy (79.1) with their respective voter turnout.

Voter turnout is nothing but the percentage of electors on the voters list who marked a ballot during an election. Through the years Italy is scoring high among the others with an average voter turnout in its 14 elections of about incredible 92.5%. In the same survey, that spans 50 years, India has a low 105th place, with an average of 60.7% in 12 elections. So where do we stand, despite of having the 2nd largest electorate in the world we’re unable to get a significant amount of voting percentage and give a better Government to our nation.

One of the major causes of this is the decreasing youth voter turnout in India. India has a huge youth population covering 41.05% youth of the total population but the voter turnout amongst youth is as low as about 50% which is a serious affair. Recent studies show that youngsters’ votes played a major part in the elections. President Barack Obama showed a few years ago that the powerful voting force of American youth can play a heroic role when he secured 60% of the youth votes compared to 45% of those 65 and older.

It is indeed a very pertinent issue that we have witnessed a steady decrease in the youth voting percentage despite of all the development and modernization that is taking place. It is a cause of great concern as the future of our country depends on the young leaders and voters. A reason because of which youngsters aren’t voting is that they find politics dull and uninspiring. They don’t think that politics is something that is going to affect them at all. But that is so untrue. They can’t distinct between different parties and their respective policies which will get imposed on them for the rest 5 years.

Young voters between the ages of 18-24 have long been hailed as the most apathetic demographic in the nation. For decades, they have voted at rates between 10 percent and 25 percent lower than the national average. May be the is youth giving more importance to music, movies, malls n multiplexes and don’t think that their carelessness isgoing to pay them back in form of roads with pot holes, broken bridges, lazy govt. Servants and filthy surroundings. And if still we keep on blaming the politicians for all this then sorry to say but we have no right to remind them of their responsibilities if we don’t fulfill ours.

Your browser may not support display of this image. There is also a lack of knowledge and understanding in youngsters of what politics is and which one to vote for and one of the reasons for this is the lack of interaction between candidates and youngsters. Politicians want to reach people who will vote for them so they don’t engage with young guys at all but I guess they’re missing the big picture. A lot of young people think that their individual vote won’t make any difference but they don’t see that they make half of the population of the country and their voting can bring about a revolutionary change in the government.

In a democracy it’s vital that as many people register to vote as possible and both govt. and commercial sector should encourage young people to take part. Further more voter turnout can be increased by lowering the voting age, compulsory voting and civic education in schools.

And youngsters should realize that spending an hour on a polling day and vote will not harm their enjoyment much but it’ll surely help the country to get a more responsible government. Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: ‘It’s but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.Believe in yourself we can bring a change. Payback to you country & act as a responsible citizen, “PLEASE VOTE!!”

Naveen Sharma

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Politics As A Career

‘Politics as a career’?
‘Have you gone insane’?
‘You have lost your mind’?
These are the most common reactions given by the people of India as Politics is considered as an unfavorable career choice. Sometimes the youth don’t bother or the family forbids them from entering into politics or they simply don’t care. These are the attitudes of people towards politics as a career.

But are they really true? Is politics as a career actually bad? Is it only a money game for politicians?
The answer to the above questions is no. Politics is not a bad career choice. Rather it is one of the most challenging and hardworking career options, which not only tests one’s strength but one’s personality and aura as well. It is one of those career options, which provides a platform for the people to not only voice their opinion but also to be in the power to make that voice into a change.

Mostly when a person tries to enter politics, family and friends pull him back stating the fact that politics is nothing but a dirty power game, yet strangely when one questions them, they complain about the youth that this young, so-called ‘facebook generation’ is very self-centered and they worry more about their gadgets and parties rather than the conditions of the country. Some have gone a step further by stating that the youth today are nothing but offshoots of Britisher’s (angrez chale Gaye, yeh chod Gaye).

Today, people view politics as a game of power surrounded by corruption, scams, terrorism, communalism and rigorous laws implemented by gnarled politicians. These are also the reasons why politics is not much of a favorable career choice. However, can we, as a youngsters, comment or complain that all the politicians are corrupt when we ourselves are not far behind. Cheating in examinations or using pirated DVD’S or bribing a police official to avoid a chaalaan are all the examples of corrupt as well as not so perfect youth.

What I want to state is that neither all politicians are devils nor all are saints and same goes for every person in our country. Yet when youth wants something and decides to bring a change they are an unstoppable force. It was actually the youth who voiced their opinion and accelerated the process of justice in the Jessica Lal murder case, it was the youth which came on the streets of Mumbai after the blasts and spread the word of help via social networking sites. Another very apparent example of youth being a part of change and politics is ‘Chhavi Rajawat’ who despite having an MBA degree and job portfolio willingly went into her village Panchayat elections in early 2010 and emerged victorious. Rahul Gandhi. , Sachin Pilot, Miland Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Akhilesh Yadav, Omar Abdullah etc. are some of the best examples of how people look up to these young politicians and how they have in away become the young voice of India.

The problem in today’s time is that we have a nation that lack’s charismatic leadership like that of Nehru or the utmost strength of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. As people we have to think of India as our nation rather than just a politicians’ nation and politics as a career can be the first basic step to be the part of the wave of change because we can only change a system by being in that system.

In the end I can only conclude by saying that that in the present turbulent times where people are slowly losing faith in politicians, we need people with courage and strength to step up and take the reins of the leadership and be the voice and face of India. So to the readers I can only say if you have strength to fight and courage to win with honesty in your heart, politics is the career where people really need you and will in future look up to you.

Aarshi Dua

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Reply To Arundhati Roy's Article

It seems few international medals and some worldwide attention has eaten up Arundhati Roy’s brain. With a single stroke of her pen she has diverted the whole issue. Perhaps she was forced to write that incredulous article after being out of limelight for so long. Now getting back to the main issue, it’s painful to see that as a person of such stature you have underestimated the people of India. The peaceful protests are not only a symbol of frustration but also against misrule of the people who govern us.

Mrs. Roy, your article is taking on a personal tone rather than focusing on pros and cons of jan-lok pal. How can you say that the bill would result in de-centralization of power when it talks about setting up lokayukta’s at state level? Your comparison of Maoist with Anna can be termed nothing but preposterous.

Bringing in the issues like naxalism Naxalism and Kashmir at a time, when our country is so united against corruption certainly creates doubts in our minds that you have been paid to write this article. Don’t you think that the corruption is the root cause of all these so called issues you represent? If all the money allocated for development of tribal’s are spent for that particular purposes, then we wouldn’t have seen naxalism Naxalism in our country.

Anyone can write such dumb articles sitting comfortably in their bungalows, come out of there, visit some places around you and see for yourself what real India is and what corruption has done to it. It’s very easy to cook up some stories and raise questions on a person’s credibility, but sometimes you have look inwards too. pls Please go and visit ralegan Ralegan siddhi Siddhi and you will get a picture of what kind of person Anna is.

I don’t see any more merits in this argument, we support Anna Hazare because he has awakened India after 60 years. To say that stopping corruption won’t benefit poor is sickening, you should ask the blind old man or the pregnant lady of Uttar Pradesh who deserved free treatment but never got it due to corruption. Hope you read the news in the very same paper you wrote this article, about a man who got Rs 98,000 rs sanctioned by the govt Govt for his heart surgery but is still running from pillar to post to get that money, he was asked for a bribe of Rs 10000 rs.

Moreover, just because this movement has got massive support from middle class, it does not make it illegitimate. Rather we should appreciate that middle class has been awakened and are not fooled by castepolitics. For god’s sake it’s a fight against corruption, don’t play the caste card.

Though the points raised by you need to be addressed, but this is not the time for it. Please don’t try to malign Anna’s name, you are throwing mud on yourself. What we witnessed in the past one week was nothing un-democratic.
We do have faith in parliament but not in parliamentarians. Please switch on your PC and start working on your next Novel, we are eagerly waiting to read it.

Finally please don’t become a mouthpiece of congress.

Sethuraman KS

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Changing International Political Scenario: From A Unipolar To A Multopolar World

What is the current International Scenario?
Are we a unipolar world?
Or are we a multi-polar world?
Is there a shift or change in global politics?

All these questions are very prominent amongst international political thinkers these days. The change in the global world order is slowly and gradually coming in the light of the global community. After the end of the Second World War the global community witnessed a bipolar world. It was ideologically divided into two power blocs of capitalist USA and communist USSR (erstwhile) as the superpowers and their allies.

A situation of cold war had engulfed the international political world. However, after the disintegration of erstwhile USSR in 1991 the entire global scenario shifted focus from a bipolar world to a unipolar world with USA as the hegemonic power. A unipolar world is an international scenario where there is only onesuperpower and in this case it was USA.

However, the global community is again witnessing slow and gradual but prominent signs of change in the international political system. The world is slowly and gradually changing from a unipolar world to a multipolar world, where there are numerous centers of power. Even though it is a subtle process and USA still holds a superior status yet the process of change has already taken the first step. It is only a matter of time and international circumstances, which will finally change the world from a unipolar one to a multipiolar one.

Alternate centers of power have been developed in the world and they are slowly and gradually acquiring more and more power. EU i.e. European Union; ASEAN- Association of South East Asian countries; SAARC- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation; BRICS- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are the organizations, which are slowly and gradually gaining more and more influence in the international scenario.

India, China, Russia, Japan and Germany are considered some of the growing influential countries in the world order today. Even US President Barack Obama said that, “the country he inherits will no longer be able to call the shots alone, as its power over an increasingly Multi-polar world begins to wane” (2025: The End of US dominance 2008).

The changing economic conditions and trade relations are one of the few reasons for shift in the international scenario. China is one of the leading traders of the world while Japan is a growing technological country. India on the other hand has been considered as a strong ally in south Asian countries as well as its role as a sort of spokesperson for the third world nations.

India was also one of the leading founders of NAM (Non Align Movement) and is still a democratic country unlike its peers since its independence. Brazil on the other hand is a well developed agricultural and mining country with a good service sector; While European Union is very strong regional organization, which in way has control over entire Europe.
The economic condition of the world is one of the most prominent reasons for the shift. The recent recessions and downfall in the American economy further added salt to the wound.

Countries like China and Russia agreed to expand their currencies in the bilateral trades so as to reduce the dependence on US dollar. A multipolar world would thus in a way benefit the international economic order as it would work towards providing financial stability to the world by reducing the effect of downfall of the US dollar. Even the World Bank agrees that countries like India and China provide a basis for global growth.

Common international problems like environment issues, economic downfalls, terrorism also add to the fact of reducing gaps between the international issues thus giving them a common ground. Global governance and multilateralism would also strengthen the concept of a multipolar world and conferences like G20 are a step towards it.

Hence it can be concluded that even though the world today is not completely multi polar, it also not completely unipolar either. USA is slowly and gradually losing its title of the hegemonic power and alternate centers of powers are being developed in the world. The world is slowly shifting its focus towards an International scenario where there are a number of ruling powers rather than one or two. India, China and Russia are among the leading powers to bring about this concept of change in the international order and challenge the supremacy of USA and its allies.

Aarshi Dua

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