EDITORIAL 24.02.10

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Editorial

month february 24, edition 000438, collected & managed by durgesh kumar mishra, published by – manish manjul

 

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THE PIONEER

1. MAOIST OFFER IS A HOAX
2. THE PEACE DIVIDEND
3. VICTORY TO THE GODS - CLAUDE ARPI
4. A TOUGH STAND THE ONLY CHOICE - TH CHOWDARY
5. A DIABOLICAL PLOY - CHANDAN MITRA
6. PLAYING WITH FIRE - SHIKHA MUKERJEE
7. CANARD AS COMMENT - HARI OM
8. WEAPONS OF THE 21ST CENTURY - ILYA KRAMNIK

MAIL TODAY

1. CLEAR MAOIST REPLY NEEDED TO PC'S OFFER
2. CAPITAL SHAME
3. LOW KEY OUTCOME BUILT INTO PAK TALKS - BY BHARAT BHUSHAN
4. PATIALA PEG - VIKAS KAHOL

THE TIMES OF INDIA

1. END THE VIOLENCE
2. LONGER INNINGS
3. A TALE OF TWO NATIONS - GAUTAM ADHIKARI
4. 'TELANGANA HAS TURNED INTO A COLONY OF ANDHRA'
5. TIME AND TIDE - K V KRISHNAN
6. TERRIFYING QUESTION - JUG SURAIYA
7. A CALLER ID OPTION FOR YOUR THOUGHTS - MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI

HINDUSTAN TIMES

1. PROTECTION FOR ALL PAKISTANIS
2. RAIL BUDGET ROOK
3. KEEP FAITH AND HAVE PATIENCE - REENA P RAJ
4. CHINA SHOULD BIDE ITS TIME - CHRIS PATTERN
5. TRY A NEW RECIPE - ASHOK GULATI AND KAVERY GANGULY

INDIAN EXPRESS

1. THICK RED LINES
2. SPOTTING SPOTTERS
3. INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENTS
4. CAREFUL OF THE CALM - SHISHIR GUPTA
5. TRAINING OUR SIGHTS ON THE FUTURE - SARABJITARJANSINGH
6. EXPANDING OUR TOWNS FOR URBAN GROWTH - RANESH NAIR
7. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION - NITYARAMAKRISHNAN
8. MEDALS PAINTED GOLD
9. VIEW FROM THE LEFT - MANOJ C G

FINANCIAL EXPRESS

1. REC'S SORROWS
2. PRICES IN PARLIAMENT
3. MICRO ECONOMICS IN BUDGET 2010 - SAUGATA BHATTACHARYA
4. FM SHOULD REDUCE TAX EXEMPTIONS - P RAGHAVAN
5. DEBATING REALLY ISN'T IN FASHION - JAYA JUMRANI

THE HINDU

1. IN DEEP CRISIS
2. HAIR REVEALS OUR PAST
3. POVERTY ESTIMATES VS FOOD ENTITLEMENTS - JEAN DRÈZE
4. ONE HIV TEST, BUT TWO RESULTS - ELIZABETH PISANI
5. A FRAGILE AMBIENCE OF HOPE - P. S. SURYANARAYANA
6. NCHER BILL: MISMATCH BETWEEN PROMISES AND PROVISIONS
7. UNEP AWARDS FOR TWO INSTITUTIONS

THE ASIAN AGE

1. MAOIST CEASEFIRE OFFER: IS IT REAL?
2. DEMYSTIFYING INDO-PAK TALKS
3. UNPRINCIPLED POLITICS

DNA

1. FRAGILE PEACE
2. SAFETY FIRST
3. LET US STRIVE TOWARDS BEING TRUE PATRIOTS - ABHAY VAIDYA
4. TOWARDS DEMOCRACY? - STANLEY A WEISS

THE TRIBUNE

1. BUDGETING BLUES
2. TALKS A RED HERRING
3. JUDGES' RETIREMENT
4. GEOPOLITICS AND SRI LANKA - BY KAMLENDRA KANWAR
5. THE PHOTO JOURNALIST - BY RAJ CHATTERJEE
6. HOW TO REVERSE PUNJAB'S DOWNHILL JOURNEY - BY SARBJIT DHALIWAL
7. LET'S FIGHT FUTURE WARS BY OTHER MEANS - BY MARY DEJEVSKY
8. SUPER MARKETS MUST TELL TRUTH ABOUT MEAT - BY MARTIN HICKMAN

MUMBAI MERROR

1. INSTITUTIONALISED SQUATTING

BUSINESS STANDARD

2. DEALING WITH DAM FAILURES
3. THE OTHER BUDGETS
4. EXPECT A MARKET-FRIENDLY BUDGET - A K BHATTACHARYA
5. AN INSTITUTIONAL SUCCESS STORY - ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN:
6. IS SPIKED PETROL A GOOD IDEA?
7. ARBITRATION SLOWDOWN - M J ANTONY

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

1. POWERFUL ALTERNATIVE
2. STATES TURN FISCALLY PRUDENT
3. HYPOCRISY ON FOOD PRICES
4. GLOBALISATION & INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY - SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR
5. TIME TO SWITCH OFF POWER LOSSES - JAIDEEP MISHRA
6. RETAIL INVESTORS TURN STREET-SMART, SKIP IPOS - VIJAY GURAV
7. NIFTY FEB EXPIRY SEEN AT 4800- 4900
8. MFS HARDSELL MIPS AS MARKET TURNS VOLATILE - NISHANTH VASUDEVAN
9. CORRECTION BEGINS WITH ADMISSION - VITHAL C NADKARNI
10. IS FERTILISER REFORM FARMER-FRIENDLY ?
11. FERTILISER REFORMS WERE LONG OVERDUE
12. SECTOR NEEDS MORE SUCH BENEFICIAL POLICIES
13. GLOBALISATION & INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY - SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR
14. TIME TO SWITCH OFF POWER LOSSES - JAIDEEP MISHRA
15. 'ANYONE CAN BECOME A BUILDER TODAY' - SUGATA GHOSH & MAYUR SHETTY
16. BHARTI WANTS TO LEAD IN MANY EMERGING MKTS: CEO - SHALINI SINGH
17. REDUCING GOVT EXPENDITURE AT A STEADY PACE'S CRUCIAL - SIDDHARTHA SANYA
18. THE CADBURY-KRAFT MARRIAGE IS MADE IN HEAVEN - KALA VIJAYRAGHAVAN

DECCAN CHRONICAL

1. MAOIST CEASEFIRE OFFER: IS IT REAL?
2. UNPRINCIPLED POLITICS - BY P.C. ALEXANDER
3. THE NARCISSUS SOCIETY IS TORMENTING US - BY ROGER COHEN
4. DEMYSTIFYING INDO-PAK TALKS - BY K.C. SINGH
5. DISTANT WARS AND CONSTANT GHOSTS - BY SHANNON P. MEEHAN
6. DIVINE DESIGN WILL GUIDE YOU - BY MUZAFFAR ALI

THE STATESMAN

1. AT SIXES AND SEVENS
2. DOOMED TO FAILURE
3. OVER THE TOP
4. TEMPLE AS THE 'SOUL' - BY AMULYA GANGULI
5. 'LEFT HAS IGNORED THE NEED FOR SOCIAL CHANGES'
6. DARK SIDE OF HENRY MOORE
7. 100 YEARS AGO TODAY

THE TELEGRAPH

1. PEACE HUNT
2. LEGAL DEMAND
3. REASON OVER EMOTION - ASHOK GANGULY
4. IN THE EYE OF THE EVIL - ABHIJIT BHATTACHARYYA

DECCAN HERALD

1. SEIZE THE SPACE
2. POTENT WEAPON
3. CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY - BY SUDHANSHU RANJAN
4. THE RIGHT OF MOTHER EARTH - BY LEONARDO BOFF
5. LIVING IN HOPE - BY BHARTENDU SOOD

THE JERUSALEM POST

1. PORUSH'S LEGACY
2. BASH ISRAEL (AND YOUR BRAIN) - BY AMNON RUBENSTEIN
3. SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE ISRAELI - BY DAVID BREAKSTONE
4. MIDEAST DRAMA STARRING DANNY AYALON - BY RAY HANANIA
5. EGYPT, A CIVIC MOMENT OF SILENCE - BY NIR BOMS

HAARETZ

1. NEEDED: ROADS WITH LEEWAY
2. NETANYAHU FACES DOUBLE INTIFADA FROM PALESTINIANS AND SETTLERS - BY ALUF BENN
3. WHY DOES ISRAEL CONTINUE TO DISMISS OBAMA'S MIDEAST PEACE EFFORTS? - BY GABI SHEFFER
4. A CIVIL MARRIAGE WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE - BY NIVA LANIR
5. THE ROAD TO STABLE DEMOCRACY - BY REUVEN RIVLIN

THE NEW YORK TIMES

1. QUESTIONS FOR MR. TOYODA
2. POWER GRAB
3. FIVE REPUBLICAN VOTES
4. IRAQ'S KNOWN UNKNOWNS, STILL UNKNOWN - BY THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
5. BUST THE HEALTH CARE TRUSTS - BY ROBERT B. REICH
6. EXTENDING OUR STAY IN IRAQ - BY THOMAS E. RICKS

I.THE NEWS

1. DRAGGING FEET
2. CHANGE AT THE HELM
3. ENDLESS TERROR
4. THE GAME-CHANGER - ZAFAR HILALY
5. WILL YOU LISTEN, MR PRESIDENT? - SALEEM SAFI
6. FREE FOR ALL - DR A Q KHAN
7. ON THE WRONG SIDE - RAOOF HASAN
8. THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S CHAUFFEUR - ANJUM NIAZ
9. SURVIVAL - CHARLES FERNDALE

PAKISTAN OBSERVER

1. COD IS NOT SO SACROSANCT
2. CLOSURE OF CHASHMA-JHELUM LINK CANAL
3. MORE AUTONOMY FOR AJK
4. SCUTTLING IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME - AIR MARSHAL AYAZ A KHAN (R)
5. NRO: TICKTOCKING, UK & USA - RIZWAN GHANI
6. TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY - MALIK M ASHRAF
7. AGENTS AND CONSPIRATORS - AFSHAIN AFZAL
8. INDIA'S LACKLUSTRE REFORM EFFORTS - GEETA ANAND

THE INDEPENDENT

1. ENERGY CRISIS
2. KING SOLOMON'S FORT?
3. YOU'RE NOT A CHICKEN..!
4. CLIMATE SCIENCE IS ALIVE - TAREQUL ISLAM MUNNA
5. UNBECOMING DEFIANCE AND DEMOCRATIC ETIQUETTE - SULAV CHOWDHURY
6. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT  - MD ASHRAF HOSSAIN
7. SYMPATHY AND TEA MAY NOT BE ENOUGH - DR TERRY LACEY
8. SEARCHING NEW DYNAMICS IN LEADERSHIP OF HASINA AND KHALEDA
9. ABDUL QUADER CHOWDHURY
10. WHY DO MUSLIMS LAG BEHIND IN THE PRESENT WORLD? - PITER MASUD

THE AUSTRALIAN

1. MEDIA WATCH MORE IN TOUCH THAN INSIDERS
2. WHEN IT COMES TO COAG, LESS MAY DELIVER MORE
3. SHARPEN COUNTER-TERRORISM

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

1. A CALMER STRATEGY AGAINST TERRORISM
2. IT'S TIME TO RETREAT ON STUDENT GRANTS
3. GARRETT MUST GO IF THE BUNGLING IS TO END
4. ISOLATE TERRORISTS IN WORD AND DEED

THE GUARDIAN

1. EDUCATION: FAITH NO MORE
2. PRESS STANDARDS AND LIBEL: HACKING AWAY AT THE TRUTH
3. IN PRAISE OF … A NUCLEAR-FREE EUROPE

THE KOREA HERALD

1. ENTERING 3RD YEAR
2. VANCOUVER FEATS
3. CAMPUSES AS ENGLISH-ONLY ZONES - KIM SEONG-KON
4. HOW TO LIVE THE WAY OF 'PEOPLE POWER'

THE JAPAN TIMES

1. GSDF OFFICER OUT OF LINE
2. NAGASAKI SHOWS DPJ FAULT LINE
3. THREE LESSONS FROM COPENHAGEN - BY BRAHMA CHELLANEY
4. THE IMF TO GREECE'S RESCUE? - BY SIMON JOHNSON

THE JAKARTA POST

1. MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO SAVE
2. VIEW POINT: THE 'BARONGSAI' SYNDROME - JULIA SURYAKUSUMA
3. LOST BETWEEN THE FOREST AND THE TIGER WOODS - TOM PLATE
4. A WIDESPREAD HYPOCRISY ENTAILS A SOCIAL ANOMALY - BUDIONO KUSUMOHAMIDJOJO
5. DEFENSE ACQUISITION REFORM ESSENTIAL FOR INDUSTRY - CURIA MAHARANI AND DAVID MOORE

CHINA DAILY

1. IRAN 'SOLUTION' A TRAP
2. STOP VIOLENT DEMOLITIONS
3. SHOULD CHINA REVALUE ITS CURRENCY? - BY GARY S. BECKER (CHINA DAILY)
4. MEDIA PUNDITS DEPICT NATION'S ROLE IN AFRICA WRONG - BY BARRY SAUTMAN AND YAN HAIRONG (CHINA DAILY)
5. WIDEN THE TABLE ON RICE DEBATE - BY LI DUN (CHINA DAILY)
6. A HEAVY HEART IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER - BY CHEN WEIHUA (CHINA DAILY)

DAILY MIRROR

1. SINDU, THE MALWATTA BABY ELEPHANT THAT RAN AMOK
2. COLOMBIANS REVISITED
3. PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2010: LIVING THROUGH A KLEPTOCRACY AND NOT WANTING AN ALTERNATIVE
4. GRABBING AND GREED - DOES IT EVER END?  

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THE PIONEER

EDIT DESK

MAOIST OFFER IS A HOAX

RED TERRORISTS ARE PLAYING FOR TIME

It is clear as crystal that the so-called ceasefire offer by the Maoists is a calculated hoax. The peace offer is not open-ended but limited to 72 days ending May 7. Coincidentally, this is the day Parliament's Budget session ends. The Maoists will not lay down arms — in fact they probably plan to turn up with their weapons, as they did in Andhra Pradesh in 2004 — and will only negotiate if "progressive intellectuals" mediate between the Government of India and a bunch of habitual law-breakers and thugs. The 2004 precedent would be instructive. In Andhra Pradesh, the Maoists used the 'peace process' to regroup, without any intention of giving talks a chance. They made outlandish demands — including the expulsion of MNCs from Hyderabad and the shutting down of its IT business complex — and re-launched their rebellion with trademark ferocity. Fortunately, in the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy Andhra Pradesh then had a tough and remarkably clear-headed Chief Minister. He unleashed the lethal Greyhound commandos and systematically destroyed the leadership of the Maoist militia in the districts. Completely crippled, the Maoists fled the State and disappeared into neighbouring Chhattisgarh. With such a record, it would be a foolish establishment that would trust the bogus offer of peace talks. That aside, the very idea of "progressive intellectuals" playing any sort of honest broker role is shockingly naïve. In West Bengal, this term refers to writers who produce drab novels and bad poetry, film-makers who make unwatchable and excruciatingly depressing cinema and activists more concerned with the revolution in Venezuela than the well being of Vizag. These are people with zero idea of reality, ivory tower personalities whose travels into the 'real' India are limited to political tourism. The last time India trusted such intellectuals as mediators in talks with terror groups was in Assam, when busybodies thought they could negotiate with the United Liberation Front of Asom. The results of that catastrophic experience still haunt large tracts of Assam.

Rather than be bullied by the Maoists and their intellectual auxiliaries — who seem to have extraordinary leverage with the media — the UPA Government should come out with a concrete counter-proposal. Home Minister P Chidambaram has been consistent in his position that talks are only possible if the Maoists set aside their guns and abjure violence. This bottom line cannot be breached and the Maoists and their friends will have to come round to it. If they don't then, given the Andhra Pradesh template of 2004, the Maoist offer will be inevitably seen as suspect and hypocritical. Should the Government stick to its instincts, it is likely to face criticism from familiar quarters. The same Left-liberal faces who turn up on television screens, backed by treacherous sections of the political class, will accuse the UPA of heartlessness. Never mind. This is not a moment to be wasted. There is wide-spectrum agreement on the need to destroy the Maoists. It stretches from the Congress and the BJP to the CPI(M). Militarily, this is the best time to act and to take advantage of the temporary contradiction between the organised and unorganised Left. If it loses the 2011 West Bengal election, the CPI(M) may begin to rebuild bridges with the Maoists and dismantle the consensus. That is why the next 12 months are critical, and that could be why the Maoists are playing for time.

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THE PIONEER

EDIT DESK

THE PEACE DIVIDEND

RAJAPAKSA SHOULD FOCUS ON REFORMS

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's emphatic victory in last month's presidential election has surely earned him a place in the annals of his country's history. Mr Rajapaksa is not only someone who can legitimately claim to have delivered his people from the scourge of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and put to an end a quarter-century-old civil war but also a Sri Lankan leader who enjoys a huge popular mandate. This places Mr Rajapaksa in a unique position wherein he commands the necessary resources to usher in a never-before-experienced period of development, peace and political stability for Sri Lanka. It cannot be stressed enough that even though the Tamil Tigers have been vanquished once and for all, the seeds of Tamil grievances remain. Unless these grievances are addressed and the Tamil minority community of Sri Lanka empowered politically, economically and socially, the country will not develop at the pace at which it is capable of. Besides, Mr Rajapaksa's recent electoral victory is a reflection of the fact that the people of Sri Lanka now want nothing more than unhindered inclusive growth and that they look up to their President to make this happen. Thus, if Mr Rajapaksa fails to deliver on this front, he would be denying himself the legacy that he truly deserves.

Sri Lankans are slated to go to polls next month to elect a new Parliament. With the Opposition coalition virtually disintegrating in the aftermath of the defeat of its combined presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, it is likely that the ruling United People Freedom Alliance will gain a comfortable majority. This will further strengthen Mr Rajapaksa's hand. But before that happens, the Sri Lankan President should set into motion the much-needed constitutional reforms that would see significant devolution of power in the Tamil-majority areas of the country. It is true that this would require appropriate ratification by the country's Parliament. But as an executive President, Mr Rajapaksa has the authority to initiate the process. And there is little excuse for him not to do so. Mr Rajapaksa has had everything going his way. Needless to say that this has benefited the people of Sri Lanka immensely. But now it is time for him to shed the image of a war-time President and don the avatar of a statesman. For, Sri Lanka today is at a critical juncture and the path that its President charts for the nation could be the difference between the country emerging as a stable and prosperous economy and a state mired in constant internal strife. Mr Rajapaksa knows this well. Let him not squander the golden opportunity that destiny has presented him. He must finish the job that he has started.

 

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            THE PIONEER

COLUMN

VICTORY TO THE GODS

CLAUDE ARPI

Just a couple of days after the 'historic' meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama (I don't consider it as truly historic as previous American Presidents have also met the Tibetan leader), a photo appeared on the Internet. It was taken by an AFP photographer and was apparently released by the White House. One sees a smiling Dalai Lama coming out from what is said to be the kitchen door of the White House, with piles of garbage on the side. A pro-Tibetan group based in India commented, "Orphans of the Cold War!"

I don't know about the Cold War, but the Tibetans are certainly 'orphans' today. Even nations and leaders who pretend to stand for human rights, democracy or free speech are panicky about China's new might. As a result, these countries only pay lip service to human values.

Even if Mr Obama had planned for a low-key encounter, the Dalai Lama should have been given a decent exit. Sadly, the most powerful nation of the world chooses today to bow to the economic rise of the Middle Kingdom. Even before seeing this picture, my first reaction to the long-awaited meeting was: It is only good for Obama's karma.

Will it have positive results for the Tibetans? I am not sure. Several friends told me that it is better to meet the US President than not to meet him; they are probably right, however, at the same time, I don't think one can expect miracles from the Dalai Lama's Washington visit.

Most of the media covering the event emphasised on Mr Obama's courage: He dared to defy Chinese anger (or diktats?) to meet the Tibetan leader. Well, it is probably the minimum that the new Nobel Laureate could do. How could he refuse to receive the Tibetan leader when his predecessors have met him?

Before the event, Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's special envoy had set a conciliatory tone: "His Holiness will be asking the President to help find a solution in resolving the Tibet issue that would be mutually beneficial to the Tibetan and Chinese people."

On their side the Chinese Government had as usual requested Washington to cancel the meeting which would 'damage' Sino-American relations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu declared: "China resolutely opposes the visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States, and resolutely opposes US leaders having contact with the Dalai Lama."

So, Mr Obama 'discretely' met the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House where American Presidents usually stage hush-hush meetings.

The Obama Administration termed the encounter as a "private call" and though White House spokesman Robert Gibb declared that the President supported "the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in China", it is not clear how the US will practically translate this on the ground for the Tibetans.

The meeting was certainly good for Mr Obama's image since his popularity is tumbling fast (mainly due to domestic policies and his position on Afghanistan). A recent survey pointed that about 52 per cent Americans believe that Mr Obama does not deserve a second term in office. In another CNN opinion poll, released on the eve of the meeting in the Map Room, nearly three-quarters of the Americans said that Tibet should be an independent country, (even if the Dalai Lama does not ask for independence anymore).

The strong feeling of Americans was an important factor in the decision by the Obama Administration to brave Beijing's ire. But what will it bring to the Tibetans? The Chinese leaders today are too arrogant to listen to anything coming out of Washington. In fact, they strongly resent any advice from the West. Moreover, the US is deep in debt. What can a country with such a huge debt towards China impose on the Rising Dragon?

The Tibetan issue is extremely complex and the present leadership in Beijing does not possess the courage or the charisma to take the plunge and offer a genuine solution acceptable to the Tibetan people. This is a pity because the Dalai Lama is the only person who could help sort out the present contradictions of China. It is, however, true that a genuine solution would bring about tremendous changes inside China and perhaps the collapse of the present system under a totalitarian Communist regime.

Another aspect of the problem appeared in an event which took place in north-eastern Tibet (outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region). Thousands of Tibetans demonstrated in Ngaba County of Amdo Province. It was not like in March 2008 to express their anger against the Chinese, but to show their joy: Their leader had met the most powerful man in the world.

The website Phayul.com reported: "The mournful atmosphere of the Tibetan New Year was replaced by jubilation with people bursting firecrackers in the streets and celebrating." Crowds from nearby villages gathered near Ngaba Kirti monastery for a purification ritual; they burned incense and erected wind-horse prayer flags. Thousands marched in the streets and shouted "ki ki so so lha gyalo" (victory to the gods) while throwing tsampa (barley flour) in the air. Apparently the Chinese security forces did not know how to react to the incense-burning. The Chinese police eventually confiscated the firecrackers from the Tibetans and extinguished the ritual fires.

The day after Mr Obama met the Dalai Lama, I happened to attend a dance performance by a group of Tibetan students who were perhaps 13 to 14 years old; they were not professional dancers, just students who, during their holidays, had learned some steps and songs. But they were really good. Their eagerness to preserve their ancient culture was quite touching. Interestingly, most of the youngsters were born in Tibet and had only come recently to India to learn about their own tradition.

I believe this is one of the greatest achievements of the Dalai Lama: More than 50 years after having fled his country, the culture of the Roof of the World is still very much alive in India. The preservation of the age-old culture will certainly one day make a difference. In the meantime, if you visit China, do a Google search for Tibet — you will get a blank screen. Let us hope that Mr Obama will do something to change this. Half of the Dalai Lama's problem would then be solved.

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THE PIONEER

COLUMN

A TOUGH STAND THE ONLY CHOICE

TH CHOWDARY

The operations against Maoists and various armed gangs of Communists initiated by the Government, irrespective of whether it is the Congress, the BJP, the TDP or the CPI(M) that is in power at the Centre or in the States, are all phoney. The Congress and the TDP hobnobbed with these Left-wing extremists when they were in the Opposition and parleyed with them after coming to power. But these mainstream political parties were never able to get the extremists to give up their arms and come to the negotiating table. This is because all these parties have been infiltrated by former Communists and Marxists of different shades. The only outcome of the Government's anti-Maoist operations will be the loss of hundreds of lives, especially those of security personnel and civilian informants. Our policemen are simply being offered to Maoists for slaughter.

Maoist agents within civil society are operating as 'progressive' and 'revolutionary' writers and artistes and champions of civil liberties and human rights. These people are there to ensure that any Government measure against their armed comrades is met with stiff resistance from within the establishment. It is a fact that no underground movement can be sustained without above-ground support. Hence, the Leftist intellectuals are as much culpable in the barbaric killing of innocent civilians as armed Maoists.

To stub out this menace once and for all we must enact preventive detention laws as in the late 1940s and early1950s when the then Communist Party — under BT Ranadev's leadership and tutored by the COMINFORM (master-minded by Joseph Stalin) — mounted armed attacks to overthrow the Nehru Government for being a 'stooge 'of Anglo-American imperialism, and termed India's independence as bogus. Rajaji and Sardar Patel realised the real nature of the de-Indianised Communists and enacted laws that disabled the above-ground Leftists from subverting our democracy. Sure enough, the Communists realised the futility of armed struggles and called them off — in September 1951 under instructions from Stalin. If the Government is unable to defeat Maoism domestically, how can we trust it to deal with Pakistan and China?

 

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THE PIONEER

OPED

A DIABOLICAL PLOY

THOSE WITH SEPARATIST SYMPATHIES HAVE DELIBERATELY DISTORTED WHAT IS AN UNAMBIGUOUS DENUNCIATION OF APPEASEMENT-PEDDLERS WHO WANT INDIA TO CONCEDE PAKISTAN'S UNACCEPTABLE DEMANDS ON J&K

CHANDAN MITRA

I am aghast at the diabolical attempt by certain persons with obvious separatist sympathies to distort my article "A 'moth-eaten' India?" which appeared in The Pioneer on Sunday, February 21, 2010. A canard is being spread by a Kashmiri commentator Iftikhar Gilani, who writes for the Kashmir Times, that I have argued against the BJP's stand on Jammu & Kashmir and advocated "free Kashmir or joint sovereignty" for the State. I am truly appalled by the deliberate and motivated distortion of my beliefs by Mr Gilani and his ilk.

In my article, I had strongly denounced the views of a "small but influential section of public opinion in India", which often argues that New Delhi should think out of the box and consider options such as "joint sovereignty" and even consider "giving up" the State in view of the mounting loss of lives. Having summarised their utterly ridiculous suggestions, which are now being mischievously attributed to me, I went on to describe these people as "appeasement-peddlers". I accused them of overlooking the bloodthirsty diatribe of jihadi leaders like Abdur Rehman Makki and other "luminaries of the Rogue's Gallery of terror", namely, leaders of Jamaat-ud-Dawa'h which I described as a euphemism for Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.

The entire thrust of my article was that there cannot be any compromise with jihadi elements who have vowed to dismember Jammu & Kashmir from India. I sharply criticised the UPA Government's ambivalent stand with reference to India's capitulation before Pakistan at Sharm el-Sheikh. I concluded by warning the nation against the jihadi and Pakistani plot to wage a 1,000-year war on India to make it a moth-eaten entity.

Anybody with rudimentary knowledge of the English language could not have misunderstood my argument. Therefore, to pick out my summary of the views of separatists and their closet sympathisers in India smacks of a wily, premeditated ploy to mislead and confuse the people. It is also aimed at embarrassing the BJP for I am a member of its National Executive and speak in its support at various public forums, including television channels.

I strongly denounce this pre-planned mischief-making. There is no question of my having ever supported the separatists' argument. Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and the country will not countenance the diabolical attempt by jihadi groups, assisted by a handful of home-grown separatists and sections of the Pakistani establishment, to tear India apart — whether by force or fanciful formulas like "joint sovereignty".

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THE PIONEER

OPED

PLAYING WITH FIRE

POLITICIANS AREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT TACKLING MAOISTS

SHIKHA MUKERJEE

Sensibilities have been so bludgeoned that even 24 dead Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans, five Maoist cadres, another three deaths in Jharkhand, the death of an activist in Lalgarh is not sufficient to get the Indian State to act. The coy flirtations with the perpetrators of 'unlawful activities' are turning into a deadly interminable serial of violence.

Cocooned in the confidence that it has numerical majority of its side, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in association with its ally the Trinamool Congress is involved in a complicated political game of keeping partners, the so-called intelligentsia and the Maoists all running around in circles. The viciousness of it is appalling.

Yet the numbers that bolster the regimes at the Centre or in West Bengal obviously do not add up to a simple question — do these Governments have the mandate, the legitimacy that is, to deal with the greatest threat to internal security as it has been described ad nauseam? Going by their actions, it seems the Indian political class does not feel it has the legitimacy to take out the Maoists through a security operation that will display the ruthless power of the State. Not the Government-led by Mr Manmohan Singh, not the Government led by Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and certainly not Ms Mamata Banerjee, who has converted her enmity against the Communist Party of India(Marxist) into a reason to be apologetic about action against the Maoists, to the point that she denies them their credit in the killings that occurred in Shilda in West Midnapore.

Continuing a harangue against the position, albeit dubious, of the Trinamool Congress vis-à-vis the Maoists has become meaningless. Since the entire political class is prepared to condone the adoption of the position and find merit in the words, actions and avoidances of Ms Banerjee, any criticism is unacceptable.

The mystery of why any individual member of the political class is unprepared to be the one that bells the Maoist cats is thereby explained. Any political party that is in power cannot afford the risk of taking out the Maoists since the other political players will immediately convert the action into a planned carnage perpetrated against helpless villagers or tribals or women or whatever is touchingly vulnerable to the different interests that articulate opinions, control votes and deliver judgements without the responsibility of providing good, efficient, secure governance.

The sickening spectacle of dead bodies sprawled in their vulnerability, bullet riddled, hacked or slaughtered is not sufficient reason for action. As soon as Shilda happened, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram announced a fresh round of consultations (!) with the different State Governments — Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. As soon as he announced it, Ms Banerjee raised a protest. Therefore, Mr Chidambaram called for a 72-hour truce from the Maoists to begin peace talks.

The Maoist response is the clearest message that any State can receive, that they do not give a damn. The Maoists organised and held a conclave of their top leadership in West Bengal. From that conclave they declared that the war would be escalated in the context of the promised 'Green Hunt' that the Governments at the Centre and in the States are about to launch. Post the conclave the Maoists demanded a 72-day security stand-off only after which they would come to the negotiating table.

The contempt of the Maoists for the political class that runs the machinery of Government in India is all too evident in the 72-day moratorium they demanded. And why would the Maoists not feel contemptuous of the Government that failed to pick up any one of the leaders or even round up the whole lot when they were in conclave to decide on future strategy? How did the Maoist leadership arrive at the conclave, leave the conclave and talk to the media in the bargain without the Government — Centre and the States — figuring out where they were and doing something about it.

The coyness displayed by the political class is symptomatic of its unwillingness to be decisive, to deliver what is needed where it is needed and when it is needed. It is symptomatic of its chronic failure to fight waste, leakages, corruption, exploitation and discrimination. It is symptomatic of the weak-kneed leadership that prefers to tie itself up in arguing the pros and cons rather than with getting on with the job. It therefore breeds and pampers elements like the Trinamool Congress on the one hand, the inconsequential bands that masquerade as opinion leaders and civil society voices. It is not the Maoists who are in hiding and on the run; it is the parliamentary political class of parties that is in hiding and on the run.

The reason why they are able to pull of this magic trick is because the long suffering people are trapped between the devil and the deep sea. There are too many vested interests that link local level political bigwigs to the outlaws, who strut around pretending to be heroes whereas they are just plain old bullies.

 

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THE PIONEER

OPED

CANARD AS COMMENT

BY FALSELY ATTRIBUTING TO CHANDAN MITRA THE SEPARATISTS' DEMAND THAT INDIA MUST SURRENDER KASHMIR VALLEY TO PAKISTAN, KASHMIR TIMES HAS CHOSEN TO PLAY A SINISTER GAME

HARI OM

A Delhi-based Kashmiri commentator on Jammu & Kashmir affairs, Iftikhar Gilani, who is a close relative of the pro-Pakistani separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani and also writes for a local English daily, The Kashmir Times, has expressed surprise over the "views" as, according to him, expressed by Chandan Mitra in his article "A 'moth-eaten' India?" published in The Pioneer on Sunday, February 21. Actually, Iftikhar Gilani has distorted everything and shamelessly put his own words in the mouth of Chandan Mitra to create confusion and mislead public opinion.

A former member of the Rajya Sabha, Chandan Mitra is a member of the BJP National Executive and editor of The Pioneer, which is perhaps the only national English language newspaper whose concept of India is what it should be. The extent of the ill-motivated 'surprise' expressed by Iftikhar Gilani can be gauged from the fact that he has described the "views of the BJP think-tank as a sharp U-turn".

It would be appropriate to quote verbatim those portions of his front-page story, "Free Kashmir or joint sovereignty is BJP think-tank's new mantra", published in the Kashmir Times on Tuesday, February 23, which have, according to him, sprung a 'surprise' on him. The relevant portions of story read: "A sharp U-turn of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Kashmir was taken by one of its top think-tank members suggesting India give up its claim on the Valley or go for the joint-sovereignty… The BJP may wriggle out (by) describing it as a personal view of Mitra and not that of the party as it did in the wake of a series of articles by former Union Minister Arun Shourie, but still such views coming from one of its think-tanks are surprising…".

It would be no exaggeration if it is said that Iftikhar Gilani has violated all the cardinal principles of journalism by putting his own words in the mouth of Chandan Mitra.

What exactly did Chandan Mitra write in his Sunday column? He, among other things, wrote: "A small but influential section of public opinion in India has been pleading for 'flexibility' in the Government's approach to the Kashmir issue. Some important opinion-makers have, in fact, gone on record to suggest that India will gain, not lose, stature if it gives up the Kashmir Valley in order to buy peace with Pakistan. At any rate, we will stop bleeding in the Valley and the world would look upon us as a mature, self-assured, emerging global power once the 'thorn' of Kashmir is removed… They argue that none other than Jawaharlal Nehru internationalised the issue by scurrying to the UN in 1948 and pledged India to conduct a plebiscite in the State."

Quoting whom he described as "appeasement-peddlers", Chandan Mitra further wrote: "After losing nearly 1,00,000 lives in 22 years of insurgency, isn't it high time that Delhi considered this 'out-of-the-box' solution? And if that is not quite practical yet, what about joint sovereignty? Why can't undivided Jammu & Kashmir have a united quasi-Parliament thereby abolishing borders and giving equal say to India, Pakistan and the 'people' of the State over its destiny? Washington, which loves such complex arrangements that facilitate a permanent foothold for itself in strategic regions, (erstwhile Yugoslavia being a case in point) has privately pushed this line for long. There may not be too many takers for such abject capitulation, but the fact that these views are increasingly aired in public appears to have put the Government on the defensive. Under pressure from Washington, New Delhi stonewalled the legitimate demand to call off the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks despite last week's blast in Pune."

That Chandan Mitra nowhere endorsed these controversial views, barring the views on the American pressure, becomes clear from what he wrote in the following paragraph: "This section of appeasement-peddlers are, therefore, certain to overlook the menacing threat conveyed earlier this month by Jamaat-ud-Dawa'h (euphemism for Laskhar-e-Tayyeba) deputy chief Abdur Rehman Makki. Speaking at a Kashmir Day rally in Islamabad on February 5, the fire-spewing Makki not only let slip that Pune was on their radar, but also declared that jihad was also to be waged against the alleged denial of river water to Pakistan. This is a very significant addition to Pakistan's agenda, doubly important because it is a 'secular' inter-governmental matter rather than emotional or Islamist. The annexation of Kashmir on grounds of its denominational character is a declared jihadi objective. But Talibani/jihadi forces had so far refrained from dovetailing this issue with other disputed matters between India and Pakistan."

And, what is the operative part of Chandan Mitra's article? It reads: "Who knows what more will be added to the jihadi wish-list in the years to come? Hyderabad, Junagadh, Assam, Kolkata? Jinnah complained in 1947 that he had been tricked into accepting a 'moth-eaten Pakistan'. The jihadis are carrying forward the promised 1,000-year war to reduce India to a moth-eaten entity, within and without."

The meaning of what he wrote is clear: Even if you hand over Kashmir to Pakistan on a platter or even if India goes in for supra-state measures in order to empower Islamabad to exercise co-equal powers with New Delhi in the Indian State, Pakistan would continue to bleed India with a thousand cuts.

Even a naïve person would agree that what Chandan Mitra has written is nothing but a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA Government and its foreign policy which has enabled Pakistan to score diplomatic victories and humble and harm India.

His whole refrain, which is quite visible in his entire article, is that the authorities in New Delhi are pandering to jihadis, thus emboldening them further to expand their anti-India agenda. His comments on the July 16, 2009 Sharm el-Sheikh India-Pakistan joint statement, the Pakistani designs on Indus waters, the future of the Pakistani state and possibility of the jihadis taking over the Pakistani political and military establishments and nuclear installations, India's humiliation at the London Conference and the conclave in Turkey, exclusion of India from the core group on Afghanistan, resumption of talks with a "rogue" Pakistan and so on, all indicate Chandan Mitra's grave concern over what has been happening for quite sometime now.

-- The writer is Dean of Social Sciences, University of Jammu, and former member of Indian Council of Historical Research.

 

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THE PIONEER

OPED

WEAPONS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILES CAN BE FOBBED OFF WITH LASER WEAPONS

ILYA KRAMNIK

Earlier this month, on February 12, the US Missile Defense Agency used the Airborne Laser Test Bed mounted on a Boeing B-747 jumbo jet to shoot down a liquid-propellant and a solid-propellant target missile.

The ALTB project is one of the MDA's most ambitious and long-term programmes. Washington launched its initial research in this sphere in the 1970s. At that time, an NKC-135-ALL aircraft, a modified version of the KC-135 Stratotanker, was built and used as an airborne laboratory.

United Technologies built a 10-tonne, 04-0.5-MWt CO2 laser system for the programme. The NKC-135-ALL was involved in a series of tests in the late-1970s and the early 1980s. Although the tests proved that a laser weapon was feasible, it had a range of just a few kilometres and therefore lacked any military prospects.

In 1985, a laser weapon used in ground tests heated up the stationary fuel tank of a Titan-1 intercontinental ballistic missile simulating a Soviet ICBM a thousand metres away causing it to explode.

Such tests, as well as the NKC-135-ALL programme, were conducted under the Strategic Defence Initiative programme. However it was impossible to develop a feasible missile defence system based on airborne laser weapons because most of the technical problems remained unsolved.

The Soviet Union also implemented an airborne laser weapon programme and built a Beriev A-60 aircraft, an upgraded version of the Il-76 transport aircraft. Although Moscow virtually mothballed the programme after the break-up of the USSR in late-1991, the media reported last year that it had been resumed.

The United States resumed work on airborne laser weapons in the late-1990s after the issue of implementing the National Missile Defence Programme was raised. Initially there were plans to build two prototype and five production aircraft by 2012.

However, it was later decided to scale down the programme, due to skyrocketing costs. Although a prototype aircraft was scheduled to be completed by 2012, Washington decided not to build it and retained only one YAL-1 prototype, work on which began in 2000.

What is the ALTB's potential? Although there is no exhaustive information on the February 12 tests, some conclusions can be drawn on the basis of available reports.

The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser weapons system has three laser systems, namely, a Track Illuminator Laser for illuminating the target and adjusting the parameters of the laser weapon's optical system, a Beacon Illuminator Laser for reducing atmospheric aberration, and the six-module High-Energy Laser weapon system.

The YAL-1 can hit ballistic missiles during their boost phase and has a range of 200-250 km. The effective range is limited by the laser unit's power, the laser beam's atmospheric dissipation, atmospheric aberration affecting siting accuracy and the laser-beam gas breakdown effect which has not yet been eliminated. Moreover, an excessively powerful laser unit could overheat the fuselage and cause the plane to crash.

These factors and the system's low rate of fire currently make it possible only to intercept individual missiles at short range. It appears that such systems will be unable to neutralise an all-out nuclear strike in the next 20-30 years.

Speaking of a hypothetical Russian-US conflict, airborne laser weapons would have to be deployed in Russian air space in order to be able to intercept Russian missiles in their boost phase and during the separation of their multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. In fact, they would have only three-five minutes to accomplish this objective.

However, even Russia's problem-ridden air-defence system would not allow a B-747 to roam free in national air space.

Airborne laser weapons present a greater threat to strategic ballistic missile submarines which either patrol Russian territorial waters or international waters. However, there is one limitation. As the submarines spend most of their time underwater, laser-carrying aircraft could not quickly reach the optimal firing position necessary for a successful missile interception.

Consequently, this project's current version threatens only countries such as Iran or North Korea which have a small territory and are therefore unable to deploy missile bases far from their borders.

In the next several decades, the potential for laser weapons may be enhanced, especially if it becomes possible to deploy them on hypersonic suborbital platforms operating in the upper atmosphere where laser dissipation is minimised.

However, it would be pointless to deploy such weapons aboard spacecraft, unless payload mass is increased drastically because it would otherwise prove impossible to orbit high-power laser units.

It is impossible to struggle against the development of laser weapons. Practical experience shows that legal documents seldom effectively limit technical progress. Consequently, we must start preparing for a new round of the arms race now.

It is common knowledge that Russia is currently developing new-generation ballistic missiles which will be able to breach missile-defence systems with laser weapons. This objective can be accomplished by reducing a missile's boost phase, enhancing the manoeuverability along this flight leg, etc. Analysts are discussing other measures that can shield missiles from laser beams.

Naturally, Russia must conduct independent research in this area to be able to manufacture airborne laser weapons and to effectively cope with similar enemy systems. Media reports about the reinstatement of the A-60 programme are particularly important in this context.

-- The writer is a military affairs columnist based in Moscow.

 

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MAIL TODAY

EDITORIAL

CLEAR MAOIST REPLY NEEDED TO PC'S OFFER

 

THE UNION Home Minister P. Chidambaram has done the right thing in calling on the Maoists to be upfront and categorical on the issue of talks with the government. There may have been a touch of the theatrical in the minister providing a facsimile number for his ministry to enable the Maoists to make the declaration, " We will abjure violence and we are prepared for talks." But it does put the ball firmly in the Maoists' court.

 

On Friday the Minister had declared that the government would be willing to talk, if the Maoists halted violence for 72 hours.

 

The somewhat cheeky response of the Maoist leader Kishenji on Monday night was that the Maoists would reciprocate if the government halted its joint operation against them for 72 days.

 

A subsidiary condition was that " intellectuals and human rights organisations" mediate between the Maoists and the government.

 

The government has been bold in putting forward the offer that it has, considering that its offensive against the Maoists has just gotten underway. It would not be far- fetched to say that the offensive, as well as the series of arrests of the top Maoist functionaries across the country, has led to some pressure on them to talk peace. They would be well advised to take up the offer.

 

The obvious problem is that the Maoists represent an underground operation, spread across several states of the country.

 

It is not clear whether Mr Kishenji's comments were made suo motu, or reflect the considered policy of the Maoist leadership.

 

Yet, given the gulf that separates the insurgents who seek to overthrow the state, and the state itself, sincerity and trust can only come through the unfolding of the actual process of a ceasefire and talks.

 

There can be no doubt that the secular, democratic republic of India has little place for the pernicious and violent ideology of Maoism.

 

At first sight it is difficult to see what kind of a dialogue the government can have with an outfit aiming to overthrow it.

 

But it would be a measure of the self- confidence and inherent strength of our constitutional state if it is able to engage the Maoists at multiple levels and best them not just in the exercise of violence, but also in diplomacy and politics.

 

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MAIL TODAY

CAPITAL SHAME

 

THAT the national capital has come out as the most dangerous city in India as far as pedestrians are concerned will not surprise its residents. A National Crime Records Bureau report says as many as 589 pedestrians were crushed to death on Delhi's roads in 2008. In all, pedestrian deaths accounted for nearly 30 per cent of road casualties in Delhi, a rate four times the national average of 8.7 per cent. And if you thought that being a big city has something to do with this phenomenon, let it be known that not a single such fatality occurred in Chennai and Kolkata in 2008.

 

This is a matter of shame for the national capital which should be setting standards for other cities in India to follow. And while there is no denying that the staggering number of vehicles on Delhi's roads — nearly 4.5 million in March 2008, more than the figure for Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai put together — is partly responsible, the role of infringement of traffic regulations, rash and drunken driving and the step- motherly treatment meted out to pedestrians cannot be played down either.

 

For, let's accept it: the pedestrian is a rather lowly creature on Delhi's roads.

 

Cities in developed countries may set aside pathways for safe walking but Delhi's roads— broad in comparison to our other metros— make no such provision.

 

Even the zebra crossings don't function, with drivers refusing to grant pedestrians the right of way. There are few, if any, signaled pedestrian crossovers. Footpaths which pedestrians can use are often encroached upon by vehicles and vendors.

 

There aren't enough foot overbridges and subways. In any case, the subways, being unsafe and unclean, are not used by most people, especially women.

 

What is needed is better infrastructure for pedestrians, tighter regulation of traffic and public awareness about the need for road safety.

 

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MAIL TODAY

LOW KEY OUTCOME BUILT INTO PAK TALKS

BY BHARAT BHUSHAN

 

ALTHOUGH past experience may have made India's foreign policy mandarins wary of projecting success in any impending India-Pakistan talks, their expectations of the foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan seem to be remarkably low by any standard.

 

It could well be that the Indian foreign policy establishment sees failure in-built in the meeting which is being described variously as "standalone" and "talk about talks".

 

In any case given the state of play no surprises can be expected in any dialogue between India and Pakistan. After all, the respective positions of the two sides are known, their strengths and weaknesses are known, their respective priorities are known and the objective conditions under which the dialogue is taking place are known. Even the arguments and the counter-arguments are known. On the face of it then, there is nothing new that either side can put on the table.

 

What could be the reasons behind the present apprehension? The timing of the latest initiative may not be favourable to India. The dialogue is taking place at a time when the civilian government in Pakistan has lost even the capacity of making positive statements vis-a-vis India.

 

The public speech of the otherwise suave Pakistan foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Multan a few days ago was extremely revealing. He is known to be a votary of friendship with India and has been associated for over a decade and a half in a Track-II diplomatic effort to improve bilateral ties. Yet he spoke in Multan of the coming diplomatic talks as a great victory for Pakistan suggesting that India had been brought to its knees! This shows that even reasonable Pakistani politicians have had to align their rhetoric to that of the army.

 

The Pakistani armed forces, especially General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, have recovered lost ground and are now once again seen as the real champions of national interest.

 

In Afghanistan, Pakistan has skillfully made use of US confusion, wavering and dependence on them for logistics to change western perceptions of its role. Where they were beginning to be looked upon as a duplicitous and unreliable ally, they are now considered as central to the western strategy in Afghanistan. The US policy decision on reintegration and reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan further places Pakistan in an extremely favourable position vis-avis India.

 

Afghanistan

 

There is no way a dialogue can take place with the Taliban without the involvement of Pakistan.

 

The Taliban leadership is based in Pakistan and they are in touch with the Inter- Services Intelligence ( ISI). Not only will Pakistan be kept appraised of the negotiations, it will make sure that its own interests are not compromised in these talks.

 

Should there be such a threat, the Taliban leaders inimical to its interests can even be eliminated.

 

Saudi Arabia has been given the role of a mediator, which given its nexus with Pakistan, will make sure that Pakistan's future interests in Afghanistan are safeguarded.

India, on the other hand, was excluded from the January 26 Istanbul talks at Pakistan's insistence. At the London conference on Afghanistan, India's concerns on not reaching out to the Taliban were disregarded.

 

Worse, Mullah Muttawakil was removed from the UN sanctions list even though his involvement in the IC814 hijacking was culpable — at the very least he let the hijackers go scot free and return to Pakistan when his government ought to have arrested and tried them.

 

The dialogue is also taking place at a time when Pakistan has raised the ante in two significant ways — it has reverted to its UN plebiscite rhetoric on Kashmir; and it has artificially raised the profile of the water issue on a par with the Kashmir issue in terms of outstanding problems between the two countries. It is in this overall context that Pakistan has regained confidence and is getting western support.

 

It is not a coincidence that after the London conference, the US signed off a $ 3.5 billion arms package for Pakistan.

 

What is the worst that could happen when a dialogue takes place in this context? The pessimists would argue that such a dialogue would strengthen the position of the armed forces in Pakistan, it would comfort Pakistan that its strategy towards India is the right one; that it can continue to pressure India through deniable terrorism and keep it guessing in search of a policy to deal with Pakistan.

 

Further, they would argue that India would not gain by its moderate and statesmanlike behaviour.

 

Instead, India would have helped Pakistan get international legitimacy without getting anything in return — not even western backing on the basic issue of Pakistan curbing terrorism against India from its soil.

 

Engagement

 

One, therefore, gets a sneaking suspicion that there is a powerful section of the Indian establishment which believes that the timing of the talks and their context is wrong, that the expectations from the talks are unrealistic and the objectives not realisable.

 

It is perhaps the realisation that the cards are stacked against India and not an innate cussedness that there should be no engagement of Pakistan which makes them apprehensive about raising the expectations from the foreign secretary level talks.

 

However, those in the Indian establishment who are in favour of engaging Pakistan — most notably, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — are convinced that India must do its utmost to resolve its problems with Pakistan even if the overall context does not appear favourable.

 

They believe that there is no other option but of engaging Pakistan. A dialogue at least provides the structure where at some stage a breakthrough can be achieved in the relationship.

 

On the other hand, nothing will come out of not talking.

 

Successive Indian prime ministers, cutting across political lines, have had a desire to improve ties with Pakistan and have made bold gestures in that direction albeit with mixed results. Atal Bihari Vajpayee did it in the worst of times and Manmohan Singh is doing the same, knowing full well that this may not reduce the terrorist attacks on India directed from Pakistani soil.

 

Those who want to engage Pakistan point out that it is a deeply divided society and not everyone views India through the eyes of their establishment.

 

There is a sizeable constituency in Pakistan which is not inimical to India and by talking to Pakistan India wants to engage that constituency.

 

Restarting the dialogue is also seen as denying a crucial argument to the Pakistan army that tensions on its eastern border were preventing the adequate deployment of its forces on its western front to fight the Taliban.

 

Justification

 

The political leadership in India is also acutely aware of US sensitivities in the region and would want to do everything possible to be on the right side of Washington or at the very least not allow regional issues to impact Indo- US relations. A dialogue with Pakistan, in that sense, is helpful not only in Indo- Pak relations but in our relationship with the US as well.

 

The best that can be expected from the talks on February 25 under the circumstances would be to keep engaged without looking for victories that can be played for the benefit of the respective domestic galleries. The outcomes of the present talks do not have to be big to justify being held at this moment.

 

bharat.bhushan@mailtoday.in

 

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MAIL TODAY

PATIALA PEG

VIKAS KAHOL

 

END OF AN ERA IN PUNJABI LITERATURE

IN A strange quirk of fate, five noted writers and scholars of Punjabi literature have breathed their last within almost a month — two of them on a single day, February 14.

 

Their demise has left a void in the literary world that will be difficult to fill.

 

Ram Sarup Ankhi, a prolific Punjabi writer and a mesmerising storyteller died on February 14, aged 78. The works of Ankhi — a Brahmin who converted to Sikhism — revolve around rural life in Punjab. His novel Kothey Kharhak Singh brought to life the landscape of a fictitious but typical Malwa village. The novel stretched through three generations. The story of the novel begins in 1940- 42 and moves on to Janata Party's rule after the Emergency. Then it narrates Indira Gandhi's return to power. Kothey Kharhak Singh won Ram Sarup Ankhi the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award.

 

Ankhi's novels portray the post- green revolution Malwa and highlight the onslaught of capitalism, influx of migrant labourers in Punjab and disintegration of the rural society. The titles of his novels — Salphas ( an insecticide consumed by debt- ridden farmers to commit suicide), Jaminañ Waley ( The Landed Gentry ), Kanak da Qatalam ( Slaughter of the Wheat ) and Bhima ( a migrant labourer) — are self explanatory.

 

The second writer who died on February 14, Harinder Singh Mehboob, also made a great contribution to Punjabi literature.

 

Some of Mehboob's works — including Sehho Racheyo Khalsa and Jhannah Di Raat ( a book on poetry) — are classics in Sikh studies. Mehboob combined Gurbani and Sufism and presented a different study of Punjabi culture and Sikh history.

 

His books stirred a literary debate in the Punjabi language.

 

He also published two volumes of Elahi Nadar De Ainde — portraying the life of the first Sikh guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh in verse form. He was writing the third volume at the time of his death.

 

Santokh Singh Dhir, who died on February 8, was known for his progressive writing. He took the literary world by storm with his story Koi Ik Sawaar about a tonga- wallah failing to compete with the automobile revolution.

 

Born in 1920, Dhir wrote 50 books including poetry, novels, short stories and travelogues.

 

He was presented the Sahitya Academy Award in 1996 for Pakhi — a collection of short stories. Dhir's admirers remember him for Guddiyan Patolai ( Dolls), Dharti Mangde Mhin Ve ( The land cries for rain ), Aaun wala Suraj ( Ascending sun ) and Jado Asin Aawagai ( When we return ). A Punjabi Marxist writer, Dhir did not have any inhibitions writing about sex.

 

He wrote Sharabi ( Drunkard ) in 1963 but revised the novel in the next edition and expunged the sexually explicit contents.

 

He renamed the novel Do Phul ( Two Flowers ).

 

Dr Joginder Singh Rahi, a distinguished Punjabi scholar, died on January 17. He published several books and research papers and specialised in the Punjabi novel. The National Book Trust of India had entrusted him the translation of some well known works written in Hindi, Urdu and English languages.

 

Formerly a professor at the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Rahi was also a recipient of the prestigious Saraswati Award.

 

Punjab also witnessed the passing away of Marxist critic T R Vinod on February 3. Vinod published about 30 books in Punjabi, Hindi and English languages as a novel and shortstory critic.

 

DEVELOPMENT POSES DANGER TO BIRD SPECIES

PROSPERITY in Punjab has spelt doom for several bird species. Mindless axing of mature trees along highways and irrigation canals — the remaining avian shelters — has forced bird species to migrate rapidly.

 

Officials in the forest department reveal that " development" had cost over three lakh mature trees and an unspecified number of smaller ones had been felled to widen highways and toll- roads. The destruction is equivalent to 714 hectares of forest area.

 

Wildlife experts say that the refuge of Indian species like parakeets, crows, mynahs, woodpeckers, waterfowl and the few remaining shikras ( falcon) is being destroyed.

 

This onslaught can lead to horrible consequences.

 

The birds managed to survive the Green Revolution, but, with concrete and bitumen replacing trees their future is again in jeopardy.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

COMMENT

END THE VIOLENCE

 

The Maoists, reportedly, want to talk to the government. The suggestion, aired through the media, has come from Kishenji, a spokesperson for the CPI (Maoist). The government needs to assess the offer very cautiously. Just as the talks offer was being discussed, members of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) attacked a police camp in West Bengal on Monday night. While the PCAPA is a different outfit from the CPI (Maoist), the two organisations have links with each other.

Kishenji set two preconditions for the talks. One, security operations in the region must be halted for 72 days. The number 72 seems a spin on Union home minister P Chidambaram's statement that if the Maoists stopped their operations for 72 hours he would find ways to initiate a dialogue with the rebels. Two, intellectuals and human rights outfits should facilitate the talks. If these conditions have the approval of the Maoists' central leadership, it suggests an incremental shift in their stance. Earlier, Ganapathy, general secretary of the CPI (Maoist), had suggested "the war has to be withdrawn" and cadres and leaders in the government's custody released for a dialogue to take place. Ganapathy's preconditions make a dialogue impossible.

The government can afford to halt operations, if there are enough reciprocating gestures from the Maoists, but it can't accede to a demand for the withdrawal of forces at this juncture. Sceptics view the offer for talks as a ploy on the part of Maoists to buy time and regroup. The rebels may be feeling the pressure of an imminent crackdown by the security forces. As with most insurgent movements, Maoists aren't a monolithic outfit. Ideological differences persist among them and there is evidence that some may wish to join the democratic process. A few contested the recent Jharkhand assembly elections as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidates and some even won. There may be more among the lower rungs of the CPI (Maoist) who may want to explore options other than violence.

The government, therefore, should follow a two-track approach. It can consider truce offers from the Maoists only if the CPI (Maoist) indicates that the offer has the approval of the party's central leadership and comes attached with as few preconditions as possible. Short of that, the government should engage with and facilitate those Maoists willing to reconcile and join the democratic process, but come down hard on those following the power-through-the-barrel-of-guns approach. The latter doesn't have even a remote chance of succeeding in the Indian context. But it can ensure an extended cycle of violence, anarchy and misery if not confronted directly.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

COMMENT

LONGER INNINGS

 

It's a pity that the move to raise the retirement age of judges has hit a roadblock. Currently, Supreme Court judges retire at 65 while high courts judges step down at 62. The proposal to extend the career of higher court judges by at least three years has many backers. However, there isn't enough support in Parliament to push through a constitutional amendment which would be necessary to raise the age limit.

There are good reasons for wanting judges to continue in office longer. With advances in medicine and increase in longevity, most people, particularly those doing jobs that don't involve physical labour, are healthy enough to continue working well into their sixties. The more important reason is that there is an acute shortage of judges in higher courts. It is estimated that there are over 250 vacancies in the high courts alone. To make matters worse, there are over three crore cases pending in Indian courts, of which roughly 2.5 crore are in lower courts, 40 lakh in high courts and around 52,000 in the Supreme Court. The backlog has not only paralysed delivery of justice but also exacted a high economic cost by making it very time consuming to enforce contracts in India.

There is a crying need for more judges if the huge backlog is to be cleared. With a sanctioned strength of 31 judges for the Supreme Court, 725 for the high courts and around 14,000 for the lower courts, there are too few judges for India's population. But until the time more judges can be hired, it makes sense to let those already in service to continue longer. In fact, retired judges with a good track record could be drafted to help tackle the shortage of personnel and clear the backlog of cases.

Raising the retirement age of judges is only part of the solution to fix judicial delays. There are other remedies that could also be considered. Long vacations for judges, a relic from colonial times, should be curtailed. Out-of-court settlements should be encouraged as much as possible. And there should be better pay for judges to attract the best talent from among the legal profession. The Law Commission has also suggested that adjournments be resorted to only if absolutely necessary. But these measures will take time. As of now, Parliament should at least ensure that sitting judges are allowed to work a few more years.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

TOP ARTICLE

A TALE OF TWO NATIONS

GAUTAM ADHIKARI

 

Washington: Some of us still dream of Chindia, an approaching phase of history when China and India will not only be the biggest powers on earth, they will partner each other in running the world, which will regard them as one glorious Asian entity. Others speak of a coming age of the Brics, a Goldman Sachs branding of Brazil, India, Russia and China, as four emerging economies the world must watch.

It's time for Indians to recognise Chindia for what it is a chimera, a Greek mythological creature compounded of incongruous parts and adjust our strategic vision. India and China are unlikely to become cooperative partners, except in a limited opportunistic sense, any time in the foreseeable future. They have historically been commercial and cultural competitors in Asia; Today, they not only champion radically different systems of governance, they have too many points of friction between them in the region for anyone to imagine their melding into an economic and strategic whole in the fashion of, say, Europe, or the larger West.

As for the Brics, it is time to take the 'c' out of the acronym. China is no longer an emerging economy. It has arrived. It isn't a superpower; the United States remains the sole claimant to that title. But it is the other great power, more important in the global pecking order than Europe or Japan. Hardly any global decision can be taken or a consensus built on any issue without China's cooperation. In global political power and economic clout, Brazil, Russia and India remain also-rans.

Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Fogel believes most assumptions of China's economic ascent underestimate the extent of its rise. Writing in the current issue of Foreign Policy, he says the size of China's economy will reach $123 trillion in 2040, which is nearly three times the entire output of the globe in 2000. Its per capita income will, at $85,000, be twice that forecast for the European Union. Its per capita wealth will be below that of the US, but its share of global GDP at 40 per cent will dwarf that of the US, at 14 per cent, and the EU, at 5 per cent, 30 years from now.

Several thinkers have begun to wonder about the consequences for the world of such a spectacular rise of a new power. Kishore Mahbubani calls his book The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East. Martin Jacques has written When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World. These books suggest a trend of thinking about China as a globally triumphant power a few decades from now. There's no comparable speculation about India's rise. Oh, India will do well, they say. But the real story is of China.

Yet, India could have a story to tell. If it can sustain its high economic growth over the next three decades, it'll be the third biggest global economy in 2040. In demographic terms, it will be a younger nation than China and therefore better positioned to innovate and create products and ideas. In moral appeal, which is a key element of soft power projection, we can hope it will continue to offer a democratic, high-growth option to China's paternalistic and authoritarian model.

That is, if wishes were horses. Externally and internally, India is enmeshed in its own troubles. We have yet to develop a truly global view of the role we would like to play in a future world and our foreign and strategic policies are consequently more reactive than proactive. We live in a dangerous neighbourhood, which hems in our thinking about the world. The one important foreign breakthrough we made in recent years is the qualitative improvement in our ties with the US but the benefits of that relationship for India's global positioning mustn't be overestimated.

If the approach so far of the Barack Obama administration is any indication, India will play a relatively secondary role in US strategic calculations over the next few years. The US-China relationship will continue overwhelmingly to occupy this administration's attention and in that scenario the prominence of India seems to have become a shade less defined than it was during the time of the previous Bush administration. India would, therefore, do well to hedge its bets, at least in Asia, by developing strong ties with Japan, the other power that is jittery about the rise and rise of China, and by pushing for a positive and helpful role in East Asian affairs.

Internally, the poor quality of India's governance as well as of infrastructure building and maintenance will surely spoil our story unless a dramatic change happens in our lackadaisical style of public management. We have been unable in 60 years to make people observe simple rules and laws while the state of public health and public education, unlike China's, remains way short of the basic quality that a country with global ambition at a comparable stage of development should have.

China offers a better tale for the future. Unless, providentially, India shakes itself up.

           

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

'TELANGANA HAS TURNED INTO A COLONY OF ANDHRA'

 

Spearheading the popular movement for a separate Telangana state is an unassuming professor of political science with the Osmania University. Kodandaram , convener of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising various political parties and social movements, spoke to Rajashri Dasgupta:

The JAC for Telangana seems a unique experiment.

The concept of JAC is borrowed from the student movement. The people formed JACs at various levels and put pressure on the political parties to keep aside their political agenda, unite and fight for the cause of Telangana. We allow every political group space in decision-making, implementation and functioning. I have been working in the civil rights movements and been an adviser to the Supreme Court which allowed me to gain experience and exposure to the dynamic nature of various movements and interact with activists. My stature as an academic gives me the acceptability, which normally many politicians may not have.

What's your response to allegations that students have been instigated to join the movement?

I have been working for 30 years and have carefully drawn a line between academic and political responsibilities. I have encouraged students to understand issues, given them material and addressed them when invited. As my presence in the media increased, students became associated with my activities directly or indirectly. I have never ignored my academic responsibilities.

Small states tend to depend on the Centre for resources.

There is a tendency to view movements for a separate state as a Centre-state relation bypassing other core issues like the democratic participation of people. I agree with Ambedkar who argued that in a big state the emergence of a powerful class dominates the economy and polity, denying others any participation. Historically, in the case of Andhra Pradesh, two social systems and economic structures, namely Andhra and Telangana, were integrated. Since then, people in Telangana have been marginalised and the region has turned into an internal colony.

While the division of a state is not always or the only solution, alternatives in Telangana were tried out but failed. In some cases autonomous councils, safeguards or special packages may work. People argue that if Telangana gets statehood others will demand too. Let us not suppress these demands just as we have ignored the issues of caste and gender.

There is apprehension that Maoists are hijacking the movement.

The attitude of the state is to suppress movements, not face them. For this it requires an enemy. In this case, it is the Maoists. The state is indulging in doublespeak. It claims to have wiped out the Maoists, so where is the question of Maoists taking over? The feudal relations in rural Telangana have been transformed and there is the rise of small and medium farmers without the necessary skills and inputs. In fact, they view Telangana as an alternative to Maoism that could not address their aspirations. Telangana is a wonderful political experiment within the constitutional framework and has united people.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

TIME AND TIDE

K V KRISHNAN

 

"Don't forget to feed the fishes," my wife reminded me over the phone. I love visiting old haunts where i have spent a good portion of my life, sentimental though it might be. With all that international travel over the last 25 years, this does indeed become a daunting task. Change is a nemesis of fond memories. I drive by spots where chockfull of remembrances await to be unleashed each time I visit Mumbai. No more does my school in Chembur look the way it did when i would dash around the playground or look out the window at that crow's nest on the palm tree. Ugly buildings have taken root upon the property and a lanky telephone pole stands where generations of birds reared their offspring. I see the tide of change everywhere. Bangalore, the sylvan hill station of yesteryears, is now smothered by nasty exhalations of automobiles and scooters. New Delhi looks a lot different today and Hyderabad seems to have been awakened too soon from its slumber.

Nearly two decades ago we lived in Bangkok during those early years after marriage. My son was then two years old and our Sunday evenings would have seemed staged. Around 5 p.m., much after the merciless sun would have spent its force, we would hail a tuk-tuk and head out to Benjasiri Park - probably the only patch of green in that part of the bustling city. We would pack puffed rice and head straight to that man-made pond spending a good hour feeding the fishes and watching the sun sinking into the smoggy skies. Sadly, changed hasn't spared Bangkok either. The BTS train now trundles above the busy Sukhumvit road casting long shadows in the evening light. I retraced our steps of just 12 years ago from my old apartment for old times' sake. Large buildings now loom where canals and shacks once sprawled. My familiar tuk-tuk squad had disappeared. The road to the park seemed strange as one couldn't recognise the familiar buildings of Soi 49. I didn't miss our puffed rice at Benjasiri Park they sell fish food these days for 10 bahts. I hurried my steps past the blur of newer food stalls and skateboard rinks, breaking into a run towards the pond and its now brackish waters. "I just fed those fishes," i called up my son excitedly. "Okay," he grunted, going back to his video game.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

TERRIFYING QUESTION

JUG SURAIYA

 

 Would a Pune-style bomb blast have happened in a Chinese city? Or a 26/11? Or any of the scores of terror attacks that India has been subjected to over the years?

 

Forget the fact that the Chinese economy has grown faster than India's. Forget the fact that in terms of infrastructural development - be it power plants and highways or hospitals and schools China is way ahead. Perhaps the most fundamental difference between China the world's largest dictatorship - and India - the world's most populous democracy - is the vulnerability of each to terror.

 

China has its share of internal problems, its discontented minorities, like the Uighurs and the Falun Gong sect. But dissent, even non-violent dissent, has been ruthlessly nipped in the bud before it can erupt into extremist action. The scars of Tiananmen Square are a deterrent testimony to the consequences of dissidence in any form.

 

China's relative immunity to terror is due to the fact that it is a 'hard' state, perhaps the hardest in the world. When terrorists attack hard states as happened when Chechen extremists held a schoolful of children hostage in Beslan in 2004 the response of the state is often so swift and brutal that it out-terrorises the terrorists. In the Russian case, the final death toll included some 200 children who were sacrificed by the iron-fisted authorities as unavoidable 'collateral damage'.

 

The game plan of terror or what is sometimes called 'propaganda by deed' is to ensure media coverage in order to highlight the supposed cause the terrorists are fighting for. In hard states like China and to a lesser extent Russia the media can be, and are, kept on a tight rein. In China certainly, a terror strike would be totally blanked out by the state-controlled media, thus negating the publicity value of such an attack. If a tree falls in a forest where there is none to hear it fall, does it make a sound?

 

In a hard state like China which with impunity recently violated the privacy rights of its Google users real or imagined anti-state elements are denied freedom of movement and information before they can get themselves organised. India's anarchic democracy in which each and every one of us does exactly what we please is the diametric opposite of China's police state, where the freedom of the individual is stringently monitored and curtailed every step of the way.

 

Yes, India is a free society, and China is a muzzled and shackled polity. None of us or at least not many of us would willingly trade places with China on that count. But the in-built Achilles' heel of any democracy particularly one as determinedly indisciplined as India's is its susceptibility to subversion.

 

Is exposure to terror the price that we have to pay for the freedom of which we are so justly proud? The freedom to travel the length and breadth of the country as David Coleman Headley did without hindrance. The freedom to congregate in public, as the victims of the Pune bomb blast were doing. The freedom of our media openly to report news, even when such reportage jeopardises rescue operations as happened during the live TV coverage of the Taj Hotel siege during 26/11.

 

When the intrusive Homeland Security Act was introduced in the US after 9/11, many asked if in the name of deterring terrorism America was undermining the freedom by which it defined itself. If indeed it has done that, then the terrorists have already won. Similar questions might be raised in India. Will the recent tightening of visa and entry rules for foreign visitors be a genuine safeguard against terrorism, or will they merely deter tourists and business travellers, to India's detriment? Will re-introduction of oppressive laws like TADA curb terror or promote more human rights violations?

 

Is democracy doomed to be the unwitting bedfellow of terror? That's the truly terrifying question.

 

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

A CALLER ID OPTION FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI

 

The tide is shifting. Society is no longer about unity; it's about individual isolation. The mantra seems to be: "Everything only for me." As this selfish attitude becomes more firmly established, we find that our happiness is slowly slipping through our fingers.

Unity is the law of Nature. Without give-and-take there is no life. When the sun shines, rivers flow, birds sing, and trees bear fruit, they do so without expecting our acknowledgement or praise. Everything in Nature gives as much as possible. Our tendency to swim against the natural flow fills our minds with tension, sorrow and fear. Hence there is the rich-poor divide and so much conflict and suffering.

Earlier, there was no ownership of land. The indigenous American people and others like them in other parts of the world believed: "The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth." They didn't understand how land could be measured, divided, bought and sold. Then how has it come to be that we are now willing to kill each other over even the smallest of property disputes? How come children don't flinch when they take their parents to court over inheritance matters?

Scientists and governments are promoting cutting edge research that would enable greater exploration of the universe – we want to be able to travel to Mars and beyond. We've succeeded in reaching the Moon, and many such efforts have led to exciting discoveries in the universe. Regardless, just as we are reaching for the stars, we should also strive to bring ourselves back to Earth.

We rush about, with packed schedules and back-to-back appointments. There's so much to do and so little time. But if we lose our peace of mind and happiness as a result, what is the point? It is not enough to be on the fast track; we also have to go in the proper direction. Otherwise the whole trip is a waste of time. Because of our obsession with speed, many precious opportunities are passing us by without our being aware of it.

There are two important days in our life. The first is the day we are born. The second is the day we realise why we are born. But for many people, this second day never comes. They live mechanically from the day they are born until the day they die. We will only be able to appreciate the beauty and magnitude of life when we realise its true purpose.

Worrying has become second nature to us. Once a thought enters our mind, it quickly establishes a dictatorship. Soon, we lose our freedom to think in a discriminating manner with the result the mind becomes a slave. When a virus infects a computer, we are unable to access information in our folders or files. Such is the condition of our mind, infected with unwanted thoughts.

To enjoy freedom, to be more aware, we need to liberate the mind from needless thoughts. Most of our phones have a caller identity option. With this, we can see either the name or the number of the person calling us. We can accept the calls we want and ignore the calls we don't. Similarly, when we develop awareness, we gain the ability to accept and nourish healthy thoughts and reject bad ones. Through awareness, we can even develop the ability to witness all the various functions of our mind and, ultimately, realise our true Self.

(Amma is currently touring north India. For details visit: www.amritapuri.org .)

 

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HINDUSTAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

PROTECTION FOR ALL PAKISTANIS

 

The brutal execution of two Sikhs by the Tehreek-e-Taliban is a reminder of the increasingly tenuous existence of religious minorities in Pakistan. Even the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had treated Sikhs as one of the ahl-e-zima, the protected minorities. Pakistan's spiralling violence seems to be accelerating its society's movement down an increasingly intolerant path. Much of last year was marked by attacks on Pakistan's Christian minority by Islamicist mobs. Sunni militants have made the killing of Pakistani Shias almost a seasonal event.

 

To a large extent, Pakistan is reaping what its own distorted nationalism has sown. If there's one thing that separates the political trajectories of India and Pakistan, it's the fact that the latter no longer even strives to create an inclusive nationalism. The Pakistani polity, starting with discrimination of its Bengali majority to the point they seceded and the redesignation of Ahmediyyas as non-Muslim in 1974, has marginalised more and more sections of its society. Christians, Hindus, Shias and ethnic fragments of the Sunni majority have found themselves being treated as less than truly Pakistani. It's particularly telling that Mohajirs, the original proponents of the country's founding ideology, are among those most alienated from the Pakistan of today. Going by present trends a genuine 'Pakistani' will be reduced to a north Punjabi Sunni. That the Tehreek-e-Taliban draws its fighters from the ranks of Pashtuns and Seraiki Punjabis is no accident. Both Pakistan's military and democratic rulers are to blame for this trend. The military have even found it useful as it legitimised their interference in politics.

 

India cannot claim a spotless record when it comes to minority treatment, but its Constitution and laws clearly show a commitment to this goal. This is hardly the case with Pakistan where minority rights have been steadily watered down by such constitutional actions as the dilution of the 1949 Objectives Resolution, the passage of the 1984 Anti-Islamic Activities Ordinance and the on and off switch attached to the fundamental rights portion of Pakistan's constitutions. The Sikh murders was another Taliban crime. But they were also a reflection of what ails Pakistan as a whole.

 

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HINDUSTAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

RAIL BUDGET ROOK

 

Why do we need a separate Railway Budget? Wags like us have a theory: so that for yet another day of the year, newspaper pages can be filled and television channels can get busy with an annual event that smells like a major event, tastes like a major event, looks like a major event, but is really the annual report of India's largest public sector company. Frankly, all that commuters want to know is the price of tickets, which surely doesn't need a budget speech and the accompanying trumpet blast.

 

In 1924, according to the Ackworth Committee recommendations (our point exactly), railway finances were delinked from the general budget exercise. The idea was "to assume responsibilities for earning and expanding [the Indian Railways'] own income". Things, we believe, have changed considerably since Mr Ackworth's day. For instance, the energy sector gets the government much more moolah than the network of trains, and we don't seem to need a separate Energy Budget each year, do we? Even when one talks of freight, more than half of India's goods are ferried across by roads. There's no separate Surface Transport Budget either. Yes, with 1.8 crore daily train passengers, trains remain the biggest mode of transport for Indians. So what? All Indians eat (or, at least, hope to). Do we than have a separate Food Budget?

 

The Railway Budget exists only because it gives the opportunity to a Union minister — usually a member of a party allied to the leading party in the government — to pull out a few rabbits from his or her hat. With the media trained on the minister for one day, what better platform to dole out a few goodies to one's electorate? There's now news that there will be a dedicated railways television channel with "content developed to bring out various facets of Indian Railways". Does that shock you? Well, what shocks us is that we still have a Railway Budget.

 

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HINDUSTAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

KEEP FAITH AND HAVE PATIENCE

REENA P RAJ

 

I have grown up going to temples and gurdwaras in the national capital — be it the Shiva temple in our local vicinity or the Sai Baba temple at Lodhi Road or Bangla Sahib.

 

Thanks to our family culture, where we were taught to have faith in God, I have always felt that there was a lot of positive energy in all such sacred institutions. I get positive vibes coming from the sacred mantras chanted all over and the bhajans sung by the devotees.

 

One day, I closed my eyes and offered prayers to the almighty saying, "please show me the correct path, I want peace and happiness."

 

I did not get any reply. But the other day, my husband showed me two words written in the Sai Baba temple — Shraddha aur saburi (keep faith and have patience.) I don't know why, but I wanted to believe that this was God's reply. Since then my belief in God got strengthened, and I remain much happier.

 

God cannot be present everywhere, so he gave parents to a child. We don't have to visit a temple or gurdwara if we are taking good care of your parents at home. They have brought us in this world and if our parents are happy, we have got the blessing of the Almighty. Joint family systems are not working because everybody wants a world for himself.

 

There is violence and conflicts everywhere. If we play down our egos and live happily, then the planet will be full of bliss. Love your family, serve humanity the way we show sincerity in the temples, and work with the same sincerity at home. And see the difference in your and others' lives.

 

As they say, charity begins at home. We should take care of our family and people close to us first. This helps you build up a vision for greater efforts to scale up your mission.

 

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HINDUSTAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

CHINA SHOULD BIDE ITS TIME

CHRIS PATTERN

 

Remember the G-2? America's financial difficulties and foreign entanglements, together with China's economic ascent, led many last year to envisage the emergence of a sort of global condominium between the two countries. The G-8 had morphed by necessity into the G-20, which, whenever it mattered, would shed its zero: the US and China would call the shots.

 

The idea was an over-simplified reflection of global realities. It left out other emerging powers like Brazil and India. It exaggerated the weakness of America, which remains the world's only superpower. It also reeked of the European Union's (EU) peevish realisation that its inability to get its act together on contentious issues was likely to place it firmly on the sidelines.

 

Despite all this, there was enough credibility in the G-2 idea to give it legs. President Barack Obama's first visit to China last November, in which he accepted the role of pliant suitor at the court of the emperor, strengthened the impression of a deal between today's great power and tomorrow's.

 

That was last year. This is now, and the idea looks less plausible. Why has the G-2 become farfetched so fast?

 

First, the weak and largely jobless economic recovery in America and Europe shines the spotlight on China's surging exports and the non-tariff barriers confronted by would-be importers to China. You would have difficulty finding many members of the US Congress who don't ascribe some of America's problems to China's alleged currency manipulation.

 

China may point to the mountain of US Treasury bonds it's bought up, thereby, helping to sustain America's budget deficit. (What China's recent sell-off of US

 

T-bills will mean is, for now, anyone's guess.) They grumble at the injustice of blaming them for the global economy's imbalances.

 

But China does have a case to answer. Critics think that pegging the currency below its real value is part of a strategy to keep growth rolling, thereby, avoiding the tricky politics of growing unemployment in a system that has no institutionalised channels for expressing popular grievances. Unless this issue is addressed soon, it will lead to protectionism in America and Europe.

 

A second issue likely to blow the G-2 apart before it's actually taken shape is the impact of China's authoritarianism on the free movement of information. China's clash with Google and US protests at cyber attacks on American targets remind the outside world, and America's media and political elites, of the difference in values between the two countries.

 

This is particularly awkward at a time when the Chinese authorities seem to be taking an even harder line on dissent. The human rights activist Liu Xiaobo has just been locked up for 11 years, drawing widespread condemnation. The veteran campaigner for the release of political detainees, John Kamm, argues that this was "a tipping point" for the Chinese authorities, and that "they will have to work themselves out of this in a less hard-line way."

 

The outcome of the climate talks in Copenhagen is the third reason for concern. China has been accused of blocking an ambitious result, mostly because of its resistance to external surveillance of its agreed targets, appealing to State sovereignty with all the self-righteousness that the world was accustomed to hearing from former US President George W. Bush. Maybe the criticism is unfair. But it certainly was unwise to allow a junior official to shout and wag his finger at Obama at one of the key Copenhagen meetings. Americans, too, Chinese officials should remember, have 'face' that they don't wish to lose.

 

Some people cite the spat over arms sales to Taiwan and the Dalai Lama's visit to Washington as a fourth dampener on all the G-2 talk. I am not so convinced. These are fairly ritualistic issues, and Chinese officials are smart enough to know that Obama had little choice but to decide on them as he did.

 

Far more worrying is an issue that is yet to play out. How will China react to any move to introduce tougher sanctions on Iran if no progress is made in efforts to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons? If China blocks action in the United Nations Security Council, relations with America will be set back to a point where any G-2 talk will seem laughable.

 

Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China's economic rise, advised his colleagues to move stealthily in dealing with the rest of the world. "Hide your brightness, bide your time," he counselled. As someone who believes that China's rise should be good for the world, I hope that Deng's wise advice will be heeded by those Chinese officials who seem to think that this is a good moment to start stamping their feet.

 

Project Syndicate

 

Chris Pattern is Chancellor of Oxford University. The views expressed by the author are personal.

 

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HINDUSTAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

TRY A NEW RECIPE

ASHOK GULATI AND KAVERY GANGULY

 

The Central Statistical Organisation estimate of overall GDP being likely to grow at 7.2 per cent this year has brought back the confidence of the industry and policymakers that the economy has truly turned the corner. But the growth of the farm sector is almost flat (-0.2 per cent), though this too is a pleasant surprise given that it was exposed to the worst drought since 1972. The real worry is still the very high rate of food inflation (above 17 per cent). The prime minister, in his recent address at the conference of chief ministers and state ministers of food and civil supplies, reiterated his concerns. He highlighted the need to boost agricultural productivity, especially pulses through a proposed Mission on Pulses (we already have one on oilseeds and pulses). Not sure whether the PM is aware of that and what the mission has done so far, it was encouraging to hear him emphasise the need to strengthen the role of organised retail by modernising and compressing the value chain, and also address the issue of heavy taxation of agricultural commodities. The latter being evoked by the increasing price spread between retail and farmgate.

 

Why is the PM so worried about pulses? Dal-roti is the aam admi's staple and he knows well enough that dal is surely going out of the reach of the common man, which does not augur well for his government. Given the mass poverty, this country is still very sensitive to food prices, and has seen in the past (late 1990s) how governments had to pay heavily with just onion prices being on fire. And today, pulses are really on fire. The monthly wholesale price index for pulses increased by more than 40 per cent in December 2009 over December 2008 and has been worse for tur at 69.6 per cent; urad at 63.7 per cent; and moong at 64.3 per cent. Looking at the percentage changes in 2009 over 2006, the increase is more than 100 per cent in the case of pulses in general and tur in particular, triggering a wide spread consumer dissatisfaction.

 

While much of these trends can be explained by supply side factors (eg., tur production dropped by more than 25 per cent in 2008-09 over 2007-08, and has not yet recovered fully, yields of most of the kharif pulses (tur, moong, urad) have been stagnating for more than a decade, triggering a question on what our scientists and those in international agencies such as International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics are doing about it, and what the Technology Mission on Oilseeds and Pulses has delivered since the 1990s? The success of the green revolution is largely attributed to the effective partnership among the government and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research institutes from where the high-yielding variety seeds had come. A similar course of action is deemed essential to bring about a breakthrough in production of pulses.

 

The global markets for these kharif pulses are very thin, as India is the largest producer and consumer of these.  Myanmar, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, etc. can supply a bit, but can they quench the increasing appetite of Indians for these preferred varieties? Do we need to work out long-term arrangements with them by investing in these countries, or should we ramp up investments at home to increase productivity and create an enabling policy environment?

 

These are the questions that the PM perhaps needs to pose to the proposed Mission on Pulses.

 

Chickpea, on the other hand, which is a rabi crop, has been doing fine in relative terms. It comprises roughly
45-50 per cent of our total pulses production. Over the years, its centre of gravity has shifted from the North-west (having lost to wheat) to the South. Its global market is also relatively large, and Australia, Myanmar, Turkey and many others can provide us more if we demand.

 

The scope for land expansion is quite limited in India, and there could be efforts to tie up with the major sources of pulses imports through South-South or North-South co-operations. But lately, it is yellow peas from Canada which have entered India in a big way, and which are blended with split chickpeas and in a great deal with besan (chickpea flour) without telling the consumer. As palm oil is blended to keep the prices of edible oils in check, so are yellow peas being used in pulses, as the wholesale price of imported yellow peas hovers between Rs 12 and 15 per kg.

 

But this is also the time to innovate in product development and one of such innovations will be in the form of reconstituted soya dal, which comprises 50 per cent soya flour, 25 per cent wheat flour and 25 per cent rice or any other flour depending upon regional tastes.

 

The price of such a dal will be between Rs 25 and 30 per kg, which the government can sell through its public distribution system, Kendriya Bhandars and Mother Dairy outlets. This reconstituted soya dal is more nutritious than tur, though not as tasty. But food technology can easily improve the taste with flavours, and the soya revolution in the country (we produce about 9-10 million tonnes of soya in the country, and soya has about 40 per cent protein compared to 20-25 per cent in pulses), can be used to release the brakes on pulses, and improve the protein intake in the country at a very low cost. It is not a difficult situation, but what is needed is a vision to provide proteins to the poor, and a mission to innovate. Will public policy come forward to support this?

 

Ashok Gulati and Kavery Ganguly are with the International Food Policy Research Institute, New Delhi.

The views expressed by the authors are personal.

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

THICK RED LINES

 

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which prides itself on inner-party fairness, and a scrupulous soliciting of views through the entire organisational chain for any major decision, appears to have drifted dangerously — the "centralism" now speaks much louder than the "democratic". The party constitution mandates that comrades be treated sympathetically, be judged by their work and whole record of service, rather than isolated incidents, in case of a mistake. But the treatment meted out to W.R. Varadarajan, a CPM veteran, would indicate otherwise. He was abruptly removed from all party posts and publicly shamed by the central committee — no real proof (of alleged sexual harassment) was given even to other comrades on the central committee, though that did not deter them from a mechanical raising of hands when the leadership called for Varadarajan's dismissal. While Varadarajan himself denied the charges, he knew he was pretty much on his own, up against a wall of po-faced communist solidarity. He resigned, and soon after, drowned himself in despair. It stands to sense that after a life seeped in the CPM's stern and hyper-extended work ethic, which regulates much of a member's daily activity and personal life (right from what percentage of his income goes to the party), this sudden fall from grace could leave Varadarajan feeling utterly alone, and bereft.

 

Of course, the Left has never been afraid of looking severely at its own navel. A few months back, the party undertook a vigorous "rectification" programme, to scour its organisation for signs of weakness. The last such exercise was conducted in 1996. At the recent discussions, it was felt that sections of the party must be purged of "unethical and dishonest acts, a self-centric mentality and craving for sensual pleasures", to make sure the party emerged stronger and more unified than before.

 

But what did the party leadership achieve? Dark mutterings among party workers, including central committee members now openly questioning their leaders' decision — pointing out that even if the disciplinary action was warranted, the complete abandonment of a former colleague betrays a fundamental soullessness in the CPM. Rectification should concentrate on the Left's failures of imagination and persuasion, which are reflected in its slipping hold on the electorate and its inability to ignite excitement. Poking its snout into the personal lives of party members is simply unnecessary — and that level of obsessive control only reveals how desperate it is to fake some measure of command.

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

SPOTTING SPOTTERS

 

Aircraft are easy things to be fascinated by. The big jet-engine roar, the dozens of diverse airline markings, the complex choreographed pehle-aap protocol that accompanies landing at a large airport. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there are people who want to immerse themselves in it, who cross continents to follow their interest, whose detailed discussions on the subject fill dozens of interest forums and lovingly detailed websites. Harmless hobbyists, plane-spotters, like the train-spotters that preceded them.

 

But not, of course, to the awesome and humourless forces of law enforcement in India. With typical grimness, the Delhi police descended on a five-star hotel last week to lock up Stephen Hampston and Steve Martin, two railwaymen from Britain, who were happily blowing up their savings inside, locked in a room with expensive equipment to observe and — allegedly — record details of air traffic through Indira Gandhi International Airport. Alerted by suspicious waiters to the fact that a couple of guests at the hotel were not leaving their room — except to request roof access to observe landing planes better — the police, unsurprisingly, looked into it. Fine. But it didn't stop there.

 

One would think that it would be almost trivially easy to ascertain that plane-spotting is, in fact, a real hobby; and that the two Britons have, in the past, been regular plane-spotters. The security threat that they could pose is clearly minimal. But, simply put, that would require a little give on the part of law enforcement, a little bit of humour. Instead we have threats and bluster. Threats to apply to these hobbyists antiquated provisions of the Telegraph Act, which require one to license a telegraph. Bluster that if that won't do, there's always Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows the arrest of those with the "potential to cause unrest or danger to peace and tranquillity". And, meanwhile, two harmless men were thrown into jail for something that they had done in many, many other jurisdictions without causing the machinery of the law to grind into motion. Humourlessness of this sort rebounds on us, making our out-of-touch systems look like little more than a bad joke.

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENTS

 

Athletes wrestle with this question as a matter of routine. Do the technological aids at their disposal make them better than their predecessors? To take an example, is Usain Bolt, with his habit of breaking the 100m sprint record, greater than Carl Lewis just on that basis? Or can Michael Phelps, with his eight gold medals and almost as many records at the 2008 Olympics, be rightfully acclaimed as the best swimmer ever, better than Mark Spitz, who took home seven golds at the 1972 Games? After all, swimming gear, Olympic pools and nutritional support are far more advantageous to speed today. But the question is not to force a trite comparison but to provoke an examination of the qualities embedded in a new generation's appraisal process.

 

So it is perhaps with an ongoing debate on how the Internet is affecting our intelligence. Two years ago, an article in the Atlantic Monthly pretty much set off a stormy debate on the subject. In 'Is Google making us stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains', Nicholas Carr argued that the Net is impacting our capacity for deep reading, and by extension concentration and contemplation. With more and more of our reading lives moved online, the temptation to skim, to glide from one thing to another through hyperlinks, our mental circuitry is being reset — and this, Carr implied, was not exactly a healthy change.

 

Now, in an online poll, a majority of respondents — said to be a mix of Web users and "experts" — have said that the Net will make users more intelligent and better readers and writers over the next decade. What is a better reader, of course, still depends on your point of view. Is she somebody who can read Roberto Bolaño's 2666 in tranquillity? Or is she is a quick aggregator of information? Be sure that the Net will facilitate a poll on that.

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

COLUMN

CAREFUL OF THE CALM

SHISHIR GUPTA

 

For an extremist movement whose core objective is the armed overthrow of the Indian state, the Maoists' offer of a 72-day truce from February 25 to May 7 to New Delhi is tactically brilliant. The ceasefire move, coupled with a dialogue mediated by so-called "intellectuals", is a counter to Home Minister P. Chidambaram's offer to talk to Maoists if they abjured violence for 72 hours. However, the timing of the Maoist offer to smoke the peace pipe is significant and must be kept in mind by the internal security establishment of the country. Even if the Maoist offer is unconditional, a possible truce would come at a huge cost.

 

First, it comes at a time when the Maoist domination in the 220 districts, including 83 seriously affected ones, is being challenged by the security forces participating in the inter-state Operation Green Hunt. With due credit to the state governments, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and the Kanker-Rajnandgaon tract of Chhattisgarh are expected to turn around the corner soon, paving the way for developmental works there.

 

Second, with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik finally convinced that even his popularity among the electorate will not stop the Maoists, the stage is set for induction of four trained BSF battalions next week to launch operations to open the Koraput-Malkangiri-Dantewada axis. With logistics arranged and four thousand troopers on the standby, this operation could shrink the Maoist space. Even West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren have hinted that they would assist Central forces in clearing up the Midnapore-Purulia-Panskura-West Singhbhum tract.

 

Third, the onset of monsoon in May in the densely forested Maoist strongholds in the eastern regions of the country will ensure that no security action is possible against the rebels till September this year. In case of a ceasefire, this would allow the extremists to regroup, rearm and consolidate their positions.

 

Fourth, with Bihar scheduled to go to polls this winter followed by West Bengal, the rebels and local politicians, as in the past, could buy tactical peace and move into these states post-monsoon. With only two Central force battalions involved in Lalgarh and both Nitish Kumar and Bhattacharjee pitted against the Congress, this is a distinct possibility. Further, the BJP, which shares power in Jharkhand and Bihar, could be forced by electoral compulsions to temper its anti-Naxal rhetoric.

 

Against this backdrop, a 72-day truce would translate into a year of consolidation for the left-wing extremists. It would, consequently, be a prolonged wait for the Central forces and during this period operational commanders, including Central Task Force Commander Vijay Raman, will either retire or be on the verge of retirement.

 

Of particular concern to the government, with or without the truce, are its developmental efforts, some Rs 7300 crore worth in the pipeline, in the affected states. Under the cover of high-sounding rhetoric, the rebels in the past have targeted 71 school buildings, 73 gram panchayat bhavans, mobile towers and road building effort in the least developed and poorest of the poor areas of the country.

 

Either way, the Manmohan Singh government should impress upon states like Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal the need to step up efforts to train police personnel; particularly West Bengal, where the line between politician and law enforcer has been smudged in over 30 years of CPM rule. The prime minister and the home minister should sensitise ministers at the Centre and in the states on the nature of the Maoist movement. The point is, talk if you must but then have the political will to act against the left-wing rebels if the dialogue does not yield desired results.

The veneer of a mass proletariat movement cannot conceal the fact that Maoists have killed 1600 civilians and 800-odd security personnel in the past three years, and the only people apart from the rebels who use beheadings to assert their sway in the subcontinent these days are the Pakistani Taliban.

 

An indication of the lack of political will was evident from the tepid start to Operation Green Hunt after the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections even though security forces were assembled and raring to go. It is only in this context that one can understand the political apprehensions of Nitish Kumar or Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

 

It is not only lack of political will but the hands-off approach by local police forces in Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar that is hampering the security response to Maoists. Except for Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the other state governments actually want the Central forces to fight the Maoists and thus the demand for more paramilitary forces. Due to the personal efforts of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil there is synergy between Central troops and the local police. For instance, the paramilitary troopers and state police have optimised security to their camps in Gadchiroli by constructing fortifications adjacent to each other, and they share one meal each week to encourage camaraderie. In other states, the problem is not of resources but of inter-operability with the local police trying to please their political masters.

 

Were it to come through, the Centre should use the truce period to fine-tune its intelligence collection capabilities on Maoist groups. Operation Green Hunt has been inhibited by poor intelligence with each agency having its own set of priorities. A classic example is Maoist leader Kishenji, who has the temerity to call journalists on cell phones at random, but eludes the security agencies in times of advanced communication and signal intelligence.

 

The Manmohan Singh government in the end should see the present truce/ talks offer as a short-term tactic on the part of Maoists to attain their long-term goals. With Maoist sympathisers already softening the peripheries of many cities, the day is not very far when these rebels escalate their movement from jungle to urban warfare. Are we prepared for that?

 

shishir.gupta@expressindia.com

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

COLUMN

TRAINING OUR SIGHTS ON THE FUTURE

SARABJITARJANSINGH

 

As the Railway Budget is presented, indications are that the Indian Railways (IR) will have moved 900 million tonnes (MT) — 50 MT more than what had been projected in the last budget. This is good news as it shows that the economy is growing again. It also reveals IR's capability to move the additional 50 MT by working its locomotives and wagons harder. If we look back into IR statistics we will notice that IR has been getting more out of its assets. In the '60s, a diesel locomotive covered 300 km and a wagon moved approximately 1000 net tonne km every day. Today, a locomotive covers over 410 km and a wagon moves about 3500 net tonne km each day. Track utilisation has similarly risen from 2.76 net tonne km per route kilometre to nearly 10 today.

 

Even though IR has been getting more efficient it is not moving enough to win back market share. The market share has fallen from the high of 88 per cent to less than 30 per cent today. Why has an increase in productivity not resulted in greater market share? The answer lies in the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. While IR is getting more efficient it is not getting more effective.

 

The dominance of IR in movement over land has been undermined over the years, by the change in transport needs. High-value passengers moved away because of advances in automobiles and aeroplanes. IR as a traditional bulk carrier could not hold on to high-value freight because it failed to emphasise quality and timely delivery. Therefore, improving efficiency, which is doing more of the same with less effort or lower cost, has not won back market share. IR must work on its effectiveness — which involves setting right goals and transforming the organisation by bringing in a fresh perspective to address strategic and long-term questions.

 

Issues pertaining to efficiency are internal to IR, while issues of effectiveness are centred on society at large. Infrastructure is crucial for economic growth and widely available and affordable transport services facilitate greater urban-rural linkages. This fosters grassroots entrepreneurship, strengthens local economies and improves livelihoods. The mix of rail, road and other transport has to be socially determined while keeping commercial considerations in view. India's legacy network of railway and road structure has to be brought in line with the development needs of the 21st century. The prime minister has announced a National Transport Development Policy Committee to chalk out a multimodal strategy for the next 20 years. For the first time, transport is being studied in a holistic manner. The key question pertaining to railways will be, is rebuilding and expanding the railways to 21st century standards an appropriate objective? How might it be best achieved? Answers to these questions will determine the size of new investments.

 

Although the Chinese experience may not be totally relevant for India it does give some indication of the magnitude of policy, institutional and investment change needed for transforming a 19th century railway into a 21st century system. Since independence, IR has built 10,000 km of new routes, which pales before China's 30,000 km. China's massive expansion programme has made it the second largest railway network, pushing India into third place. More importantly, China has spent vast sums in modernising and upgrading the existing system. They have invested nearly $450 billion since 1990 in comparison to India's $40 billion. They tested the fastest bullet train in the world from Wuhan to Guangzhou, at a cost of $23.5 billion, and have nearly finished the construction of a high speed rail route from Beijing to Shanghai. The 4046 km strategically important Qinghai Tibet railway line, which connects Beijing to Lhasa, has 1110 km built mostly on permafrost — a technical marvel. The political, military, social and strategic significance of binding the far-western border regions of China with the east coast population centres and their economies cannot be overemphasised. In comparison, the Himalayan border lands of India remain isolated, and far from convenient rail (or even road) connections.

 

India has just started thinking about building a high speed rail network, and work on the dedicated freight corridors is yet to take off. One of the reasons for India's inability to build is its lack of strategy. While IR management has intimate knowledge of how to fix short-term problems, it has proved itself incapable of freshly addressing the strategic questions. An external, independent perspective would be valuable, and the minister should consider a think tank-like body to assist policy-makers within IR and outside to make long-term decisions, based on effective global practices.

 

The writer is a former general manager of Indian Railways

 

express@expressindia.com

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

OPED

EXPANDING OUR TOWNS FOR URBAN GROWTH

RANESH NAIR

 

We have got so used to the unplanned growth of our cities that we assume that town planning was a speciality only of ancient times, to be seen in the ruins of Takshila. Our cities are bursting at the seams and we still need to accommodate another 100 million-plus over the next 15 years. Some of it may come from increasing population density in urban areas; but much of it has to come by cities and towns expanding into the surrounding countryside.

 

Acquiring agricultural land to accommodate such expansion is unavoidable in India today. When this is entrusted to public sector "development authorities", as in Delhi, these bodies have exploited their monopoly position to generate inefficiency and corruption. When the task is undertaken by private developers, they have often failed to keep their promises on urban infrastructure — and those from whom land is acquired are not only displaced, but also feel aggrieved because they find the compensation highly inadequate, especially when they see the value of their land rise after the infrastructure is in place. Moreover, finding finance to build the necessary infrastructure has proved to be a major challenge.

 

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission launched in 2005-06 has opened up an avenue for funding which allows for speedier implementation of schemes such as the Town Planning Scheme, or TPS, of Gujarat, which has achieved city expansion with minimal displacement of people and active participation of land-owners in urban planning — while also contributing towards financing of infrastructure investment.

 

The origins of the TPS can be traced to the Bombay Town Planning Act of 1915, and the system has been used in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and also, sometimes, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. But of late, it has fallen into disuse. We found good examples of the TPS in action in Surat and Ahmedabad backed by the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act (GTPUDA) of 1976, which was last amended in 1999. The system has been well tested in court.

 

Ahmedabad and Surat have completed more than 100 such schemes each. In Ahmedabad, the average area

developed each year is about three per cent of the municipality's current built-up area. The total area developed under the TPS is about 300 sq km Of this, 13 per cent has been used for roads and 10 per cent for parks, community centres, housing for the poor, etc. The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority has built over 11,000 houses in the last five years for the urban poor using land obtained through the TPS. In Surat, these schemes have covered 137 sq km, of which close to 25 per cent is appropriated for public use. In the last five years alone, Surat constructed 617 km of roads and 10,000 houses for the poor under JNNURM projects in TPS areas. The scheme was also used successfully to plan the redevelopment of Bhuj after its devastation by the earthquake.

 

Under the Development Plan-TPS system, after the development authority of a town or city has drawn up a strategic decadal development plan for the town or city (identifying the area in which the city is to expand, and laying out the main contours of road and transport infrastructure) the expansion area is divided into a number of smaller areas, typically between one and two sq km each. The TPSes focus on the development of these small areas within a framework of participative planning.

 

In developing these smaller areas, the original plots are marked on a base map, on which major city-level roads are also marked. Planning then begins for public infrastructure: a subsidiary road network, parks, schools, hospitals, and housing for economically weaker sections, for example. More recently, area is also set aside for sale by the development authority to raise finance for infrastructure. A serious effort is made to keep the total proportion of land allocated for public use at an acceptably low level. As Bimal Patel, an urban planner, and a major intellectual force behind the TPS, puts it: "If a road is to be built through the middle of the area in a TPS, every landowner within the TPS area has to relinquish a part of their land and squeeze up. The road-side plot remains with the original owner although it is now smaller by the same proportion as is every other plot in the TPS."

 

The total cost of the TPS includes the cost of infrastructure, compensation to be paid to each land owner, and administrative and legal costs of preparing and implementing the TPS. The betterment charges levied on the land-owners are determined on the assumption that half of the appreciation in the land value of the final plot holders can be appropriated by the development authority for financing the infrastructure. In this manner, the original land owners are converted into owners of urban, better-serviced land which is smaller than their original plots — but much more valuable.

 

Land owners are kept well informed through newspaper advertisements, public meetings and easily available maps of the proposed scheme. After the draft scheme is finalised, the state government appoints a town planning officer — an urban planner who hears individual complaints from landowners in public meetings, and modifies the draft plan to accommodate their demands. Each landowner gets three hearings, two on the physical proposal and one on financial issues. After approval from the state government, the final town plan is published in the newspapers, and appeals can be made to a board constituted by the state government. This participative method works in redressing most grievances, and use of conventional land acquisition methods is minimised. For example, for building the Sardar Patel ring road around Ahmedabad, only 13 km of the 76 km long and 60 m wide road was acquired using the conventional land acquisition method.

 

The statutory provisions of the act allow urban local bodies to take possession of TP roads as soon as the draft TPS is approved. Since TPS does not change the revenue status of the land, and any title-related problems of any plot continue to attach to the new plot, another potential factor delaying infrastructure work is kept out of the way. Earlier, infrastructure investment could begin only after the betterment charges came in, and this could take several years. But now thanks to the JNNURM, TPS system is on a fast track.

 

Planning, participation and transparency have made all the difference. If Surat and Ahmedabad can use TPS to meet the demands of growing cities, should other cities of India be left far behind?

 

Isher Judge Ahluwalia is the chairperson of ICRIER and chair of the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure. Ranesh Nair is a consultant to the committee. Views are personal

 

postcardsofchange@expressindia.com

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

OPED

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

NITYARAMAKRISHNAN

 

Hafiz Saeed, head of the "JuD aka LeT" (a Security Council description) figures, in popular perception, as the symbol of all that ails Indian security today: jihadi violence, Pakistani malice, US doublespeak and Indian helplessness.

 

Curiously, in Pakistan too, Saeed is the man they pick up after every serious incident of terror in India. He was held under preventive detention after the December 2001 attack on Parliament, after the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts, and after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Lahore high court struck down each detention. Was the court left with any other option? Was any other legitimate course open to the government of Pakistan? The answers, respectively, are no and yes.

 

The orders of detention and the manner of justification offered for these by the Pakistani government virtually invited the writs of release. The preventive detention of 2008, in particular, was adopted instead of a viable terror law prosecution — which would have even precluded Saeed's release on bail.

 

Saeed was detained in December 2008 under the Maintenance of Public Order Act (MPO). (This was just after the UN Security Council had declared the JuD to be but an alias of the LeT.)  Pakistan has not formally proscribed the JuD by naming it in the first schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 (ATA).  Ordering his release, the court said this: "so far as the Resolution is concerned there is no matter before us about the vires and the government can act upon the same in letter and spirit if so advised. But relying on the same, the detention cannot be maintained as it was even not desired thereby," according to Dawn on June 3, 2009.

 

Without formally banning an organisation, the consequences of illegality cannot, naturally, be visited upon its members. Answers, however, were still available to be given to the court. Sections of the ATA extend the ban on a listed organisation to cover its operations under any other name. But the government did not assert that the JuD was merely another name under which the already-proscribed LeT was operating. Besides, to sustain the detention, which was under the MPO, it was sufficient, but necessary to show that Saeed was a threat to public safety. Instead, a blatantly untenable ground was pleaded — which was, consequently, rejected. Reportedly, the court was verbally told that the JuD had al-Qaeda links. Association with a banned organisation, when made out, is a case for a criminal prosecution and not really one for preventive detention, although the two are not mutually exclusive.

 

The court's suggestion that the government could take appropriate action on the Security Council resolution was not followed either "in letter" or "in spirit". Without either formally proscribing the JuD or declaring it to be impliedly banned as a front for the LeT or the Al-Qaeda, FIRs were lodged on September 16, 2009 in Faisalabad under provisions that relate to support for a "proscribed organisation". It should have been evident to the meanest intelligence that they were doomed to be quashed. The court was bound by the earlier view (and one of a larger bench) that the JuD had not been shown to be a "proscribed organisation". Sure enough, the court quashed the FIRs, quoting the earlier case. Those FIRs also, reportedly, recorded Saeed's open threats to organise jihadi violence against foreign nations. This was a separate offence under the ATA, but that fact was neither mentioned in the FIR nor pointed out to the court.

 

The ATA defines a "terrorist act" so broadly as to include even the threat of action "designed to create insecurity", "intimidate the public" or "to advance a sectarian, communal or ethnic cause." The action threatened may be death, grievous injury or destruction of property. The threat of sectarian violence is a cognisable offence of terrorism by virtue of Pakistan's loosely worded terror legislation. It is punishable with life, or at least, imprisonment of over ten years; bail is barred in any ATA offence that carries a punishment of ten years. In October 2009, the law was widened to include the intimidation of foreign agencies. Saeed's reported February 5, 2010 speech at Muzaffarabad would clearly be one such instance.

 

Personally, I disapprove of altering normal procedure and restricting judicial discretion, which terror laws are prone to doing; but, clearly, many governments do not share my view. So, despite the claim that India has not given it enough evidence on Saeed, it does seem that Pakistan has, on its own, enough of law and fact to effectively contain him without pleading the excuse of judicial obstruction.

 

Pakistan has claimed a right to try cross-border offenders in its territory, instead of extraditing them.

 

Extradition, despite various UN resolutions, remains a sovereign prerogative. The exercise of the option to try the offenders, however, implies the duty to unearth the necessary evidence and seriously prosecute all those who are implicated. Pakistan is trying five men for the terrorist conspiracy behind the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, including Lakhvi, said to be a deputy of Hafiz Saeed. A proper investigation should then have yielded material on Saeed.

 

Dialogue with Pakistan must factor in the quality of the Lakhvi prosecution as well as the options left out in dealing with Saeed, a man whom Pakistan has acknowledged to be a terrorist.

 

The writer practices in the Supreme Court of India

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

OPED

MEDALS PAINTED GOLD

 

Probably few of the millions slumping in front of the flat-screen this week, skipping the gym to watch their bodily betters perform hair-raising feats of athletic prowess in the Vancouver slush, are aware that in the first half of the 20th century, the modern Olympics also included arts competitions.

 

The dream of uniting sport and art, as they were once paired in the original Greek Olympiads, was in fact central to the mission of Pierre de Coubertin, the godfather of the Games. The goal was "to reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long-divorced couple — Muscle and Mind," he loftily announced to an organising committee in an early attempt to get the idea off the ground. But it was not until the 1912 Stockholm Games that medals would be given for architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature.

 

Even then, the Swedish organisers were none too keen, arguing that judging art was a far slippier proposition than figuring out who threw the discus farthest. Still, the baron had his way. The arts Games were on, and continued until 1948. The animating idea was to award the prizes to work directly inspired by sport — a limitation that may have helped lead to their eventual demise. How many statues of muscle-bound athletes, how many paeans to the glory of manly competition, can the world really be expected to celebrate?

 

In his appositely titled book The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions, Richard Stanton relates the details of this obscure byway of cultural history in enthusiastic prose. Who knew that Walter Winans, a Russian-born aristocrat who maintained US citizenship despite living mostly abroad, was the only Olympian to win medals in both sporting and cultural competition in the same Olympiad? In the 1912 games he took home the silver in "Team Running Deer — Single Shot" (since eliminated, we believe) and the gold medal for sculpture for "An American Trotter."

 

Few immortals swim through the book's pages. Jack Butler Yeats — younger brother of the poet W.B. — won the silver medal at the Paris competition in 1924 for "Natation (Swimming)." (Although the elder Yeats's renown has far outstripped his brother's, fellow Irishman Samuel Beckett was an admirer, and even wrote a poem celebrating his work.)

 

But does anyone still play the "Olympic Symphony" by Zbigniew Turski, a prize winner in the last competition, in London in 1948? Does anyone play anything by Zbigniew Turski? Somehow typical is this forlorn confession from Stanton, relating to the Finnish poet Aale Tynni: "As of this time, a copy of her gold medal poem 'Hellaan Laakeri' has not been located." Sic transit gloria Tynni.

 

The dubiousness of judging aesthetic achievement by committee has been a common subject for complaint ever since awards began proliferating like wildflowers in the last half-century. The highly politicised nature of international competition only added to the problem, as becomes blindingly clear when you scan the list of arts winners from the infamous 1936 Games in Berlin. Man, those Germans and Austrians cleaned up! Austria took gold and bronze for architecture, Germany silver. Germany won all three medals for songs, as well as gold for lyric writing and silver for epic, gold for relief sculpture, two of three awards for town planning (shudder) and more. Who knew home-field advantage could extend so thoroughly into the aesthetic spheres?

 

It's funny to imagine who might have "podiumed" in the arts categories had the competition continued for the rest of the 20th century. Might the lyric winner for the 1998 winter Olympics have been a tribute to the infamous skating scandal of the previous games, something titled "The Ballad of Tonya and Nancy"?

 

In keeping with de Coubertin's dream of truly uniting the worlds of art and sport, I'd like to fancifully suggest that a resurrected arts competition blend disciplines, mixing the skills of Olympic sport with the aesthetics of the new century. One event could be the textathlon, which would involve high-speed texting while skiing, with random breaks for shooting, of course. Or a competition for Twitter haiku, to be composed while hurtling through the icy chutes of the luge.

 

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INDIAN EXPRESS

OPED

VIEW FROM THE LEFT

MANOJ C G

 

Pakistan talks

Although it is in favour of resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan, the CPI has come to the conclusion that the foreign secretary-level talks this week are likely to take place in a listless atmosphere devoid of hope and the expectations of a forward movement are clearly absent. The feeling is that New Delhi is holding the talks under pressure from the US, while Islamabad is unsure of its outcome. Although the Zardari-Gilani government is not fully in charge of the situation in Pakistan and Army chief Pervez Ashfaq Kayani cannot be trusted, there is little option for India but to engage in at least the pretence of negotiations, it says.

 

An article titled "Little hope from Indo-Pak talks" in the latest edition of CPI's weekly mouthpiece New Age says that however untrustworthy Pakistan might be, some channels of communication have to be kept open, as otherwise the onus of being unreasonable will be on India since it is the larger and more stable country. "There is another reason why India must keep its slender links with Pakistan open. It is that the Pakistan army would dearly love a deterioration in mutual ties, as after 26/11, so that it would not have to fulfil its obligation to continue to fight the terrorists in the country's north-west," it says.

Inflation

In an article titled "Price rise: Lame excuses and fake alibis" in the latest issue of CPI(M) mouthpiece People's Democracy, Politburo member Brinda Karat argues that the UPA government has "consistently refused" to accept its responsibilities in containing runaway prices. Seeking to demolish the arguments put forward by the government, she compares the consumer price index of G-20 countries to counter the government argument that high inflation rates are a global phenomenon. While figures show inflation was 14.97 per cent in India in December, Russia recorded 8.8, which was the highest among the G-20 grouping. While Argentina recorded 7.7 after Russia, the lowest inflation figure was -1.7 recorded in Japan. "Clearly, domestic factors, not international ones, are responsible for India having the highest annual inflation rates in the Consumer Price Index of the G-20 countries," the article argues.

 

"In fact it can be argued that India is responsible to an extent for the hardening of international prices in certain commodities over the last few years such as wheat and sugar. When a country like India announces its intentions to import vast quantities of a particular commodity, it obviously leads to higher prices in international markets with big players and speculators driving up commodity futures prices," it says.

 

"While the government is in a state of denial about the impact of recession on the working people, the report of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has assessed that in 2009, 13.6 million more people were pushed into the ranks of the poor in India because of joblessness and high rates of inflation," she says.

 

"It is made out as though state governments were responsible for high prices of sugar because of the higher slabs of VAT on sugar including imported sugar. However, 23 of the 32 states have nil rate of VAT on imported sugar. On the other hand, Jharkhand under President's rule had the highest VAT rate of 12.5 per cent. Congress governments in Rajasthan and Haryana and the Congress-supported DMK government in Tamilnadu have 4 per cent VAT on imported sugar," the article says.

 

Soft Trinamool

The CPI(M) Central Committee's decision to differentiate between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress when it comes to attacking them on the Maoist issue reflected in the lead editorial in People's Democracy. The editorial — in the aftermath of the Maoist attack at the East Frontier Rifles (EFR) camp at Silda — was soft on the Centre, merely suggesting that the state governments of West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar and the Centre should act in unison to combat the Naxalites.

 

On the other hand, it said the Trinamool Congress continues to play "footsie" with the Maoists and it was clearly demonstrated by Mamata Banerjee's unwillingness to name the Maoists as being responsible for the attack.

 

"This despite the fact that the Maoist leaders themselves have publicly acknowledged in the media that they are responsible for this attack and this was their answer to the joint operations to be launched by the Centre and various state governments.

 

"That the Maoists reciprocate the Trinamool Congress's softness became clear when their spokesman informed sections of the media that the Maoists "will not attack or target the Trinamool Congress".

 

By now it is well-known that the Trinamool Congress has openly called for a halt of all operations by security forces against the Maoists so that the latter can continue to terrorise the people through their violence and browbeat them into opposing the Left Front in the forthcoming elections to the state assembly in 2011, it says.

 

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FINANCIAL EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

REC'S SORROWS

After the dismal performance of NTPC's follow-on public offer (FPO), Rural Electrification Corporation was the next chance for the government to find out how the stock markets will react to the disinvestment programme. At the final call on Tuesday, REC's FPO received an overall subscription of 3.1 times. But retail investment subscription has remained abysmal at just 12% of the portion on offer for them getting sold. The portion reserved for qualified institutional buyers was subscribed to 4.15 times. What does this indicate? The REC offering has sure done better than NTPC, but the question mark on the government's future disinvestment programme and its plans to broad-base the equity market through larger retail participation remains. The lukewarm response was despite the fact that the government modified the rules for institutional investors who were allowed to revise their bids in either direction and the floor price was pegged at a relatively steeper discount of around 8%, as compared with 5% in the case of NTPC. Though the uncertain secondary market conditions on global cues had an impact on retail investors, even an 8% discount from the market price was not substantial enough to attract retail investors which kept the demand muted.

 

It also indicates the public is taking a more realistic look at the growth story of many of the public sector companies. It was taken as given that the REC offering would fare well because it is engaged in the business of lending to power projects and has transformed itself from being a rural electrification financier to a player with a presence across the value chain in the power sector. The company has lower gross and net NPAs despite the fact that it derives a major part of its income from state electricity boards and state power utilities. But obviously the weakness of the power sector has rubbed off on it, too. Though the power sector promises long-term growth opportunity given the huge demand-supply mismatch, a flood of power papers in the last six months is now showing in investors' lack of appetite and the markets are almost flat to negative in the past one month. All eyes will be now on NMDC's FPO in March, where the government will divest a 8.33% stake from its current holding of 98.33%. The markets will look for direction and velocity for reforms in the Budget and going ahead, a conducive environment with confidence is required for the future offerings that the government is planning. It must build enough confidence with investment bankers who help to rope in premium foreign investors as was seen in the case of Reliance Power in 2008, which saw the IPO getting subscribed by a record 70 times despite no projects on stream. The government must quickly draw lessons from the mistakes of the NTPC and REC offerings so that it gets good valuations as it goes ahead with the current selloff schedule.

 

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FINANCIAL EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

PRICES IN PARLIAMENT

There had been signs that an Opposition that has been sort of slothful over the previous year would finally get its act together and challenge the government on price rise during the current Parliament session. This came to pass yesterday, when both Houses were forced to adjourn over the issue. Without undermining the significance of the issue, one wishes that there was a more graceful way of stressing it than suspending work in a Budget session. It is, after all, not clear that those challenging the ruling coalition's failure to check food prices would actually support the government if it really mustered up the nerve to move towards appropriate solutions. To illustrate, let's take note of the Delhi CM reportedly ruing the vast gap separating wholesale and retail prices of vegetables in the capital. She further rued the difficulty of cracking the whip on the thousands of intermediaries between the farm and the final market. And as FE stories have tracked, high retail prices are not appropriately matched at the farm gates. But, what if India and its capital actually possessed a meaningfully modern retail system? Then, distribution middlemen wouldn't be able to simultaneously hoodwink both farmers and consumers. Then, we would have more efficient supply chains that didn't lose 35% of India's horticultural output, not to mention 15% of its cereal and grains output. This would also mean wholeheartedly welcoming FDI and agriculture futures. Are the men and women who pushed for Parliament's adjournment yesterday prepared to support such progressive measures?

 

These columns have repeatedly argued that a) the problem of rising food prices needs to be disaggregated and b) measures such as replacing ministers or bifurcating portfolios (the kind of measures that the Opposition is fond of demanding) do not really get to the heart of the problem. On the first front, consider, for example, that pulses exist in a different universe from vegetables. Here, there is a genuine supply issue, which is global in dimension. In sugar, the domestic economy is deeply distorted by government interventions ranging from fixing procurement prices to allocating distribution. Again, it's hard to see the Opposition actually stepping back from the right to such interventions. And again, the solution really lies in repairing the breach between the farmer and the consumer, even on a global scale. Last year's monsoon turned out to be more benign than what the doomsayers had suggested. Now, the rabi harvest is looking good. Even in cases where supply issues dominate, and say yields need to be upped in the long term, quick fixes will not be the best fixes. Both the government and the Opposition need to focus on structural issues.

 

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FINANCIAL EXPRESS

COLUMN

MICRO ECONOMICS IN BUDGET 2010

SAUGATA BHATTACHARYA

This is once again the time of the year when the Union Budget will define our collective fortunes for the next year, and probably for the near, if not an extended, future. This year's Budget is increasingly being referred to as a 'game changer'. Unfortunately, there isn't sufficient exposition of what this means.

 

We read in the papers of multiple demands of various interest groups, mostly for changes in specific tax structures and subventions from the government. These are important and will certainly yield incremental improvements, but they will not result in a dramatic shift in the way the economy functions. My conjecture—based on individual and specific changes, reforms and announcements over the past year—is that the government will seek to articulate the initiation of some fundamental changes in standard operating procedures in this Budget. If this is indeed the case, we need to step back and question what the key objectives and functions of this annual exercise are.

 

The Budget is an opportunity for articulating some basic philosophical questions for the government. The most important is its role. But its role in what? Even at the risk of belabouring the point, its role as a facilitator of some key economic objectives bears repetition.

 

What are these objectives? Even with the rapidly increasing presence of the private sector, the government's budget, and thereby the fiscal environment, still has an overweening influence on shaping the economic landscape. The classic role of fiscal policy—engendering efficiency while promoting equity —will be the defining theme of this Budget, particularly in a year when India's economy is just getting out of a sharp downturn and needs to be placed on track for high sustained growth.

 

Sustained growth, while competing in an integrated world, requires a rapid scale-up in economic efficiency. Many of the items on India's reform agenda require the co-option of state governments in their implementation. While the Union government cannot directly intervene in such areas, it can potentially use fiscal levers to incentivise changes at state levels. The tripartite agreement with state governments over debt payments of state electricity boards is an example of one of the most effective programmes of this kind. To a lesser extent, programmes such as JNNURM and APDRP seek to infuse greater commercial orientation in state entities. But these carrots require funds allocation and prioritising them with scarce Union resources is a major balancing act of the Budget.

 

But, just as in the corporate world, the government has to factor in economic risks to this approach. Among the many things that can disrupt a transition to high and stable growth, high food prices probably rates as the most immediate.

 

We now increasingly hear foreign investors and academics who follow emerging markets begin to caution that sustaining India's growth in the future will require the creation of massive employment opportunities. Among the BRICS, India is the one with the least endowments of natural resources, necessitating dependence on foreign markets. The scale of investments needed to increase India's productivity will require access to foreign capital and India needs to both improve its credit ratings to borrow cheaply and at the same time build up the absorptive capacity of its domestic hinterland to utilise capital flows without disruptive asset bubbles.

 

Inclusive growth has now become a mantra for policymakers, and rightly so. The extent of poverty and lack of access to basic infrastructure absolutely mandates the involvement of government. The surest way of increasing employability is to provide access to schools, nutrition, health and more broadly, to opportunity. But this requires the application of significant government subvention, at least initially, even with the participation of the private sector.

 

India's agriculture productivity needs to be increased rapidly, both for food self-sufficiency and to fund industrial and services sector growth. India needs to increase its economic surplus from the agricultural sector and transfer it to fund industrial growth, not through extortionary methods as in China in the early eighties, but through incentive mechanisms.

 

What are the instruments for achieving these objectives? The microeconomic expertise of the chief economic advisor will surely manifest through gradual implementation of incentive-compatible mechanisms to achieve this. The senior management at the helm of India's key economic ministries has increasingly demonstrated a willingness to experiment with new methods, instruments and processes. Despite the natural frictional inertia of our political system, there is a sense of urgency in our political, administrative, corporate and entrepre-neurial psyche. We look forward to the Budget reinforcing this.

 

The author is senior vice-president, business and economic research, Axis Bank. These are his personal views

 

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FINANCIAL EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

FM SHOULD REDUCE TAX EXEMPTIONS

P RAGHAVAN

The deterioration of the fiscal position of states, as indicated by the reappearance of revenue deficits for the first time in 5 years in the RBI study on state budgets for 2009-10, and the doubling of states' fiscal deficit to 3.2% of the GDP over the last 3 years, has once again pushed the consolidated fiscal deficit of the Centre and states to new historical highs. Though the central budget estimates for 2009-10 put the fiscal deficit at 6.8% of GDP, real deficit would be much higher if one were to add off-budget borrowings like oil and fertiliser bonds and the burden on oil-producing companies, which would together cost around Rs 1,20,000 crore and market stabilisation bonds, where outstanding balance averaged around Rs 30,000 crore in the first 9 months of the year. This will push up total off-budget borrowings to Rs 1,50,000 crore or roughly 2.6% of GDP, taking the real consolidated deficit of the Centre and states to 12.6%, far higher than the previous peak of 9.9% registered at the start of the last decade.

 

Such high fiscal deficits have serious implications for the availability of credit so essential for bolstering growth. Figures for the fiscal until end-January 2010 show that net bank credit to the government was Rs 2,71,711 crore, which exceeded the Rs 2,68,101 crore of bank credit availed of by the entire commercial sector. This is in sharp contrast to the trends 2 years ago in the corresponding period of 2007-08, much before the recession, when net bank credit to government was about one-tenth of the credit availed of by the commercial sector.

 

Improving the flows of bank credit to meet the needs of the growing private sector in a fast-recovering economy requires a sharp cut in the central fiscal deficit and reduction of government borrowings. But this is a tough act given the UPA's penchant for providing generous allocations to social sectors and the rural economy.

 

One relief for the FM is that the government has almost fully paid out all arrears relating to the pay commission award and also the debt relief on bank loans. The return to normal spending in these cases would help in arresting growth of spending and curbing deficits. Another major gain would accrue from the decision to raise fertiliser prices and shift to nutrient-based pricing for fertilisers. Food subsidies are unlikely to move in tandem, as the need for building up stocks and greater demand would only add to costs. The only possible option is to ensure proper targeting of subsidies and stop leakages. Bold measures on this front will help bring down fiscal deficit by at least 25 basis points.

 

But a curb on big-ticket spenders is only one side of the story, as there are also going to be additional demands from other ministries. For instance, improvement in the growth prospects and tardy implementation of the PPPs would require larger government spending in areas like energy and infrastructure. Demands made by the railway minister, who requires huge funds to meet the targets set in the Vision 2020 document, is one such example. The states would also have to be motivated to take up more reforms with larger financial incentives. The Centre would also be additionally burdened with programmes related to the right to education and food security to which it has already committed.

 

So, the overall impact of the rationalisation on the spending side is likely to be marginal. And the historical experience of the last two decades also shows that efforts for improved fiscal management have largely focused on boosting revenues rather than on expenditure cuts. Even the feeble efforts made on the spending side have largely attempted to cut down on capital spending rather than revenue allocations.

 

But mobilising additional resources is a distant dream with the recovery still in an incipient stage. And the tardy approach to the introduction of the goods and services tax rules out any immediate use of the only significant option for improving the tax mobilisation efforts. In fact, there is even a downside risk as any recommendation to increase the states' share of tax revenues by the 13th Finance Commission could dent the central revenues.

 

One option that the government has already committed to is raising resources by listing profitable central government enterprises, which can be even treble the Rs 20,000 crore that is expected to be raised in the current fiscal year. This, and a successful auction of the 3G licences, would help mop up around Rs 1,00,000 crore. A rollback of the tax cuts in stages, if not in one go, can also help boost revenue prospects.

 

But the best avenue for raising revenues in the short run is to reduce tax exemptions that distort resource allocations and cause inefficiencies. Most recent estimates show that total tax exemptions or revenues forgone amounted to Rs 4,18,095 crore in 2008-09, which is about two-thirds of the total tax collection in the year. The major part of this was from excise and customs duties and a radical pruning here would be helpful as the GST, which would replace these taxes, is unlikely to provide for any exemptions and a gradual reduction would be less hurting.

 

p.raghavan@expressindia.com

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FINANCIAL EXPRESS

EDITORIAL

DEBATING REALLY ISN'T IN FASHION

JAYA JUMRANI

The Budget session of Parliament provides the UPA government with another chance to pass some of the long-pending, important Bills. But will it be able to achieve the same?

 

It is common knowledge that debate is at the heart of any democracy. But for our democracy, statistics from the PRS legislative research cut a sorry figure. The data indicate that several Bills were passed without any substantial amount of discussion in 2009. Lok Sabha has spent over 1,228 hours in Parliamentary debates since 2004. The proportion of time spent on debates has varied from 73% in 2004 to 80% in 2008. The productive time in Lok Sabha was 350 hours (89% of scheduled time) in 2009. Nearly 63% of this time was spent on financial issues and in non-legislative debates and approximately 96 hours were spent on Budget discussions. The government promulgated nine ordinances in 2009—the second highest figure in the last decade. The legislative business calendar is getting shorter over time.

 

Astonishingly, 27% of the Bills passed by Lok Sabha were discussed for less than five minutes. This list comprised crucial Bills like the Trade Marks Amendment Bill and the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2009. On average, nine MPs participated per Bill in 2009 as a large proportion of Bills were passed without any discussion. Additionally, not even a single Private Members' Bill has been passed in the last 40 years. Till date, only 14 such Bills have been passed—6 of them in 1956 alone.

 

There's nothing new in the high-speed passage of these Bills, as is evident from historical data. But it ultimately leads to a highly undemocratic and regressive trend, which is not good practice for the well-being of legislative business and ultimately the citizens. What is required is more working days to accommodate serious legislative work, besides making the sessions more discussion-friendly. Not all Bills require debate, but Bills pertaining to national concern should definitely be discussed. The main purpose of the debate should be to elicit significant information and not to embarrass the government, to amuse the TV audiences or to make life easier for journalists.

 

jaya.jumrani@expressindia.com

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THE HINDU

EDITORIAL

IN DEEP CRISIS

 

India's national carrier, Air India, severely hit by financial crisis, still remains in the intensive care unit. Though the government has decided to infuse equity to an extent of Rs.800 crore, nothing seems to be going right for the National Aviation Company of India Limited, the new corporate entity created by merging Air India and Indian Airlines in 2007. For one thing, the process of merger is yet to be completed. Secondly, the losses are mounting month after month — currently Rs.400 crore a month, on average. A year after the formal merger, the losses had doubled to Rs.5,548 crore (2008-09). The airline is so badly strapped for cash that it needs Rs.1,000 crore more as working capital for just staying afloat and maintaining its services at the present level. Already, its working capital borrowings have piled up to Rs.16,000 crore, with the accumulated losses adding up to about Rs.7,000 crore. It appears that Air India is caught in a vicious circle. Wherever it turns to for assistance, it is required to come up with a road map for turning the company around. Given the airline's predicament where it cannot even pay for the fuel or clear the wage arrears of the staff, scaling up its operations — necessary for earning more revenue — is unthinkable in the absence of a lifeline.

 

At the Board of Directors' meeting last week, the proposal to hive off its strategic business units and make them independent, commercial entities was dropped from the agenda. So far, the company's efforts at raising funds have not borne fruit. It has to work out an actionable turnaround plan before the government can firm up, on the advice of the Group of Ministers concerned, further steps to resuscitate the airline. This means there has to be wide consultation involving the management, administrative staff, and trade unions to hammer out such a plan, whose components will include: rationalisation of wages and work force, discharge of debts, fleet expansion through induction of the latest aircraft, and an end to the culture of political interference in management. Air India has been calling for a level playing field in operations vis-à-vis private carriers. All these issues have been discussed intensely and at different levels in the past. But there has been no consensus on any of the issues that are critical for the viability of the airline. The government cannot be expected to keep pumping huge sums of money unless it is convinced that the airline has a comprehensive and practical plan of action for its revival. The bottom line should, of course, be the financial viability and sustainability of Air India. Time is running out, and the management must get its act together before it is too late.

 

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THE HINDU

EDITORIAL

HAIR REVEALS OUR PAST

 

In less than 10 years after the human genome from a living individual was first sequenced, scientists have successfully sequenced a complete ancient human genome (only partial ancient human genomes and mitochondrial DNA have been sequenced in the past). The study was published recently in Nature . The sample studied was one of the four excellently preserved human tufts from a male paleo-Eskimo obtained from about 4,000-year-old permafrost at Qeqertasussuk, Greenland. As against the gold standard of sequencing the genome 10 times, the ancient human genome was sequenced 20 times over nearly 80 per cent of its length. Repeated sequencing helps enhance the level of accuracy, ensuring that any differences seen between ancient and modern human genomes are true. There is great interest in studying ancient humans to understand the routes of human migration from Africa. The ancient human's mitochondrial DNA sequenced in 2008 helped in identifying him as belonging to Saqqaq culture of East Siberia. Tracing the route of migration from East Siberia to Greenland through Alaska and Canada also became possible by comparing the ancient human genome with modern genome data; Saqqaqs had split from Chukchis, their closest relatives, some 5,500 years ago.

 

Sequencing the nuclear DNA and comparing the functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with modern human genome data helped in identifying his appearance and roots. The study revealed that he had brown eyes, dark thick hair, and brown skin, which are typical Asian characteristics. His shovel-graded front teeth and earwax of the dry type are typical of Asians and native Americans. His metabolism and body mass index indicates that he was adapted to living in a cold climate. Sequencing the complete ancient genome became possible as hair tufts were excellently preserved in permafrost. However, the samples recovered in 1986 were stored at room temperature in the National History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, until they were studied recently. Past studies in humans and animals have shown that unlike bones and teeth, hair shafts are able to preserve mitochondrial DNA in larger quantities and for longer periods of time even at room temperature; the shaft's melanin material probably prevents DNA damage. But the latest study has shown that it is indeed possible to extract nuclear DNA from hair shafts, especially when hair is preserved in ice. The real challenge will be to extract nuclear DNA from samples recovered from temperate and tropical regions, where the majority of ancient human remains are found.

 

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THE HINDU

LEADER PAGE ARTICLES

POVERTY ESTIMATES VS FOOD ENTITLEMENTS

STATISTICAL POVERTY LINES SHOULD NOT BECOME REAL-LIFE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FOOD ENTITLEMENTS.

JEAN DRÈZE

 

Nothing is easier than to recognise a poor person when you see him or her. Yet the task of identifying and counting the poor seems to elude the country's best experts. Take for instance the "headcount" of rural poverty — the proportion of the rural population below the poverty line. At least four alternative figures are available: 28 per cent from the Planning Commission, 50 per cent from the N.C. Saxena Committee report, 42 per cent from the Tendulkar Committee report, and 80 per cent or so from the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS).

 

On closer examination, the gaps are not as big as they look, because they are largely due to the differences in poverty lines. The underlying methodologies are much the same. The main exception is the Saxena Committee report, where the 50 per cent figure is based on an independent argument about the required coverage of the BPL Census. Other reports produce alternative figures by simply shifting the poverty line.

 

In this connection, it is important to remember that the poverty line is, ultimately, little more than an arbitrary benchmark. It is difficult to give it a normative interpretation (in this respect, the Tendulkar Committee report is far from convincing). The notion that everyone below a certain expenditure threshold is "poor," while everyone else is "not poor," makes little sense. Poverty is a matter of degree and to the extent that any particular threshold can be specified, it is likely to depend on the context of the exercise.

 

What tends to matter is not so much the level of the benchmark as consistency in applying it in different places and years (by using suitable "cost-of-living indexes" to adjust the benchmark), for comparative purposes. It is this consistency that is being threatened by the current mushrooming of independent poverty lines. In this respect, the Tendulkar Committee report does a reasonably good job of arguing for the adoption of the current, national, official urban poverty line as an "anchor." State-wise urban and rural poverty lines are to be derived from it by applying suitable price indexes generated from the National Sample Survey data. This approach permits continuity with earlier poverty series, consistency of poverty estimation between sectors and States, and some method in the madness from now on.

 

As it happens, the Tendulkar Committee report's estimate of 42 per cent for rural poverty, based on this new poverty line, is not very different from the 50 per cent benchmark proposed in the Saxena Committee for the coverage of the BPL Census. In fact, the Tendulkar estimate, plus a very conservative margin of 10 per cent or so for targeting errors, would produce much the same figure as in the Saxena Committee report. Thus, one could argue for "50 per cent" as an absolute minimum for the coverage of the next BPL Census in rural areas.

 

However, poverty estimation is one thing, and social support is another. The main purpose of the BPL Census is to identify households eligible for social support, notably through the Public Distribution System (PDS) but also, increasingly, in other ways. In deciding the coverage of the BPL Census, allowance must be made not only for targeting errors, which can be very large, but also for other considerations, including the fact that under-nutrition rates in India tend to be much higher than poverty estimates. This gap is not so surprising, considering that the official "poverty line" is really a destitution line. The consumption basket that can be bought at the poverty line is extremely meagre. It was an important contribution of the NCEUS report to point out that even a moderately enhanced poverty line basket, costing Rs.20 per person per day, would be unaffordable for a large majority of the population. How would you like to live on Rs. 20 a day?

 

Also relevant here is the case for a universal as opposed to targeted PDS. The main argument is that the Right to Food is a fundamental right of all citizens (an aspect of the "Right to Life" under Article 21 of the Constitution), and that any targeting method inevitably entails substantial "exclusion errors." This raises the question of the BPL Census methodology.

 

The 2002 BPL Census was based on a rather convoluted scoring method, involving 13 different indicators (related for instance to land ownership, occupation and education) with a score of 0 to 4 for each indicator, so that the aggregate score ranged from 0 to 52. There were serious conceptual flaws in this scoring system, and the whole method was also applied in a haphazard manner, partly due to its confused character. The result was a very defective census that left out large numbers of poor households. According to the 61st round of the National Sample Survey, among the poorest 20 per cent of rural households in 2004-05, barely half had a BPL Card. Any future BPL Census exercise must be based on a clear recognition of this major fiasco.

 

The Saxena Committee recently proposed an alternative BPL Census methodology, involving a simplified scoring system. Instead of 13 indicators, there are just five, with an aggregate score ranging from 0 to 10. This is a major improvement. Even this simplified method, however, is likely to be hard to comprehend for many rural households. This lack of transparency opens the door to manipulation, and undermines participatory verification of the BPL list. There is no guarantee that the results will be much better than those of the 2002 BPL Census.

 

Perhaps the proposed method can be further improved. But the bottom line is that any BPL Census is likely to be a bit of a hit-or-miss affair, not only because of inherent conceptual problems but also because of widespread irregularities on the ground. This is the main argument for universal provision of basic services, including access to the PDS. Another strong argument is that targeting is divisive, and undermines the unity of public demand for a functional PDS. It is perhaps no accident that the PDS works much better in Tamil Nadu, where it is universal, than in other States.

 

A universal PDS would, of course, involve a major increase in the food subsidy. However, universalisation could be combined with cost-saving measures such as decentralised procurement, self-management of Fair Price Shops by gram panchayats, and a range of transparency safeguards. There is no obvious alternative, if we are serious about ensuring food security for all. If someone has a better idea, let's hear it.

 

Meanwhile, the government seems to be running in the opposite direction, judging from the recent recommendations of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) in charge of the proposed National Food Security Act. The EGoM suggested not only that the government's legal obligation to provide foodgrain under PDS should be restricted to 25 kg per month for BPL families, but also that the Planning Commission's measly poverty figures should be used as a "ceiling" for the BPL list. This amounts to disregarding at least three official committee reports (Tendulkar, N.C. Saxena and NCEUS), and trivialising the proposed Act.In a country where half of all children are underweight, the idea that freedom from hunger and under-nutrition can be made a legal right is rather bold and far-reaching. It has a bearing not only on the Public Distribution System but also on a range of other interventions and entitlements, relating for instance to child nutrition, social security, health care, and even property rights. Framing an effective National Food Security Act requires a great deal of creative work, public debate, and political commitment. Alas, seven months after the Finance Minister stated, in his previous budget speech, that work on the Act had "begun in right earnest," and that a draft would be in the public domain "very soon," things seem to be moving backward rather than forward. Let us see what the Honourable Minister has to say on this in his forthcoming budget speech.

 

(The author is Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Allahabad.)

 

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THE HINDU

ONE HIV TEST, BUT TWO RESULTS

ANTIRETROVIRALS HAVE VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED AIDS IN THE WEST. IT'S FOR THIS VERY REASON THEY WILL NOT DEFEAT HIV IN AFRICA.

ELIZABETH PISANI

 

It's been a bad few months for HIV prevention. We've learned that our best candidates for vaccines and virus-killing microbicides don't work. Now we're clutching at another straw: maybe we can treat our way out of the HIV epidemic.

 

At an HIV research meeting this week, boffins from the World Health Organisation revived a mathematical model that shows that if we test everyone in Africa for HIV once a year and give everyone who tests positive expensive drugs right away and for the rest of their lives, we'll wipe out new HIV infections within seven years. That's because HIV is passed on most easily when there's lots of virus in the infected person's blood and body fluids. Antiretroviral medicines cut the "viral load" (the amount of virus in the body), so they make it more difficult to pass on HIV. Ergo, more treatment means fewer new infections.

 

Sadly, it's not that simple. For one thing, HIV is most infectious in the few months after a person is first infected. Even if everyone got tested annually, we'd miss most of these new infections. Second, people's viral load spikes upwards if they get another sexually transmitted infection (STI), or if they stop taking their medicine because the clinic runs out of stock, the meds make them feel sick, or they went on a three-day bender and forgot their pills. Interrupting treatment also allows the virus to develop resistance to drugs, and that leads to more spikes in viral load. Most importantly, antiretrovirals keep you alive and well enough to be out there meeting new sex partners. That's a good thing, obviously, but it also means that people who have HIV are going to have more chances to pass it on during those times when their viral load is spiky.

 

There's more. In countries like the U.K. where treatment has been available for over a decade, AIDS has virtually disappeared. HIV, unfortunately, has not. A few years after antiretrovirals became widely available, new infections among gay men in the U.K. began to rise. We've seen the same thing in Australia, the United States and practically everywhere else we have data. One reason for that is that gay men use condoms less now than they did when HIV = AIDS = a horrible death. Now, though, HIV = a pill every day. Boring, but not the end of the world, unless you're the taxpayer picking up the tab for it or the epidemiologist worrying that drug-resistant strains of HIV will reignite AIDS.

 

On top of that, many people assume that if the person they're having sex with is infected, they'll be on meds and so not very infectious. Which may be true if they're not in that early peak of infectiousness, have taken all their pills diligently, and don't have another STI. Though since condom use is dropping across the board, other STI rates are soaring. In short, more people living with HIV, combined with more unprotected sex, is outweighing the effects of lower viral load in places where the population is well informed, HIV testing is actively promoted, and treatment has been free and universally available. But in Africa it will be different.

 

Our computer model assumes every African will get tested for HIV every year, everyone who tests positive will start taking antiretrovirals immediately and 98 out of 100 will never miss a dose. On top of that, though gay men in rich countries use condoms far less now than they did before we had antiretrovirals, we assume that heterosexuals in Africa are going to use them more once the most visible and frightening face of AIDS disappears.

 

On the strength of this model, which bears as much relation to reality as a British MP's expense claim, we are going to hail expanded HIV treatment in Africa as the new answer to prevention. A triumph of optimism over common sense. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2010

 

( Elizabeth Pisani is a consultant epidemiologist specialising in HIV prevention. She writes about HIV, science and public policy at www. wisdomofwhores. com)

 

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THE HINDU

A FRAGILE AMBIENCE OF HOPE

 TWO ISSUES — THE TRUE NATURE OF RACISM AND AUSTRALIA'S ANTI-RACIST COMMITMENT — ARE ACUTELY RELEVANT TO THE LONG-TERM SAFETY OF INDIANS IN THAT COUNTRY.

P. S. SURYANARAYANA

Australia has voiced empathy for India over its planning of security arrangements for hosting a series of international sports events from Sunday (February 28). Such an expression of support can tone up an equation that has been badly buffeted by the recent tensions over a series of attacks on Indians in Australia.

 

Surely, there is no linkage between India's security measures for the sports events and the safety of Indian students and others of Indian origin in Australia. However, Australia wants its sports personnel to feel safe in the context of the recent anti-India terrorist attacks.

 

On a different track, the safety of Indians in Australia is an issue that New Delhi has repeatedly discussed with Canberra. Unsurprisingly, both issues figured in Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith's recent talks with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in London.

 

Alluding to those talks, Mr. Smith, in London last week, said: "So far as arrangements for the Commonwealth Games are concerned, and for the Hockey World Cup are concerned, we are satisfied that all of the necessary consultations and coordination are occurring. ... It is a very regrettable fact of the modern era that there are always risks, security risks, in major sporting events, whether they are conducted in Australia — the Sydney Olympics or the Melbourne Commonwealth Games — or whether they are conducted in India."

 

On the safety of Indians in Australia, Mr. Smith assured Mr. Krishna of updates on the probe into and the prosecutions for the various attacks. Remarkably candid, too, was the Australian government's statement on this issue in the House of Representatives in Canberra on February 9. Mr. Smith said: "Recent contemptible attacks on Indian students and others of Indian origin in Australia have cast a long shadow not only over our education links [with India] but across our broader relationship and bilateral agenda. These attacks are inexcusable. ... If any of these attacks have been racist in nature — and it seems clear some of them have — they [the perpetrators] will be punished with the full force of the law." Mr. Smith went on to reaffirm Australia's "zero tolerance for racism."

 

Two issues, seemingly semantic in scope but really substantive in nature, are acutely relevant to the long-term safety of Indians in Australia. The issues are the true nature of racism and the true quality of Australia's anti-racism commitment.

 

Emerging out of the well-chronicled attacks on Indians, including a stray "faked incident," is an unmistakable pattern of targeting against this group. When the crisis, simmering for several years, acquired ominous tones last May, the Australian authorities genuinely believed that there was no racism in play. Soon after Sravan Kumar was attacked, this journalist failed to elicit a comment from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, despite gaining brief access to him. It was on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Security Conference or the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last May. And, it stands to reason that Mr. Rudd was at that time convinced there was no evidence of a racist motive behind the attacks on Indians.

 

Even now, Mr. Smith is extremely cautious in acknowledging the possibility of a racist motive in some cases. In his recent parliamentary statement, he went no farther than to say that "it seems clear ... some ... attacks have been racist in nature." Now, shorn of semantics, the juxtaposing of the words "seems" and "clear" is a qualitative indication of ambiguity about the extent of a racist motive. But, this does not imply ambivalence behind Mr. Smith's promise to "make a whole-of-nation, whole-of-government commitment" to address this problem.

 

With the recent murder of Nitin Garg serving as another wake-up call for the Australian authorities, there are signs that they may make a reality check. At one stage, the security agencies at the grassroots appeared eager to rule out racist motives even before concluding the investigations. The serious-minded Australian observers remain conscious, though, that the ties with India can still be held hostage by a few law-breakers, regardless of motives.

 

It is in such a fragile ambience of hope that India's High Commissioner to Australia, Sujatha Singh, sums up the puzzle in simple but telling words: "The fundamental issue is the growing number of attacks, which seem to be disproportionately affecting Indians, especially in and around Melbourne. ... The anxious parents of the more than 120,000 Indian students in Australia are asking for clear answers to certain questions: Are our children safe in Australia? Why does it seem that only, or mainly, Indians are the victims? Are the assailants being caught? Are they being punished? Is the situation becoming better or worse?"

 

Mrs. Singh has received signals that Australia, as a friendly country, is willing to work with India to resolve the issues. But, she is not alone in seeking credible answers through results on the ground.

 

Regardless of the Indian perspectives, Australia's Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, links the issue to the country's crime scene as he sees it. The "heart of the matter," he hinted on February 23, was the series of "racially-motivated bashings in unsafe streets."

 

Central to a solution is the political will to address the crime scene in Australia, with reference to new racism, if any, or the vestiges, if any, of old attitudes. Robin Jeffrey, an Australian expert, sees the current scene as "a cloud [with] a big silver lining, if the next year can be handled well." In a conversation with this correspondent, Mr. Jeffrey, who knows India well, said: "Longer term, it has focussed Australia and India on each other as never happened before. There is a real critical mass of young people who are going back and forth. So, the relationship in five years will be stronger than it has ever been. It is for both governments now to institutionalise more ways of communicating."

 

"Strategic partnership"

 

On the central issue of alleged racism, Mr. Jeffrey said: "If racism means picking on somebody because they are of a different colour and you know they are going to be relatively easier-marked than somebody else, then that is racism. ... To me, racism is nastier and more elaborate and more sophisticated than that. It is: organisations that promote hatred, it is a body of ideas that suggests racial superiority of one kind or another. It was there around Pauline Hanson's time 15 years ago [in Australia], and it crawled back under its rock." In the light of what he aptly described as "publicity ping-pong" over the current issues, he and some other experts see a danger of a revival of such racism.

 

Independent of such views of experts, it is clear that India and Australia need to go beyond a symphony of political sentiments against racism. Practical cooperation, in terms of their current ideas of a "strategic partnership," is required.

 

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THE HINDU

NCHER BILL: MISMATCH BETWEEN PROMISES AND PROVISIONS

 

Thomas Joseph, Member Secretary, Kerala State Higher Education Council, writes:

This is a response to the rejoinder of Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon (Feb. 22, 2010) to my article on National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) Bill (Feb. 6, 2010).

 

I stand by my argument that the pious intensions to promote autonomy of higher educational institutions set forth in the preamble of the bill are undermined by various provisions of the bill. Let me cite a few provisions from the bill. It is mandatory for all universities, including state universities, to appoint Vice-Chancellors only from a panel of five names forwarded by the Commission from within the national registry of scholars prepared by it (clause 26). A university constituted by an act of Parliament or State Legislature shall commence its academic operations only after being authorised by the Commission (clause 32). For such authorisation, the university has to produce satisfactory assessment report from an accreditation agency registered with the Commission (Clause 33). Authorisation once granted can be revoked by the Commission, without reference to the Parliament/State Legislature, as the case may be (clause 36). No university shall award degrees unless it is authorised by the Commission in this regard (Clause 41). The Commission shall frame national curriculum and enforce it in the universities through regulations (Clause 54). All these new arrangements further undermine the limited administrative and academic autonomy the universities enjoy today.

 

A single window regulatory system at the Central level might be a convenient device for enforcing national policies across the country. But the bill provides no structural safety-net to insulate the system against authoritarianism and corruption, which have been the bane of apex regulatory bodies like the UGC, the AICTE and the NCTE, which are being subsumed by the NCHER. The apprehension is all the more serious as extensive regulatory, administrative and financial powers, which the UGC or other apex regulatory agencies never enjoyed, are sought to be bestowed upon the Commission. Such concentration of powers in a small body of seven experts is potentially dangerous.

 

It is not clear as to how the new system could ensure "true autonomy of universities and institutions of higher learning." Autonomy implies not only "delivery of educational services" as "a decentralised activity at the institutional level," as Dr. Madhava Menon would have us believe, but also taking policy decisions on what to teach, whom to teach and how to teach and setting up and administering institutions that are engaged in such activities. Since autonomy also implies accountability to national and local societal values and goals, the implementation of autonomy inevitably also involves setting up a two-tier regulatory mechanism, one at the national and the other at the State level. Hence the issue of federalism in education is not one of "legislative competence" alone. It is one of the defining features of autonomy, more so in a country of continental dimensions as ours. Autonomy thrives through decentralisation, through celebration of diversity.

 

In a federal set-up, State governments cannot be treated as a part of the amorphous crowd of "stakeholders." They are as much policymakers as the Central government. The appropriate forum for consulting the states on the collaborative enterprise of education is not hurriedly convened meetings of "stakeholders," but the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), which was revived from limbo after a gap of 10 years only in 2004. Constitutionality apart, a democratic, consensual process of decision making should get precedence over arguments over legislative competence, administrative convenience and pious intentions. Education is so much an integral part of the project of inclusive nation building that it cannot be merrily abandoned to the care of seven experts, even if they all happen to be Nobel Laureates.

 

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THE HINDU

UNEP AWARDS FOR TWO INSTITUTIONS

 

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Tuesday awarded an appreciation to two institutions that managed to produce environmental-friendly products while at the same time having capability to improve livelihood for poor people.

 

In a prize awarding ceremony, the UNEP's Executive Director and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Achim Steiner said that the companies, named Trees, Water and People (TWP) and Nuru Design changed the lives of thousands of school children, housewives and villagers across Latin America, Africa and India.

 

"This is the green economy of tomorrow in an action today," said Steiner. The appreciation called the Sasakawa Prize worth $200,000 each was awarded to Nuru Design as the company has brought rechargeable lights to villages in Rwanda, Kenya and India while TWP is an organisation that collaborates with local non- governmental organisations in distributing fuel-efficient cook stoves to communities in Honduras, Guatemala, El Savador, Nicaragua and Haiti.

 

Wangari Mathai, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who is one of the juries, said that both institutions managed to fulfil three standards set namely replicable, taking side on grassroots people and inexpensive.

 

"Obviously, they address issues of environment and poverty as their creation managed to improve livelihood and in the same time protecting environment," said Mathai.

 

Stuart Conway, co-founder and International Director of TWP said that stove he created managed to reduce forest cuts and improve health of housewives as it is completed by chimney that emit smoke to outdoor.

 

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nuru Design said that the rechargeable lights managed to reduce dependence of kerosene to energise lantern, a fossil fuel that is expensive for poor people and emits smoke that is unhealthy and environmentally unfriendly. — Xinhua

 

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THE ASIAN AGE

EDITORIAL

MAOIST CEASEFIRE OFFER: IS IT REAL?

 

The Maoists have offered a 72-day truce during which time they want to hold talks with the government through mediators like intellectuals and human rights activists. There has been a mixed reaction to this offer. Within 24 hours, Union home minister P. Chidambaram has said they should fax a written statement and even provided a fax number. He added that they should abjure violence and that there should be no pre-conditions. The Naxalites have demanded that there should be a halt to all operations by security forces in West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) also said there would be no talks with the Naxalites and that they were only saying this to create confusion. The MHA reiterated that the operations would continue. The ball is now in the court of the Maoists. They will have to prove, in a manner more concrete than just words, and through the proper channels, that they are sincere about the truce offer. There are suspicions that the Maoists are feeling the heat of Operation Green Hunt, particularly after they massacred Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel at Silda in West Bengal. Their action was condemned by intellectuals and human rights organisations. Besides, does CPI (Maoist) politburo member Koteswara Rao, or Kishenji as he is referred to, have the authority to make such an offer? He is only a politburo member restricted to the eastern region. The top boss of the CPI (Maoist), Ganapathy, has been silent on this offer. The government cannot be faulted for being suspicious since this is not the first time that the Maoists have offered a truce. They had offered a truce in Andhra Pradesh, which was accepted by the then chief minister, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, but he was let down. There is also another view, that the Maoists could be trying to buy time to regroup and rearm. The 72-day truce period they have sought coincides with the summer season and ends with the beginning of the monsoon, when the forests are lush and provide ample cover.

It is trickier for the government, which will face harsh criticism if there are killings during a ceasefire. The Indian security forces did not go into the jungles without reason. In recent times the Maoists have killed more than 300 ordinary people and, in this year alone, 125 people have been slain in police/Army action and Naxalite violence. The Maoists have their side of the story which, simply put, is about protecting the tribals. In fact they have been running a parallel government along what can be called a Maoist corridor that runs from West Bengal to Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and down to Andhra Pradesh. This is also India's wealthiest mineral belt, which is being eyed by the government and by foreign and Indian mining interests. The lands in these areas are occupied by tribals and they don't want to leave unless there is something for them in the so-called development of these lands. Tribals and the landless throughout India are sought to be deprived of their lands for development in the form of SEZs, power plants etc. Even the Salva Judum movement in Chhattisgarh has degenerated into a land grab movement by the government and there are instances of tribals being driven out of their homes so that the government can go ahead with its aggressive industrialisation programme. Many in government are aware of the havoc that has been caused by aggressive industrialisation and there have been sane voices warning against the repercussions. At some point there has to be a dialogue between the government and the tribals and landless. When it occurs, the government should go beyond mouthing the mantra of inclusive growth. In this context, the talks offer from the Maoists could be considered by the government within the parameters of security demands.

 

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THE ASIAN AGE

OPED

DEMYSTIFYING INDO-PAK TALKS

ON THE EVE OF THE INDO-PAK FOREIGN SECRETARY-LEVEL TALKS ON FEBRUARY 25, WHICH THE SPOKESPERSONS OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CONGRESS PARTY ARE AT PAINS TO INSIST ARE NOT A RESUMPTION OF THE DIALOGUE, IT MAY BE USEFUL TO DEMYSTIFY THEM.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao chose to use the lectern at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London, to emphasise that the Indian focus would be on terror perpetrated from the soil of Pakistan. When asked how she squares it with the Pakistani articulation that they would raise issues they consider appropriate, she chose to not respond. It has also been repeatedly pronounced that these are talks about talks, and not a resumption of the composite dialogue.

While dialogue had been held between India and Pakistan at the level of foreign secretaries since at least the time of Rajiv Gandhi, the topics for discussion were handled by separate working groups, evolved over a period as confidence-building measures. J.N. Dixit explained in his book India-Pakistan in War and Peace that the nine issues in the composite dialogue had been "on the Indo-Pakistani agenda since 1983". They were specifically catalogued when Rajiv Gandhi met a newly elected Benazir Bhutto following the death of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in 1988. The working groups dealt with them, meeting alternatively in New Delhi and Islamabad, between 1988 and 1994.

The dialogue between the two countries, however was interrupted between 1994 and 1996. The period from the death of Gen. Zia in 1988 to the military coup by Gen. Musharraf in 1999 saw alternating governments led by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan. In India too there were a series of Prime Ministers. Each change led to renewed interest in testing the waters of Indo-Pak relations, but with mixed or unsatisfactory results. However, three factors coloured this period. The destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1993 and the bomb blasts targeting the financial district in Mumbai, the withdrawal of the Soviets from Afghanistan in 1989 releasing trained jihadis for induction by Pakistan into J&K, and the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998. Therefore, when the Prime Ministers of the two countries met first on the sidelines of the Saarc Summit in July 1998 in Colombo, and then in New York in September 1998, they were under renewed international pressure, as states possessing nuclear bombs, to re-engage. They still confronted the old dilemmas. India wanted to focus on confidence-building and risk reduction steps and Pakistan kept circling back to Kashmir.
It was against this background that the concept of the composite dialogue was born to break the stalemate and accommodate the concerns of the two sides. The two PMs agreed on September 23, 1988 to bless the new format. There were those on the Indian side who had serious reservations about the induction of Kashmir into a dialogue that was focusing on CBMs (confidence-building measures). The first meeting in this format was held in the following November.

The irony today is that while the Congress and the BJP are vehemently disagreeing on the need to talk to Pakistan, both have tried and suffered the same fate in the past. Vajpayee's Lahore visit took place as the Pakistani Army had already moved their soldiers in disguise across the LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K in 1999. Musharraf's unhappy journey to Agra was followed by the terrorists' audacious attack on the Parliament of India in December 2001. Manmohan Singh had the Mumbai train bombings of July 2006 and the 26/11 monstrosity in the same city.

The common dilemma thus has been how to insulate the dialogue process from terror. The lack of success has been due to the unwillingness of the military-security combine in Pakistan to abandon their support to a network of jihadi outfits, many now targeting them. But despite our past experience we are again heading down the same path without strategically modifying our approach.

Sources in the government have been selectively briefing on why India needs to talk to Pakistan. Firstly, it is said that there is no other option. This is not so, as between composite dialogue and non-engagement there are multiple options. For instance, post-Pune blasts the foreign secretary-level talks could have been postponed and, if the desire was as the government says to focus on terror, the additional secretary-level anti-terror mechanism could have been convened. By meeting at the FS level — the level of the composite dialogue — Pakistan is being provided a face-saver. In any case countries like the US, who urge talks, have never engaged Cuba, or, for long periods, Iran.

Another argument advanced is that we need to strengthen democratic forces in Pakistan. The logic needs to be reversed. If they are not strong enough to ignore the hawkish military or counter militant Islam's narrative, they are not worth engaging. The 11-year history of Indo-Pak relations (1988-1999) testifies to this.
Both countries are walking into the dialogue, dissimulating to satisfy domestic constituencies. Whether across the table they can harmonise disparate motives seems impossible. There needs to be greater transparency, plain-speaking by our government to the people of India and a firm resolve that dispute resolution, i.e. Jammu and Kashmir, shall be excluded from the dialogue till Pakistan restores the lost Indian confidence by showing a resolve to slay en masse the terror dragons in its midst.

The author is a former secretary in the external affairs ministry

K.C. Singh

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THE ASIAN AGE

OPENION

UNPRINCIPLED POLITICS

 

Some of the recent decisions taken by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the Congress, the main political party leading the coalition, have come in for sharp criticism — that certain healthy principles that must be observed by the ruling party in a parliamentary democracy have been sacrificed in order to retain power in some states. The UPA and the Congress has also been criticised for setting bad precedents.

In this context, two decisions deserve special attention. The first is the tolerance shown by the UPA to D.D. Lapang, the chief minister of Meghalaya, who elevated three other politicians to the rank and status of chief minister. The second is the turn around on the public announcement by Union home minister P. Chidambaram on behalf of the Union Cabinet on December 9, 2009, that the process for the formation of a separate state of Telangana would be initiated on the introduction and passage of a separate resolution in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Let us examine the impact of these two decisions on the concept of principled politics in our democracy.

Meghalaya is one of the smallest states of India. In its 60-member Assembly, the Congress-led coalition has 37 MLAs, of whom 28 belong to the Congress. The state already has two deputy chief ministers, for which there can be little justification except that it would help prevent dissidence in the party. However, conferring the rank of chief minister on three more MLAs — with all the perks which go with this designation, like cars, security, personal staff, bungalow etc — can only be described as a shameless attempt to silence the chief minister's rivals who are clamoring for power.

As the leader of the coalition running the government, the Congress should have firmly rejected a blatantly unjustified proposal like this from Dr Lapang, but it seems that the main concern of the Congress was to retain its ministerial chairs at any cost. One of the four people with the rank of chief minister is state Congress president Friday Lyngdoh! It is unfortunate that the Congress has chosen to justify this unprincipled arrangement by stating that the executive power remains with Dr Lapang while the other three have only protocol privileges and perks that come with the office. The danger in resorting to this type of compromise is that it sets a precedent for other states in similar situations.

NOW LET me turn to the latest decision of the UPA government to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Srikrishna whose terms of reference allow reopening the whole issue of a separate Telangana state. Clause I of the terms of reference announced for the committee on February 3, 2010, defines the committee's duty as "examining the situation in the state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh".

The reason given for the appointment of the Srikrishna Committee is that there is no consensus among the members of Andhra Pradesh's Legislative Assembly on the bill for a separate state of Telangana. But the Centre should have known this when it announced its decision to initiate action for the formation of a separate state of Telangana. A week after its announcement, 147 legislators and many members of Parliament from the coastal districts and Rayalaseema submitted their resignations. The UPA panicked about losing power in Andhra Pradesh and on December 23, 2009, announced that no action would be taken until all parties arrive at a consensus. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and other parties agitating for a separate state of Telangana saw this as another instance of national parties' shifting their stand on the Telangana issue.
Without going into the merits of the stand taken by the Telangana people and the people of the rest of Andhra Pradesh, let us examine the legal correctness of the stand now taken by the Congress-led UPA about the need for a consensus on the Telangana issue. Article 3 of the Constitution, which lays down the procedure for creating new states, does not state that concurrence of the majority in state Assembly is a necessary condition for it. It only states that the state Assembly may express its views on the proposed legislation for the formation of a new state within such a period as may be specified by the President.

Before taking any decision on the creation of new states the President will, of course, seek the advice of the council of ministers and, hence, the ruling party, or coalition, at the Centre will be the real decision-making body. In spite of this, the UPA does not want to take the risk of losing power in the coastal and Rayalaseema regions.

  
If the Centre thinks that it can buy time till the Srikrishna Committee submits its recommendations, then they are mistaken because their new stand will be seen by the people as an attempt to avoid its responsibilities. A decision on formation of a new state is essentially a political decision and the party in power at the Centre cannot avoid it. It can try to delay it, though that can, especially in situations like the present one in Andhra Pradesh, prove to be very costly. A sad feature of the committee's task is that mass protests and violence indulged in by supporters of both sides will deprive it of the tension-free atmosphere badly needed for its smooth working.

While protests and demonstrations are intensifying tension in Andhra Pradesh, various far-fetched suggestions have been emerging from politicians and academics about finding a via media between the demands of the Telangana people and of the other regions in the state. One such suggestion is creating a state of Telangana in a way that Hyderabad remains the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

This solution can hardly satisfy the aspirations of those who have been agitating ever since Independence, and even before that, for a separate identity through a full-fledged state. If by any chance the suggestion of a state within a state is implemented, there will be demands for similar arrangements from other regions as well. Such solutions apart from distorting the concept of federalism will create several new problems. The decision-makers should be careful that in finding a solution for today's problems, they do not create new ones for tomorrow.

P.C. Alexander is a former governor of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra

 

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DNA

EDITORIAL

FRAGILE PEACE

 

The offer by the Maoist leader Kishenji of a 72-day conditional ceasefire will not just be carefully considered by the government but also taken with a few pinches of salt. There is no doubt that the concerted effort to flush out the Maoists by the Centre and state is responsible for this apparent peace gesture by this violent movement.

 

he offer also follows the very brutal attack on police personnel at Silda in West Bengal and is in response to Union home minister P Chidambaram's offer to talk to the Maoists if they stopped their violent attacks for 24 hours. There is a sort of in-your-face arrogance in Kishenji's response — 72 days of peace if the state stops its ongoing operations against Maoists.

 

The fact is, however, that the Maoists have been rattled by the extent and the strength of the state campaign. And unlike the Salwa Judum campaign, where civilians were pitted against Maoist militia, the Union home ministry let loose the might of India's security forces on Maoists in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

 

There have been reports of divisions within the Maoist camp, where some leaders felt that the movement was alienating the people and the violence was becoming counter-productive. The arrest of several senior Maoist leaders, both commanders and so-called intellectuals, has also been a setback for them.

 

The government is correct to examine the Maoist offer closely, without making any hasty commitments. Within hours of the offer being made, an attack was made on a joint forces camp in Midnapore in Bengal where at least one person was killed. Clearly, the Maoists are not one in this and will find it difficult to give up their commitment to change or social revolution through violence.

 

This is not the time for human rights activists to jump in with their do-good ideas. It is no one's case that there have not been terrible atrocities against the people in the Maoist-dominated areas by the authorities or that the state has failed so many underprivileged in large parts of the country. But nor can it be denied that the Maoists themselves have also been brutal and that their continued adherence to their violent ideology makes conversation in a democracy very difficult.

 

It would be better to allow the government to call their bluff on this offer and see whether this is just one more red herring for

 

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DNA

EDITORIAL

SAFETY FIRST

 

The bold and the irresponsible, is the expression that best defines India's youth today, if one goes by The Youth in India: Situation and Need Report carried out by Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences. It states that even though young India is increasingly shedding its inhibitions on sex — in fact premarital sex is now a common occurrence — the reluctance to use contraceptives could lead to disastrous consequences, including HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

 

This trend of recklessness in bed also signifies that all the campaigns on safe sex and HIV have hardly yielded positive results. The young and the restless do not seem to be aware and inspired by the benefits of risk-free sex.

 

The survey involved 50,848 married and unmarried young men and women from six states — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu — to represent a wide range of geographical locations and socio-cultural milieus. The revelations are startling: 25 per cent of the men had sex with two or more partners while 21 per cent young women reported multiple partners and they hadn't bothered to use a condom all this while. The even more dangerous indicator is that only 43 per cent of young men and 59 per cent of the young women who had indulged in sex before marriage knew that a woman could get pregnant because of unprotected first sex — a pathetic level of awareness in a country that aspires to be a global giant.

 

Post 1990s, Indians have experienced sexual awakening, thanks to liberalisation. It also led people to talk more openly about contraceptives and AIDS — issues that were considered taboo. But if the ground reality after three decades presents such a bleak picture, it doesn't augur well for India which is banking on its youth to take the country forward. It hardly meant much when the report stated that the first sexual encounter created fear of unwanted pregnancy in 62 per cent of the unmarried women respondents as compared to 55 per cent of men.

 

Where mass drives for safe sex have fallen flat, a more personalised approach may work. This would entail a door-to-door campaign involving peer groups. In every locality a group of young men and women should be trained to disseminate information and awareness among their age-groups. In schools, sex education should be taken up more earnestly since it concerns the life and the future of the country's youth. This is the time to act and any delay could lead to fatal consequences.

 

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DNA

LET US STRIVE TOWARDS BEING TRUE PATRIOTS

ABHAY VAIDYA

 

The latest terror strike in Pune, the Maoist attack in West Bengal the day after in which 24 policemen were killed and the Shiv Sena's My Name is Khan agitation the day before, are three events that, in a sense, are deeply connected with our lives as the citizens of India.

 

 Recurring in predictable forms with a familiar sense of déjà vu, these events demand close scrutiny and deep contemplation, irrespective of our interest in terrorism, developmental issues or Maharashtra politics. If you care to listen as a citizen and a patriot, you'll hear a scream, asking you to look at the cold reality staring in the face.

 

For almost the entire week on the day before the terrorists struck in Pune, Maharashtra was gripped by the MNIK controversy. Unlike Karan Johar's apology to RajThackeray on the frequent reference to Bombay instead of Mumbai in his film Wake Up Sid, Shah Rukh Khan refused to apologise to the Shiv Sena for saying that he wished there were Pakistani players in the IPL. The Sena decided to retaliate by threatening to disrupt the launch of his movieand thereby cause him a financial loss.

 

With sufficient prodding from the Centre, the Maharashtra government stood by Khan, the film was released amidst tight security in select theatres and for that entire week, TV channels debated on the latest flashpoint in Mumbai.

 

Predictably, some theatres were vandalised in Mumbai and some other cities, but the film was screened; subsequent shows were house-full and the government won this round over the Sena.
The next day, 10 screenings were scheduled in Pune amidst strong police bandobast and that very evening, terrorists struck at the German Bakery. MNIK was forgotten in a flash and the nation focused on the latest tragedy unfolding in Pune.

 

In terms of the "size" of the tragedy, the initial "9 killed, 60 injured" figure that came out of Pune paled in comparison to the 173 killed in Mumbai's 26/11; the thousands killed in Kashmir in over a decade and the hundreds in Delhi and other parts of India. However, the hard reality hits you when you look at the individual tragedies. All the more when you put yourself in place of the people whose lives were cut short in an instant or the family that suffered a tragedy and was left wondering, why us?

 

Contemporary India is faced by a triad of challenges — achieving economic growth while battling terrorism and Maoist insurgency, both of which can seriously thwart our progress and prosperity as a nation. In such a situation, to instigate the people and provoke agitations out of a taxi driver's knowledge of Marathi or threaten to vandalise theatres is contemptible.

 

What better patrolling will the police do and what investigations will it pursue if politicians like the three Thackerays focus on non-issues rather than show some constructive enterprise? Also, who pays the price during a terror blast or street violence? It is always the common man and never the well-protected politician.
With these challenges staring us in the face, the agenda before us Indians ought to be very clear— It is to help India emerge as an economic powerhouse and to help the country deal effectively with terrorism and Maoist insurgency.

 

We are nation of young people with big dreams and what is needed is an environment to help our youth realise their dreams. The 20-year-olds who were killed in the Pune blast were graduating students and young professionals with promising futures. Their death due to terrorism — like the many thousands before them — has robbed India of a part of its future. With misguided Muslim youths taking to terrorism through organisations such as the Indian Mujahideen and the SIMI, a far greater community effort will be required to draw the Muslim masses into themainstream.

 

Yet another priority is to press for real development in the most backward parts of India where opportunities for employment and growth will serve as strategies against Maoist violence.

These are the priorities for every Indian. The sooner we realise this, the better it is for us all as Indians.

 

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DNA

TOWARDS DEMOCRACY?

THE MYANMAR JUNTA'S DECISION TO HOLD ELECTIONS THIS YEAR SIGNALS A TRANSITION

STANLEY A WEISS

 

When British forces first floated up the Irrawaddy River in 1885 to depose King Thibaw of Burma, locals were startled to see a Burmese prince, in full regalia, sitting on the deck of one of the steamers. His presence reassured locals that the British planned to seat a new king, not overthrow the kingdom. As Thant Myint-U recalls in his book, The River of Lost Footsteps, it was only when a young student talked his way onto the ship and came face-to-face with the royal prince that the truth was discovered: The "prince" was an imposter, a former classmate of the student's. By then, it was too late — the telegraph line to the palace in Mandalay had been cut.

The question, 125 years later, is whether the Burmese military junta — which has ruled this country, now known as Myanmar, since 1962 — is about to pull its own version of bait-and-switch.

For the first time since 1990 — when officials arrested 2,000 people, including the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after the last general election — the ruling generals have announced that parliamentary elections will take place this year. Reportedly, the generals are preparing to switch their uniforms for longyis and run for office — the equivalent of Fidel Castro swapping his army greens for guayaberas and hitting the campaign trail.
Many in the West are disposed to see the election as a fraud, since the junta's Constitution reserves 25 per cent of the seats for the military and bars Aung San Suu Kyi — imprisoned for 14 of the past 20 years — from running.

Still, the question remains: Even if the election is stage-managed by the military; even if Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy chooses not to participate; and even if Senior General Than Shwe selects the next president; if the election occurs without violence or repression, will it represent a step forward?
The answer seems to be: Yes.

"I don't know if the elections will have legitimacy in the eyes of the West," said the Myanmar scholar Robert Taylor. "But they will have legitimacy in Asia, and that is all the regime is worried about."

I asked an official of the junta how the West should regard this election. "This is a first step toward democracy," he tells me. "After ruling the country for 48 years, the military needs some mechanism to safeguard the interests and safety of persons. This is also an exit strategy for older leaders, because in five years, the new generation will take over, not only the military but civilian politics. They will work to change the military role in politics."

The Burmese writer Ma Thanegi, who spent three years in prison after working as Aung San Suu Kyi's assistant, was blunt. "Yes, elections would represent a step forward — what other choice is there?" she asked. "If the West really wants to help the people, they should accept the new government as no longer the military rule, and give it a chance."

"What America should do," a prominent businessman told me, "is shift the conversation from sanctions to engagement, from scolding to giving, and find soft steps to help bring about outcomes that will be beneficial to both Myanmar and the U.S."

The Obama administration so far has sought to engage the junta, urging a dialogue between the regime, the National League for Democracy and other opposition parties, while calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's release. In November, assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell led a US team to Yangon for the highest level talks in 14 years.
Where should the US focus its efforts? Here are three ways:

It should provide opportunities for students to attend US universities, to build ties to the next generation. It should start a programme of cultural, educational, and sporting exchanges, including a new programme to send teachers to Myanmar. It should review its current sanctions policy.

No nation in Asia — from South Korea to Taiwan to Indonesia — has made an easy transition from dictatorship to democracy. But change needs to start somewhere. As the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, recently said, "2010 will be a very critical year for Myanmar." There may yet be light at the end of the Irrawaddy. —NYT

 

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THE TRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

BUDGETING BLUES

PRICE RISE STILL TROUBLES UPA 

 

IN her address to Parliament President Pratibha Patil has listed the UPA's economic priorities, some of which may figure in the Union Budget for 2010-11. Since aam aadmi remains the centre of its agenda, the UPA budgets tend to focus on inclusive growth. This means higher spending in rural India. But Finance Minister Pranabh Mukherjee is hard pressed for resources. He is under pressure to rein in government borrowings and fiscal deficit. To raise resources, he may roll back the excise duty and service tax relief provided to insulate domestic industry from the global financial meltdown. The President's address, however, makes no mention of the stimulus withdrawal.

 

The recovery in growth has been marked by a rise in food prices. The opposition parties have time and again squeezed maximum political mileage out of it. On Tuesday again they closed ranks in Parliament to mount a joint assault on the government. Food inflation may moderate in the near future but the country has to prepare itself for food security in the long run. Farm output has failed to keep pace with growing demand. Mr Mukherjee will have to revitalise sluggish agriculture. To contain prices, the President has announced the government's resolve to (a) bring forth legislation to ensure food security (b) increase agricultural productivity and (c) reform the public distribution system. The UPA'a problem is it is saddled with an Agriculture Minister who excels in non-performance. How can the law help if there are not enough foodgrains, pulses or oilseeds?

 

After recently tinkering with the fertiliser subsidy, which will result in a 10 per cent hike in the urea prices from April, the government has become cautious. It has dragged feet on oil price decontrol. The President too has skipped the issue. Being from the old school of the Congress, Finance Minister Pranabh Mukherjee is not as enthusiastic about economic reforms as his predecessor, Mr P. Chidambaram, or the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. The Budget, therefore, may not unfold any controversial reforms even though the comrades are no longer around with the red flag.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

TALKS A RED HERRING

BUT A DIALOGUE WITH MAOISTS STILL THE BEST BET 

 

Maoists and the government find themselves in a catch-22 situation over their respective offers to hold "talks". They are damned if they talk and damned if they don't. While the Union Home Minister had earlier offered to talk with the Maoists if they stopped violence for 72 hours, the rebels have now responded with offer for a 72-day "ceasefire" if the government stopped the operation against them. Holding talks with underground Maoists would always be tricky because besides "talks" according legitimacy to a group sworn to overthrow the government, the government can never be sure if the "talks" have the sanction of all the Maoists or only a section of them. This time too it is by no means clear if the Maoist spokesman, Kishenji was speaking for Maoists all over the country or only for the rebels active under him while offering the "ceasefire". Yet another hurdle is that while both sides profess to be in favour of talks, each side also wants a clear commitment from the other to suspend armed conflict first. But the trust deficit is such between them that each suspects the other would take advantage of the lull to launch a surprise strike, which explains their reluctance to provide any such commitment. Nor is the agenda for talks clear. While the government would , in all probability, like to discuss the modalities for Maoists to disband their organisation and get back into the mainstream, it is safe to assume that the Maoists have no such thought in their mind.

 

Sadly, mainstream political parties have allowed themselves to be completely marginalised in Maoist strongholds in the states. They have ceased to function in those areas and appear to have ruled themselves out from the dialogue between the Maoists and the government. Their alienation from the people in these areas is of serious concern and which is evident in the failure of even a cadre-based party like the CPM to gather correct and credible information, let alone intelligence, about Maoist activities on the ground.

 

While talks, whenever possible, are desirable, the government clearly cannot allow the Maoists to hijack the agenda. But despite the suspicion that Maoists find themselves in a corner and are playing out for time, the government must make an effort to engage them, if only to give peace a chance. At the same time it should be ready to crack the whip, whenever it becomes necessary.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

JUDGES' RETIREMENT

PARLIAMENT SHOULD RAISE THE AGE LIMIT

 

There is ample justification for raising the retirement age of Supreme Court and high court judges. Though Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily has reportedly denied such a move from the government for now, the ruling coalition and all other political parties would do well to evolve a consensus on the issue for paving the way for a smooth constitutional amendment by Parliament. At present, while Supreme Court judges retire at 65 years, those in high courts attain superannuation at 62. Though the age for both categories, according to a proposal, could be raised to 68 and 65, respectively, there is greater rationale in maintaining parity between the two. Indeed, legal luminary and former Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Fali S. Nariman, had sought to raise the retirement age of high court judges from 62 to 65 years to make it equal to that of the apex court judges. A parliamentary committee report (2007-08) had also recommended uniformity in the judges' retirement age.

 

There is no underlying principle of public policy fixing the retirement age of high court judges at 62. There is also no cogent explanation why judges drawn from the same pool retire at 62 and 65 years in high courts and the apex court, respectively. Mr Nariman's Constitutional (Amendment) Bill (XI of) 2004 sought to remove this "competition" for the apex court. Even otherwise, there is an imperative need for increasing the judges' retirement age. It will greatly help clear the huge backlog of arrears in the higher judiciary.

 

The National Commission to review the working of the Constitution had recommended the same on the ground that judges with long years of experience are able to dispose of more cases quickly. More important, according to many jurists, there have been several instances of learned judges who reached their highest level of efficiency and performance just when they reached their 60s and their retirement was thus a big loss to the judiciary. A high court judge serves for about 10 to 12 years, given the increased longevity of human life. Consequently, it would be a national waste of a judge's long years of experience if he/she is retired at the peak performing level — mentally and physically.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

COLUMN

GEOPOLITICS AND SRI LANKA

INDIAN DIPLOMACY ON TEST

BY KAMLENDRA KANWAR

 

Sri Lanka is strategically placed to exploit the geopolitical struggle unfolding in the Indian Ocean between China and India, with the United States having its own agenda for retaining its influence. While Pakistan is playing for stakes in Sri Lanka with Chinese acquiescence to queer the pitch for India, the Russians too are keeping a hawk eye on any activity in the Indian Ocean.

 

Considering that Sri Lanka sits adjacent to the shipping lanes that feed 80 per cent of China's and 65 per cent of India's oil needs, its strategic importance can hardly be ignored.

 

With the bulk of China's trade passing through the sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka thought it prudent to enter into a quid pro quo with the Chinese. While it drew upon Chinese support in terms of sophisticated arms and diplomatic backing, Colombo conceded strategic concessions, particularly a major new southern port at Hambantota, to Beijing. Ironically, it was India that Sri Lanka first approached for setting up a port at Hambantota, but when the Indians showed lack of enthusiasm, Colombo wasted no time in going to the Chinese.

 

China has developed similar port facilities in Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh and Pakistan as part of a "string of pearls" strategy to develop its naval reach and protect crucial oil and other supplies shipped via the sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean.

 

In the run-up to the decimation of the Tamil Tigers, the Chinese were not only generous with weaponry but they also encouraged Pakistan to train Sri Lanka Air Force pilots and supply small arms. China sold Jian-7 fighters, anti-aircraft guns and JY-11 3D air surveillance radars to the Sri Lankan army, leaving the Pakistanis to meet the small arm needs of the Lankans.

 

In July last, for the first time, Sri Lanka attended the Shanghai Cooperation Council meeting as a dialogue partner, a blessing bestowed by Russia and China in recognition of its importance in the new Indian Ocean strategic game.

 

For India, it was none-too-easy to arm the Lankans to combat the Tamil Tigers due to the fallout this would have had in southern India, but it did provide defensive weapons and intelligence to the Sri Lankan government, besides economic aid, so as to maintain a degree of leverage with Colombo.

 

The Sri Lankans acknowledge that given its southern compulsions, India did give useful help in fighting the Tamil Tigers in the crucial stages. It helped the Sri Lankan navy through vital intelligence; it gave off-shore patrolling vessels and also provided a blockade against LTTE vessels.

 

The focus was on preventing Sri Lanka from falling into the Chinese lap and if that meant opening the purse-strings to counter-balance the Chinese supply of arms, Indian strategists were perfectly in tune with it.

 

There was the classic example of a $2.4 billion loan sought by the Sri Lankan government from the IMF to tackle its balance of payments problem which was refused by the IMF. Ordinarily, Sri Lanka would have turned to China, but before it could do that the Indian government indicated to Colombo that it was prepared to extend that loan if the IMF did not come round. It was indeed a case of once-bitten-twice-shy, having seen how the Chinese had grabbed the opportunity to develop the Hambantota port.

As part of its strategy to make Indo-Sri Lankan relations attractive for Colombo, the Indian government has also taken the initiative to set up a high-capacity power transmission link between India and Sri Lanka which is likely to be completed by 2013.

 

The 285-kilometre power link, including submarine cables, over a stretch of 50 km, would enable the two countries to trade their surplus power, thereby offering a cheaper option to bridge their power generation deficit and also manage their peak demands.

 

The link will also help Sri Lanka reduce its use of expensive fuels and import cheaper power from India's surplus. For India, the link would help open up a new market for its projected surplus of power.

 

India currently faces an over 12 per cent power deficit, with a peak demand of 109,000 MW annually. The government hopes it could add at least 62,000 MW of generation capacity in the next couple of years, with additional capacities being set up by private investors through captive and merchant power plants. This, along with the power from ultra mega power projects has fuelled hopes for a tradable surplus.

 

On January 11, India signed an agreement with Sri Lanka for the construction of a railway line between Omanthai and Pallai in the island's war-torn Northern Province. It is all set to open a consulate in the northern town of Jaffna so as to enhance its involvement in "reconstruction and rehabilitation," for which it has offered a $108 million aid package.

 

India is also involved in the rehabilitation of the southern coastal railway line from Colombo to Matara by providing credit worth $167.4 million. It has considerable investments in Sri Lanka, including in the retail fuel, telecommunications, hotel, cement, banking, tyre, rubber and information technology sectors.

 

India can draw satisfaction from the fact that in regard to Sri Lanka, its interests broadly converge with those of

the US. The Americans are indeed as keen to ward off the Chinese challenge for hegemony in the Indian Ocean

states as India is.

 

A report published by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on December 7 last called for Washington to counter Beijing's influence in Colombo through "a broader and more robust approach to Sri Lanka that appreciates new political and economic realities in Sri Lanka and US geostrategic interests".

 

However, India is loathe to Washington's influence increasing beyond reasonable proportions in its strategic backyard. India is no doubt counting on Washington's assistance. At the same time, however, it is wary about the US achieving too much sway in its strategic backyard.

 

With Mr Mahinda Rajapakse having won a second presidential term in Sri Lanka recently, India is pursuing its interests cautiously. New Delhi wants close ties with Colombo to counter the growing influence of rival China and to open up opportunities for Indian businesses. At the same time, it is concerned that political unrest in Sri Lanka, particularly communal tensions involving the Tamil minority, will have consequences inside India, especially in Tamil Nadu.

 

The Indian government's reiteration of the call for a "political solution" to the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka through a power-sharing arrangement between the Sinhalese and the Tamils is unlikely to find favour with Mr Rajapakse. While keeping the sensitivities of the Indian Tamils in mind, however, India will have to tread warily by not pushing too hard.

 

There can be little doubt that Sri Lanka under President Rajapakse would continue to take advantage of its strategic position by bargaining with the Chinese and the Indians. The days of India pushing its agenda with the Sri Lankans to the exclusion of China are indeed over. Indian diplomacy will indeed be on test.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

COLUMN

THE PHOTO JOURNALIST

BY RAJ CHATTERJEE

 

AT a distance of more than half a century, I can still see the shop in my mind's eye as clearly as I did as a small boy in short pants.

 

It exuded elegance with its admixture of aromatic smells, perfumes, soaps and powders. Two giant globules — trademark of English chemists — one filled with a red liquid and the other with green stood on either side of the prescription counter. A signboard above the entrance carried the name, "Fitch & Co. — Dispensing Chemists." The manager lived in a flat at the rear of the shop.

 

The neat-looking building with the small garden of summer flowers, stood a few yards away from an arched gateway at the beginning of the climb to the Charleville Hotel in Mussoorie, now a training centre for probationers in the all-India services, the "Steel Frame" which, alas, today shows cracks, hence the expression "millionaire-babus".

 

The hotel was as comfortable and modern as European hotels could be in the '20s but its chief claim to fame — appearing on the notepaper — was that it was the only hotel in India where Queen Mary had stayed for a few days during her visit to India for the coronation of George V.

 

Below the hotel sprawled the Happy Valley Club, one of the few British clubs in India which was open to Indians.

 

The club had no less than 12 bajri courts, and a practising wall much used by me.

 

My parents, who summer after summer, rented a house in Happy Valley, the most salubrious part of Mussoorie, were members of the club and I was allowed to play tennis and borrow books from the club library, that had deep leather armchairs where elderly members snoozed in the afternoon.

 

Every summer, the club held a tennis tournament which attracted enthusiasts from all over the country. On one occasion, at the age of 13, I extended the local champion to three sets. In all honesty, I should add that my handicap was plus 30 and his, minus 30.

 

The tournament provided me with some extra pocket money. I always watched the finals of the various events with my Box Brownie at the ready, snapping the winners as they came off the courts mopping their brows and shouting to the "abdar" (bar-man) for a whisky and soda.

 

My mission accomplished, I used to run up to Fitch & Co. with my exposed film and the exhortation that the prints should be ready the following morning. These were promptly despatched to an illustrated magazine which paid me the princely sum of Rs 5 for each one they used. In those happy days, the money was sufficient for a visit to the cinema and a week's supply of comics.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

OPED

HOW TO REVERSE PUNJAB'S DOWNHILL JOURNEY

BY SARBJIT DHALIWAL

 

After laying the foundation stone of the new campus of Institute of Asian Studies in Kolkata recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke on the need to remain "contemporary and relevant". It was obviously a well-thought political remark made in the presence of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in a state dominated by communists having dislike for a free market economy or the new economic order.

 

Opponents, especially the right-wingers and supporters of the new economic order, often ridicule the communists for their, what they say, outdated way of thinking. There are many thinkers who say the communists have become irrelevant in the new global order. To stay "contemporary and relevant", they would have to change somewhat alike China.

 

Interestingly, the PM has made these remarks when the economy of West Bengal has been officially projected to grow at the average rate of 9.7 per cent, which is better than the country's projected over-all 9 per cent growth during the 11th Plan. The Left's opposition to the nuclear deal and the disinvestment in public sector giants was perhaps on the back of his mind when the PM made the remark.

 

However, there is a rationale behind the Prime Minister's remark to remain contemporary and relevant. What path – left or right – one should follow that is an issue, which can be debated for years.

 

In my opinion the Prime Minister's remark is relevant for Punjab, his native state. The reason: Punjab has only 13 members in the Lok Sabha. With a high number of MPs in Parliament, big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, A.P, Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have a strong political clout at the national level compared to Punjab that plays an insignificant role in the formation of the Union government.

 

Undoubtedly, Punjab's relevance in the national politics could not be as crucial as of the big states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, AP, MP etc except in an unusual situation. Punjab's little bit relevance in national politics is that it is dominated by the Sikh minority.

 

Besides, thanks to its sturdy farmers, Punjab has maintained its importance and relevance at the national level by making record contributions to the national food basket. However, as the agriculture sector is growing at a rapid pace in states like Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, M.P, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand and Karnataka, it will become difficult for Punjab to maintain its existing food clout for long.

 

The Central Government has already framed national krishi vikas policy and accelerated the irrigation programme to improve the productivity of food grains in other states. Time is not far when some other states will catch up with Punjab in the farm sector.

 

Obviously, Punjab will have to make drastic changes in its agricultural policy to maintain its relevance in the national food politics. It will have to fix its agricultural priorities. What and how much should be produced will have to be made part of the policy.

 

The biggest challenge for Punjab is to boost its sluggish economic growth especially in the manufacturing sector. Believe it or not, Punjab is the slowest growing, state. Its projected over-all economic growth rate during the 11th plan is 5.9 per cent. It is at the bottom of all the states.

 

Gujarat and Karnataka will be growing at the pace of 11.2 per cent; Haryana at 11; Goa at 12.1; Uttaranchal at 9.9; West Bengal at 9.7 ; Kerala and Andhra Pradesh at 9.5; Maharashtra 9.1;Tamil Nadu at 8.5; Orissa at 8.8 and Jammu and Kashmir at 6.4 per cent. All the remaining states will be growing at a pace of 6 per cent or above. However, Punjab and Manipur would grow at an equal pace of 5.9 per cent, the slowest in the country.

 

Even in the agriculture sector, Punjab's growth has been pegged at 2.4 per cent and it is at the 20th place out of 28 states. Agriculture in states like Bihar, Gujarat and Jharkhand will grow above 5 per cent. Haryana and Gujarat's industrial growth will be in the range of 14 per cent and in states like Orissa, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh it will be above 11 per cent but Punjab will be far behind. In years to come, the slowest-growing Punjab will really have no relevance in contemporary India as well as the world. Even during the 10th Plan, Punjab grew at the rate of 5.13 per cent against the average national growth of 7.8 per cent.

 

Politicians, academicians and professionals of all hues should get together to formulate short-and long-term strategies to accelerate the tempo of growth in the state to make it counted among the frontline states. After having ugly personal and political fights, frontline politicians must have realised by now that owing to their personal agenda Punjab has suffered a lot. The sooner they realise that Punjab should suffer no more because of their personal fights, the better for all of us.

 

The best course is to make a productive and judicious use of the subsidy given to the farm sector. Free power should only be for the needy farmers. Any farmer offering to pay full energy charges should be given 24-hour power supply. There will be many farmers opting for these.Give subsidies to promote those crops that should be part of the policy. Some part of the subsidy should be used to give interest-free loans to promote dairy farming on a big sacle. Part of the subsidy should be given to develop the textile industry and agro-based units for the processing of foodgrains. The setting up of export chains for vegetables, fruits etc is required. Crops playing havoc with Punjab's environment should not be allowed. Sugarcane can prove a highly remunerative crop for farmers.

 

Concessions and incentives for the Industry in hill states have impeded the growth of even small and medium industries in Punjab. It would be impossible for the Union Government to withdraw these incentives given by the previous Vajpayee government. The best course is to press the Centre to give similar concessions to the border states.

 

Punjab, being a border state, has big disadvantages. All parties will have to lobby together to press the Union Government for concessions. All focus should be to take Punjab's industrial growth to the level of Gujarat. Punjab cannot do without industry. The exclusion of Punjab from any national growth programme such as the Industrial corridor should be resisted with full might at the political level. Another focus should be to make the Wagah check post an important export-import destination. That will change Punjab's destiny for the better.

 

A special task force should be set up to implement the central schemes, especially the flagship programmes such as NERGA, the Urban Renewal Mission, and the Rural Health mission.

 

Extensive reforms in the administrative set up are required. The administration needs to be completely overhauled. Start with reforms in the Revenue Department. The latest title of ownership of every inch of land should be clear and available on the official website. There should be a permanent identification of each acre of government and private land. If that is achieved, there would be huge fall in the number of court cases, murders, violent fights etc.

 

Health care and education need special attention. The entire population should be given a health care insurance cover and education should be made free for all up to the degree level (professional courses included).

People will have to play a crucial role to save Punjab's pride. Elect only honest, bright and committed politicians to rule the state. Ensure that no corrupt, criminal and self-serving politician gets into the pious Punjab Assembly to decide on the destiny of the people. The self-servers deserve their place in the dustbin of history.

 

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THE TRIBUNE

OPED

LET'S FIGHT FUTURE WARS BY OTHER MEANS

BY MARY DEJEVSKY

 

State-sponsored killing or kidnapping is, of course, nothing new. What is new is the sophistication of the methods, and specifically the use of hi-tech intelligence which permits targeting. The "wet jobs" of the past, which saw secret agents hunt down and dispatch "enemies", were called that for a reason: they could be messy and leave unwelcome tracks. Increasingly, there are cleaner, neater – or, in the modern jargon, "smarter" – ways of doing things. The decision to use such methods or not is essentially political and moral.

 

It is 30 years ago now, but I am just about old enough to remember the public outcry unleashed by the development of the neutron bomb. The unique selling point, as it were, of this weapon was that it was designed to kill people, while leaving buildings and other defences intact. And while all weapons destroy – which is, after all, what they are for – the visceral objection to this one weapon derived from the precedence it seemed to give to saving property over living human beings. Deep down, people seemed to feel that there were rules to waging war and that a weapon such as this broke them.

 

Something similar applies these days to the use of unmanned drones and high-altitude bombing. The unease reflects not only the fact that the slightest error can cause many civilian casualties, but because the killing is depersonalised. That a country so equipped can inflict such damage without putting its own people at any risk seems somehow to break the rules.

 

In fact, warfare has long been hedged about with rules, written and unwritten. And each successive conflict produces a new set intended to prevent what were judged to be the most heinous excesses of the last. It is not just generals drafting their tactics and requirements for future wars who can be accused of fighting the last one, but politicians and lawyers as well.

 

The Nuremberg trials set the standard for today. Since then, war crimes have been defined and redefined to fit new circumstances. The only constant is that it is the victors who not only write the history, but determine what constitutes a war crime, fill out the charge sheet and appoint the judges. The late Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic, is by no means the only defendant to question the justice of it.

 

I wonder now, though, whether the rules that the Western world – for it is the Western world – has generally accepted for the best part of a century may not be running out of steam. I wonder, too, whether a time might not come when it is accepted that conflicts are pursued by quite other means, so that war as we have known it, with the colossal loss of life and destruction it brings, is consigned to a more brutal past.

 

But who will dare to suggest that the price of abandoning the old rules – and finding some new ones – might be worth it? Today's industrialised nations, our own country included, are used to being on the winning side when they resort to military force. We have (by far) the technical advantage; our troops are mostly professional, not conscripted, and the territory we fight on is not our own. With the last generation of civilians to experience real war on the home front dying out, few know the extent of the horror it entails.n

 

 By arrangement with The Independent

 

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THE TRIBUNE

OPED

SUPER MARKETS MUST TELL TRUTH ABOUT MEAT

BY MARTIN HICKMAN

 

Super markets have agreed to own up to the large amounts of foreign meat in pies, pasties and sandwiches labelled as made in Britain, The Independent has learnt.

 

As part of a Government plan to end misleading food labelling, the biggest grocery chains will show clearly the origin of foreign pork, bacon and ham in processed products, some of which have been made to look British.

 

The change, to be announced by the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today, comes amid complaints that shoppers wishing to support domestic farmers and higher animal welfare are being misled about the origin and provenance of meat.

 

Under an EU labelling loophole, retailers can mark products with foreign meat "Produced in the UK" if they have undergone a significant change in Britain. In the case of a pie, encasing foreign meat in pastry would justify the description Produced in the UK and the product could even carry a Union flag.

 

The policy allows super markets to undercut British farms by buying budget pork from the Continent, where welfare standards are lower and production is consequently cheaper.

 

Imports of foreign pig meat have rocketed since the UK set new rules on overcrowding and the treatment of pregnant sows in 1999, leading to a 40 per cent collapse in the British pig herd.

In 2007, more than half of bacon sold in the UK came from the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Italy, while 43 per cent of other pork products came from Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

 

Civil servants, the pig industry, caterers and retailers have held talks in the Pig Meat Supply Chain Taskforce since Mr Benn signalled his determination to end misleading meat labelling in an interview with The Independent last January. Today, at an NFU conference in Birmingham, he will announce that Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op have signed up to a code of practice setting out exactly how foreign meat should be labelled. McDonald's, Wetherspoons and Whitbread have also signed up to the voluntary agreement.

 

They have committed to clearly display the country of origin on retail packs. If using the formula "Produced in the UK" they will have to add "using pork from country x".

 

Retailers will be banned from slapping national terms and symbols on products unless the pork is British and product specific terms such as Wiltshire Cure will mean that the pork used to make the product comes from within the UK.

 

Where the term "local" is used it will be clearly defined. Restaurants and pubs will follow the code by placing country of origin on menus.

 

Confusion over what counts as "outdoor bred" and "outdoor reared" pork will be cleared up with an announcement from Defra shortly. Shoppers can be misled into thinking pigs so labelled spend a lot of their life outdoors when it may only be a matter of weeks.

 

In his interview last year, Mr Benn complained: "If you buy something that has on the package 'Wiltshire cured bacon', I think most people would assume the bacon came from Wiltshire, but under the current European rules that is not necessarily the case. You may turn it over and discover that actually it came from Denmark."

 

Yesterday he said supermarkets would have to "provide clear information", adding: "The example I gave will be no more under the code because they will have to say from which European country was the ham cured in Wiltshire. It will be a big change."

 

 By arrangement with The Independent

 

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MUMBAI MERROR

EDITORIAL

INSTITUTIONALISED SQUATTING

IN A CITY WHERE EVERY INCH OF LAND IS AUDITED TO SHOW ASTRONOMICAL REAL ESTATE COSTS, INSTITUTIONS CONTINUE TO MAKE MONEY ON LEASED PROPERTY THAT IS A VIRTUAL GIFT TO THEM

 

An open secret that frequently slips through the interstices of the city's news is to do with squatting on municipal land by big institutions and companies. For more than a decade now, the BMC has tried to regularise leases given to clubs, private parties, public trusts and industrial houses in pre-Independence times at absurdly low prices. Often the groups have made loads of money by selling off bits and pieces of this leased land – a blatantly illegal move – for commercial gains.

Some may raise objections to the use of the word squatting for something that actually has an element of paperwork behind it, no matter how thin, faded (and frequently lost). In response, one can say that when a city prizes and audits every inch of land in super-built up terms to create a spectral haze about real estate costs running into astronomical figures, isn't it absurd that rich institutions and industries continue to make money on leased lands that are virtual gifts to them in terms of s h e e r p r i c e ? Besides, o f t e n m e m b e r s from these very spaces cry hoarse about how slumdwellers are squatting illegally on the city's prime property. How often has the city's privileged discussed – over elegant pots of tea in gated clubs, overlooking some cool colonial sports being played in lavish spreads of maidans – the issue of encroachment by poor migrants?

However, to reduce the whole debate to the question of revenues for the BMC is equally tricky. It would be like going from the frying pan, straight into the blaze – with a legitimate fear that the BMC will now become the legal custodian for selling land to quick-gain, real-estate guns.

It would be more productive – though controversial – to look at the process of landuse, rather than land-value as the basis of our official response. The fact is that the question of ownership in a city such as Mumbai – with a hunger for speculation that is insatiable – needs a corrective. That corrective can be in finding newer ways to look at the history of ownership. There is nothing wrong if the land given on lease defies market logic, as long as it is based on some agreed upon principles of new use. The city's activists have been crying hoarse that we need open land and more green spaces. If we accept that it is a valid need, then it could be better to make existing institutional bodies the trustees of the land as long as it is not used for commercial gains and aids creating more green cover and preserves open spaces. For this, such institutions have to open up to scrutiny and the media glare as well.

Mumbai was not built on revenue generation in the manner of a feudal landlord – as the BMC is positing itself to be. Rather it was made on grounds of productive use of land that generates wealth and employment. Many groups, entrepreneurs, and communities were given land on lease in colonial Bombay, at prices that even then were relatively low in terms of sheer value. The understanding was that the activities on the land would aid the city's economy as a whole.

 

Today, more than wealth, the city needs a better quality of civic life, and in some ways, this history of institutional squatting can be made more accountable. This will also make us see many poor neighbourhoods in Mumbai in a new light. They will not come across as encroachers, and instead as individuals and groups that are contributing to the city's economy in different ways – either by recycling garbage, producing cheap goods or subsidising the city's exorbitant costs through inexpensive labour services.

 More efforts will be made to get these neighbourhoods to improve their environments than erase them.
Is the city willing to make such a radical move that cuts both ways?

 

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BUSINESS STANDARD

EDITORIAL

DEALING WITH DAM FAILURES

A CENTRAL LAW MAY BE BETTER FOR ALL

The Central government's proposal to bring a Bill to Parliament in the ongoing Budget session to enact a dam safety Act seems to be a positive initiative, even though water is a state subject and so the effectiveness of this statue will depend on how well the states implement it. The Bill seeks to establish an institutional system for regular monitoring of the safety of large dams. The states will, of course, have to set up their own systems to carry out repairs and maintenance of large dams and ensure their safe, sound and risk-free operation. A national law may have been found necessary given that only a few states like Kerala and Bihar have their own dam safety statutes. According to the National Register of Large Dams (2009), there are 4,710 dams in service and another 390 are under construction. India has the potential to build more dams, given the vast untapped hydro-power and irrigation potential. It is important to note that a majority of existing dams are more than half-a-century old and have, thus, outlived their design life of 50 to 60 years. The project authorities responsible for their upkeep are usually unable to do so effectively for want of financial and other resources. Sporadic dam failures and other accidents, involving loss of life and property, draw attention to the need for better maintenance of dams and related environs. Some major dam failures, as these are called, include the collapse of Machhu-II dam in 1979, Nanak Sagar in 1967, Tigra in 1970 and Chikkahole in 1972. A recent disaster was the breach of Kosi embankment near the Indo-Nepal border in August 2008.

 While irrigation dams are a state subject and the Centre should resist the temptation to get into areas where states must deliver better, dam protection should not be neglected for want of resources at the state level or due to inter-state or Centre-state issues. At least two states, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, have formally authorised Parliament to pass a law in this regard. If the Centre comes forward with a law, other states may pass resolutions to adopt the Central law. In fact, since most large dams are built and owned jointly by more than one riparian state, a single state law would be restrictive in scope. The current logjam between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the retiring of the Mullaperiyar dam (one of the world's oldest dams, aged over 110 years) and building another one to replace it is a typical case in point. The Supreme Court has now stepped in and set up a committee to examine the dam safety issue. Since the safety of millions of people is at stake, a strong Central law with provisions for mandatory enforcement by the states would make sense.

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BUSINESS STANDARD

EDITORIAL

THE OTHER BUDGETS

SORRY STATE OF STATE FINANCES

 

With all the media song and drama around the Union Budget and the hype and hope vested in it, there is a woeful lack of public discussion about state government finances. In India's federal system, the state of state finances is equally important for the stability and sustainability of the growth process. One reason why there is less media attention on state finance could be that state governments have long ceased to impose fresh taxes, depending increasingly on handouts from the Centre for their expenditure obligations. More recently, however, another reason is that most states have been running a revenue surplus, cutting their coat according to their cloth. This does not mean that they have adequate fiscal resources, but that many states, in fact, spend far less than they should, especially in critical areas like education, health care and rural development. Given the general neglect of state finances, it is gratifying that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) continues to publish a professionally competent and exhaustive study of state finances. The latest report on state finance for fiscal 2009-10 draws attention to the recent deterioration in the otherwise healthy state of state finances. According to the report, published this week, while the consolidated revenue balance of the states showed a surplus in the past three years, in fiscal 2009-10, states had budgeted for a deficit, reflecting, as RBI says, a deterioration in the revenue account of state governments. While the debt-GDP ratio of state governments declined to 26.2 per cent in 2008-09 from the peak level of 32.8 per cent in 2003-04, gross fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP was estimated to be higher at 3.2 per cent in 2009-10 as compared with 2.6 per cent in 2008-09 and 1.5 per cent in 2007-08. The implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission and of states' own pay commissions would further impact state deficits.

 RBI is right to be concerned about the decline in the states' own tax revenues, even though this concept of "own tax" is a dubious one since, under the Constitution, a share of the direct and indirect taxes collected by the Centre legitimately belongs to the states, with a Constitutional body, the Finance Commission, determining the share from time to time. The central bank is right to suggest that state governments need to augment their revenues through improved tax collections, as well as take measures to check under-valuation of property to improve collections under stamp duty and registration fees, and phase out exemptions under sales tax. On the non-tax front, the RBI report says, the states' "own non-tax" revenue, at around 10 per cent of the total revenue receipts, is low by international standards. The states have been advised to increase their reliance on non-tax revenues by levying appropriate user charges such as time-bound revision of water supply tariffs, introduction of user charges in health, education and veterinary services, and cost recovery from social and economic services. All this, and much more in this competent study, is sound advice. What is needed is political will at the state level. For his part, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee can play a leadership role by setting an example in fiscal responsibility that state finance ministers can follow.

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BUSINESS STANDARD

COLUMN

EXPECT A MARKET-FRIENDLY BUDGET

A K BHATTACHARYA

Finance ministers do not often get to choose the day when they can present the Union Budget. Convention demands that they present the government's annual financial statement (that is what the Budget is all about!) on the last day of February. If the last day of February happens to be a Sunday, then the day of the Budget presentation is advanced by a day. And if Saturday is a public holiday, the Budget is presented a day before. That is precisely why Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is presenting his Budget for 2010-11 on Friday, February 26.

Indeed, finance ministers had the freedom to choose their day of Budget presentation only on 16 occasions since India's first finance minister, RK Shanmukham Chetty, presented his first full Budget on February 28, 1948. They could do so mostly because of elections requiring some more time before the newly-formed government could present the Budget. Thus, the convention of presenting Budgets on the last day of February got bypassed in those years.

An interesting fact is that most finance ministers, when given the freedom to choose the day of Budget presentation, have opted for a working day when the stock markets are open for trading. The reason is obvious. Finance ministers are keen to assess the impact of their Budgets on the stock markets. No finance minister will perhaps confess it publicly. But most of them judge the success or failure of their Budget initiatives largely from the manner in which the stock markets behave after they have announced their fiscal and expenditure proposals.

VP Singh was an exception. He chose to present his first Budget, after the elections in December 1984, on a Saturday (March 16, 1985). Madhu Dandavate, too, had the option of choosing the day of presenting the Budget. He debated this issue for some time and finally settled for a Monday (March 19, 1990). On five other occasions, when the finance minister could choose the big day, the Budgets were presented on a Monday, followed by four Budgets on a Wednesday, three on a Thursday and two on a Friday. It is clear that finance ministers, given a choice, would like the stock markets to remain open for as many days as possible after they present the Budget.

It is in this context one realises that Pranab Mukherjee is facing a unique situation. Never before in the last six decades has the presentation of a Budget been followed by three successive days when the stock markets have remained closed. So, after the stock markets' reaction to Mr Mukherjee's Budget on February 26, there will be a complete lull for three days as far as the markets' reaction to his Budget is concerned.

Now, this may be an opportunity, since the three-day lull will allow the finance minister to make amends by necessary policy clarifications in case the stock markets react adversely to his initial announcements on Friday. That, however, is a defensive approach to the issue and presupposes that Mr Mukherjee's Budget may contain some nasty surprises for the markets.

That also is the irony. This is one Budget where the success of the finance minister's fiscal policy strategy is hugely dependent on the markets. A revision in the base year for calculating gross domestic product (GDP) and higher growth at 7.5 per cent for the current year may help him present a lower fiscal deficit at 6.2 per cent of GDP, almost the same as in 2008-09. But in order to reduce the deficit further to 5.5 per cent of GDP in the coming year, he will have to bank heavily on proceeds from disinvestment of government equity in public sector undertakings. Without a market that is positively impressed with the finance minister's Budget, the government will face major problems in offloading its shares in PSUs and bring down its deficit.

It is almost like a catch-22 situation. The markets are now increasingly under the influence of foreign institutional investors as their stake in India is on the rise. The markets' view, therefore, will strongly endorse a significant reduction in the government's fiscal deficit, even going beyond what the finance minister promised Parliament last year. But to achieve a target of fiscal deficit lower than 5.5 per cent, the finance minister has to rely on either increased revenues from disinvestment or savings in public expenditure.

One sure way of impressing the markets would be to offer some fiscal concessions aimed at them. For instance, the finance minister could even consider reducing the burden of short-term capital gains tax on individuals and companies. A friendly stock market response, therefore, is a critical ingredient for the success of Mr Mukherjee's Budget. If he does not reduce the fiscal deficit, the markets can turn negative. And if he does not do enough to impress the markets, his deficit targets will be in danger. Either way, therefore, expect a Budget that pleases the markets!

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BUSINESS STANDARD

COLUMN

AN INSTITUTIONAL SUCCESS STORY

A POLARISED AND PARALYSED AMERICA COULD TURN TO INDIA FOR INSPIRATION ON TAX REFORM

ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN:

 

Bemoaning the state of the Indian public sector and its inability to deliver essential services is a hardy perennial of intellectual discussions. Academic reputations can be built, and tenure at universities such as Harvard obtained, it seems, by documenting the entrails of the Delhi car licensing system. All this is fair enough because the caricature — of bumbling bureaucrats, venal politicians, and bizarre, byzantine processes for decision-making — often approximates the reality. But India and the Indian public process can surprise, even wow, the careful observers. One such surprise — an unambiguous success of Indian institutions — must be the future introduction of the goods and services tax (GST), a major piece of tax reform that would be the envy of mature democracies such as the United States.

The coming Budget, to be presented later this week, may insufficiently address India's key fiscal challenge: reducing the vulnerability in its public finances. And vulnerable they are as a recent working paper by Petia Topalova and Dan Nyberg of the IMF highlights. Amongst the BRIC — the supposed club of aspiring big powers, comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China — India's ratio of government debt to GDP (exceeding 80 per cent) is the highest. The Chinese state is not only stronger than the Indian in implementation capacity but also in fiscal firepower with debt of less than 20 per cent of GDP.

Amongst a wider group of emerging market countries too, India's fiscal performance has been relatively weak in recent years: during the global boom years, 2003-2008, India's public indebtedness improved much less than the average emerging market country, and that despite the fact that it posted much higher rates of economic growth. In the years leading up to the crisis, when the economy was growing at 9 per cent and revenues were buoyant, India squandered a golden opportunity to set its fiscal house in permanent order. A modest Budget for the coming year risks repeating this mistake.

But the grounds for fiscal optimism lie elsewhere. They lie in the future implementation of the broad-based GST, which could generate additional annual revenues of about 1.5 per cent of GDP, create an Indian common market, and solve some structural tax problems. If implemented, and complemented with spending restraint, a path for medium-term fiscal adjustment could be within reach. This path is far from certain. Any number of shocks could cause departures from it: stymied privatisation, higher world prices of oil, which would increase consumer subsidies, and more fiscal populism, generally. But the GST offers hope.

The question is: How is India managing to pull off such a major tax reform under such inhospitable conditions. Its tax administration is not exactly of the quality in advanced economies (Europe or the United States) and would seem unequal to the challenge of implementing a new and complicated tax such as the GST. Moreover, in a federal structure such as India's, with overlapping Constitutional responsibilities between the Centre and the states, and varying interests and capacities across states, the GST is mind-bogglingly difficult to design, let alone implement. Above all, generating a modicum of consensus across political parties at the Centre and the states around an issue that affects so many voters and citizens would seem impossible, especially in such a messy, raucous and fractured democracy such as India's. And yet, a successful GST is attainable.

The key to the GST effort goes back to a remarkable combination of shrewdness and statesmanship on the part of Yashwant Sinha, the finance minister in the BJP-led government in 2001. Recognising that successful implementation of VAT would be impossible without buy-in from the states, he created an "empowered committee", comprising the finance ministers of all the states. The masterstroke was to appoint West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta of the CPM — a party then strongly opposed to the policies of the BJP — to chair this committee. This was management not by delegation but by delegation to the political adversary.

But it worked. One important reason was that the states, rather than the Centre, were driving the process which created a sense of participation and ownership that would have been hard to achieve otherwise. Not just West Bengal but other states, including Tamil Nadu which has always been assertive about states' rights, developed a stake in the process and contributed constructively.

Yashwant Sinha's successful experiment was followed by his successor P Chidambaram, who then retained the empowered committee, calling upon it to design and help implement the next stage of tax reform, namely the implementation of the GST. This committee has been the GST's midwife. It is almost as if India now has a permanent process — indeed a new and functioning institution because the empowered committee is registered under the Societies Act and even has quasi-legal status — for addressing tax matters that will involve the Centre and the states.

This process may yet come up short. It may also be difficult to extend it to other policy areas. But in one important respect, the GST experience may have wider implications. The house that India's founding fathers built was a federal structure with a strong Centre. But the de-monopolisation of political power at the Centre and the growth of regional parties have de facto made India more politically decentralised. The GST experiment suggests that the move away from a strong-Centre federalism need not entail a threatening centripetalism but could instead lead to a cooperative federalism that is perhaps India's future.

Many factors explain the Indian economic transformation. But it is hard to believe that India's economic possibility frontiers have not been determined by India's institutions. What the GST story indicates is that for all of India's flaws and deficiencies — captured in the constant why-can't-we-be-more-like-China lament — there remains the ability, fragile and episodic though it may be, to build good institutions, especially if old ones become dysfunctional. The spirit of institution-building that formed the core of the Gandhi-Nehru-Patel enterprise remains etched in India's collective DNA. Polarised and paralysed America — which will badly need tax reform to get its fiscal house in order — could turn to India for inspiration.

The author is Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics and Center for Global Development, and Senior Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University

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BUSINESS STANDARD

EDITORIAL

IS SPIKED PETROL A GOOD IDEA?

Any policy on blending ethanol with petrol has to keep in mind the costs involved in ethanol production - excessive use of scarce water to grow sugarcane and the effluents discharged in the process.

Apart from reducing feedstock for the chemicals industry, there are environment costs of the bio-fuel policy that are quite significant

The government has reiterated its intent to blend gasoline with an ethanol content of 5 per cent. In the past decade, the government made several efforts to implement an ethanol programme but it has never been successful. In fact, its recent announcement is a pull-back from its intent to increase the blend to 10 per cent with effect from October 2008. It is time that policy makers realised that a bio-ethanol programme can never be successful in India for varied and obvious reasons. The search for clean energy should be directed towards areas where success can be attained.

India is a growing economy with an ever-increasing need for energy and food. The primary objective of an energy policy is to ensure energy security — the economic and environmental aspects are secondary in nature. Thus, sustainability of an energy source is a crucial element. Unfortunately, at present, the only source of ethanol in India is molasses, a by-product obtained during the manufacture of sugar. Sugar production is extremely volatile in India, hence the availability of molasses and thus ethanol is inconsistent. Under these circumstances, India can never have a sustainable ethanol programme.

A consistent availability of sugarcane for the production of sugar as well as ethanol would require a revamp of the government's policies pertaining to sugarcane pricing and the sugar industry. Moreover, India is the largest consumer of sugar in the world. Thus, to ensure adequate availability of sugar, the government would need to tread cautiously in encouraging production of ethanol directly from sugarcane juice.

The "National Policy on Bio-fuels", which was announced by the government recently, lays down the criterion for bio-fuel development in India. With regard to ethanol, the Policy categorically states: "The sugar and distillery industry will be further encouraged to augment production of ethanol to meet the blending requirements prescribed from time to time, while ensuring that this does not in any way create supply constraints in production of sugar or availability of ethanol for industrial use." Thus, the Policy rightfully acknowledges that it would not be desirable to appropriate sugarcane for manufacture of ethanol. Also, it would not be desirable to appropriate ethanol for fuel blend and starve an existing industrial sector, which already plays a key role in the manufacture of environment-friendly chemicals, adds value to ethanol and generates employment.

A cardinal mistake is to believe we can emulate Brazil's success in the sphere of bio-ethanol. It is important to understand the unique strengths that Brazil has — vast tracts of arable and fertile land that were once vacant and are now being used for production of bio-fuels. In Brazil, 60 per cent of sugarcane juice is directly converted into ethanol without compromising the availability of sugar. Also, large land holdings and contract farming allow mechanised cultivation and better agricultural practices. In India, the yields are much lower and fragmented land holdings discourage mechanisation. More important, sugarcane is a water-intensive crop, and since water is a scarce resource in India, it would be highly imprudent to put it to such use. Interestingly, Brazil reduced the ethanol blend from 25 per cent to 20 per cent in 2009, and demand for ethanol fell sharply from 2 billion to 1 billion litres per month due to lack of availability of adequate ethanol.

Also, the advocates of ethanol tend to conceal the fact that manufacture of ethanol causes lots of pollution, by way of discharge of large volumes of effluent (1 litre of ethanol discharges 12 litres of effluent). It also contains a very high concentration of organic materials that are extremely harmful to the distillery's hinterland. Management of distillery effluent is a major area of concern for the environment ministry. Therefore, the ethanol programme needs to take a consolidated view of its purported benefits, and its end result would not be as favourable to the environment.

The cornerstones of a successful bio-fuel programme are: Sustained availability, right price, generation of rural employment, usage of waste lands and waste bio-mass, and avoidance of cannibalisation of feedstock for existing users.

As a bio-fuel, ethanol fails miserably to meet any of these criteria and, thus, this initiative deserves to be consigned back to the drawing boards for a rethink before its implementation.

It is an acknowledged fact that transportation fuels are a major contributor to pollution. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenator blended in gasoline in order to improve combustion, is known to be carcinogenic and non-biodegradable. All across the world, MTBE is being replaced with ethanol, which is absolutely safe on both these counts. Moreover, greater use of ethanol, a renewable resource, in gasoline can also reduce dependence upon petroleum, and this will promote energy security. Therefore, the government has already mandated blending of minimum 5 per cent ethanol in gasoline and has announced the goal of 10 per cent blending, going forward.

The level of 5 per cent blending, incidentally, meets the amount of oxygenation required in gasoline blends to neutralise carbon monoxide emissions, hence it should not be compromised at all.

Moreover, blending of ethanol in gasoline also makes eminent economic sense for the government and oil marketing companies (OMCs). At the current price of ethanol and the ex-pump price of gasoline, every litre of ethanol blended in gasoline results in a saving of about Rs 11 for the OMCs. Thus, the ethanol blending programme can also mitigate the burden of "under-recoveries" suffered by the petroleum sector.

The principal raw material for production of ethanol in India is molasses, a by-product derived during sugar production. Several agricultural products and waste can also be used for distillation of ethanol, depending upon their availability. A growing ethanol industry will boost the demand for agricultural waste and agricultural products suitable for distillation and molasses, which will boost farmers' income significantly.

The country has an alcohol production capacity of 3.65 billion litres per annum, of which fuel ethanol capacity is 1.69 billion. In a year of normal sugar production, molasses' availability is sufficient for production of 2.4 billion litres of alcohol, leaving the balance capacity for utilisation of other raw materials. In a year of low production of sugar, like the current year, available molasses would yield 1.70 billion litres of alcohol. The production of alcohol from other inputs is currently estimated at about 300 million litres and is rising. Aggregate alcohol production during the current year is thus estimated at 2 billion litres.

No one should disagree that the first claim on domestic available alcohol should be for fuel ethanol, given the priority that the gasoline blending programme calls for. At 5 per cent level of blending in the states to which the current mandate extends, the demand for ethanol is 690 million litres. The next priority would be for potable use, the demand for which is an estimated 900 million litres, there being no substitute. The balance is available for users like the chemical industry.

The ethanol blending and potable sectors have no alternative to alcohol, unlike the chemical industry, which can and does often use petroleum-based chemicals as alternatives to alcohol, e.g. by-products arising from petroleum refining. As a matter of fact, the chemical industry does optimise its input costs, as any industry would do, by switching from alcohol to petroleum derivatives and vice versa, depending upon relative costs, and does not necessarily purchase alcohol in consistent quantities.

The alcohol industry treats all the three — petroleum companies, potable alcohol industry and chemical industry — as valuable customers. The national priority, however, lies in pursuing the gasoline blending programme in right earnest as vital issues of health and environment are involved. As a matter of fact, there is justification in extending the blending mandate to all parts of the country. In most years, the country produces enough alcohol for the chemical sector too. Nevertheless, this sector has access to import of alcohol, which is freely allowed. The subdued petroleum prices since mid-2008 have seen this sector shift to petrochemicals from alcohol. This sector has also imported significant quantities of alcohol in the years of low international prices for the commodity, particularly from Brazil.

We are absolutely certain that the government will not fail in its duty to the nation by dithering on its mandate of 5 per cent ethanol blending in gasoline on the false premise of lack of availability as, we believe, it considers that its responsibility on health and environment fronts are of paramount importance.

*Indian Sugar Mills Association

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BUSINESS STANDARD

COLUMN

ARBITRATION SLOWDOWN

INSTRUMENTS OF ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE-RESOLUTION MECHANISM ARE IN A RUT WHILE A NEW BILL IS IN COLD STORAGE

M J ANTONY

 

Though alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms are promoted by the government and commercial organisations, the record of arbitration cases has not been inspiring. They are supposed to be informal, fast-track alternatives to the cumbersome and expensive road to civil courts. However, they have fallen into ruts of their own, and have become as expensive and tedious as any other civil litigation. In the Dolphin Drilling Ltd vs ONGC case, the Supreme Court last week lamented that "it is unfortunate that arbitration in this country has proved to be a highly expensive and time-consuming means for resolution of disputes".

A survey of judgments delivered by the Supreme Court last year showed that most arbitration cases were seven years old when they landed in the court. There were at least 45 major judgments. Moreover, the Supreme Court's decisions were not the end of the disputes for the parties; rather they have only been the start. This is because legal objections raised by the parties, either genuinely aggrieved or trying to delay payment, have to be addressed. The decision of the trial court is inevitably appealed against in the high court and then in the Supreme Court. The apex court sorts out the legal issues and then sends back the matter to the high court or the original court or the arbitrator. This is the beginning of arbitration, after years of legal wrangling.

Observing these realities, the Supreme Court stated some time ago in the Guru Nanak Foundation vs Rattan Singh case that "the way in which the proceedings are conducted, and without exception challenged in the courts, has made lawyers laugh and philosophers weep. Experience shows that the proceedings have become highly technical accompanied by unending prolixity, at every stage providing a legal trap to the unwary. An informal forum chosen by the parties for expeditious disposal of their disputes has, by the decisions of the courts, been clothed with legalese of unforeseeable complexity."

Some cases decided recently by the Supreme Court exemplify this comment. It was a long trek for the parties in the appeals in the SBP & Co vs Patel Engineering Ltd case. The contract for the Koyna hydroelectric project was signed in 1992 and the disputes started in 1996. The Supreme Court cleared the legal clutter only last year and allowed the arbitrator to proceed with his work afresh.

The Shin-Etsu Chemicals Co vs Vindhya Telelinks Ltd case made several trips from the district court in Madhya Pradesh to the high court and the Supreme Court in the past seven years, and the arbitration is still not over. The Supreme Court itself noted this delay in its judgment when it said that "we are conscious of the fact that the matter has been pending before this court for more than two years and relegation to an alternative remedy will further delay the consideration of the issue. But it is inevitable in the circumstances."

Arbitration in the Vijay Constructions vs State of Kerala case of 2002, is still halfway. The Supreme Court has just set aside the order of the high court, holding that there indeed was an arbitration agreement between the parties. After this finding, the Supreme Court has reverted the matter to the high court to decide other remaining objections raised by the state government which has to pay the awarded amount to the contractors. The actual arbitration will start only after this exercise and probably after some more trips to the Supreme Court.

The legal muddle invariably sets in from the start. If the parties are rich and resourceful, they raise questions of interpretation of the terms of the agreement and the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996. That is the first journey to the court. The next common stratagem is to doubt whether there was an arbitration clause in the contract at all. Though the voluminous agreements are drafted by resourceful law firms, they do leave gaps. In any case, there are equally ingenious lawyers who can invent a lacuna.

Once the court finds that there is indeed an arbitration clause, the wrangle starts over who the arbitrator should be. The party who has to pay will then raise objections to the conduct of the arbitrator, like bias and mala fide.

The arbitrators themselves are not very keen to complete their job as the assignment comes with several seven-star perks, a la Liberhan and Eradi commissions. These are only some of the hurdles in implementing the law.

There was a proposal to amend the 1996 law to make it more effective, but the proposed Bill has been in cold storage for many years now. It is said that international corporations are willing to choose India as a venue for arbitration, but lack of clarity in law and procedure coupled with poor infrastructure deters them. Unless these hurdles are removed, arbitration cases will continue to troop to the Supreme Court — and it has not yet disposed of appeals under the old Arbitration Act 1940.

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

POWERFUL ALTERNATIVE

 

More power to the people obviously means different things. The brouhaha over what to do with the shell of the defunct Indraprastha power station has certainly brought that schism to the fore. How can the carcass of a polluting behemoth be put to public use? The options, tellingly, veer from the sublime to the ridiculous, depending on who is deciding, of course.

The question is moot whether Delhi needs yet another parking lot — a Commonwealth Games' -fuelled suggestion, naturally — or yet another depot for the now-spiffy state-run buses. Neither has the potential to be any better architectural or aesthetic masterpieces than the current building with its rusting smokestacks. And the argument by the proponents of the first option, that the land would be handed back for forestry after the games, curiously finds little credibility.

Presumably, Delhi's denizens are a tad cynical when it comes to government claims on giving up land for greenery . The demand of the eco-lobby to convert it into an urban forest sounds trendy, but what flora or fauna would survive in that patch of land, with a noxious river on one side and an unending stream of noisy traffic on the other?

One section, however, wants to convert it into a museum on the city of Delhi. This has potential — after all, major cities abroad have them and they showcase not only historical aspects but also current goings-on . Indeed, every Indian city should contemplate having one, if only for the forced introspection that its planning would entail.

The bright thing to do in Delhi, however, would be to not demolish the extant structure, but use it as a metaphor for what the city was and wants to be. The shiver of apprehension that is bound to run through everyone as they enter the ugly structure and get a bird's-eye view of the choked Yamuna river, would convince about what not to do to a city. All they need to do is make a park and a parking lot within the complex to co-opt the other factions too!

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

STATES TURN FISCALLY PRUDENT

 

Predictably, the 2009-10 edition of the RBI's annual Study on State Finances shows a worsening of the consolidated fiscal position of state governments. The gross fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio is budgeted to increase to 3.2% from 2.6% in 2008-09 (revised estimates, or RE). More worryingly, their revenue account has turned from a surplus of 0.2% in 2008-09 (RE) to a deficit of 0.5% of GDP in 2009-10 (BE). Less predictably, states seem to have managed their finances better than the Centre.

Not only is the slippage in 2008-09 compared to the previous year, less — 80%, against the Centre's 130% — the debt-GDP ratio of state governments has also come down. From a peak of 32.8 % in 2004, their debt-to-GDP ratio was down to 26.2% in 2008-09 (RE), well below the 30.8% target set by the Twelfth Finance Commission for March 2010. In contrast, the ratio of the Centre's outstanding liabilities-to-GDP is projected to increase from 75.1% in 2007-08 to 76.6% (BE) in 2009-10 .

Against the Twelfth panel target of interest payment-to-revenue receipts ratio of 15% for 2009-10 , the combined ratio for all states declined to 14.4% in 2008-09 (RE). In contrast, the comparable ratio for the Centre is expected to go up from 34% (RE) 2008-09 to 36.7% in 2009-10 (BE). Needless to say, disaggregated level numbers show what we have known all along: there is wide disparity in fiscal discipline.

One could argue the relatively better performance of the states vis-a-vis the Centre is because the bulk of the fiscal stimulus came from the Centre's coffers. But that is not entirely correct. To the extent that the quantum of funds transferred to states is a function of the taxes collected by the Centre, states also lose revenue when the
Centre foregoes taxes. However, the present improvement may not last. As states succumb to public pressure to follow the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, much of the good work done by them may become a thing of the past.

It is to guard against this danger that the study recommends that states supplement their efforts by setting up, among other things, a fiscal stabilisation fund and incorporating a counter-cyclical fiscal policy framework.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

HYPOCRISY ON FOOD PRICES

 

The political debate on food prices has attained a high level of hypocrisy. The Opposition blames the government for its failure to control food prices. Fair enough. But it does not have any constructive suggestion to offer in this regard either. That is below par, but sort of tolerable — the governing side has greater responsibility when it comes to finding solutions. But when the government does come up with some steps that offer a long-term solution, the Opposition's response is, once again, pure and vehement opposition.

This amounts to hypocrisy, which voters will see through and helps no one. There are two parts to managing high food prices: the immediate and the longer term. The government messed up on timely release of additional grain from its stocks, and talked up global sugar prices by issuing tenders instead of buying up sugar abroad on the quiet.

And the ruling and opposition parties collectively abhor the unpleasant truth that there is no substitute to organised retail when it comes to overhauling the supply chain that today gives the farmer only a tiny fraction of the high price at the consumer end. Cooperatives like Amul and Safal are efficient supply-chain managers for niche segments. Either they must be replicated across the board for all farm produce or private organised retail must be allowed to function freely. More realistically , both organisational forms must be allowed to flourish.

But the real problem is not short-term management of existing levels of food output, but of stepping up food output altogether. Consumption patterns are changing, with the poor consuming more, thanks to employment guarantee schemes, and everyone is shifting towards superior foods — milk, eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables — pushing up the indirect pressure on basic foodgrain production.

The state spends at least 3% of GDP, or Rs 1,85,000 crore, as farm subsidy, even as investment stagnates. Reconfiguring expenditure from inefficient subsidy to yieldboosting investment will entail higher fertiliser and seed prices, paid-for irrigation and higher farm gate prices. Political hackles rise at every single element of this mix. The point is to ignore them, resolutely.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

GLOBALISATION & INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY

SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR

 

People ask if India can grow fast if Bharat does not. Well, nothing exemplifies Bharat more than Bihar, and it has grown at 11% during 2004-09 , the same period when India registered a record 8.5% growth. India's fast growth owed much to high technology and exports, exemplified by computer software and automobiles. But Bihar has neither high technology nor exports. India and Bihar seem to have little in common, yet both their growth spurts have a common cause: connectivity.

India's success stems from globalisation , which the Left calls an imperial recipe for subjugation. But when Indian companies are taking over global companies galore — the latest being Bharti Airtel's takeover of Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh — the notion that India is being subjugated is nonsense.

Globalisation creates on a global scale opportunities that were earlier available only within nations. Once, people knew little of the world beyond the 20 miles that could be traversed by bullock cart, and the opportunities for innovation or entrepreneurship in this limited space were few. Then modern roads and vehicles appeared, providing connectivity first to the whole district, then to the whole state, and ultimately to the whole nation. This increased economic opportunities a thousand-fold .

Meanwhile, plummeting shipping transport, communication and financial costs in the last 150 years made it possible to do across the world what was earlier possible only within national boundaries. An Indian company can raise money in Hong Kong to build a plant in Spain that exports goods to Latin America. Connectivity had become global.

For decades, inefficient Indian Railways and ports made connectivity costly. One World Bank report on Mumbai port said the cheapest way to unload cargo was to first pay official dock labour to go home and then hire a private crew for unloading!

The situation was transformed with the export of computer software and business services over the airwaves. Suddenly, telecom provided cheap, instant connectivity across the globe. It did not depend on dysfunctional railways and ports or corruption-laden export documentation. This kickstarted India's economic upsurge, and with reforms, even the ports and railways improved immensely. Financial connectivity provided global finance to Indian companies , not only to set up new plants but also to acquire MNCs abroad. That is how Tata and Birla acquired Corus and Novellis.

Globalisation is unstoppable because it is based not on western domination but on continually-falling transport, communication and financial costs. China is the best example of using globalisation for economic success. Far from becoming a western puppet, it now challenges western supremacy.

At first sight, Bihar looks completely different . Its 11% growth has been driven mainly by construction (average growth 47%) and unorganised industry. Organised industry has grown little in the last five years. Bihar exports nothing of consequence , and has nothing hi-tech .

Yet, connectivity is the heart of Bihar's success too. Under Lalu Yadav, few new roads were built and existing ones disappeared for want of maintenance. Lalu defended this, asking, "Whose car will travel on roads, and whose buffalo will be killed by the car?" This lack of connectivity stymied economic development at a time when reformed central policies had made strident growth possible.

Very wide rivers handicap Bihar. Many of these are dry most of the year, yet require long bridges for connectivity. Under a dynamic IAS chief, Pratyaya Amrit , the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam, once a sick unit, revived and built 336 bridges (including 80 major ones) in three years, and is now building mega-bridges across the Kosi and Gandak. Its turnover is up from Rs 42 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 768 crore in 2008-09 . Amrit subsequently moved to the road construction department, whose road building improved from 384 km in 2004-05 to 2,417 km in 2008-09 .

This was buttressed by telecom connectivity , driven by the private sector. Bharti Airtel claims that Bihar now has the highest growth of talk-time in the country. The big missing element in connectivity is electricity. Without connection to the electric grid, economic opportunities plummet . After meeting obligations to supply Nepal, the railways and defence, Bihar has barely 500 mw, a ridiculously-low level for a major state. This needs to rise by thousands of megawatts per year. Many proposals are in the pipeline, but are held up by lack of coal linkage. T&D losses — mostly power theft — are a massive 49%.

Keynesians attribute Bihar's fast growth to rising public development spending, from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore. Yet, such Keynesian tactics in Japan in the 1990s and Europe in the 1970s produced little growth.
Much depends on what you spend money on. Hiring two lakh teachers and medical staff or providing school kids with cycles and uniforms may be desirable, but will not accelerate growth in the short run.

Additional infrastructure spending in Japan produced no growth. But connectivity there had already reached saturation point. The opposite is true in Bihar, where connectivity was pathetic, and any small improvement generated a spurt in economic activity.

The big non-Keynesian success in Bihar has been the restoration of law and order in place of Lalu's jungle raj. With absent physical security, people will not travel, build houses, buy vehicles or engage in commerce . Earlier, goons and ransom notes proliferated, and nobody dared engage in economic activity. But the Nitish administration has jailed tens of thousands of goons under the Arms Act.

With peace returning, pent-up demand has exploded, creating a boom in construction , vehicle ownership and unorganised industry. Bihar has proved that physical security is also vital for connectivity and economic growth.

The lesson for other poor states is clear. Globalisation is not the only kind of connectivity .

You first need internal connectivity , between towns and between villages. That must be buttressed by physical security , which is lacking in many poor states. Once you get security, roads and telecom, the economy will take off. And if good policies make a state attractive for investment, investors will in due course arrive from other states and other countries. Globalisation starts with internal connectivity.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

TIME TO SWITCH OFF POWER LOSSES

JAIDEEP MISHRA

 

Any change, even for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts, mused the wordsmith , contemplating transition, and the vicissitudes of time. That was then, in more simpler times, when, for instance, power market design, demand-side management and smart grids were quite unheard of.

Fast-forward to the here and now, and it is notable that the latest report of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the prime minister is sanguine about pickup in growth, and underlines the need for fiscal consolidation. It, however, adds that when it comes to power distribution, large unaccounted-for losses continue pan-India . The lack of readily-available data on utility losses is glaring indeed.

The Economic Survey last year went to the extent of expunging details of distribution losses of power utilities, preferring to drop an entire table of figures on rates of return, commercial losses and other attendant annual projections. The EAC is concerned about unacceptably-large revenue leakages in distributing power — and rightly so.

But without up-to-date data and comprehensive figures about happenings and goings-on in the vexed power sector, the policy process would surely be left plodding along in the dark. The latest survey clearly needs to have wideranging data on distribution.

The point is that without proper accounts and figures on power distribution and supply, the policy intention of having the 'unaccounted power loss sharply reduced' , as called for by the EAC, would be defeated. The fact of the matter is that there's a huge and widening gap when it comes to electricity generation and supply. Which is why, instead of politically mandated tariffs and giveaways, we need reasonably priced power to rev up delivery and plug the infrastructure deficit with stepped-up sectoral resource allocation.

Estimates suggest that the current power deficit adds up to a gap of at least 67 billion units (read 10% energy shortage), and during peak hours of demand, the shortage is put at over 16,000 mw or a peaking power shortfall of 15%. Worse, while the ambitious target is to add almost 80,000 mw of generation capacity by 2012 — up from 1,40,000 mw utility capacity in 2007-08 — the actual addition on the ground has been just about 3,450 mw in 2008-09 . Further, the annual revenue loss in distribution is of the order of Rs 20,000 crore, and counting. Yet, we seem thoroughly lax when it comes to keeping tab and routinely accounting for the questionable, openended leakages in power.

The way ahead is to mandate quarterly publication of accounts of state electricity boards (SEBs). We need political mobilisation to shore up real reforms and transparency in power. Yet, we seem more focused on ritualising reforms and opening up. The power ministry does not fail to highlight that 16 SEBs/electricity departments have been unbundled and corporatised, 28 states have constituted independent regulatory commissions (SERCs) and that 23 SERCs have issued open access regulations etc. Yet, aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C ) losses amount to almost 35%, which means quite needless additional risks and costs when investing in power.

Meanwhile, the reported move of the RBI to administratively reduce the risk weightage for funding power projects from 100% to 20% should boost lending in the industry. Also , the ongoing effort to significantly increase domestic power equipment capacity makes sense given the large investment backlog.

The EAC notes that Bhel, our main equipment producer, has increased its annual tooling capacity to 10 gw, which is expected to go up by another 40% shortly. Power equipment capacity would add up to 20 gw, what with Larsen & Toubro tying up with Mitsubishi , Bharat Forge joining hands with Alstom and JSW Energy forming a JV with Toshiba.

While it is fine to initiate supply-side measures in power, we cannot afford to neglect — or virtually ignore data — on the demand side. To begin with, the survey needs to urgently incorporate data and tables on power utility losses. Next, back to back, we need universal metering: the latest-generation digital meters can be tamper-proof , accurate and inexpensive . Also, we need regular disclosure of utility performance results.

The subventions in power do need to be properly accounted for. Besides, we need to better leverage IT to closely follow operations and supply. Given the advent of smart meters , energy audit software and related IT enablers , it is perfectly reasonable to measure AT&C losses at a geographically granular level with pinpoint accuracy, for prompt followthrough measures.

Concurrently, the Thirteenth Finance Commission needs to incentivise power sector reforms and provide due weightage for credible utility bottomlines. Sound finances of SEBs would mean a paradigm shift for the better in state finances, and provide steppedup allocation, say, for the social sector. Further, the Budget needs to proffer tax and investment incentives for power utilities, to aid regular disclosure, going forward. More power for the people.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

RETAIL INVESTORS TURN STREET-SMART, SKIP IPOS

VIJAY GURAV

 

MUMBAI: After cold shouldering some of the recent initial public offerings (IPOs), retail investors seem to have changed their minds on some of those companies post-listing, particularly the small and medium-sized ones. The stocks have attracted good interest from retail investors in the secondary market, which is also reflected in a rise in their holding in the past quarter.

According to brokers, retail participants would have adopted a wait-n-watch approach during the subscription period and subsequently entered the secondary market to take advantage of the sluggish movement in the shares, post-listing. Some, however, suspect operators could have played a role in pulling retail crowd to the stocks, particularly in cases where fundamentals are not so sound.

 

"Some retail investors could have sensed good investment opportunities in the companies after a sharp fall in the share prices," said Ambareesh Baliga, vice-president of leading retail broking house Karvy Stock Broking. He, however, does not rule out the possibility of operators turning active in the counters and generating a lot of speculative movement with an intention to attract small investors.

Angel Broking CMD Dinesh Thakkar feels the retail buying in select companies could have been driven by sentiment. Another possibility is that some IPOs may not have evoked good retail response due to unfavourable market conditions. But, the investors could have taken a positive view on it with the improvement in sentiment after listing.

Globus Spirits is one such example where the retail portion of the issue was subscribed 0.96 times even though the IPO received the overall subscription of 1.1 times the issue size. However, post-listing, retail holding, has improved substantially from 12.9% as on September 30, 2009 to 16% as on December 31, 2009.

After debuting at Rs 91 against the offer price of Rs 100, on September 29, the stock declined sharply to a low of Rs 74 on October 17, 2009. Since then it has been languishing below Rs 100 and closed 2.3% down at Rs 96.5 on Tuesday.

The Globus Spirits counter has currently been attracting decent delivery-based volumes between 30% and 50% of the total traded quantity, reflecting a fair amount of genuine interest in the counter.

Some brokers feel there has not been any significant change in retail perception towards the market. "A general sense of disinterest still prevails among retail investors towards both primary and secondary markets" said Kotak Securities executive director D Kannan.

Apart from Globus Spirits, Raj Oil Mills and Edserv Softsystems are two other examples of low retail subscription at 65% and 98% respectively. Retail holding in the two companies, however, increased by 1.3 and 2.7 percentage points in the October-December 2009 quarter.

The two stocks are currently quoting at Rs 63 and Rs 259 respectively against their IPO prices of Rs 120 and Rs 60. They attracted healthy delivery-based volumes of 32% to 68% and 26% to 40% respectively in the past few days.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

NIFTY FEB EXPIRY SEEN AT 4800- 4900

 

Domestic indices have been plagued by weak sentiment although there has been a rebound on every decline. Overall, Nifty is likely to trade in a range of 4800-4950 and we expect expiry to be in the range of 4800-4900. Options concentration is at the 4800-strike put, with the highest open interest of above 58 lakh shares. This is followed by 4900 strike and 5000 strikes call with more than 71 lakh and 67 shares each in open interest, suggesting strong resistance around these levels.

Market rebound invited addition of short positions among puts and short closures in calls. Tuesday's trading session saw maximum addition at 4800 strike put and on the call side we saw short unwinding at higher strike call, indicating possible bounce. The implied volatility (IV) of ATM March call options closed at 27.77% while the average IV of ATM put options ended at 28.5%, indicating higher option premium due to high option volatility. VIX and IV are also hinting at higher volatility in coming trading sessions.

Technically, Nifty has got support at 4800 levels and crucial resistance at 4950. The overall market cost-of-carry for March series is low-to-positive, with rollover of 35% in Nifty which is slightly lower than the previous expiry.

March series continued to trade at a discount indicating short positions. The put-call ratio of open interest increased marginally finally closing at 0.98 levels, indicating support at lower strikes. March series remained at a discount, indicating addition of short positions. Overall, Nifty is likely to remain range-bound for the current expiry and we recommend buying strangle (non-directional strategy) for March series, as we expect volatility and average true range of the market to rise from current level.

Buy one Nifty March 5000 CE @ 100 and also buy one March 4700 PE @ 95 at cumulative premium of 195. With the rise in volatility and ATR, we will see cumulative premium rising. The targeted cumulative premium for the above strategy is 260 and stop-loss is 165.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

MFS HARDSELL MIPS AS MARKET TURNS VOLATILE

NISHANTH VASUDEVAN

 

MUMBAI: An optimistic outlook for short-term bonds and the recent volatility in equities have given mutual funds and distributors a chance to push monthly income plans (MIPs) to investors in the past couple of months. But a section of the distributors believes MIPs have been 'mis-sold' as a mere makeshift product for investors wanting to protect their capital and partly benefit from movements in equities in uncertain times. MIPs invest at least 70-75% of their corpus in debt and the rest in equities.

The 'mis-selling' has come in the form of linking the utility of the product with the volatile market conditions. Mutual funds have officially positioned the product as one where investors, particularly the risk-averse, can derive higher returns than fixed deposits at lower risks over a period of time because of the equity exposure. "We believe the way MIPs have been sold to investors recently was not the best interests, with the backdrop being a heated equity market and a tentative debt market," said Akhilesh Singh, head-wealth management, Emkay Global Financial Services.

MIPs invest in debt paper, mostly corporate, or money market instruments with a maturity of approximately 24-42 months. Fund managers of these schemes shuffle the money based on the interest rate outlook. Following the higher-than-expected hike in cash reserve ratio (CRR) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last month, they shifted the focus to paper with around two-year maturity on expectations the absorption of money over the next couple of months could drive up rates in the short term.

Distributors have been able to impress upon investors that MIPs, with higher exposure to short-term paper and a small bets in the equity market, churn better returns than pure equity or debt funds in a volatile period. The commission that mutual funds offer to sell MIPs has been the key to distributors hardselling the product. Mutual funds pay distributors around 1-1.1% of the money collected in MIPs as commission, which is almost as high as the fee for equity scheme sales at 1.25%.

Mutual funds are not complaining, as the ban on entry load in equity schemes in August last year has impacted money flows into their funds. "Historically, MIPs have been a 'mis-sold' product. It would be mis-selling if it is sold with a 3-6-month horizon, as investments in MIPs should be done with at least a one-year perspective," said Sunil Jhaveri, chairman, MSJ Capital, a New Delhi-based distributor. According to Mr Jhaveri, MIPs of Reliance Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential and DWS Twin Advantage are better managed. In the past one year, the average return from the MIP category has been 15.5%, according to Value Research, a mutual fund tracker.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

CORRECTION BEGINS WITH ADMISSION

VITHAL C NADKARNI

 

Tiger Woods has now 'rediscovered' his childhood religion. The championgolfer , who faced censure for his alleged extra-marital liaisons, said he hoped to relearn the lesson of selfrestraint taught by Buddhism. His statement had been analysed "like a State of Union address even though the only union Tiger Woods addressed was his own" , a sympathetic columnist said, "( for) this was no voluntary conversion to an old religion. Rather , this was a forced one to the new Oprahite religion of emotional openness and making public one's miseries and failings."

Newspersons who asked the Dalai Lama to comment discovered that the Tibetan spiritual leader was blissfully unaware of Tiger Woods' travails, having somehow been uninformed of the golfer's triumphs as well. When the matter was explained to him, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist extolled the importance of 'self-discipline with awareness of consequences' .

The embattled golf champion himself said as much in his carefully scripted statement of apology: in recent years he had 'drifted away' from the Buddhist values of his upbringing which taught that "a craving for things outside ourselves causes unhappy and pointless search for security" .

But would that satisfy the scolds berating Woods for letting his impulses get the better of him? As his former coach, Butch Harmon , said, "( They) want Woods to stand there in front of everybody , take his medicine, be humble , be embarrassed, be humiliated , and answer the questions."

His self-lacerating public apology could also be part of the famous 12-step plan for recovering from addictions, compulsions and other behavioural problems. The process starts with the admission that one is powerless against the demons of addiction and compulsion . One then moves on to admit "a greater power that can give strength" .

One way of achieving this, as encoded by the next step, is by establishing cosmic connections: make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him, says the original Alcoholics Anonymous programme . In its summation, the Bhagavad Gita calls it the supreme secret of transcendence (psychologists might call it 'transference' ) which promises to empower the seeker to withstand most severe soul-crushing pressures . But what if one has no faith in redemption? Then beg, borrow or steal some!

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

IS FERTILISER REFORM FARMER-FRIENDLY ?

SECTOR NEEDS MORE SUCH BENEFICIAL POLICIES

The government's move to shift to a nutrient-based subsidy scheme for non-urea fertilisers is the first step towards comprehensive reforms in the sector. Urea, a nitrogenous fertiliser that constitutes more than half of the total fertiliser consumption , gradually needs to be brought within the ambit of the scheme and its import decanalised. The country's farm output is stagnating as the soil is losing nutrients.

At present, we import seven million tonnes of urea, which is a fourth of our annual requirement . Also, we are import-dependent on phosphatic and potassic (P&K ) fertilisers to the extent of almost 100% in the form of raw material or finished fertiliser products.

Thus, fiscal management of subsidy has emerged as a key issue in the face of abnormally-high international prices of raw materials and finished fertilisers. Such high prices are no longer affordable and India, as the second-largest consumer of fertilisers, should be a price-setter . The reforms process should address these issues. Small interventions such as addressing the need for micronutrients along with sulphur, fertiliser use efficiency and improvement in the response ratio of fertilisers will have to be part of the reforms.

These can contribute substantially towards raising the overall agricultural productivity. The government has formulated an innovative policy on customised, coated and fortified fertilisers, but these fertilisers are not within
the ambit of the subsidy scheme, severely limiting their consumption.

Today, subsidy is available only on a few generic fertiliser products such as urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) or muriate of potash (MoP). We also need to harmonise R&D as part of reforms as the fertiliser sector has failed to attract investment for over a decade. The nutritional requirement of soil is also increasing. So, there is need for a healthy and dynamic domestic fertiliser industry to attain a reasonable level of self-sufficiency in fertilisers. Subsidy on fertilisers will continue and farmers should be entitled to quality fertilisers at reasonable prices.

FERTILISER REFORMS WERE LONG OVERDUE

Efficient and effective use of fertiliser is a key component of improved farm productivity. The prescribed ratio of nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium is 4:2:1 but, over years, we have seen this change to 6:2:1 or even higher, primarily driven by policies favouring nitrogen prices. The nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime, recently approved by the Cabinet, is supposed to be the first step towards fertiliser policy reforms.

The fixed subsidy on the nutrients is expected to ensure that the fertiliser use remains within the prescribed limit. The increase in urea prices will also help reduce its overuse and, thus, improve effective nutrition of the soil. The NBS policy would bring the muchdesired gains to fertiliser companies but perhaps not to the farmers who need it.

The changed policy poses the risk of a rise in fertiliser prices. This is because fertiliser companies will now decide the retail prices. If fertiliser prices are left to market forces, it is likely that the prices would be higher than the present prices. In such a case, the cost of cultivation will increase for small farmers. No doubt, this reform will attract investment in the sector and allow companies to offer innovative products.

It will also reduce dependence on imports, lead to timely availability of fertilisers, and also reduce the government's fertiliser subsidy bill. But the flip side is higher prices could impact small farmers. Even with this reform, fertiliser companies will get the subsidy directly. It would have been far better if these subsidies were given directly to the farmer, as promised in the last two Budgets. Such a move would have increased the real income of the farmer and improved his purchasing power to buy fertilisers. So, the main concerns remain.

Will this policy help farmers by rejuvenating the soil and raising farm productivity? Or will higher prices act as a deterrent to the fertiliser application, thereby having a negative impact on farm productivity? What will farmers actually get: better fertilisers or higher-priced fertilisers?

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

FERTILISER REFORMS WERE LONG OVERDUE

 

Efficient and effective use of fertiliser is a key component of improved farm productivity. The prescribed ratio of nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium is 4:2:1 but, over years, we have seen this change to 6:2:1 or even higher, primarily driven by policies favouring nitrogen prices. The nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime, recently approved by the Cabinet, is supposed to be the first step towards fertiliser policy reforms.

The fixed subsidy on the nutrients is expected to ensure that the fertiliser use remains within the prescribed limit. The increase in urea prices will also help reduce its overuse and, thus, improve effective nutrition of the soil. The NBS policy would bring the muchdesired gains to fertiliser companies but perhaps not to the farmers who need it.

The changed policy poses the risk of a rise in fertiliser prices. This is because fertiliser companies will now decide the retail prices. If fertiliser prices are left to market forces, it is likely that the prices would be higher than the present prices. In such a case, the cost of cultivation will increase for small farmers. No doubt, this reform will attract investment in the sector and allow companies to offer innovative products.

It will also reduce dependence on imports, lead to timely availability of fertilisers, and also reduce the government's fertiliser subsidy bill. But the flip side is higher prices could impact small farmers. Even with this reform, fertiliser companies will get the subsidy directly. It would have been far better if these subsidies were given directly to the farmer, as promised in the last two Budgets. Such a move would have increased the real income of the farmer and improved his purchasing power to buy fertilisers. So, the main concerns remain.

Will this policy help farmers by rejuvenating the soil and raising farm productivity? Or will higher prices act as a deterrent to the fertiliser application, thereby having a negative impact on farm productivity? What will farmers actually get: better fertilisers or higher-priced fertilisers?

 

***************************************

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

SECTOR NEEDS MORE SUCH BENEFICIAL POLICIES

 

The government's move to shift to a nutrient-based subsidy scheme for non-urea fertilisers is the first step towards comprehensive reforms in the sector. Urea, a nitrogenous fertiliser that constitutes more than half of the total fertiliser consumption , gradually needs to be brought within the ambit of the scheme and its import decanalised. The country's farm output is stagnating as the soil is losing nutrients.

At present, we import seven million tonnes of urea, which is a fourth of our annual requirement . Also, we are import-dependent on phosphatic and potassic (P&K ) fertilisers to the extent of almost 100% in the form of raw material or finished fertiliser products.

Thus, fiscal management of subsidy has emerged as a key issue in the face of abnormally-high international prices of raw materials and finished fertilisers. Such high prices are no longer affordable and India, as the second-largest consumer of fertilisers, should be a price-setter . The reforms process should address these issues. Small interventions such as addressing the need for micronutrients along with sulphur, fertiliser use efficiency and improvement in the response ratio of fertilisers will have to be part of the reforms.

These can contribute substantially towards raising the overall agricultural productivity. The government has formulated an innovative policy on customised, coated and fortified fertilisers, but these fertilisers are not within the ambit of the subsidy scheme, severely limiting their consumption.

Today, subsidy is available only on a few generic fertiliser products such as urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) or muriate of potash (MoP). We also need to harmonise R&D as part of reforms as the fertiliser sector has failed to attract investment for over a decade. The nutritional requirement of soil is also increasing. So, there is need for a healthy and dynamic domestic fertiliser industry to attain a reasonable level of self-sufficiency in fertilisers. Subsidy on fertilisers will continue and farmers should be entitled to quality fertilisers at reasonable prices.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

GLOBALISATION & INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY

SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR

 

People ask if India can grow fast if Bharat does not. Well, nothing exemplifies Bharat more than Bihar, and it has grown at 11% during 2004-09 , the same period when India registered a record 8.5% growth. India's fast growth owed much to high technology and exports, exemplified by computer software and automobiles. But Bihar has neither high technology nor exports. India and Bihar seem to have little in common, yet both their growth spurts have a common cause: connectivity.

India's success stems from globalisation , which the Left calls an imperial recipe for subjugation. But when Indian companies are taking over global companies galore — the latest being Bharti Airtel's takeover of Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh — the notion that India is being subjugated is nonsense.

Globalisation creates on a global scale opportunities that were earlier available only within nations. Once, people knew little of the world beyond the 20 miles that could be traversed by bullock cart, and the opportunities for innovation or entrepreneurship in this limited space were few. Then modern roads and vehicles appeared, providing connectivity first to the whole district, then to the whole state, and ultimately to the whole nation. This increased economic opportunities a thousand-fold .

Meanwhile, plummeting shipping transport, communication and financial costs in the last 150 years made it possible to do across the world what was earlier possible only within national boundaries. An Indian company can raise money in Hong Kong to build a plant in Spain that exports goods to Latin America. Connectivity had become global.

For decades, inefficient Indian Railways and ports made connectivity costly. One World Bank report on Mumbai port said the cheapest way to unload cargo was to first pay official dock labour to go home and then hire a private crew for unloading!

The situation was transformed with the export of computer software and business services over the airwaves. Suddenly, telecom provided cheap, instant connectivity across the globe. It did not depend on dysfunctional railways and ports or corruption-laden export documentation. This kickstarted India's economic upsurge, and with reforms, even the ports and railways improved immensely. Financial connectivity provided global finance to Indian companies , not only to set up new plants but also to acquire MNCs abroad. That is how Tata and Birla acquired Corus and Novellis.

Globalisation is unstoppable because it is based not on western domination but on continually-falling transport, communication and financial costs. China is the best example of using globalisation for economic success. Far from becoming a western puppet, it now challenges western supremacy.

At first sight, Bihar looks completely different . Its 11% growth has been driven mainly by construction (average growth 47%) and unorganised industry. Organised industry has grown little in the last five years. Bihar exports nothing of consequence , and has nothing hi-tech .

Yet, connectivity is the heart of Bihar's success too. Under Lalu Yadav, few new roads were built and existing ones disappeared for want of maintenance. Lalu defended this, asking, "Whose car will travel on roads, and whose buffalo will be killed by the car?" This lack of connectivity stymied economic development at a time when reformed central policies had made strident growth possible.

Very wide rivers handicap Bihar. Many of these are dry most of the year, yet require long bridges for connectivity. Under a dynamic IAS chief, Pratyaya Amrit , the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam, once a sick unit, revived and built 336 bridges (including 80 major ones) in three years, and is now building mega-bridges across the Kosi and Gandak. Its turnover is up from Rs 42 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 768 crore in 2008-09 . Amrit subsequently moved to the road construction department, whose road building improved from 384 km in 2004-05 to 2,417 km in 2008-09 .

This was buttressed by telecom connectivity , driven by the private sector. Bharti Airtel claims that Bihar now has the highest growth of talk-time in the country. The big missing element in connectivity is electricity. Without connection to the electric grid, economic opportunities plummet . After meeting obligations to supply Nepal, the railways and defence, Bihar has barely 500 mw, a ridiculously-low level for a major state. This needs to rise by thousands of megawatts per year. Many proposals are in the pipeline, but are held up by lack of coal linkage. T&D losses — mostly power theft — are a massive 49%.

Keynesians attribute Bihar's fast growth to rising public development spending, from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore. Yet, such Keynesian tactics in Japan in the 1990s and Europe in the 1970s produced little growth.
Much depends on what you spend money on. Hiring two lakh teachers and medical staff or providing school kids with cycles and uniforms may be desirable, but will not accelerate growth in the short run.

Additional infrastructure spending in Japan produced no growth. But connectivity there had already reached saturation point. The opposite is true in Bihar, where connectivity was pathetic, and any small improvement generated a spurt in economic activity.

The big non-Keynesian success in Bihar has been the restoration of law and order in place of Lalu's jungle raj.

 

With absent physical security, people will not travel, build houses, buy vehicles or engage in commerce .

 

Earlier, goons and ransom notes proliferated, and nobody dared engage in economic activity. But the Nitish administration has jailed tens of thousands of goons under the Arms Act.

With peace returning, pent-up demand has exploded, creating a boom in construction , vehicle ownership and unorganised industry. Bihar has proved that physical security is also vital for connectivity and economic growth.
The lesson for other poor states is clear. Globalisation is not the only kind of connectivity .

You first need internal connectivity , between towns and between villages. That must be buttressed by physical security , which is lacking in many poor states. Once you get security, roads and telecom, the economy will take off. And if good policies make a state attractive for investment, investors will in due course arrive from other states and other countries. Globalisation starts with internal connectivity.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

TIME TO SWITCH OFF POWER LOSSES

JAIDEEP MISHRA

 

Any change, even for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts, mused the wordsmith , contemplating transition, and the vicissitudes of time. That was then, in more simpler times, when, for instance, power market design, demand-side management and smart grids were quite unheard of.

Fast-forward to the here and now, and it is notable that the latest report of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the prime minister is sanguine about pickup in growth, and underlines the need for fiscal consolidation. It, however, adds that when it comes to power distribution, large unaccounted-for losses continue pan-India . The lack of readily-available data on utility losses is glaring indeed.

The Economic Survey last year went to the extent of expunging details of distribution losses of power utilities, preferring to drop an entire table of figures on rates of return, commercial losses and other attendant annual projections. The EAC is concerned about unacceptably-large revenue leakages in distributing power — and rightly so.

But without up-to-date data and comprehensive figures about happenings and goings-on in the vexed power sector, the policy process would surely be left plodding along in the dark. The latest survey clearly needs to have wideranging data on distribution.

The point is that without proper accounts and figures on power distribution and supply, the policy intention of having the 'unaccounted power loss sharply reduced' , as called for by the EAC, would be defeated. The fact of the matter is that there's a huge and widening gap when it comes to electricity generation and supply. Which is why, instead of politically mandated tariffs and giveaways, we need reasonably priced power to rev up delivery and plug the infrastructure deficit with stepped-up sectoral resource allocation.

Estimates suggest that the current power deficit adds up to a gap of at least 67 billion units (read 10% energy shortage), and during peak hours of demand, the shortage is put at over 16,000 mw or a peaking power shortfall of 15%. Worse, while the ambitious target is to add almost 80,000 mw of generation capacity by 2012 — up from 1,40,000 mw utility capacity in 2007-08 — the actual addition on the ground has been just about 3,450 mw in 2008-09 . Further, the annual revenue loss in distribution is of the order of Rs 20,000 crore, and counting. Yet, we seem thoroughly lax when it comes to keeping tab and routinely accounting for the questionable, openended leakages in power.

The way ahead is to mandate quarterly publication of accounts of state electricity boards (SEBs). We need political mobilisation to shore up real reforms and transparency in power. Yet, we seem more focused on ritualising reforms and opening up. The power ministry does not fail to highlight that 16 SEBs/electricity departments have been unbundled and corporatised, 28 states have constituted independent regulatory commissions (SERCs) and that 23 SERCs have issued open access regulations etc. Yet, aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C ) losses amount to almost 35%, which means quite needless additional risks and costs when investing in power.

Meanwhile, the reported move of the RBI to administratively reduce the risk weightage for funding power projects from 100% to 20% should boost lending in the industry. Also , the ongoing effort to significantly increase domestic power equipment capacity makes sense given the large investment backlog.

The EAC notes that Bhel, our main equipment producer, has increased its annual tooling capacity to 10 gw, which is expected to go up by another 40% shortly. Power equipment capacity would add up to 20 gw, what with Larsen & Toubro tying up with Mitsubishi , Bharat Forge joining hands with Alstom and JSW Energy forming a JV with Toshiba.

While it is fine to initiate supply-side measures in power, we cannot afford to neglect — or virtually ignore data — on the demand side. To begin with, the survey needs to urgently incorporate data and tables on power utility losses. Next, back to back, we need universal metering: the latest-generation digital meters can be tamper-proof , accurate and inexpensive . Also, we need regular disclosure of utility performance results.

The subventions in power do need to be properly accounted for. Besides, we need to better leverage IT to closely follow operations and supply. Given the advent of smart meters , energy audit software and related IT enablers , it is perfectly reasonable to measure AT&C losses at a geographically granular level with pinpoint accuracy, for prompt followthrough measures.

Concurrently, the Thirteenth Finance Commission needs to incentivise power sector reforms and provide due weightage for credible utility bottomlines. Sound finances of SEBs would mean a paradigm shift for the better in state finances, and provide steppedup allocation, say, for the social sector. Further, the Budget needs to proffer tax and investment incentives for power utilities, to aid regular disclosure, going forward. More power for the people.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

'ANYONE CAN BECOME A BUILDER TODAY'

SUGATA GHOSH & MAYUR SHETTY

 

He is arguably the most famous tenant in the financial capital. The institution he built has lent millions to buy homes, but he chooses to stay in a rented apartment in South Mumbai. On December 31, 2009, Deepak Shantilal Parekh hung up his boots as CEO of HDFC — the country's biggest mortgage lender — a job he took over in 1993. Since then, Mr Parekh has emerged as a leading figure in Corporate India, advising New Delhi on countless policy matters, playing the mediator in high-profile family disputes and heading several committees on issues as diverse as reviving an ailing state-owned telco to making India slum-free in two years.

On a Saturday afternoon, in a near-deserted HDFC corporate office in Churchgate, we caught up with the man. "So, what do you want to talk about'," asked Mr Parekh, dressed in a casual short-sleeved shirt, flashing his trademark smile. Without mincing words, he took on questions on a range of issues — the builder lobby, the imperfections in the property market, the proposal for a holding company and even on Narendra Modi. There was nothing 'off the record'. Excerpts:

There's a perception that Deepakbhai can't retire. In fact, your very presence as chairman on the HDFC board could be daunting for other board members.

I may have been the CEO of HDFC till December 31. But, believe me, for the past few years, I have been spending less and less time at HDFC and it's my colleagues who have been running it. I did attend board meetings, strategy meetings and credit committee meetings, but it is the visitors who were occupying 90% of the day. The same thing is continuing from January. Besides foreign visitors and institutional investors, every developer who wants to go in for an IPO wants to see me for advice on his issue — the timing, the structure, which board members to take, which investment managers to hire.

But I don't talk to them about lending. I have given instructions to my office — if it's for money or loans for a project, I am not interested. But if they want to talk about things like this... for instance, Lodhas want to meet me, Nitesh Shetty is going to come; similarly, DB... all of them were meeting me. Basically, it is this advisory help which continues. The other thing you must understand is that, if your office is the same, your room is the same, and your secretaries are the same, then there is very little change. Drastic change can only happen if you get the hell out of office.

There's some buzz that you may play a key role in a private equity fund...

PE funds have approached me to be the chairman of their Indian committee or be a member of international committees. I have not accepted. Private equities normally have advisory boards. The role of an advisory board is to guide and mentor the team. They also need deals and someone who has access to deals or knows what deals are happening...some have approached me.

Talking about builders, HDFC has mastered the art of lending to developers and salvaging the money with very little NPAs. You have a huge influence over them...

We have worked with the developer community for 30 years, when housing finance was new. And with our help, support, finance and advice, all developers have achieved phenomenally large size — whether they are in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai or wherever. They look back on our support and cooperation that have helped them to grow. We have had issues with them. We have had issues over over-leveraging, quality, carpet and super built-up area.

Recently in Dubai, the builders association gathered 800 people. Home minister Kumari Selja (Union minister for housing and urban poverty alleviation) was there as well. And we both delivered keynotes. I was as critical as ever. You have to call a spade a spade. But we need that community as well. They are the ones who provide supply in housing. HDFC is looked upon like a father figure. Our approval process has been faster, we have been able to gauge developers, their sincerity or their promptness in paying. We have not had a major bad experience.

In the past 10 years, builders have emerged as a formidable lobby with proximity to the powers that be...They go about changing rules, so much so that a police station in Maharashtra had to be relocated to house a project. Does it worry you?

That is why I have been a proponent of a real estate regulator for the past three years. The builders do not want it because they see it as one more hurdle, one more layer of bureaucracy. The point is, we need to ensure that there is some distinction. Today, anything goes — you don't need to be a civil engineer to be a builder. I can become a builder tomorrow. If I have access to land, not even ownership, I can put up a board and people will come and start booking.

I don't need to know anything about construction, but because of the shortage, people will just come and book a flat. Basically, the entry-level in construction is zero. Anyone and everyone can become a builder. And then they do all this...breaking the FSI rules....But, believe me builders around the world have a reputation of being close to the powers that be. They need to be, because they are dealing in land in urban areas which are expensive and politicians have vested interest.

Property prices are once again high. We hear that developers have more staying power and are controlling supply...

This is happening only in a few cities like Mumbai and Central Delhi. First of all, non-housing prices have not gone up, they have only come down. IT, commercial, SEZ, industrial park, retail malls... all these prices have come down. In Pune, prices have not gone up. In Hyderabad prices have come down even in residential segment. If the residential sector experiences what happend in the non-residential sector, price will come down in residential properties. What happened in non-residential sector is oversupply, overbuilt offices, built offices with no takers. How long will the builders keep them to themselves?

We have allowed banks to restructure builder loans.. nowhere it has happened. Do you think it was wrong?

I don't think so. When you say restructure a loan, each project has to be looked at separately. In India, we have situations where notices are issued after approvals and while construction is on...you get a notice saying 'stop construction in this is part of the forest land'. What would the builder do? It stopped all construction for eight months.

In Mulund-Ghatkopar this is what has happened. So all those projects came to a grinding halt until the developers got it cleared from the Supreme Court. Now all these projects have been extended. Restructuring is wrong where the project is completed and each and every flat has been sold and the bank is still carrying the loan. Construction finance is a very different kind of lending. It is not a corporate loan, it is a project loan; and, unless you monitor project-wise, it is very difficult to see what is happening since money is fungible.

So we keep project accounts — if it we lend to Hiranandani, it is either Hiranandani Thane or Hiranandani- Powai. Also in our case, the top 10 developers constitute a large part of our book - the Rahejas, the Hiranandani, the Godrej, Tata Housing, Shapoorji Pallonji, DLF. These are very large developers, so I feel completely safe and sleep in peace.

Bond yields are hardening, and RBI is against ALM mismatches on bank loans. Will HDFC have problems in raising money?

We don't see it at all. There are so many sources of funding. There are insurance companies, which are otherwise aggressively competing with us in insurance, coming to us and saying "please float a bond". Mutual funds are coming to us and asking us to float one-year, two-year and three-year papers. LIC is a big lender to us. Central Provident Fund has been allowed to invest in triple A debt. EPFO is giving us money. There is the Army Group Insurance Scheme.

Banks are not the only source. Our total deposit base is Rs 22,000 crore but our balance sheet size is Rs 1 lakh crore. With a brand name like HDFC all we need to do is give a quarter or half-a-percent more, and we can fund all disbursements through deposits. In the past corporates used to take deposits and now there are very few triple-A corporate deposits. So we don't see money drying up. Even in October -December 2008, 95% of our funding came from retail deposits because wholesale money was not there. NHB is another source.

NHB periodically gives HDFC time to bring down its capital market exposure to prescribed levels. How will this get resolved?

Our capital market exposure is high because of our investment in HDFC Bank. If the bank is excluded, we are way within the exposure limit even after taking into account our investments in life and non-life insurance, GRUH Housing and in other associates. It is really the bank that is pushing up the exposure. But, when we acquired Centurion Bank, RBI had said 'we want you to retain your holding in the bank to the existing level'. So on one hand RBI does not want us to dilute our holding in the bank, while its wholly-owned subsidiary NHB says that we are exceeding the exposure limit. It will get resolved if RBI says that "keep the bank exposure out".

Will you relook at the holding company structure for the HDFC group?

The holding company proposal is in cold storage and it is for the RBI to at least start talking about it. I am sure they would look at it. I feel that they will have to do something. Our concern with the earlier proposal is that – if the holding company has no business streams, how will it give cash to all the subsidiaries. They want both the associates and the holding company to be listed. So if the holding company is also listed, what returns can we give?
We can say that under the holding company the bank is there. But if someone wants to invest in the bank, they can do it directly. And if at some stage the insurance company wants money, where will the holding company raise funds? It will have to sell stake. So 10 years on the holding company will become defunct.

And, a merger with the bank?

There's nothing on the horizon.Our views on this have been made public earlier.

You had talked about listing the subsidiaries. What about the life insurance arm?

I would love to do it now. But the 49% foreign investment cap is still pending. As soon as that happens, we can do it...may be in early 2011. We will talk with Standard Life. The difficulty will be if the capital market regulator says 25% has to be listed. If 10% is allowed, we will see how much Standard Life will take. If Standard Life is happy with a 40% stake than we can list the 10%.

But suppose Sebi says that 25% is the minimum listing requirement, then we will have to come down. But the 25% is only a discussion... the government companies themselves have 10% and 5%. They can't have a separate rule for the government and private sector.

There have been rumours that IDFC is keen to enter banking, and may bid for Development Credit Bank. (Mr Parekh is the non-executive chairman of IDFC)

No they are not keen on a banking licence. We have a single point agenda of infrastructure. We feel that the best year of IDFC is coming... this year, next year. We see a huge spurt in disbursements as there are many viable projects coming up in power and roads and transportation. With the RBI recognising systematically important infrastructure finance companies as a separate category, IDFC will get a fillip. Infra companies can now lend more and they may also have ECB possibilities.

But IDFC still has long way to go...

That's because there have not been major infrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects take such a long time. There are four definitions of infrastructure. RBI's definition does not include education, it does not include hotels, hospitals, or airlines. It includes airports but not airlines, ports but not shipping. Income Tax has a different definition, banks have a different one, and the government has a another one. In some definitions pipelines are not infrastructure.

The regulatory environment is changing. Basel norms are talking about different capital requirement

Regulators will come out with new models after what happened. There is a buzz in some countries that larger banks have a greater responsibility and greater need to make more provisions. Basel is talking about tangible common equity (TCE). TCE makes more sense because in net worth you also have preference shares, and interest yielding tier-II debt. TCE is only pure equity. Preference capital is nothing but a loan though it is part of net worth. TCE is really equity and earnings from equity and not any interest bearing debt which could be considered as net worth.

RBI has asked banks to compute the Base Rate below which they can't lend. What do you think will happen given that banks are your biggest rivals?

I think banks will have to work out some system as they are in the business of lending. If they put their base rate very high it may not work. Banks will have to be reasonable in fixing the base rate. You can't micromanage. Now what happens in commercial paper... If they can, corporates will borrow through CPs and keep rolling them over. I feel that so long as a bank is healthy, strong, follows prudential norms and gives reasonable return to shareholders, micromanagement is not necessary.

RBI as well as the government want lenders to waive loan prepayment charges..

On every loan that HDFC has prepaid we have paid massive prepayment charges — to World Bank, to ADB, to LIC to State Bank. So if a borrowing institution has pre-payment penalties we have to pass it to our constituents. You can't give a 15-year loan to someone only to have the borrower turn around in 15 months and say that he wants to prepay because the neighbouring bank is giving quarter per cent lower. It's not incremental housing, it is only adding to paperwork.

It is not increasing the GDP.... And then he does not want to make pre-payment charges. You have done documentation, you have examined legal documents, you have put it in a storage place that is far away and safe. The closing charges for a real estate abroad are 25 times higher than that in India. You go and try and close a loan and see what happens in Europe or the US or even in Singapore.

You called teaser rates on home loans a gimmick, and then HDFC started offering teaser rates...

We were losing business. I still feel that teaser rates are a gimmick; it is a marketing tool. But my marketing people said that if we do not have attractive rates in the first two years no one would come to us. So we had to fall in line immediately. So everyone is doing it now and financial innovation takes 24 hours. ....There are two things in this.

If the teaser rates are much lower than the normal rates, borrowers may not have the cash to pay when the normal rates kick in. Secondly, even when we give these rates the quantum of loan is calculated as if the rates are higher ...we don't want the family to be short of money two years from now. So our eligibility is much lower because we take into account the higher rates. But if suppose in two years time rates become 12-13%, how are they going to pay? Then 8.5% will become 13%

Something unrelated, but perhaps important...You were the first businessman to speak on Godhra, and then in the last few years we have seen big corporates cosying up to Narendra Modi...One is tempted to think that where there's efficiency, business is willing to downplay human rights issues.

Everyone feels what happened was unfortunate and tragic. But you can't ignore the fact that probably the Gujarat government today or for the last seven years has been the cleanest among state governments. Whatever you say the credit has to go to the ruling government and the bureaucrats.. but it comes from the top. I know developers and builders who are building IT parks in Gujarat and the CM has given them land at a good price because the state wanted more construction.

 

The state wants to build a road from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar because it wants to build an IT industry which has so far bypassed Gujarat. And when he gives the allotment of land, the CM tells you "some of the time my officers may delay your approvals, but me and my chief secretary are available. If your project gets stuck you can call me. But do not pay anyone anything. If , I hear that you have bribed anyone of my officers I will blacklist you". I have heard this from three different sources. You have to give credit where it is due. Think how fast he gave land for Nano. He wooed Mr Tata and now there is massive construction going on.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

BHARTI WANTS TO LEAD IN MANY EMERGING MKTS: CEO

SHALINI SINGH

 

Bharti Airtel has been in the global spotlight ever since its attempt to acquire Johannesburg-based MTN Telecom last year. This year, after gobbling up Warid Telecom in Bangladesh, the company is wooing Zain, another African firm. But that's not all. Bharti has as many as a dozen acquisition targets on its shopping list, handpicked from the telecom growth hotspots across the globe. Manoj Kohli, joint MD & CEO and head of Bharti Airtel's recently formed International Business Group (IBG), speaks to Shalini Singh about its future corporate strategy.

What are the key priorities for Airtel this year in terms of business growth and expansion?

One of the priorities id strong international focus. We are keen on implementing our unique low-cost business model in emerging high-growth markets beyond India and South Asia with a preference for management control and leadership potential. The IBG will lead this international foray. We also want to build on our operations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Another priority is the launch of high-quality 3G services in India. We will be able to launch 3G services within six months of allocation of spectrum. We want to maintain our domestic growth momentum and revenue market share in the mobile segment and additionally grow at a fast clip in the DTH and enterprise segments.

How do you plan to make a difference in 2010?

Despite the high domestic competitive intensity, our focus will be on satisfying the customer and building on our leadership position. Global experience reveals that market leaders emerge stronger from such competitive battles and we believe more and more customers will choose Airtel going forward. We keep evaluating international expansion opportunities like Zain and hope we can further expand Airtel's global footprint.

What are your professional priorities for the year?

Building an international business capability to ensure a leadership status in many emerging markets by 2015. Predict two things that will change the industry in 2010.

With two more mobile operators expected to launch services in the first quarter, the competitive intensity will only increase. But we see things stabilising towards the second half of 2010 and early signs of consolidation in 2011.

What are the three biggest regulatory challenges facing the industry?

Auction of 3G & BWA spectrum, allocation of 2G spectrum to help meet the government's target of one billion subscribers by 2014 and efficient utilisation of Universal Service Obligation Fund. While Rs 25,000 crore in the fund is unspent, the levy remains unchanged at 5% of AGR. This needs to be reduced.

Outline four new things that you did in 2009 that helped your business?

We sharpened our focus on customer, brand, network, cost and execution. This enabled us to win the first round of competition in a phase of peak competitive intensity generated by over 12 operators.We continue to retain our revenue share despite addition of several new players. Airtel Sri Lanka ranks among the fastestgrowing launches in the world with a base of over one million customers within six months of launch from a presence in 16 administrative districts.

We expanded our distribution reach in the DTH business by riding on the strong Airtel Mobile distribution network. Enterprise Services undertook expansion of its global wholesale services portfolio, launching operations of its Far East Connect, Middle East Connect and South Asia Terrestrial networks to serve Airtel customers across the Asia Pacific and Middle East.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

REDUCING GOVT EXPENDITURE AT A STEADY PACE'S CRUCIAL

SIDDHARTHA SANYA

 

The Edelweiss ET NOW Lead Indicator Index has come in at a reading of 115 for the fourth quarter of the current financial year, pointing to a 42-point jump in FY10, one of the highest ever seen in nearly seven years. Is the economy on a roll once again? In an interview with ET NOW, Edelweiss senior economist Siddhartha Sanyal elaborates on the outlook for the Indian economy.

The Edelweiss ET NOW Lead Indicator Index for the fourth quarter of the current financial year has come in at a reading of 115. A massive 42-point jump in the current fiscal, the biggest seen in over seven years. What does this tell us? Are we in good times?

There is a big jump and this jump is the biggest we have in the limited history of the Edelweiss ET NOW Lead Indicator Index. The good thing is that it is not driven by one particular factor. It is being driven by a host of factors and a pretty different move at various points in time. At the beginning of the year, it was the reduction in interest rates and the support from the government. Then incrementally, it moved into things like a significant uptick in commercial vehicle production or a significant uptick in cement despatches. There's even been a huge mobilisation of funds in the domestic primary market.

At the moment, we are seeing some of the other soft indicators to be very strong as well. You get to see that if you see the job creation index from various agencies, that is turning out to be pretty strong at the moment. The business confidence index is looking pretty strong, property price rentals, etc are all looking very strong. The uptick we are seeing at the moment is on the back of a good number of factors. So at the moment, we don't expect it to lose momentum.

A 42-point increase, now given the strength that we are seeing in economic growth, can we expect some pullback of fiscal stimulus measures, when the finance minister announces the Budget on Friday?

When all of these stimulus measures were announced, it was an abnormal situation. Now, we are coming back to normalcy. So, incrementally, some of the measures will ultimately be rolled back, it's known to the market. But at the same time, I don't think that any kind of pullback can be done in a hurry.

The stimulus rollback would have to be gradual and selective. So, maybe, in the case of some sectors like, say, the small car sector, or the FMCG segment, or the cement segment, you get to see some kind of a rollback, and even then, if the reduction in excise duty was from 14% or 12% to 8% on its way up, it can go up, I presume, by around 2% at this point in time.

What else do you expect would be coming out in the Budget that could give the Lead Indicator Index a bit of a support than actually a bit of a blow?

I would say, at the moment, the biggest thing is to see whether the government makes an exit at a very hurried pace or not, though that seems quite unlikely. So, if the government expenditure, which had been a big support over the past one year, reduces at a steady pace, which is something that is being anticipated by industry and the market, that should be good enough to hold up the Lead Indicator Index. And I guess that would also be good for the overall economy.

 

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES

EDITORIAL

THE CADBURY-KRAFT MARRIAGE IS MADE IN HEAVEN

KALA VIJAYRAGHAVAN

 

Sanjay Khosla was in India for a two day visit with his top team to meet the Indian leadership and visit the marketplace. Having lived and worked around the world, Sanjay calls himself a global citizen. He was with Fonterra Co-operative Group, a multinational dairy company based in New Zealand before coming to Kraft Foods. At Fonterra, Sanjay served as Managing Director of the company's consumer and foodservice business. During that time, he helped turn around the consumer business.

Before joining Fonterra in 2004, Sanjay spent 27 years with Unilever in India, London and Europe. He most recently served as Senior Vice President, Global Beverages and Chairman of Unilever's $4 billion beverages category. The business saw accelerated growth worldwide as a result of the "Paint the World Yellow with Lipton" business programme. Excerpts from an interview with ET:

You have been in the market place checking out Cadbury's India story. How do you see one-time competitors, Kraft-Cadbury combine operating in the same place?

I have just been out there this morning with Anand and his team and the energy is just phenomenal in this country. The buzz is so infectious and the excitement around Cadbury in the marketplace is so evident. India is home for me and I am glad to be here. And this Cadbury-Kraft marriage is made in heaven as far as the distribution is concerned.

I have seen Cadbury brands on one aisle and Kraft on the other in the bazaar and with cheese and biscuits on one side and chocolates and confectionery on the other and we have a winning portfolio. I have personally grown up on Cadbury roast almond which back then was so very aspirational and so it is now a dream come true.

Our strategy has been clearly focus on few things and doing them well. It is what we call the strategy of 5-10-10, focus on 5 categories, 10 markets and 10 brands. And one of the 10 markets now is India which is of strategic importance going forward. In fact, the Cadbury acquisition was aimed primarily at getting a footprint in markets like India.

Is there a separate growth strategy for emerging markets? Will the India plan be different since it has negligible presence here unlike other markets such as China.

While we have grown our business organically in emerging markets, we also did two acquisitions. Danone Biscuits has been a very successful integration and we have grown 12 % in emerging markets with a profit growth of 24.2% in last three years..So through organic and inorganic growth, we have turnaround the business. Like I said a clear focus has helped, we are not looking at planting a flag in every operating market. Going ahead, in India snacks, biscuits and chocolates will be the focus areas.The Cadbury acquisition gives a footprint in the distribution and it is impressive to see the growth of Cadbury in the country.

So there is a lot that has to learn from developing markets such as India where we have just a bit of presence. I am delighted that the acquisition came through , it is nice to come back to Bombay where I have lived several years. We have just appointed the leadership team. Anand Kripalu has now been given a cluster of countries for the Kraft Cadbury combine. We have appointed key leaders last night.

At this point of time, Anand will be heading the combined business inthe country and over a period of time India will be used as a source of talent. We will also get people from Kraft into India. As we see now, Cadbury India is a very great working structure with a great leadership team in place.

Are there any similarities in the organisational cultures of Kraft and Cadbury?

As I travel around all Cadbury offices around the world, it seems like a very happy place. And that is so similar to Kraft's culture in developing markets. Our cultures are so similar and values are identical. After the acquisition of Danone business, a lot of diversity has come into Kraft. Kraft has been a very happy place too and so both cultures matches beautifully. Going ahead, we will try and get the best of both worlds. We have done a lot of work in the area of consumer understanding in snacks world-wide (includes biscuits and chocolates) and that is something Cadbury has done as well. So that is a powerful combination, best of both learnings .

Cadbury's distribution system will be Kraft's launch pad too in emerging markets?

We are building on the strengths of both sides, in certain areas Cadbury is stronger than Kraft and in certain markets Kraft is stronger in modern trade. So we will go market by market. I will use the same principles I used in Danone integration: get the leadership team in place and .pull the organisation together in developing markets. For India it has to be straightforward because it is mainly Cadbury and in other markets, we follow the successful principles of Danone integration.

You seem unwilling to disturb Cadbury's India's existing functional structure...

I am glad to see that Anand has also used a lens of 10 power brands in India which makes the strategy sharper. Kraft has also gone sharp on brands and is very successful in other emerging .markets during the last three years. The balance is about being glocal. Historically it was what's good for US is good for the world and of course it never works. What we are doing now is empowering local leaders and listening to local consumers. In China for instance, consumers found Oreo too big and too sweet. So we changed the sizes, made it less sweet and introduced other forms of innovations like wafer.

We leveraged chocolate technology in Europe, made changes and kept the essence of Oreo. The Glocal model helped Oreo which is a $ bn brand, historically strong in US but weak outside to grow 25% in developing markets.in the last two years. Therefore we are empowering local leaders like Anand to take global concepts and adapt it locally. We are also increasingly use countries such as India and Brazil as sources of innovation. It will be the best of Cadbury and Kraft going forward.

So what is your leadership style?

Over the last three years, the best part of my strategy has been mainly people. Of my top 50 leaders, two-thirds are new to the job. Many came from within Kraft, some from Danone biscuits and many from outside and now many more from Cadbury. What is hugely exciting is through these leaders will bring a whole lot of competitive advantage to the table. The Cadbury team in India just seems to work very well together. There is a feeling of winning and opportunities. So to win we need a clear focus of strategy, identify it clearly. Find out what had to be done globally and what has to be done locally. Hire phenomenal leaders.

At country levels and let them be. Stay out of the way and give them ambitious targets but ensure that you provide them the resources, scale and expertise of a global company to achieve that. Our turnaround in emerging markets has been due to total empowerment of the right leaders.. By unleashing talent, you can transform business. Kraft earlier had a very centralised system, all decisions were taken in Chicago and the team there asked for a lot of details.

 

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                                                                                                               DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

MAOIST CEASEFIRE OFFER: IS IT REAL?

 

The Maoists have offered a 72-day truce during which time they want to hold talks with the government through mediators like intellectuals and human rights activists. There has been a mixed reaction to this offer. Within 24 hours, the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has said they should fax a written statement and even provided a fax number. He added that they should abjure violence and that there should be no pre-conditions. The Naxalites have demanded that there should be a halt to all operations by security forces in West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) also said there would be no talks with the Naxalites and that they were only saying this to create confusion. The MHA reiterated that the operations would continue. The ball is now in the court of the Maoists. They will have to prove, in a manner more concrete than just words, and through the proper channels, that they are sincere about the truce offer. There are suspicions that the Maoists are feeling the heat of Operation Green Hunt, particularly after they massacred Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel at Silda in West Bengal. Their action was condemned by intellectuals and human rights organisations. Besides, does CPI (Maoist) politburo member Koteswara Rao, or Kishenji as he is referred to, have the authority to make such an offer? He is only a politburo member restricted to the eastern region. The top boss of the CPI (Maoist), Ganapathy, has been silent on this offer. The government cannot be faulted for being suspicious since this is not the first time that the Maoists have offered a truce. They had offered a truce in Andhra Pradesh, which was accepted by the then chief minister, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, but he was let down. There is also another view, that the Maoists could be trying to buy time to regroup and rearm. The 72-day truce period they have sought coincides with the summer season and ends with the beginning of the monsoon, when the forests are lush and provide ample cover. It is trickier for the government, which will face harsh criticism if there are killings during a ceasefire. The Indian security forces did not go into the jungles without reason. In recent times the Maoists have killed more than 300 ordinary people and, in this year alone, 125 people have been slain in police/Army action and Naxalite violence. The Maoists have their side of the story which, simply put, is about protecting the tribals. In fact they have been running a parallel government along what can be called a Maoist corridor that runs from West Bengal to Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and down to AP. This is also India's wealthiest mineral belt, which is being eyed by the government and by foreign and Indian mining interests. The lands in these areas are occupied by tribals and they don't want to leave unless there is something for them in the so-called development of these lands. Tribals throughout India are sought to be deprived of their lands for development in the form of SEZs, power plants etc. Even the Salva Judum movement in Chhattisgarh degenerated into a land grab movement by the government and there are instances of tribals being driven out of their homes so that the government can go ahead with its industrialisation programme.

 

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DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

UNPRINCIPLED POLITICS

BY P.C. ALEXANDER

 

Some of the recent decisions taken by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the Congress, the main political party leading the coalition, have come in for sharp criticism — that certain healthy principles that must be observed by the ruling party in a parliamentary democracy have been sacrificed in order to retain power in some states. The UPA and the Congress has also been criticised for setting bad precedents.

 

In this context, two decisions deserve special attention. The first is the tolerance shown by the UPA to Mr D.D. Lapang, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, who elevated three other politicians to the rank and status of chief minister. The second is the turn around on the public announcement by the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on behalf of the Union Cabinet on December 9, 2009, that the process for the formation of a separate state of Telangana would be initiated on the introduction and passage of a separate resolution in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Let us examine the impact of these two decisions on the concept of principled politics in our democracy.

 

Meghalaya is one of the smallest states of India. In its 60-member Assembly, the Congress-led coalition has 37 MLAs, of whom 28 belong to the Congress. The state already has two deputy chief ministers, for which there can be little justification except that it would help prevent dissidence in the party. However, conferring the rank of chief minister on three more MLAs — with all the perks which go with this designation, like cars, security, personal staff, bungalow etc — can only be described as a shameless attempt to silence the chief minister's rivals who are clamoring for power.

 

As the leader of the coalition running the government, the Congress should have firmly rejected a blatantly unjustified proposal like this from Dr Lapang, but it seems that the main concern of the Congress was to retain its ministerial chairs at any cost. One of the four people with the rank of chief minister is the state Congress president, Mr Friday Lyngdoh! It is unfortunate that the Congress has chosen to justify this unprincipled arrangement by stating that the executive power remains with Mr Lapang while the other three have only protocol privileges and perks that come with the office. The danger in resorting to this type of compromise is that it sets a precedent for other states in similar situations.

 

NOW LET me turn to the latest decision of the UPA government to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Srikrishna whose terms of reference allow reopening the whole issue of a separate Telangana state. Clause I of the terms of reference announced for the committee on February 3, 2010, defines the committee's duty as "examining the situation in the state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh".  

 

The reason given for the appointment of the Srikrishna Committee is that there is no consensus among the members of Andhra Pradesh's Legislative Assembly on the bill for a separate state of Telangana. But the Centre should have known this when it announced its decision to initiate action for the formation of a separate state of Telangana. A week after its announcement, 147 legislators and many members of Parliament from the coastal districts and Rayalaseema submitted their resignations. The UPA panicked about losing power in Andhra Pradesh and on December 23, 2009, announced that no action would be taken until all parties arrive at a consensus. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and other parties agitating for a separate state of Telangana saw this as another instance of national parties' shifting their stand on the Telangana issue. 

 

Without going into the merits of the stand taken by the Telangana people and the people of the rest of Andhra Pradesh, let us examine the legal correctness of the stand now taken by the Congress-led UPA about the need for a consensus on the Telangana issue. Article 3 of the Constitution, which lays down the procedure for creating new states, does not state that concurrence of the majority in state Assembly is a necessary condition for it. It only states that the state Assembly may express its views on the proposed legislation for the formation of a new state within such a period as may be specified by the President.

 

Before taking any decision on the creation of new states the President will, of course, seek the advice of the council of ministers and, hence, the ruling party, or coalition, at the Centre will be the real decision-making body. In spite of this, the UPA does not want to take the risk of losing power in the coastal and Rayalaseema regions.  

 

If the Centre thinks that it can buy time till the Srikrishna Committee submits its recommendations, then they are mistaken because their new stand will be seen by the people as an attempt to avoid its responsibilities. A decision on formation of a new state is essentially a political decision and the party in power at the Centre cannot avoid it. It can try to delay it, though that can, especially in situations like the present one in Andhra Pradesh, prove to be very costly. A sad feature of the committee's task is that mass protests and violence indulged in by supporters of both sides will deprive it of the tension-free atmosphere badly needed for its smooth working.

 

While protests and demonstrations are intensifying tension in Andhra Pradesh, various far-fetched suggestions have been emerging from politicians and academics about finding a via media between the demands of the Telangana people and of the other regions in the state. One such suggestion is creating a state of Telangana in a way that Hyderabad remains the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

 

This solution can hardly satisfy the aspirations of those who have been agitating ever since Independence, and even before that, for a separate identity through a full-fledged state. If by any chance the suggestion of a state within a state is implemented, there will be demands for similar arrangements from other regions as well. Such solutions apart from distorting the concept of federalism will create several new problems. The decision-makers should be careful that in finding a solution for today's problems, they do not create new ones for tomorrow.

 

- P.C. Alexander is a former governor of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra

 

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DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

THE NARCISSUS SOCIETY IS TORMENTING US

BY ROGER COHEN

 

Where Oedipus once tormented us, it is now Narcissus. Pathologies linked to authority and domination have ceded to the limitless angst of self-contemplation. The old question — "What am I allowed to do?" — has given way to the equally scary "What am I capable of doing?" Alain Ehrenberg, a French author and psychologist, speaks of the "privatisation of human existence".

 

Community — a stable job, shared national experience, extended family, labour unions — has vanished or eroded. In its place have come a frenzied individualism, solipsistic screen-gazing, the disembodied pleasures of social networking and the à-la-carte life as defined by 600 TV channels and a gazillion blogs. Feelings of anxiety and inadequacy grow in the lonely chamber of self-absorption and projection.

 

These trends are common to all globalised modern democracies, ranging from those that prize individualism, like the United States, to those, like France, where social solidarity is a paramount value. Ehrenberg's new book, La Société du Malaise (The Malaise Society) is full of insights into the impact of narcissistic neurosis.

 

Sometimes, it seems, we are as lonely as those little planes over the Atlantic in on-board video navigation maps.

 

I was thinking of this during a recent spell as a grand juror. Thrown together for two weeks at Brooklyn Supreme Court with 22 other jurors, I was struck by how rare it is now in American life to be gathered, physically, with an array of other folk of different ages, backgrounds, skin colours, beliefs, faiths, tastes, education levels and political convictions and be obliged to work out your differences in order to get the job done.

 

It was not always easy, of course; not easy to deal with the fidgety paramedic chewing chips through murder testimony, the scattershot flirtations of the former rhythm-and-blues musician, the off-point ruminations of the old guy who knew he was always right, the intermittent tedium and incoherence.

 

I can still hear the juror next to me. "I work at 311" — the number New Yorkers dial with complaints or questions about the city. "Drives me nuts, been doing it five years. People treat you like idiots. Most of the time it's water seeping into basements, sewage systems blocked. At least my job hasn't been outsourced to Bangalore. People ask me, 'You in New York?' They ask me, 'Are you a human being or a robot?' Sometimes I say, "I ... AM ... A ... ROBOT'. But we've got supervisers listening to calls. One thing that drives me crazy is all the people who speak slowly, as if I'm an idiot. I tell them, 'You can speak faster, you know!' Jury duty's actually a relief!"

 

In a way, it was — a relief from being alone on a phone or in front of a screen. We got to know each other's tics and, having dealt with killing and rape and assault and insurance fraud, we all embraced at the end. Oh unthinkable act, we'd done something selfless for the commonweal, learned to listen to each other, accepted differences and argued our way to decisions.

 

America could use more of that kind of experience. As it is, everyone's shrieking their lonesome anger, burrowing deeper into stress, gazing at their own images — and generating paralysis.

 

Which brings me to healthcare: Crunch time has come on a question central to the nation's future, where an acknowledgment is needed that, when it comes to health, we're all in this together. Pooling the risk among everybody is the most efficient way to forge a healthier society. That's what other developed societies do. And they don't have 30 million plus uninsured.

 

Now, as I understand it, the Tea Party movement is angry about waste, bail-outs for the rich and spiralling debt. They detest big government. But if waste and debt are really what's bothering them, how about the waste in the more than 1,800 daily healthcare related personal bankruptcies, the 25 to 30 per cent of some corporate insurers' costs going on administration, the sky-rocketing health premiums that are undermining US corporations, the endless paperwork of private reimbursement procedures, and the needless deaths?

 

Americans don't want a European nanny state — fine! But, as a lawyer friend, Manuel Wally, put it to me, "When it comes to health it makes sense to involve government, which is accountable to the people, rather than corporations, which are accountable to shareholders".

 

All the fear-mongering talk of "nationalising" 17 per cent of the economy is nonsense. Government, through Medicare and Medicaid, is already administering almost half of American healthcare and doing so with less waste than the private sector. Per capita Medicare costs for common benefits grew 4.9 per cent between 1998 and 2008, against 7.1 per cent for private insurers. Why not offer Medicare as a choice — a choice — to everyone? Aren't Republicans about choice?

 

The public option, not dead, would amount to recognition of shared interest in each other's health and of the need to use America's energies and resources better.

 

It would involve 300 million people linking arms.

 

Or we can turn away from each other and, like Narcissus, perish in the contemplation of our own reflections.

 

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DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

DEMYSTIFYING INDO-PAK TALKS

BY K.C. SINGH

 

On the eve of the Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks on February 25, which the spokespersons of the government and the Congress party are at pains to insist are not a resumption of the dialogue, it may be useful to demystify them.

 

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao chose to use the lectern at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London, to emphasise that the Indian focus would be on terror perpetrated from the soil of Pakistan. When asked how she squares it with the Pakistani articulation that they would raise issues they consider appropriate, she chose to not respond. It has also been repeatedly pronounced that these are talks about talks, and not a resumption of the composite dialogue.

 

While dialogue had been held between India and Pakistan at the level of foreign secretaries since at least the time of Rajiv Gandhi, the topics for discussion were handled by separate working groups, evolved over a period as confidence-building measures. J.N. Dixit explained in his book India-Pakistan in War and Peace that the nine issues in the composite dialogue had been "on the Indo-Pakistani agenda since 1983". They were specifically catalogued when Rajiv Gandhi met a newly elected Benazir Bhutto following the death of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in 1988. The working groups dealt with them, meeting alternatively in New Delhi and Islamabad, between 1988 and 1994.

 

The dialogue between the two countries, however was interrupted between 1994 and 1996. The period from the death of Gen. Zia in 1988 to the military coup by Gen. Musharraf in 1999 saw alternating governments led by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan. In India too there were a series of Prime Ministers. Each change led to renewed interest in testing the waters of Indo-Pak relations, but with mixed or unsatisfactory results. However, three factors coloured this period. The destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1993 and the bomb blasts targeting the financial district in Mumbai, the withdrawal of the Soviets from Afghanistan in 1989 releasing trained jihadis for induction by Pakistan into J&K, and the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998. Therefore, when the Prime Ministers of the two countries met first on the sidelines of the Saarc Summit in July 1998 in Colombo, and then in New York in September 1998, they were under renewed international pressure, as states possessing nuclear bombs, to re-engage. They still confronted the old dilemmas. India wanted to focus on confidence-building and risk reduction steps and Pakistan kept circling back to Kashmir.

 

It was against this background that the concept of the composite dialogue was born to break the stalemate and accommodate the concerns of the two sides. The two PMs agreed on September 23, 1988 to bless the new format. There were those on the Indian side who had serious reservations about the induction of Kashmir into a dialogue that was focusing on CBMs (confidence-building measures). The first meeting in this format was held in the following November.

 

The irony today is that while the Congress and the BJP are vehemently disagreeing on the need to talk to Pakistan, both have tried and suffered the same fate in the past. Vajpayee's Lahore visit took place as the Pakistani Army had already moved their soldiers in disguise across the LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K in 1999. Musharraf's unhappy journey to Agra was followed by the terrorists' audacious attack on the Parliament of India in December 2001. Manmohan Singh had the Mumbai train bombings of July 2006 and the 26/11 monstrosity in the same city.

 

The common dilemma thus has been how to insulate the dialogue process from terror. The lack of success has been due to the unwillingness of the military-security combine in Pakistan to abandon their support to a network of jihadi outfits, many now targeting them. But despite our past experience we are again heading down the same path without strategically modifying our approach.

 

Sources in the government have been selectively briefing on why India needs to talk to Pakistan. Firstly, it is said that there is no other option. This is not so, as between composite dialogue and non-engagement there are multiple options. For instance, post-Pune blasts the foreign secretary-level talks could have been postponed and, if the desire was as the government says to focus on terror, the additional secretary-level anti-terror mechanism could have been convened. By meeting at the FS level — the level of the composite dialogue — Pakistan is being provided a face-saver. In any case countries like the US, who urge talks, have never engaged Cuba, or, for long periods, Iran.

 

Another argument advanced is that we need to strengthen democratic forces in Pakistan. The logic needs to be reversed. If they are not strong enough to ignore the hawkish military or counter militant Islam's narrative, they are not worth engaging. The 11-year history of Indo-Pak relations (1988-1999) testifies to this.

 

Both countries are walking into the dialogue, dissimulating to satisfy domestic constituencies. Whether across the table they can harmonise disparate motives seems impossible.

 

There needs to be greater transparency, plain-speaking by our government to the people of India and a firm resolve that dispute resolution, i.e. Jammu and Kashmir, shall be excluded from the dialogue till Pakistan restores the lost Indian confidence by showing a resolve to slay en masse the terror dragons in its midst.

 

 The author is a former secretary in the externalaffairs ministry

 

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DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

DISTANT WARS AND CONSTANT GHOSTS

BY SHANNON P. MEEHAN

 

Since the two recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-led military strikes that accidentally killed dozens of Afghan civilians, I have been thinking a great deal about the psychic toll that killing takes on soldiers.

 

In 2007, I was an Army lieutenant leading a group on a house-clearing mission in Baquba, Iraq, when I called in an artillery strike on a house. The strike destroyed the house and killed everyone inside. I thought we had struck enemy fighters, but I was wrong. A father, mother and their children had been huddled inside.

 

The feelings of disbelief that initially filled me quickly transformed into feelings of rage and self-loathing. The following weeks, months and years would prove that my life was forever changed.

 

In fact, it's been nearly three years, and I still cannot remove from my mind the image of that family gathered together in the final moments of their lives. I can't shake it. It simply lingers.

 

I know that many soldiers struggle long after they leave the battlefield to cope with civilian deaths. It does not matter whether they were responsible for those deaths, whether it was a mistake of the command, of the weaponry, or even the fault of the enemy, who in parts of both Iraq and Afghanistan have been known to intentionally place or involve civilians, even children, in their operations. Just seeing the lifeless body of a little boy or girl is all it takes.

 

For many soldiers, what follows a killing is a struggle of the mind. We become aware that what we've seen has changed us. We can't unlearn it, and we continue to think of those innocent children. It is not possible to forget.

 

Killing enemy combatants comes with its own emotional costs. On the surface, we feel as soldiers that killing the enemy should not affect us — it is our job, after all. But it is still killing, and on a subconscious level, it changes you. You've killed. You've taken life. What I found, though, is that you feel the shock and weight of it only when you kill an enemy for the first time, when you move from zero to one. Once you've crossed that line, there is little difference in killing 10 or 20 or 30 more after that.

 

War erodes one's regard for human life. Soldiers cause or witness so many deaths and disappearances that it becomes routine. It becomes an accepted part of existence. After a while, you can begin to lose regard for your own life as well. So many around you have already died, why should it matter if you go next? This is why so many soldiers self-destruct when they return from a deployment.

 

I know something about this. The deaths that I caused also killed any regard I had for my own life. I felt that I did not deserve something that I had taken from them. I fell into a downward spiral, doubting if I even deserved to be alive. The value, or regard, I once had for my own life dissipated.

 

Five weeks ago, my first child, a son, was born. Not surprisingly, my thoughts often race back to the children I killed. With the birth of my son, I received the same gift I destroyed.

 

The fact that soldiers are trained and expected to kill as part of their job is something that few people wish to talk about. Many men and women coming back from war don't risk telling the stories that have so profoundly changed their lives.

 

In recent months I've been trying to honour the lives I took by writing and speaking in public about my experience, to show that those deaths are not tucked neatly away in a foreign land. They may seem distant, but they are not. Soldiers bring the ghosts home with them, and it's everyone else's job to hear about them, no matter how painful it may be.

 

- Shannon P. Meehan is the author of Beyond Duty

 

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DECCAN CHRONICAL

EDITORIAL

DIVINE DESIGN WILL GUIDE YOU

BY MUZAFFAR ALI

 

How to reinvent human expression forever throws up new challenges. It is a spiritual quest as much as it is a material exercise. This happens all the time in music, where the same voice and the same instruments are capable of scaling great heights, and can send you plummeting down to baser feelings. It happens with words. It happens with images — frozen or moving. It happens all the time, in every form.

 

In this phenomenon the positivity of the answer lies in your being in quest, in following your heart, as against being used. This is most easily perceived, not by self-centered intellectuals and conceited artists but by simple pure souls.

 

To be directed by Divine design it is important to be weightless, without baggage. This liberation comes from a special calling. Your creativity has to be hidden and at the same time revealed. You become privy to secrets and in the process like a spinning darvesh with one hand extended to the sky to receive and the other pointing down to disseminate what you are receiving thus transmitting His grace.

 

Your creativity becomes creating with the people and for the people, and not with the idea of selling but with the passion of enriching the experience of Divine design. You may not be a direct instrument of creation but can fall in the "for" category. And one should be content with this.

 

A friend of mine once said that if you can get to hear good poetry, why write poetry. Since then I have been a creative and receptive reader and listener. I consider poetry as the mother art. It is a stage of life when someone else is speaking through you. You can never say when that moment will happen. You may start as a poet in love penning love sonnets, or become a revolutionary with stirring words building the romance of the plight of the dispossessed, or finally express your disillusionment with life. But you never know when He is going to speak through you or you to Him.

 

When you will become part of the Divine design, is again a matter of that celestial programme. Prophets and saints have reached that point of epiphany at different stages in their respective lives.

 

For some it has been a direct revelation and some through their Pir. The Pir in Tasawwuf (Sufiism) plays a very vital role. The epiphany can be so powerful that it can blow your brains if not directed... like a wild horse where the rider has left hold of the reins... The power which begins to reflect through him can be dazzling that it can leave you overwhelmed, as it happened with Moses. The Husn-e-Jaana, the beauty of the Beloved, has to be mellowed and softened, spanned over a lifetime, which can only be done by the Pir. The intervention of the Pir or the Guru is the most important way to convert that raging fire of love into a gentle all embracing glow reflecting his generous and loving presence.
This illumination can happen at anytime in your life, at any age. Amir Khusrau was eight when, by Divine grace he met his Pir, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia. He sat outside his khanaqah, and said to himself "I look for my Pir who will beckon me with his divine power". And in that state he composed a quatrain and passed it to the presence of the saint.
"Oh mighty King, you empower the humblest of birds perched upon your palace to become a powerful hawk. Such a meek person waits outside, will he be beckoned or should he go away?"
To which came the reply. "If you are the one who knows the Truth, come in, share a moment of Divine secrets. If you know not what I say then the path that brought you here will take you away". The saint knew that this was the moment which was designed by destiny, which would change the way of seeing the world. How the eyes of love, watered by the tears of submission, will give new meaning to verse and song.
As I sit at the threshold of the 8th Jahan-e-Khusrau, to happen in the precincts of the tombs of the master Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and his disciple Amir Khusrau we pray for that moment of Divine design that will accept the supplication of the artistes who will perform with abandon and surrender during these three days.
We talk of the same reflection, abandon and surrender as Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi addressing his mentor Shams Tabrez,
Manam aan niyaazmande ki betu niyaaz daaramGham e chun to naazninee bahazaar naaz daaram
(I am that supplicant who makes supplication to thee;The anguish inspired by a charmer like thee hath for me a thousand charms.)

 

Tui aaftab chashmam ba jamaal tust raushanAgar az tu baazgeeram bake chashme baaz daaram
(Thou art the sun of mine eyes — they are radiant with thy beauty;If I draw them away from thee, to whom shall I look again?)

 

Or in the words of Khusrau to his master Hazrat Nizamuddin, who donned a tilted cap...Kaj kulah kama kusha tang qabaye keestilabagaran wa dilbara ushwa numaye keesti(O one with a tilted cap, a fitted garb parted open,O beloved seducer, reflection of whose endearing ways are you.)

It is the same resonance that emerges from a spiritual quest; the dawning of the same beauty that reinvents human expression; the glow of that Divine design which will forever grace the world.

 

— Muzaffar Ali is a painter and filmmakerwho finds inspiration in Sufi poetryand music

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

AT SIXES AND SEVENS

COVER-UP ON EFR WILL MAKE IT WORSE

 

IT is now abundantly clear that the state administration is in total disaray after the massacre at Silda. That the right hand is unaware of what the left is doing is painfully evident in the action being initiated against the IG (Special) of the Eastern Frontier Rifles. The unflattering, but most logical, conclusion to be drawn is that the department under the chief minister's charge is at sixes and sevens. It is obliged to respond not in terms of action required but in terms of damage control after a virtual revolt in the ranks and in the families of victims after the announcement of disciplinary action. It does no credit to the chief minister to acknowledge lapses on the intelligence front as something of a ritual. He cannot escape responsibility for lives lost nor distract attention with irrelevant political charges. Neither can the home secretary put this down to the media quoting someone "out of context'' as he claimed when confronted with the DGP virtually laying the blame at his door for the intelligence failure. Each one is part of what is turning out to be a major scandal of governance.
Shocking as the killing of 24 EFR jawans is, from which the forces will take a long time to recover, it is disgraceful that the security network, not to mention the chief minister, persists in talking in different voices. At the root of the problem is the neglect not just of security requirements but of the inherent strengths of the EFR. Everything from the location of the EFR camp to the security arrangements confirms the stepmotherly approach that the IG (Special), EFR, complained about uncharacteristically and bitterly to the media before he was seen to have violated service rules. It would seem that the IPS officer had acted after being driven to the wall. Any observer of IAS and IPS officers in Marxist Bengal will realise just how emasculated a lot they are; the IG must surely have been in the throes of despair to have acted as he did. It is most unfortunate that he should have chosen an extreme measure to ventilate his horrow but perhaps it was the only way he could reveal as much of the truth as possible after the massacre of 24 and the injuries to many others had left the force demoralised and the public disgusted with conflicting reports. Confessions by the chief minister don't reveal the full story. It will be worse if the "investigation'' becomes the means of another cover-up.

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

DOOMED TO FAILURE

THE DISASTER OF DEEMED UNIVERSITIES

 

THE message is irrevocable and reaffirms a deeply depressing scenario. The concept of a deemed university, a uniquely Indian absurdity, is doomed to failure. The latest report of the union HRD ministry has confirmed the dubious entity. As many as 54 of the 61 deemed universities, sanctioned by the Arjun Singh dispensation between 2004-09, are not fit for the DU tag. This mirrors the extent to which spurious entities had been institutionalised almost as matter of policy. Mr Kapil Sibal, who has floated a trial balloon too many, has clearly succeeded to a depleted inheritance; equally does he have to contend with the contrived chaos that has masqueraded as learning for the past five years. Overwhelmingly have the DUs, in part an offshoot of the commercialisation of learning, been below par and were yet awarded the tag of recognition. Among the ones that have made the grade are those that have always been flagship public institutions in their own right, pre-eminently the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, and the Birla Institute of Science and Technology in Pilani (Rajasthan) and Mesra (Jharkhand). They richly deserved the full-fledged university tag long before the spurious institutions were allowed to mushroom across the country.

In its affidavit to the Supreme Court, the ministry has mentioned 44 DUs that may never meet the prescribed standards. At any rate, not within the three-year time-frame that has been prescribed for them to shore up. In the ministry's admission, many of them do not deserve this lifeline. An educational institution must flourish as it ought to; it can't be a case for life-support. The singular casualty has been quality as the number of DUs increased from 69 to 130 under Arjun Singh's dispensation. It is the same ministry, now functioning under a different incumbent, that has opened a can of worms ~ a caricature of the government's handling of education. The damage may well be beyond redemption. The price to pay perhaps if an overbearing minister's whims and fancies determine all and everything. A similar affliction plagues food and agriculture and civil aviation.

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

OVER THE TOP

WILL SANITY FOLLOW BABY'S DEATH?

 

HAS Jammu and Kashmir collectively taken leave of its senses? That is the unavoidable question that defies an answer after an ailing 11-day-old infant being rushed to hospital fell victim to mob fury. There can be no writing off the baby's death as "collateral damage", for even if that was not the specific intention of the frenzied mob, it drives home the point that "protest" in the state has crossed the limits of civilised conduct. And those who have been instigating what they project as anti-government action must ask themselves ~ or the people should ask them ~ if they have no culpability for the killing of an innocent babe. It is true that the police overdid things by registering a case of attempted murder against the allegedly stone-throwing lad killed by a direct hit from a tear-gas shell (which this newspaper has condemned), but a crack-down on stone-throwers per se is legitimate. It is worth probing how stones are so abundantly available at places where the protests are made; it must also be remembered that the majority of the miscreants are young fellows, the sinister design being to project a David versus Goliath image of the inevitable confrontation with the "law".

That dubious interests are being served is suggested by Mehbooba Mufti ~ ever too shrill to function responsibly after PDP found only limited favour with the electorate ~ coming up with a "bullet-for-stone" description of the police action. She may have had no direct link with the mob that (allegedly protesting the rounding-up of suspected stone-pelters) attacked the vehicle carrying the infant's family, but comments like hers ~ and from the Hurriyat hardliners ~ poison an emotive, supercharged atmosphere. Omar Abdullah's government might have been the target, who paid the price? It can be nobody's case that the security forces are not guilty of high-handedness, or worse, but far from blemish-free are those who keep fomenting the violence that has virtually deleted "normality" from the J&K dictionary. Who suffers most? Who will answer the question that an 11-day-old child never got around to asking?

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

TEMPLE AS THE 'SOUL'

BJP CONTINUES TO LIVE IN THE PAST

BY AMULYA GANGULI

 

Considering that Nitin Gadkari has described the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya as the BJP's "soul" ~ hamari atma ~ it may be worth noting that the party was without this spiritual essence for the better part of its history. It was only in 1989 when it decided to support the VHP's agitation for "liberating" the Ramjanmabhoomi that the BJP started talking about building a temple. Before that, the only reference in the party's documents in this context was to the mosque and not to the putative birthplace of Ram.
The temple, therefore, has been the BJP's soul for only about two decades. Like the disputations in Christian theology about exactly when a foetus acquires this mystical entity, it can be argued that the party was devoid of this divine spark for the first four decades of its life. The BJP, of course, was formed only in 1980. Prior to that, it was known as the Jan Sangh, which merged in the Janata Party in 1977, only to re-emerge three years later as an outfit with a new name. The Jan Sangh, therefore, can be said to have lived its life without a soul. However, having discovered this supernatural attribute now, the BJP may find that it can become an albatross round its neck.
It may be recalled that Atal Behari Vajpayee, who, incidentally, had described the Sangh parivar as his "soul" in an article in the RSS journal, Organiser, in 1995, had to beat a hasty retreat after saying that the temple was an "expression of national sentiment" in the year 2000. In view of the resultant furore, Vajpayee wrote in his "musings" from a holiday resort in Kerala that although the temple movement was an expression of national sentiment, it became a constricted affair after the demolition of the Babri masjid. He also added that the "wrongs of the medieval past cannot be righted by similar wrongs in modern times".

 

Not new

 

Just as Vajpayee discovered that trying to pass off the sentiments of communal-minded Hindus as the nation's wouldn't deceive anyone, the BJP may find that linking its fate with the temple can be politically disadvantageous. Although Gadkari has tried to soften the blow by promising the Muslims that the BJP will help them build a mosque elsewhere if they give up their claims to the disputed site, the offer is not new. In its 1991 election manifesto, for instance, the BJP had spoken of "relocating the superimposed Babri structure with due respect". A year earlier, it had noted the VHP's suggestion to "relocate the masjid structure elsewhere". True to its more belligerent character, the VHP did not threaten to carry out the transfer with "respect".
While all this rehashing of old ideas can help the BJP to confuse its friends and foes, the party seems unaware of the fact that as long as it does not try to disengage itself from the temple agenda, it will not be able to move forward despite all the pledges it may make about pursuing inclusive politics. As is clear from the emphasis which its state governments now place on development, as in Gujarat, there is a realization within the party that the temple card has lost its usefulness even if the RSS, Gadkari's friend, philosopher and guide, believes otherwise.
If the states under the BJP and its allies like the Janata Dal (United) persist with development-oriented policies and avoid mentioning the temple, the party can be electorally successful at the provincial level. But it will be unable to become a force to reckon with at the centre if it keeps harking back to the heady days of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. For a start, it will be regarded as a convincing proof of the BJP's failure to discard the baggage it is carrying from that period ~ the issues of Article 370, uniform civil code, cow slaughter, conversions, Muslims as unpatriotic, Bangladeshi immigrants, the rewriting of history, the banishment of artists and academics who offend Hindu sentiments, et al.

 

Nagpur bosses

 

Since these items involve the minorities, the BJP will not only find it difficult to shed its anti-Muslim and anti-Christian image ~ especially if Varun Gandhi is given a responsible position ~ the party will also be seen as anti-modern because of its obsession with the past. Yet, even if the party wants to put the temple issue on the back burner, as Vajpayee promised to do in 1996 when he failed to secure a majority in Parliament, the RSS will not let it do so. And since there is no one in the BJP who can stand up to the Nagpur bosses, the party's regression will continue.

The BJP's main problem is that there is now no one in the party with the stature of Vajpayee and an appeal beyond the party like him. Vajpayee was also skilful enough to keep the RSS at bay by accepting some of its diktats and ignoring others. For instance, he kept Jaswant Singh out of the finance ministry in 1998 in accordance with the RSS's wishes, but showed that he hadn't lost touch with civilized norms when he said that the answer to James Laine's book on Shivaji was not to attack the library where he worked but to write another book.

Evidently, Gadkari cannot measure up to such standards. His hold on the party is also via the RSS, and not due to any merit of his own. Everyone in the BJP from LK Advani downwards is waiting for him to slip up before pouncing on him. Neither sleeping in tents nor eating in a Dalit home a la Rahul Gandhi will help him to secure his position unless he shows signs of having the imagination and the intellect to take the BJP out of the blind lane where it is stuck at present.

 

(The writer is a former Assistant Editor, The Statesman.)

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

'LEFT HAS IGNORED THE NEED FOR SOCIAL CHANGES'

23 FEBRUARY 2010

 

If in his early years Jolly Kaul caused eyebrows to be raised within his family when he spurned a prospective career with the Indian Civil Service to plunge into the Communist Party and its revolutionary activities in the early '40s, he caused a greater number of eyebrows to be raised when he quit the party in 1963.
Now, as he approaches his 90th year, Jolly Mohan Kaul has found the time to write his memoirs. This work will hopefully answer some of the questions that people have asked of this octogenarian. JMK, the journalist (in his post-party life) had chosen to remain silent. Jolly Kaul, the octogenarian Gandhian of today, has chosen to speak.

Between the forties and the sixties of the last millennium, JMK was an eminent leader of the undivided Communist Party and his sudden resignation made many wonder why he cut short what promised to be a very successful career in politics. The post-party careers in the fields of journalism and communications were all very successful. He speaks to Tapan Bandopadhyay on the evolving political situation since his time and on the developments that have taken place within the communist and socialist movements in the country.
Clearly, the former revolutionary continues to be a keen observer of the socio-political scene and continues to be seriously engaged in a search for a better world that started when he had just emerged from college. He is still attempting to find answers to the many issues that drove him towards communism and the even more difficult questions that arose in his mind in the late fifties that finally led him to break his ties with the Communist Party.

By any standard, Jolly Kaul is a "Bengali"'. He has lived, worked and "retired"' in this state. More imporantly, he "proselitised" in Bengali, having trained himself to be a first class public speaker in the language. An equal command over Hindi and Urdu must have made life easier as he addressed the populace at the grassroots of urban and rural Bengal. JMK, however, comes from a family of Kashmiri Pundits who "have played an important part in the political and cultural life of India" as he says.  It "was only natural that this early environment moulded my character and personality. Even within the family there were many influences – my eldest brother went abroad for his medical studies and helped infuse a lot of Western culture".
Indeed, as his first name suggests, a Western culture already prevailed in the family and "though it would appear to be against tradition, all my brothers were named in Western style, with English names — unusual at that time. At the same time, traditional culture was imbibed from relatives and other brothers. One of my brothers was a very strong advocate of the Hindu Sanatan Dharma". However, the most important influence was his school and college. JMK was in St Xavier's from Standard I through to his graduation. "The Jesuit fathers had a strong influence on me in the formative years and, in the later stages of my life, my late wife, Manikuntala Sen." Excerpts from an interview:

Though you have quit active politics for nearly half a century, looking back, how strong an influence does Left politics continue to have in your life and thoughts today?
While I have not been very actively involved in politics since I left the party after 1963, I have been a journalist for quite some time and being mainly involved in political and economic writings, I remained a keen observer of the political scene. My book, In Search Of A Better World, is partly political, partly cultural.

What contribution did the Communist and the trade union movements of your time with the undivided CPI make to the Indian polity, society and culture?

The trade union movement of our time had a transforming effect on the working classes and if the organised working class today has been able to raise itself well above the poverty level, it is largely due to the hard work put in by the dedicated trade union and party organisers of those days. In the social and political fields also, Communists of those years made significant contributions. Having married one of the most important women leaders, I had the opportunity to learn, at first hand, how the Communist women activists fought against social evils and for the rights of women.

The battle for the Hindu Code Bill, I think, played a most significant role in the empowerment of women of our country. In fact, what saddens me most is that the Left movement does not give the same importance to bringing about needed social changes now.

How has dependence on the Soviet and/or the Chinese line affected the Communist movement in India and the subcontinent?

Much of what I have written in the book is a direct answer to this query. When I was with the undivided CPI, the entire world Communist movement was totally subservient to the CPSU. The joke then was that "when it was raining in Moscow, Harry Pollit would open his umbrella"'. This dependence made the CPI commit one of its greatest mistakes, opposing the Quit India Movement in 1942. In my book, I have said, "The way the Congress (2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India held in 1948) showed a number of things. First, it seems to have been something of a coup. Even though they said that the General Secretary (PC Joshi) had been following a reformist line, the sudden coup on the eve of the Congress, without giving an inkling to party members, was typical of the way Stalin conducted the affairs of the party in the Soviet Union.  I am also convinced today that this coup would not have been possible had the signal not come from abroad, most likely through the Communist Party of Great Britain which till that time was our only link with the International Communist Movement." Later it was the influence of the Chinese Communist Party that seems to have been dominant. Even today, the present model of development being followed in the country and which the Communist governments, particularly in West Bengal, seem to be following is very much influenced by the Chinese model.

Why this autobiography now?

I have been thinking of writing my memoirs for some time and actually started writing it in 2000, at the turn of the millennium though I was in two minds on whether I should publish my memoirs at all. So the progress was slow and there were periods when I stopped writing. I say in the book, "When friends got to know that I have started work on the project, they asked why I was making such a slow progress. I said, haltingly, that perhaps the last chapter of my life story had yet to unfold. I also thought that I was still searching for answers to the many questions that have arisen in my mind. Had it not been for these periods of doubts and uncertainties, it would not have taken me as many as full eight years to finish the work."

In fact, it was only after I felt that, to some extent, I had found the answers to my questions that I decided to finish the book and the last chapter is, indeed, an attempt to answer three questions : (1) The reason for the quick and unexpected collapse of the Soviet Union, (2) The failure of the Communist movement to expand not only in India but even in such countries as France and Italy, where, at one time, it had become a very major political force and (3) What kind of "alternative" are we searching for? A world where there will be equality, a classless society and where each would get according to his need and contribute according to his ability. To read out from the book, "as it turned out, it was indeed fortunate that I waited so long, for the last eight years have been eventful and the experience that I have gained particularly during the time I spent at the Gandhi Labour Foundation… has been extremely rewarding. My stint of nearly six years there has, to some extent, helped me to find the answers...."

Many oldtimers of the CPI regret your decision to quit the party and active politics. Almost five decades later, do you feel any remorse that you did not remain and help inner-party struggle?

I am more convinced than ever before that I took the right decision when I resigned from the party. In my resignation letters, one of which I addressed to the Secretary, Provincial Committee in January 1963, I had said that "ever since a situation developed in which a neighbouring Communist country began to behave in a manner which weakens the democratic and progressive forces in the country and bring grist to mill of the reactionaries, I have been considering that whether the Communist Party... has much of a role". I ended saying, "I remain as interested as ever in the cause of the democracy, socialism and peace for which I had been working for so long but I do not feel confident that by remaining in the Party I shall be able to further that cause." In that decision, I had the wholehearted support of my wife.

This is the centenary of her birth. Are you doing anything to commemorate her contribution?
How could I not do something? A few sentences from my memoirs will indicate why I feel the centenary is so important. "Some years ago, when I completed the 85th year of my life, some friends decided to hold a function to celebrate the event. They wanted a brief biographical sketch from me and I sent them a page-long note. I had written that whatever I achieved after marriage, I owed to Manikuntala. My friend rang up to check up whether I meant it and I said that I meant every word. Evidently, he still thought it was a piece of rhetoric because he omitted it when sending out the sketch, along with the invitation card, asking people to join the function. Over the next few pages I intend showing the kind of person she was. The more I look back on this period of my life – 1953 to 1987 – the more I realise how much I owe to her."

Yes, an Organising Committee has been formed and we will have a publication that will contain her book in Bengali and in its English translation apart from important speeches that she made in the Assembly during the 10 years that she had been a member. It will also carry reminiscences of those who had worked with her at one stage or other. The centenary functions will be held some time between November-December 2010.

In Search Of A Better World will be released in Kolkata on 25 February and in Delhi on 17 March

 

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

DARK SIDE OF HENRY MOORE

 

In his thirties, the establishment's favourite sculptor was exploring erotically charged emotions and a rebellious streak, says Andy McSmithThe Henry Moore we think we know is a conservative who produced reassuring sculptures that blend with the landscape, such as his bronze, Knife Edge – Two Piece, suitably located opposite the House of Lords. He is the establishment's favourite sculptor. He won acclaim with a series of graphic drawings of Londoners taking shelter from the Luftwaffe in the Underground, which were hung in the National Gallery during the war and became symbols of the spirit of resistance to the Blitz. His death in 1986 was marked by a service of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey.

But a new exhibition of his work in Britain – the first for many years – is designed to draw out what the programme notes call "a dark and erotically charged dimension" to Moore. It suggests that the artist as a young man was a more brooding, rebellious figure than the gentleman he became as success made him respectable and rich.

The whole room is taken up with a subject which seems to have obsessed Moore in his early thirties: depictions of babies suckling. In Western culture, the standard mother-and-baby image is the Madonna and child, in which everyone's attention, including the viewer's, is focused on the child. In Moore's sculptures not one of the mothers is looking at her baby. The child suckles, but the woman's attention is elsewhere, as if she is thinking about what her next task will be. Some of the women are so solidly built that they look as if they could be employed doing heavy lifting. In one sculpture, the mother has disappeared and all that remains is a child clamped to a disembodied breast.

Moore's inspiration came from another relationship, which intrigued those of his contemporaries who had studied the work of Sigmund Freud. He told his friend Edouard Roditi that while he was making the first of these mother-and-child studies, in 1924, he realised that he was "unconsciously" giving its back the "long-forgotten shape" of a back that he had known well as a boy.

He explained: "I was a Yorkshire miner's son, the youngest of seven, and my mother was no longer so very young. She suffered from bad rheumatism in the back and would say to me in winter, when I came home from school: 'Henry, boy, come and rub my back.' Then I would massage her back with liniment."

Moore was born in Castleford on 30 July 1898. His father was a committed socialist. The son won a scholarship to Castleford Secondary School, where his talent was fostered by his art teacher. In 1917, he gave up a teaching post to go and fight, and at Cambrai underwent an experience whose significance has been underrated. Three-quarters of the men in his unit were killed in a gas attack. Moore was sent home to recover from gas poisoning, returning to the front just before the armistice.

"This experience tends to be marginalised because, like everybody else, he was writing home cheery letters about 'meeting Jerry'. He wasn't a man given to describing his inner thoughts, because he belonged to a class, culture and generation that didn't talk about emotion", said the show's curator. "The affirmative, reassuring images that he created later, the abstract forms that relate to the landscape have, to some extent, compromised his critical reputation. There is a darker, edgier and sexier side to Henry Moore. I thought at one point that this might be a fantasy of mine, but actually it was much commented upon in the 1930s".

In the late 1930s, Moore was drawn into active politics, in support of the republicans in the Spanish Civil War.

He planned a trip to Spain in 1938, but was blocked by the Foreign Office. At that time, Moore produced a series of stringed figures and disturbing drawings in which sculptures are displayed in what could be grim prison cells. In 1939, he produced a threatening-looking sculpture based on a soldier's helmet.
"What it was like to be a figure on the left in the late 1930s is hard to imagine", said the curator. "There was a real inner conflict in Moore who was a pacifist because of his experience in the First World War and an anti-fascist. There was a political tension in which he was actively engaged, which I think the physical tensions of these figures relates to".

In the event, the anti-fascist in Moore prevailed over the pacifist. If he had been young enough to fight, he might have enlisted again. Instead, those shelter drawings have endured as his contribution to winning the war.

The Independent

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THE STATESMAN

EDITORIAL

100 YEARS AGO TODAY

ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT AT FORT WILLIAM

Postal Clerk Arrested

On the night of Sunday last, the Howrah C.I.D. Police raided the house of Bidhubhusan Santra in village Bholsar, in the jurisdiction of Bagnan Thana, and arrested Bidhubhusan in connected with the embezzlement of Rs 800 in Currency notes from a registered parcel directed to England from the Fort William Post Office.
Some time ago the fraud was discovered and information was given to the Calcutta Police who took up the enquiry. A warrant of arrest was issued against Bidhubhusan, head clerk of the Fort William Post Office, but before it could be executed, the accused absconded, and he had kept himself in hiding until, on information received he was arrested at his village residence on Sunday night. He will shortly be placed before the Chief Presidency Magistrate on a charge of criminal breach of trust.

RAIDS IN THE ULUBERIA DISTRICT

Bengali Boys Arrested

The officers of the Howrah C.I.D., on the 16th instant, arrested twelve Bengali boys in the Uluberia sub-division of the Howrah district. It is stated that the arrests are in connection with the Netra and Haludbari dacoities. It is further alleged that the accused, who are at present in the custody of the C.I.D., will be tried along with those who already stand charged before the District Magistrate of Howrah under Section 400, I.P.C. The names ofthe accused have not yet transpired.

Lalit Kumar Chatterjee, the Krishnagar pleader, his clerk, Nibaran Chandra Mozumdar, and Suresh Chunder Mazumdar, of 121, Cornwallis Street, have been removed to the Alipore Jail, whihc Jotindra Nath Mukerjee, stenographer to the Hon Mr Wheeler, has been removed to the Presidency Jail.

 

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THE TELEGRAPH

PEACE HUNT

 

In a democracy, the government and its critics can — and should — have much to talk about among themselves. It should be a particularly welcome development if armed dissenters decide to talk instead. Most governments in the world have talked to groups which once seemed irrevocably sworn to violent means. There should thus be no problem for the Centre to respond positively to the Maoists' offer of talks. The post-Independence political history of India has many examples of armed rebellions ending through negotiations. It has happened not just with insurgent groups in the Northeast but also with political extremists in other parts of the country. Many factions of Naxalites, the precursors of today's Maoists, gave up arms and joined parliamentary democracy. Even in cases where talks failed to end the rebellions, as with some groups in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, doors to negotiations have remained open. As for the Maoists, an offer of talks had come from the Union home minister, P. Chidambaram, even before the rebels mooted the idea. Ending the Maoist violence is crucial to both India's internal security and economic development. The biggest beneficiary of a peace process could be the poorest, especially the tribal, people whose cause the Maoists claim to be fighting for.

 

However, the trouble with the Maoists' offer is that it comes with a rider. They want the government to suspend all operations against them for 72 days. It is not clear why the rebels want this time-frame for a cessation of the government's offensive. In similar situations, whether with the Maoists in Andhra Pradesh or the Naga rebels, ceasefire agreements had been more definitive and transparent. Past experience also shows that rebel groups have used ceasefires in order to rebuild their organizations and rearm themselves. Even so, the government should accept the challenge and match the Maoists' strategy of talks. After all, even a bad peace is better than a good war. But there can be absolutely no question of letting the guard down. Since the Maoists' ultimate goal is to overthrow the 'bourgeois' State by means of force, no government can afford to call off the fight against them. Clearly, it is a battle of attrition and the Centre must send out the message that the State is strong and dynamic enough to engage in it. The search for peace must not look like a compromise with violence and anarchy.

 

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THE TELEGRAPH

EDITORIAL

LEGAL DEMAND

 

Sometimes the chief function of a law in India is to affix responsibility. The notification that education is a fundamental right for all children between the ages of six and 14 years makes failure on the part of the government to provide education legally culpable. The decision is a welcome one: it does show the Union government's concern about the country's children. Although there are still many questions about the age limit — what happens before six and why should children not get compulsory education till they complete Class X — it is a step in the right direction. The notification will not allow state governments to remain oblivious to the facts that numerous children from underprivileged communities do not go to school or are early dropouts, become child labourers at home or outside, are married off, or are drawn into criminal activity. If parents can legally demand education for their children, it is certainly an added pressure on governments. The law can act as a spur.

 

But the fact that such a law was needed at all points to a huge failure. The number of schools and trained teachers, methods of teaching or even the availability of blackboards and textbooks — to mention a few basic needs — have not kept up with growing demands. Schemes such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have helped somewhat, but their utilization has been wildly various in different states. With such schemes preceding it, the law has not arrived out of the blue, but the groundwork to make the fundamental right to education a reality is still deeply flawed. It is not merely a question of sufficiency of schools, but also of the quality of the content and method of education. Even when there are teachers, they are not adequately trained to teach children from different segments of the population with sympathy and patience. Neither are there enough options in the syllabi to suit different regions, especially in the rural areas. Conditions in the classroom are harsh and alienating for children from backward communities. Basic amenities, such as toilets and drinking water, are not always provided. Midday meals alone cannot — and should not — lure children to school. So in making governments responsible for school education, the law is demanding far more than appears at first sight. The notification is welcome, as is the spur to action. How soon these will work, is another question.

 

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THE TELEGRAPH

EDITORIAL

REASON OVER EMOTION

CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY AND THE NEED FOR RATIONAL DEBATE

ASHOK GANGULY

 

Two critical and contemporary issues, principally in the domain of science, are grabbing headlines in the popular media — the Himalayan glaciers and the Bt brinjal in India.

 

In the raging controversies over receding Himalayan glaciers and Bt Brinjal, lies the kernel of a deep malaise of how science is treated in India. India is, quite rightly, known for its growing army of scientists and engineers who have made the country an important destination for research and development investments by global companies. It is, however, worth remembering that China is quietly racing ahead in advancing R&D as well as with its growing citation record of research publications — which, ultimately, is the true measure of the quality of scientific research in any country.

 

Regrettably, the scandal of the receding Himalayan glaciers and the public spectacle of the Bt brinjal controversy are issues which have been hijacked out of the domain of the scientists, who should be rightfully and legitimately providing expert advice, by individuals and activists far removed from the sphere of genuine scientific research and enquiry.

 

This state of affairs is indeed regrettable because both these topics have a huge bearing on the future of the world's climate and India's food security. Climate change is an established phenomenon supported by data and scientific research. Any disagreements concern the reasons for global warming, not the fact itself. There is a sizeable group of fairly respected and vocal sceptics who question the very phenomenon of global warming.

 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was set up by the United Nations with a view to achieve a consensual coherence in what is universally acknowledged as a hugely complex phenomenon — that of climate change. The IPCC's work was recognized by being awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008. Just prior to the recent Copenhagen climate summit, a great deal of confusion was generated by the news of some leaked mail among climate scientists which cast a shadow of doubt on some conclusions in the IPCC report on climate change. This gave a handle to the army of climate change sceptics, and the confusion was compounded by the chaotic assembly of NGOs and various other activists in Copenhagen during the summit. The latest revelation regarding the fallacy of the data related to receding Himalayan glaciers has now raised a climatic turmoil in the global media. For the first time, there is a real challenge to the credibility of the IPCC and its claim as the custodian of all that is relevant as the scientific basis for climate change. This is an extremely unfortunate development and has thrown the critical issue of global warming into confusion and disarray.

 

In the midst of this raging controversy, some important issues are being lost sight of. The politics of global warming is one such issue. Although not stated explicitly, global warming is seen as a lever to try and put a brake on the growth of emerging economies by the developed world while it struggles to emerge from its own economic problems. Studies have shown that the bulk of global warming is correlated to population growth, as measured from data of the last 50 years and the economic activities, primarily of the developed world, during the same period. If world population continues to grow and emerging economies grow at the rate as is being forecast, climate change is expected to accelerate inexorably. In search of a solution, emerging economies cannot be expected to slow down their growth, but to urgently invest in and advance the use of existing, new and green technologies which can help decelerate climate change.

 

Unfortunately, the IPCC controversies have become a major setback to a sensible dialogue regarding measures to manage climate change. If the UN and the IPCC hope to reclaim their leadership role in creating an international consensus on how to deal with climate change, nothing less than root and branch overhaul of the IPCC can restore its credibility and authority amongst decision-makers and the general public.

 

As far as Bt Brinjal is concerned, it is symbolic of an uninformed, unscientific debate which has turned into a sad spectacle in the public domain. Bioengineered crops have been widely and commercially cultivated in the United States of America and South America for over 10 years without any reported ill effects. Europeans are far less forthcoming and have settled for proper labelling so that people can choose. In the ongoing debate on Bt Brinjal, scientific views have been overshadowed by emotion-charged rhetoric between those for and those against plant genetics.

 

The fact remains that a second Green Revolution and India's food security will not be achieved without the help of bioengineered seeds and crops. That evidence of human and environmental safety issues must be a prerequisite in clearing bioengineered seeds for widespread use goes without saying. But safety issues have to be decided by expert scientists working in their laboratories and in agricultural experimental farms rather than by participants in town-hall debates, which seem, inevitably, to be ending up in chaos.

 

Both these current events are particularly disturbing for Indian science. Those who are the real scientific experts seem to have been pushed into the background while activists, with their false halos, have taken the centre stage as the defenders of the truth.

 

Climate change and bioengineering are far too important for India to be left to become playthings in the hands of amateurs, and sooner the leadership and accountability are restored to acknowledged scientific experts, the better will it be for the truth to emerge as sustainable facts.

 

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THE TELEGRAPH

EDITORIAL

IN THE EYE OF THE EVIL

ABHIJIT BHATTACHARYYA

 

With the court martial ordered against the four army generals involved in the Sukna land scam, speculations about whether the rule of law applies to the armed forces should be put to rest, albeit temporarily. But a niggling irritation continues. It takes two to fight a war; it also takes two to hatch a conspiracy or to commit a crime.

 

Assuming that the generals were involved in a scam, what about their civil partners? Who will probe into their role in the game? Will the income tax, customs, central excise, service tax, state sales tax and other concerned departments investigate the circumstances leading to the tripping of senior generals in a sensitive area bordering foreign countries?

 

Apparently, the Siliguri realtor, who hatched the plan to set up a school, had to send his daughters to boarding schools. So he wanted to build a good school near Sukna. But now he has decided to look for land elsewhere. He does not realize that admission to schools is a problem across India, not faced by his daughters alone. The incident shows that the education system in India is more influenced by money power than by quality teaching.

 

A section of India's trading class prefers to use money to get any job done. One suspects that in future, only a few officials are likely to control themselves when faced with an offer of money. The rot in the civil bureaucracy is rising alarmingly. The Sukna incident shows that the upper echelons of the military bureaucracy too are being slowly poisoned by the lure of money.

 

Billions in India will always be desperate for education and quality healthcare. With an insatiable demand curve and restricted supply line comes the usual paucity of funds and a lamentable lack of governance in the delivery end. Thus corrupt entrepreneurs come into play with devastating effect — and Sukna is a case in point.

 

Chain reaction

 

How far this minuscule yet deadly class of entrepreneurs can go will be clear if one looks at one of the numerous government schemes to promote trade and tourism. The export promotion capital goods is one such scheme, which was systematically violated by corrupt stakeholders. Under the EPCG scheme, the state allows import of capital goods at concessional/ nil rate of customs duty subject to an export obligation. Under it, import of motor cars, sports utility/ all-purpose vehicles are allowed only to hotels, travel agents and tour transport operators. The idea is simple. The government gives duty exemption to the importer of the vehicle, so that he can use the vehicle for the purposes specified above and fetch foreign currency for the state exchequer. Unfortunately, this purpose was repeatedly defeated, as instead of earning foreign exchange for the state coffer, hundreds of traders brazenly flouted the law of the land by defaulting on customs duty to the tune of hundreds of millions of rupees on imported vehicles after acquiring them for private use. These unscrupulous traders show no regret or remorse even after being caught in high-profile cases by the customs department.

 

Recently, there was news of several high-ranking IAS officers being caught in scams worth crores by the income tax department in Madhya Pradesh. Look at the paradox. Senior army generals are court-martialled before they succeed in making money, but when it comes to senior IAS officers none within the state government takes any action. It is left to a Central agency to catch the officers.

 

With corrupt traders and babus making money in whatever manner they can, it would be ridiculous to expect senior generals to lead a Spartan life. Do punish the generals, but first punish the traders who are giving money, and then the babus who are taking it, and breaking India.

 

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EDITORIAL

SEIZE THE SPACE

"IT'S TIME TO HOLD GENUINE TALKS WITH THE MAOISTS."

 

Space for negotiations has opened up with the Maoists announcing a 72-day ceasefire beginning March 25. This is an opportunity, which the government must grasp without any delay. Home Minister P Chidambaram has promised to respond positively to the Maoists if they get back to him with an unambiguous statement unconditionally abjuring violence. The Maoists' ceasefire offer is conditional on the government calling off 'Operation Green Hunt.' It does seem that the government is unsure of the genuineness of the ceasefire offer. Reports suggest that the Maoists are split on the truce issue. Sceptics are pointing out that the Maoists' ceasefire offer is a ruse to get the government to halt military operations, to allow them time and space to regroup. The Maoists too are wary that the government will use the ceasefire to consolidate control over areas where the writ of the rebels runs. The Maoists' experience of talks with the government has not been positive. The Andhra Pradesh government engaged in talks with the Maoists and when several of their leaders emerged above ground to participate in the peace process, the government called off the talks and quickly arrested them. It would be a pity if the two sides allow their suspicions to cloud their decisions on what is an opportunity.
There is a trust deficit on the part of both sides but this can be overcome by putting in place confidence building measures. A group that includes eminent citizens trusted by both sides can be set up to monitor the ceasefire and to ensure that they are living up to their obligations. A truce is no guarantee that all violence will end overnight. There will be sections on both sides that are opposed to ceasefire and talks. They will seek to undermine the truce by engaging in violence. Consequently, both the government and the Maoists must be patient and not respond to these provocative acts by walking away from the ceasefire.

If the government responds to the Maoist offer and a ceasefire from both sides comes into effect, it will provide the tribals living in the conflict zones some respite. Both sides claim to represent the interests of the tribals. If they are indeed committed to their welfare, safety and security, they must cease the violence. The silencing of guns, will allow the Maoists and the government to air their grievances, articulate their positions and suggestions and hear each other.

 

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DECCAN HERALD

EDITORIAL

POTENT WEAPON

"IMPORTANCE OF AERO-NAVAL POWER HAS GONE UP."

 

The recently inducted MiG-29K fighter aircraft into the Indian Navy (IN) is a potent weapon that will further strengthen its fleet's air arm which has a backbone of technologically obsolescent Sea Harrier and Kiran fighter aircraft.

Apart from these, the other IN aircraft are the Ilyushin-38 (Sea Dragon), and Dornier which are transport aircraft, besides the Chetak a helicopter. Today naval planners comprehend the importance of aero-naval power especially after the 1991 Gulf War and the 2001 air assault on Afghanistan.It is to be noted that the US military launched its bombing sorties over Afghanistan from carrier borne aircraft.

The selection of a fighter aircraft for an aircraft carrier is a complex decision based on the threat perceptions which in turn determine the flight range or combat radius and weapon load; besides, other mundane aspects like how 'parkable' and 'operable' the aircraft are from the flight deck of a floating platform. Also carrier-borne aircraft need to have a stronger undercarriage to engage with arrestor cables and absorb the shock of landing on flight decks which are relatively shorter than conventional landing grounds. These fourth generation MiG-29K fighter aircraft are meant for deployment on the Russian aircraft carrier the Admiral Gorskhov which has yet to be commissioned into the IN. Undoubtedly, the delayed arrival of the aircraft carrier is a disadvantage for the naval pilots to practice their landings and take offs from the flight deck which is critical to naval aviation. However, they could train to exploit the flight envelope of the MiG-29K till such time that the Admiral Gorskhov joins the IN fleet.

The MiG-29K will enable Admiral Gorskhov to establish air superiority in open oceans even within the range of enemy fighters, particularly protect the IN's nuclear-powered ballistic missile armed submarine patrolling the Arabian Sea and the waters of the Indian Ocean. Otherwise the role of the IN's fleet arm is to primarily protect the carrier battle group from hostile threats at sea both from sub surface and surface combatants. For instance, the ship-borne MiG-29 K fighter aircraft will serve to counter the hostile long range maritime patrol aircraft/anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and could respond rapidly, unlike land-based Indian Air Force aircraft that will take a much longer time to engage any such aerial threats.

 

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DECCAN HERALD

CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY

THE SUPREME COURT'S COLLEGIUM, INVENTED BY A CONTROVERSIAL JUDICIAL RULING, HAS ALWAYS BEEN UNDER ATTACK FOR ITS OPACITY.

BY SUDHANSHU RANJAN

The emotional outburst of Justice A P Shah on the eve his retirement as chief justice of Delhi high court that he could not pretend that he was not hurt at being denied elevation to the apex court should force the members of the supreme court collegium to do some self-introspection about its functioning. He has demanded that if a senior judge is bypassed, then the reasons should be conveyed to him.

The collegium, invented by a controversial judicial ruling, has always been under attack for its opacity. Incidentally, this very judgment says that seniority should be honoured unless the junior has 'outstanding merit'. The demand for transparency in its functioning is quite old but the supreme court has not been able to reconcile itself to this idea.

Embarrassed and upset

Embarrassed and upset by a spate of CIC orders that the judiciary divulge details on sensitive issues like appointment of judges, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan wrote to the prime minister seeking his intervention in exempting matters relating to administration of justice from the purview of the RTI Act.

The letter emphasised that the process of appointment to the higher judiciary was based on a 1993 judgment of the supreme court, and that the meeting of the collegium seldom put in black and white its views on persons rejected for the post of judge.

The argument of the CJI that members of the collegium do not record their opinion in writing, and so, no information or reason could be provided for one's selection, rejection or elevation as judge, is not tenable. In fact, it has been laid down in the Second Judges' case (1993), to which the CJI has referred, that consultations among members of the collegium would be in writing. If it is not recorded, it only means that the direction of the court is not being followed and reflects on the casual manner in which appointments to such sensitive posts are made.

There must be proper reasons for selection or rejection. It is an open secret that some judges/chief justices are not elevated to the apex court because a particular member of the collegium is opposed to him/her.

 

Eminent jurist Fali S Nariman gave expression to this popular perception when he slammed the collegium system, while sharing dais with the CJI at a function in New Delhi, for not elevating Justice Shah to the supreme court.

Justice A K Patnaik could make it to the supreme court only when a particular member of the collegium opposed to him retired. Patnaik's name was recommended thrice earlier but it was vetoed. It is well-known that Justice H S Kapadia vetoed the elevation of Justice Shah while Justice Arijit pasayat blocked Justice Patnaik's.

 What is inscrutable is that if other four members of the collegium found a judge fit to be elevated and only one member was opposed then why did the four cave in before one? The only reason may be that it is the bargaining among members to accommodate their candidates in which the merit is the first casualty. Further, in an unusual move, the supreme court filed an appeal before itself directly against an order of the CIC which directed to make file notings regarding appointment of three judges to the supreme court in 2008 bypassing three senior chief justices public.

The petitioner sought to know why their seniority had been ignored. Perhaps, the supreme court is wary of the fact that earlier the Delhi high court decided against it in the assets declaration case, and so, not taking any chance, it moved itself. It also appears preposterous that the supreme court is examining the applicability of a law vis-à-vis itself. 

Public interest

In Judges' Case, it was the judges themselves who insisted on the disclosure of the correspondence between the Union law minister and the CJI regarding the appointment and transfer of judges on the ground that the government was performing a constitutional function and it was a matter of public interest why a particular judge was dropped or allowed to continue.

 The court again rejected the government's claim of privilege on the correspondence: "Where a society has chosen to accept democracy as its creedal faith, it is elementary that the citizens ought to know what their government is doing. The citizens have a right to decide by whom and by what rules they shall be governed and they are entitled to call on their behalf to account for their conduct."

The same is true of transfers of judges. Nobody knows on what grounds judges are transferred. There are no set rules for it and the affected judges have fumed that they were victims of bias.  B L Hansaria, a former supreme court judge, commented: "The position, therefore, is that a high court judge who has (been) transferred has no remedy available to him, even if he were to think that the transfer order was actuated by bias. His position is thus worse than (that of) a grade IV government employee who can challenge his transfer order on the ground of bias."

 

All said and done, openness is in the interest of the judiciary itself.

 

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DECCAN HERALD

EDITORIAL

THE RIGHT OF MOTHER EARTH

OUR FUTURE IS IN JEOPARDY. THE INTERLINKING OF CRISES COULD CREATE A TRAGEDY.

BY LEONARDO BOFF

There is no political formulation of the interests of humanity or mother earth that protects their nature and cultures. For centuries we have lived under the jurisdiction of nation states and their assorted forms of sovereignty and autonomy.

But as all problems become increasingly global, this political model is proving incapable of offering the solutions needed by humanity and the planet as a whole.

The United Nations would be the right organisation to perform this function, but it is completely demoralised and the only part of it with real power is the Security Council, which is controlled by the veto-wielding, five major powers, led by the US.

There is no world social contract that sets global political practices, nor is there a collective reference to build consensus and settle conflicts. This is one of the reasons for the failure of international meetings on global affairs, like the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference or the World Trade Round in Doha.

Unique moment

This is a unique moment in history. Our common future is in jeopardy. The interlinking of crises, especially ecological, could create a humanitarian and environmental tragedy of staggering proportions that would demand urgent action on a global scale. The necessary precondition for such action is a common set of references, values, principles, and inspirations that provide an ethical and political foundation for the world community.
Today what must be saved is not the status quo but life itself and the system of the earth. This is the new central reality by which the major political paths to the future must be oriented. Aware of this urgency, the President of the UN General Assembly for 2008/2009 and ex-foreign minister of Sandinista Nicaragua, Miguel D'Escoto, after consulting a wide range of heads of state and other figures, resolved to create a draft of a 'Universal Declaration of the Common Good of the Earth and Humanity' that would complement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
This document, which will be officially introduced at the International Climate Conference next April in Cochabamba, Bolivia, will present the most reliable data regarding modern cosmology.

Consider that the earth and humanity are part of a vast evolving universe and share the same destiny and constitute in all their complexity a single entity. The earth lives and behaves as a single self-regulating system made up of physical, chemical, biological, and human components that give rise to the production and reproduction of life, and for this reason it is our great mother and our common home. It is comprised of the sum of the ecosystems through which it generated a magnificent array of forms of complementary and interdependent life, sacred and unified,such that the human being, men and women, are the same as the earth, which speaks, thinks, senses, loves, cares for, and venerates.

 

Since the environmental crisis must be addressed at the global level, it is essential to clearly define the common good of the earth and humanity. This common good is universal and free to all.

It must include everyone, all people and peoples, and at the same time must be offered for free because it represents what is essential, vital, and irreplaceable for humanity and for earth itself.

The first common good is the earth itself, which is the condition for all other goods. It belongs to the universe, to itself, and to the totality of ecosystems that comprise it. Human beings are not its owners but guests because it is the generator of life itself and thus deserves to be treated with dignity and to be cared for and protected.
The biosphere is a common patrimony that humanity must protect. This is true for all natural resources: the air, water, fauna,flora,  microorganisms, and also the maintenance of the climate. For this reason climate change must be faced globally and recognised as a shared responsibility.

The common patrimony includes those public goods that maintain life, like food, seeds, electricity, the accumulated knowledge of people, research and science, culture,art, music, religion, health and security.
The second common good is humanity, with its intrinsic values of dignity, conscience, intelligence, sensibility, compassion, love and opening to all. Humanity appears as a project that is infinite and therefore unending.

Fecund concept

The fecund concept of the common good prohibits, for example, the patenting of genetic resources that are fundamental to food and agriculture; patented technical discoveries should always be managed with an eye towards their social application.

Central to the common good of humanity and mother earth is the conviction that a beneficent energy extends throughout the entire universe, sustains all living creatures, and can be invoked, welcomed, and venerated.(IPS)

 

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DECCAN HERALD

EDITORIAL

LIVING IN HOPE

IT'S BETTER TO KEEP THE MASSES HOPEFUL RATHER THAN FILL THEM WITH DESPAIR.

BY BHARTENDU SOOD

 

In the last two years ever since the prices of essential commodities, especially of food grains, started their upward march, not a week passes without our prime minister or the finance minister telling the beleaguered common man that "prices will come down in a month." But, we only see them spiral upward. Then why should our worthy PM or FM keep on making this statement at regular intervals? Do they want to fool people?

 I presume it is not their intention. Are they wrong in their assessment? I don't think they are so naïve either. Then why should they do it? The simple answer lies in their being equipped with the worldly wisdom that it is always better to keep the masses hopeful rather than fill them with despair. Afterall hope is the elixir of life!

Emily Dickinson wrote in a poem that "Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without the words/ And never stops/at all..." Napoleon had once remarked that even if you had lost everything but not the hope, you could change defeat into a victory.

I read a small story about a Brahmin who was falsely implicated by his foes and was awarded capital punishment. He was not the one to lose hope even in worst situations. On the appointed day when capital punishment was to be executed he was asked about his last wish.

He looked towards the king and said, "I wish I could teach his excellency's horse to fly before leaving this world."It did the trick. The king, keen to see his horse acquiring an unheard of skill, gave the Brahmin a year's reprieve.
Relieved when he reached his home and narrated the story to his wife, the wife had mixed feelings, "My dear, I am very happy that you got the reprieve but worried how you'd accomplish what seems to be impossible."  Amused, the Brahmin replied "You are right my sweet heart, but anything which generates hope for the future should be done. One year is a long period. Many things can happen. King can change. He can die and even, who knows the horse may start flying."

All I know from my experience of last six decades is that prices would never fall, but still if statements like the PM's generates hope in the people there is nothing wrong. Afterall good leaders are those who keep people hopeful!

 

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THE JERUSALEM POST

EDITORIAL

PORUSH'S LEGACY

 

He embodied a pragmatic approach to coexistence with secular Zionist leadership.

 

 

On Purim almost 80 years ago, when he was just 16, Menahem Porush was expelled from the Etz Haim Yeshiva in Jerusalem for entertaining his fellow students with a comical impersonation of Chief Rabbi of Palestine Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook. The yeshiva may have lost an entertainer but the haredi public gained an important political leader.

Porush, who passed away this week at the age of 93, embodied a pragmatic approach to coexistence with the secular Zionist leadership in Israel.

Porush was the scion of a zealots. His family had lived for generations in Jerusalem and was vehemently opposed to Zionism. However, in July 1945, when the more extreme elements within the haredi community of Jerusalem purged Agudath Yisrael from their ranks, in protest against its willingness to cooperate with the Zionists, Porush, who had worked as a foreign correspondent for the haredi weekly Kol Yisrael, chose pragmatism over ideological purism.

He joined the thousands of more moderate haredim who had come to Palestine from Poland with the Fourth Aliya in building Agudah into a viable political party. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Porush understood the importance of working together with the materializing Jewish state to rehabilitate devastated haredi Jewry.

Agudah was hardly pro-Zionist. However, historians have refuted claims that in 1947 high-ranking members of the party threatened to testify before the UN against the creation of a Jewish state unless David Ben-Gurion granted their religious demands. (Porush himself, ironically, attempted to support this claim in his six-volume family biography, xxSharsheret Hadorot, to prove to more uncompromising detractors that Agudah stood steadfastly by haredi interests.)

THOSE WHO knew him well tell of Porush's strong connection to the Land of Israel. One relatively recent memorable photo shows him on a stage in Sderot – in his late 80s, confined to a wheelchair – protesting against the Gaza disengagement.

But he always maintained close ties with the Left. Former Meretz chairman Yossi Sarid eulogized Porush on a haredi Internet site, stating, "If I must have a political adversary, I hope it is someone with Porush's attributes." President Shimon Peres also had close ties with him and mourned him as a man of vision and hope.

For all his openness, Porush knew well how to advance the interests of his constituency. During more than three decades as an MK, including two periods during which he served as deputy labor and social affairs minister, Porush fought bitterly for the exemption of yeshiva students and religious women from IDF service. He demonstrated against the opening of a public swimming pool in Jerusalem. He torpedoed plans to build Teddy Stadium on a hill in northern Jerusalem that today is the site of a haredi neighborhood.

But Porush did not just tow the party line. Together with his son, MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism), he challenged the haredi political establishment. The two Porushs, with the backing of Shas, successfully ran their own mayoral candidate for Betar Illit in 2007, against Degel Hatorah and the Ger Hassidic movement, which controls Agudah. When Ger, through its paper Hamodia, helped foil Meir's run for mayor of Jerusalem in 2008, the Porushes set up their own daily, Hamevaser.

MENAHEM PORUSH'S maverick political leadership style is an important legacy.

In today's Israel, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a common cultural denominator that can unite the disparate parts of our society. At a time when one in four Israeli babies is born to a haredi family, it is unclear whether these children will grow up to feel strong ties with the State of Israel and its values.

At this critical moment, the haredi community desperately needs creative, independent leadership that takes heed of the common interests of all Israelis.

The rising number of haredi young men who are choosing to perform national service is a step in the right direction, as is the growing number of haredi men and women who are joining the labor force.

The haredi political leadership, in the spirit of Menahem Porush, should be encouraging these trends. Through interaction and the sharing of responsibility, we need to create and strengthen common cultural bonds to help meet the many challenges that face us.

 

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THE JERUSALEM POST

EDITORIAL

BASH ISRAEL (AND YOUR BRAIN)

BY AMNON RUBENSTEIN

 

Prestigious university presses have waived all academic criteria.

 

The latest product in the flourishing bash-Israel literature is Iranophobia. The book debunks Israeli and Western anxieties about the Iranian dangers. The author, Prof. Haggai Ram of Ben-Gurion University, argues that Israeli anti-Iran phobias are largely projections of perceived domestic threats to the prevailing Israeli ethnocratic order. In plain language, he holds that Israel has to demonize Iran so as to identify the Islamic Republic with its suppressed minorities in Israel: the Mizrahi and the haredi communities. Iran, on this theory, is the hated "role model" with which these suppressed minorities can be associated: "the production of Iran as a radical external other in Israeli imagination is to be understood in relation to the emergence of ("Iran-like") ethnic and religious internal others that violated the Jewish state's self-image as 'the West.'"

And these internal others are, of course the haredi and the Mizrahi communities.

As is common in bash-Israel literature, the author adduces no real evidence for these allegations. He relies heavily - surprise, surprise! - on Yossi Sarid and other spokesmen of the Zionist Left who attack the settlers in the occupied territories by comparing them to the Khomeini phenomenon. He also relies on attacks against Shas as supporting his claim that Israel invented Iranophobia in order to respond to its "contamination" by the "haredi-Mizrahi values of Shas."

The launching of this book was accompanied by a longish interview with the author on a CBS coast-to-coast newscast, in which he pooh-poohed the Iranian danger and stated that the real danger in the Middle East stems from the "neighborhood bully." And guess who that bully is.

But the most significant aspect of this book is the fact that it is published by Stanford University Press.

INDEED, IN recent years, prestigious university presses have waived all academic criteria in order to publish any book - no matter what its academic merits are - which bashes Israel. A good example is Princeton University Press which published Jacqueline Rose's book The Question of Zion, (which is invoked in Ram's Iranophobia as supporting the claim that Zionism and Khomeinism are birds of a feather).

Rose, a psychoanalyst who teaches English at Queen Mary, University of London, is famous for her anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli campaigns. She wrote lovingly about the "unbearable intimacy shared in their final moments by the suicide bomber and his or her victims" and claimed that suicide bombing "might be the closest Israelis and Palestinians can get."

Her book is full of allegations against Zionism, comparing it to mental illness. Her evidence is typical: its founders were mentally sick. She describes Herzl as "manic," but he is not alone: she quotes Weizmann's doctor, who described his patient as suffering from neurasthenia, overfatigue, overexcitement and weakness of the respiratory organs (I suppress a cough while writing this).

But all these jabberings pale besides her proof that Zionism and Nazism are similar. She says that not only Herzl but also Hitler attended the 1895 performance of Wagner's Tannhauser in Paris (about which Herzl writes in his diaries). Prof. Rose tells a story, according to which both personalities "were present on the same evening that inspired Herzl to write Der Judenstaat, and Hitler Mein Kampf."

The learned academic, as well as the Princeton editors, did not realize that on the date of that performance Hitler was six years old and to assume that his parents traveled from their poor Austrian village with the infant Adolf to hear a French version of a German opera is a bit too much even by the sub-zero standards of bash-Israel propaganda.

She, as well as the distinguished editors from Princeton, overlooked another fact. Tannhauser is neither Germanic nor chauvinistic; it is a beautiful opera about universal love, and was played at the opening of the Second Zionist Congress.

Somebody must have divulged these two "inaccuracies" in this story about the infant Adolf at the opera in Paris and that part was omitted from the third edition of the book.

Here, too, the significant part is not the concoction of imaginary facts and accusations by the author but the fact that Princeton published it. Indeed, when it comes to Israel-bashing, anything goes.

 

But after all is said and done, the gods are just; anybody who reads these and similar books must come to the conclusion that bashing Israel does something bad to the author's intellectual powers - if not to his "respiratory organs." They bash Israel with a bashed brain.

The writer is a professor of law at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, a former minister of education and Knesset member, as well as the recipient of the 2006 Israel Prize in Law. www.amnonrubinstein.org.

 

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THE JERUSALEM POST

EDITORIAL

SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE ISRAELI

BY DAVID BREAKSTONE

No one promised me a rose garden here, but I found one, thorns and all.

 

Some of my best friends are Israeli. Some aren't. A number of them used to be, but for one reason or another they've moved away. It seems that every time I begin getting really close to someone, they up and leave. Right now they can be found in places as far afield as Atlanta and Maputo. That's not a typo; it's the capital of Mozambique. They give me all sorts of reasons for their scattering abroad. Shattered dreams. Parents. Children. Jobs.

But by now I'm beginning to wonder if it's not me. Not "me" in the sense that I've done something to drive them away, but "me" as in maybe I'm not seeing something they do.

Recently one of those best friends was back for a visit and suggested just that. If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, he told me, it will instantly jump out, but if you were to put that same frog into a pot of cold water and slowly begin heating it, the dull-witted creature will just swim around and around until it cooks to death. He wasn't reminiscing about seventh-grade biology labs; he was trying to explain to me why, after 36 years here, I was incognizant of just how much hot water this Jewish state of ours is in, and just how much hotter things are going to get. What you see from there you don't see from here.

And from there, what he sees happening here, he finds insufferable. Here's his short list: rampant xenophobia, corrupt politicians, exploitation of foreign workers, indefensible treatment of Palestinians, a growing trade in human flesh, ranting and raving in God's name, and deeply held prejudices against our Arab minority.

I cringe, wishing I could attribute his perception of things to biased reporting in the foreign media. I can't. The source of his observations, he assures me, is none other than the Israeli press, which he continues to follow avidly on the Internet. Instead, I assure him that I also find all of these things deeply disturbing.

"So why do you let them get away with it?" he demands of me. His question gets to the crux of the matter, and I hurl it back at him.

"Who, exactly, is letting them get away with it?" I demand in return.

"You are," he insists. "By living here, you're condoning it all."

"Is it possible that it's you who are condoning it by not living here?"

The conversation continues and I explain that I didn't move to Israel because I expected to chance upon an exemplary society, but rather because I was excited by the prospect of creating one. "I honestly feel privileged to have the opportunity to be involved in doing just that," I tell him. He begins to roll his eyes but I'm not easily intimidated. "The kind of country you and I want to live in," I argue, "is a project, not a present. Don't confuse our current state of affairs with the state we want to craft."

"I could accept that argument if things were moving in the right direction," he responds, "but they're not. What started as a dream is turning into a nightmare. Give me one good reason to come back."

"I'll give you a thousand," I shoot back. "An infinite number of little things that add up." It may be that what you see from there you don't see from here, but the opposite is certainly true: what you see from here, you don't see from there. And I launch into a litany of such visions, little dreams in the making.

MY LAST bank statement arrived together with a list of social action initiatives that the bank was sponsoring, encouraging me to utilize its services as part of its campaign to engage the business world in the community in order to rehabilitate marginalized youth.

Young colleagues of mine have recently established a communal settlement celebrating religious diversity. Others have been involved in pioneering a new model of cooperative living and social engagement in a conscious effort to build a more ethical and just society. And close friends have just moved to an old kibbutz with the explicit objective of revitalizing it together with others intent on creating a center of spirituality and learning in harmonious coexistence with both the environment and their Arab neighbors.

My daughter and son-in-law - she with a traditional upbringing and he from a secular home - are studying Kabbala together in one of hundreds of venues that have sprung up over the last decade encouraging serious study of Jewish sources in a non-coercive environment, encouraging "the new blossoming of the Jewish spirit" that many of our Zionist forebears had hoped for.

My wife and I regularly return from the theater and the cinema still hungry for distraction, but deeply inspired by original works of the highest caliber that leave us with a sense of having sat for hours before a merciless mirror.

My work with the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency brings me into contact with prominent figures from the corporate world who are fully engaged in hands-on philanthropy and volunteerism in projects ranging from the effective integration of new immigrants to the building of bridges between Arabs and Jews to preventive intervention with youngsters at risk.

The list of grassroots initiatives in this country is literally never-ending. Every day new efforts are launched by concerned individuals to alleviate suffering, assuage the pangs of hunger and lighten the burdens of poverty. And this is still a society young enough and nimble enough that every individual can make a difference. A dose of determination and a measure of gumption go a long way.

NO ONE promised me a rose garden when I moved here, I tell my friend, but they should have, as that's exactly what I found, thorns and all. Over the years, I've gotten my share of scars and scratches, even a tiny barb under the skin that I can't draw out that every once in a while acts up. There are seasons when the flowers are dazzling; others when the prickles predominate. But I am well aware that in the hands of a good gardener the blossoms can be cajoled into lasting a little longer.

As we part, I remind my best friend that this country is desperately in need of those who are critical of it. I tell him - and through him all those who are contemplating coming or coming back, all those who are teetering on the verge of leaving, and all those who are here and need a word of encouragement or a reminder of why they came in the first place - that things aren't going to change for the better if those who want Israel to be something other than what it is leave the country to those who don't.

"Keep dreaming," my friend tells me with a slap on the back and a tinge of cynicism in his voice as he takes leave of me.

"I intend to," I assure him.

The writer represents worldwide Masorti/Conservative Judaism on the executives of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization, where he also serves as head of the Department for Zionist Activities. davidbr@wzo.org.il

 

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THE JERUSALEM POST

EDITORIAL

MIDEAST DRAMA STARRING DANNY AYALON

BY RAY HANANIA

 

The deputy foreign minister's mischievous behavior isn't unique in this region.

Talkbacks (1)

 

When Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon intentionally disrespected Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol last month in the "sofa affair," many believed he was just an immature politician.

In reality, though, Ayalon's snub of the ambassador represents more than just one man's failings. His actions symbolize the fundamental shortcomings common to rejectionists and shared by the Arabs, too.

Ayalon didn't accidentally disrespect the Turkish ambassador. He did it with flair and intended mischief. Ayalon had Celikkol sit on a couch in his office that was "lower" than his own chair. Not that anyone would care except that Ayalon intentionally pointed out the slight to the Israeli media to drive home the mbarrassment.

Celikkol was "summoned" to Ayalon's office to be "reprimanded" because Turkish state TV was airing a program that made the IDF look bad. Well, if they were mad about that, you can imagine why they were enraged with the war crimes allegations against the IDF in the UN's Goldstone Report.

And in an apparent response to the Ayalon "slight" of Celikkol, a billboard went up near Istanbul on Sunday depicting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan standing upright before Israeli President Shimon Peres, an advocate of peace, who was portrayed "bowing" to the Turks. Is that the best the Turks can come up with?

THE CONTROVERSY hadn't even cooled when Ayalon did it again last week. This time, Ayalon reportedly refused to meet with an influential delegation visiting Israel organized by J Street and refused to let them meet with senior Israeli officials, a charge the Foreign Ministry denied earlier this week. J Street is the celebrity Jewish American lobbying group that seeks to replace the rigidly right-wing policies of AIPAC with more moderate views to convince American Jews to support peace based on two states. The delegation included five members of the US Congress, normally a place where childish behavior is rewarded.

But for Ayalon, it wasn't enough to not shake their hands or make them sit on a "time-out couch." According to J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami, Ayalon ordered a "boycott" of the delegation.

 

When the congressional delegation protested in anger, Ayalon reportedly apologized (although this was also denied by the Foreign Ministry) - through a surrogate - to them too.

AYALON'S CONDUCT is not peculiar to Israelis, though. There is more than enough childish behavior among the Arab and Palestinian rejectionists. Arabs don't need a TV show to set them off. There are more "serious" things like when an Arab journalist tried to interview an Israeli official and was reprimanded by the Arab Journalists Syndicate, which acts more like a mafia than a professional fraternity of the Fourth Estate.

But the worst offense for the rejectionists is to embrace the two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Arab rejectionists insist that the solution is a failure. Their answer: one state, a goal they share with Ayalon whose right-wing party endorses one state but without Palestine, while the Arab rejectionists endorse the same without Israel.

So why not have a debate about it? Because that is normalization, too. Haram[forbidden] of the highest fatwa order.

This attitude to "normalization" (contact with the enemy) and "public debates" isn't just a problem with Arabs in the Middle East. It is a bigger problem with the Arabs who live in the West and in the US.

Recently, a group sought to bring together two Palestinians to debate the issue of "One State or Two?" at the University of Chicago.

The proponent of the two-state solution is Hussein Ibish, a fellow at the moderate American Task Force on Palestine in Washington as well as one of the most articulate English language spokespeople for Palestinian rights.

The sponsoring organization at the university reached out to nearly every leading Palestinian activist to present the case for "one state," and all refused, including, according to Ibish and event sponsors, the canonized saint of the "one state" plan, author Ali Abunimah.

Based at the University of Chicago, Abunimah is one of four founders of the online "Electronic Intifada," where Palestinian moderation is regularly browbeaten and defamed. Abunimah is also the author of the convoluted manifesto and the rejectionist's bible titled One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Basically, the "one-state" theory goes like this: If Palestinians will just refuse to compromise and to create two states, Israelis and Jews will simply give up so Palestinians can replace the Jewish homeland with an Islamic homeland.

Just like that.

Wow. If we only knew that, how many suicide bombers could we have spared in the past? A stupid notion, it has gained huge support among Arabs, maybe because it is just that, a stupid notion.

But "one state" advocates have an ulterior agenda. They know their idea is impossible to achieve and it allows them to exploit Palestinian anger and frustration, turning suffering into hatred and hatred into violence.

Rejectionists have no desire to compromise. They want to keep the conflict going until they can win, they think.

In the end, although Israeli rejectionists are similar to Palestinian rejectionists, there is one glaring difference. Palestinians never apologize for anything or admit they are wrong.

Apologizing means compromise. Apologizing recognizes a mistake. Palestinian rejectionists live in a pretend world where their mistakes don't exist and their failures are not debatable. War crimes committed on their behalf are never addressed, only the war crimes of others.

Danny Ayalon may be a poor diplomat but at least he knows when to apologize and recognize when he is wrong.

When Israelis and Arabs can apologize and recognize when they are wrong together, and stop denying everything as they often do, maybe, just maybe, we might see the day when genuine peace is achieved.

That's something I would bow to myself.

Named Best Ethnic Columnist in America by New America Media, the writer is a Palestinian-American columnist and peace activist. He can be reached at www.YallaPeace.com

 

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THE JERUSALEM POST

EDITORIAL

EGYPT, A CIVIC MOMENT OF SILENCE

BY NIR BOMS

Cairo has had an unusual response to efforts to mend Muslim-Copt relations.

 

In Cairo, crowds filled the streets for the third time two weeks ago to mark Egypt's unprecedented three consecutive victories in the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament. Soccer is big in Egypt and proud Egyptians know how to party.

But not all Egyptians celebrated in the streets. One activist here told me that he doesn't like soccer. He has nothing against the game itself, but he believes it distracts people from many other important issues. A convenient opium for the masses, he noted. But others stayed at home because their wounds are still too fresh.

On January 6, the eve of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas, three gunmen opened fire on worshipers emerging from mass in the city of Nag Hamadi. The attack, which left six Christians and one Muslim dead, was the deadliest attack since 2000, when 21 Copts were killed in sectarian clashes. The massacre was triggered by the alleged rape of a Muslim girl by a young Copt a month earlier. But there is more to that story than simple sectarian strife.

President Hosni Mubarak was quick to respond, urging Egyptians not "to give anyone a pretext to spread conflict." He later criticized Al Azhar University for their lack of "enlightened religious preaching" that may have helped ignite the wave of violence and promised to punish those responsible. However, he seemed to have conveniently forgotten that he was the only one responsible for appointing these "non-enlightened" clerics.

Civic society leaders, shocked by the exhibition of brutal extremism, also felt compelled to try and mend fences. During the week following the attack, representatives of reputable religious institutions, cultural icons, NGOs and others, traveled to Nag Hamadi to offer condolences and speak out against sectarian violence.

Mostafa al-Naggar, a blogger and human rights activist, took the initiative to facilitate such a trip. In a private thread on Facebook, he brought together about 20 Egyptian activists, including some of the most well-known figures in the growing Egyptian blogosphere.

BUT THIS civil gesture took an unexpected turn when they were joined by some uninvited guests. When the group arrived at the train station in Nag Hamadi, they were met by the police. The group of 20, including well-known activists such as Wael Abbass, Esraa Abdel and Ahmed Badawy, was arrested and interrogated for the next 34 hours.

Mohamed Atef, a fellow blogger who lives in the same area as the arrested activists, called the head of security in Qena to find out where his friends were. "If you don't shut up, I will have you go with them!" was the response he was given. That promise was kept. Two hours later, Mohamed Atef was arrested at Sohag train station.

Coincidentally (or not), the bloggers' arrest occurred just hours after Michael Posner, US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, expressed his country's deep concern about sectarian violence and called upon the Egyptian government to prosecute those who perpetrated it, at a conference in Cairo.

But Egypt, it seems, does not need to prosecute much. Abdel Rahim El-Ghoul, one of the longest serving MDP members of parliament from Nag Hamadi, said on TV that there is no need for a trial for the Copt who allegedly "triggered" the Hamadi incident as he is already presumed guilty. Ghoul failed to mention, however, that one of the prime suspects in the attack on the Coptic worshipers, Hamam El-Kamouny, is a confidant who was working for him in his last election campaign.

Coptic sources say that Kamouny used violence and intimidation to enlist Coptic voters, who represent about 30% of the voting bloc in the district. The Hamadi attack is perceived by many as another attempt to intimidate the Coptic community and keep it "in line" after segments of the community called for a boycott of Ghoul in the coming election later this year.

During the 2005 elections, Ghoul got angry with the local Hamadi bishop who came out against him. He is reported to have threatened the bishop and the Coptic community with dire results if they didn't support him. Bishop Kyrolus, who has had well-publicized feuds with Ghoul over his political positions, said that he was the main target of the attack. This year, facing another round of parliamentary elections, many Copts feel that the Nag Hamadi attack was politically motivated and not the work of a lone fanatic.

But such heretic thoughts should be better left unsaid - which is why it makes perfect sense to prevent some bloggers from saying them.

In a few days, the news cycle will have moved on and we'll soon forget about the bloggers and the Coptic community, whose rights they sought to protect. But some in Egypt have yet to lose hope and believe there is room for a different kind of politics. These are the voices of tomorrow - the voices being silenced by the politicians of today.

The writer is the Vice President of the Center for Freedom in the Middle East and co-founder of CyberDissidents.org.

 

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HAARETZ

EDITORIAL

NEEDED: ROADS WITH LEEWAY

 

This week brought two painful reminders of the deplorable state of Israel's roads. One came as a tractor-trailer overturned on the coastal highway, and another on Route 25 in the Arava as a truck driver lost control, veered into the oncoming lane and fatally crushed five members of a single family.

Sunday's accident on the coastal road caused a two-kilometer traffic jam, leaving thousands of frustrated motorists stranded for hours. The damage such accidents cause the economy (and the drivers' nerves) is self-evident.

Sunday's incident happened because the road is outdated - on the long segment between Netanya and Haifa, the stretch where the 6:30 A.M. crash occurred, there is no lighting between intersections. Had the highway been three lanes wide , the collision would not have led to such a massive jam, as one lane could have been left open with respectable margins.

 

Monday's accident in the south did not need to result in death. It happened on one of the country's most dangerous highways, a narrow and treacherous stretch on which 53 people were killed between 2003 and 2008. The section in which the accident occurred is undivided, so any error can send a vehicle careening from its lane into a devastating head-on collision.

Israel has many other such roads where maintenance levels are similar to those of an undeveloped country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, is not worried by such trifles - he shoots for the big game.

On the day of the accident in the south, the prime minister convened a press conference to present his "vision": covering the country with railroad tracks. The program is projected to cost NIS 27.5 billion, but would likely end up costing twice that much.

A few delusional projects have been omitted from the original plan (tracks to Eilat and Kiryat Shmona, for example), but a number of superfluous and wasteful lines are still slated to be built.

Instead of throwing money at projects aimed at posturing and public relations, Netanyahu should announce an entirely different vision, and direct those billions toward making Israel's roads safer, in line with Western countries. Drivers will always make mistakes - it is human nature. We must not, however, let every human error lead to avoidable fatalities.

 

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HAARETZ

EDITORIAL

NETANYAHU FACES DOUBLE INTIFADA FROM PALESTINIANS AND SETTLERS

BY ALUF BENN

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is busy day and night, preparing Israel for a fateful confrontation with Iran. But his real problem may occur elsewhere. The territories are heating up, with the Palestinians escalating their protests against the settlements and the separation fence. The settlers, meanwhile, can smell Netanyahu's weakness and are undermining the authority of the state.

Two events in recent days indicate the threat of an outburst: the protest in Bil'in, which Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad participated in, where some of the 1,000 demonstrators tore apart a short portion of the fence; and the invasion of dozens of right-wing activists into the ancient synagogue of Na'aran, saying "we will return to Jericho and Nablus." In both incidents, the violence was limited and no one was injured. But the struggle over the West Bank has transitioned to a new stage.

Fayyad, the former darling of official Israel, is proving to be Netanyahu's most problematic rival. The one-time economist and technocrat has gradually become a politician - enjoying exposure, kissing children, stepping up to the head of the "White Intifada," as dubbed by researchers Shaul Mishal and Doron Matza in their article in Haaretz this week. On Monday, the Palestinian government adopted a plan of action for "non-violent opposition" to the settlements and the fence.

Fayyad's White Intifada is different from its predecessors. It has a clear political goal: Declaring a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders by the summer of 2011. By then, Fayyad will have completed the building of national institutions and will work on gaining international recognition through a diplomatic pincer movement on Netanyahu. He is receiving enthusiastic approval from the U.S. administration as a successful manager. Some 2,600 Palestinian policemen have already graduated from the training course run by U.S. General Keith Dayton in Jordan and are back in the territories, expecting to serve an independent state, not as subordinate agents of an Israeli occupation. The foreign ministers of France and Spain, in a joint article published yesterday in Le Monde, called to expedite the establishment of a Palestinian state and complete its recognition by October 2011.

The protests against the fence and the settlements, as seen through the lens of the international media, have a strong impact and present Israel with a dilemma. Its initial response was "to strike at the enemy in his home base": a wave of arrests of those who organized protests at Bil'in and Na'alin, and IDF raids in Ramallah to arrest members of the International Solidarity Movement. Israeli security officials explained to their foreign counterparts how these parties "present Israel with an existential threat." But these actions failed. The Palestinians were not deterred and continued to demonstrate, knowing Israel would not dare harm Fayyad and his people.

Netanyahu's next step will be a major public relations campaign against "incitement in the Palestinian Authority." But Fayyad is prepared for this: He holds a report from the U.S. administration giving him high marks on ridding Palestinian school books of anti-Israeli propaganda.

The prime minister's position is also worsening vis-a-vis the settlers, as the temporary settlement freeze approaches its planned end in September. Will he go back to building at full speed, as promised, and risk creating a rift with U.S. President Barack Obama? Or will he continue with the freeze and risk a settler intifada? Washington is concerned Israel could lose its control over the extremists in the settlements, and of a possible internal rift in the Israel Defense Forces, whose religious soldiers and officers may refuse to obey orders to evacuate or raze settlements.

Governments of the "world" are losing their limited patience with Netanyahu and his government, as the criticism in Europe for the "murder" of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh - even from the likes of a friend of Israel like Nicolas Sarkozy - has shown. The diplomatic process remains stuck, and the "economic peace" is exhausted. The Red Cross reported last week that the lives of Palestinians have not improved, and that "it is nearly impossible to have a normal life in the West Bank."

Netanyahu is in dire straits. His box of tricks is running out. The Palestinians and settlers are exploiting his weakness. The world does not believe him and questions his control on the ground. Unless he surprises everyone with a daring initiative that will restore control to his agenda, the prime minister will be facing a double intifada from Fayyad and the settler hilltop youth.

 

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HAARETZ

EDITORIAL

WHY DOES ISRAEL CONTINUE TO DISMISS OBAMA'S MIDEAST PEACE EFFORTS?

BY GABI SHEFFER

 

Most Israelis, including the heads of the defense establishment and politicians led by the prime minister and the foreign minister, categorically state that U.S. President Barack Obama will never solve the Israeli-Arab conflict. This lack of confidence in and sympathy for Obama have accompanied him, unjustifiably, since the day he began campaigning for the presidency - and has only intensified following his election. The disrespect toward him and his administration is unwarranted; there is no doubt that it is connected to Obama's ethnic background.

In view of the economic crisis that hit the United States and, in its wake, the rest of the world, the accepted wisdom is that the ability of the United States and its president to influence what happens beyond their borders has been diminished. However, that is not where things actually stand. As no other existing power holds such extensive strength and influence, Obama's ability to act in the world in general and the Middle East in particular has not been eliminated. Russia, China and the European Union have not surpassed the United States in terms of their capability.

It must be remembered that American presidents, particularly Democrats such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, achieved remarkable accomplishments - brokering peace with Egypt and Jordan - even when they did not enjoy the support of the American public or when they were in political "trouble." In other words, even if Obama encounters further difficulties during his term, he can still work toward a solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

It is also incorrect to claim that Obama has stopped taking an interest in conflicts in which Israel is involved. American interest continues, proof of which can be seen in the endless visits by various U.S. representatives - the vice president, the secretary of state (who also does not have much support here in Israel), the head of the joint chiefs of staff, and senators and congressmen.

It is true that Iran has been a main focus of their discussions, but every one of these officials is also involved in, and discusses, the issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Special envoy George Mitchell remains fairly active and, as he proved in Ireland, he has a lot of staying power. At the Americans' initiative, his cooperation with Tony Blair has been stepped up - and this too could lead to steps that do not necessarily correspond with the positions of the Israeli government.

It is also true that the Iranian issue has led to massive involvement on the part of the U.S. administration; and as a result, as was justifiably said in a recent Haaretz editorial ("A friendly warning," February 16), Israel must refrain from any military action there. But there is no possibility of severing this involvement from other issues linked to the entire region - such as open shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf, the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates, the situation in Lebanon, and Syrian-Turkish-Iranian ties. With respect to all these issues there is, and will be, deep significance for Israel and its relations with the Palestinians and the Syrians.

Above all, the relations between the Obama administration and the Arab states and the Palestinians are not cooling. The appointment of a new U.S. ambassador to Syria as well as the Obama administration's close ties with the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with the Egyptian president and with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, should arouse the attention of the Israeli authorities who wish to freeze talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Like administrations in the past, Obama will still play a role in numerous political and economic affairs that relate to Israel. Instead of eulogizing Obama, ignoring the conflict and investing everything in the Iranian issue, Israel must immediately resume the task of solving the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian conflict.

The writer is a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

 

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HAARETZ

EDITORIAL

A CIVIL MARRIAGE WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE

BY NIVA LANIR

If they are playing for time, their investment in their civil marriage has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak a positive yield for their first year. Quiet at home and quiet on the border. Quiet in the inner cabinet and quiet in the government. Quiet in the economy and rustlings of growth. And quiet in the Knesset, which dozed off in the autumn and is now deep in hibernation. Even the inventor of this civil marriage, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his big mouth, are not threatening the alliance Barak and Netanyahu have concocted. On the contrary, Lieberman serves as its lighting rod (aim your fire at him, leave his wife and children alone).

Prime ministers have tended to say, with considerable justification, that what they don't do in their first year in office, they will never do. And commentators ask what their legacy will be. That being so, next year we may be sitting on our balconies (thanks to building code reforms), watching trains as they make their way to heritage sites, while the Palestinians and the Syrians will have backed down from their demands - or the attempt on the part of Barak and Netanyahu to rectify the mistakes of their first times in office will prove to be the ruination of us all.

They are not from the same hometown, they do not share the same ideology and until now they have not trod a shared political path. Yet, despite the patriotism inherent in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit in which they both served, Barak's respect there for Netanyahu did not soar sky-high, to put it mildly. Nevertheless, today, after Netanyahu restored Barak's political life, the defense minister is the closest to him of all his ministers, more so than all of his "natural partners."

 

Netanyahu, Barak's close associates boast, is getting a safety net from "Mr. Security" and political backing in places he never dreamt of, and he has developed a security dependency on Barak. Netanyahu watchers note the prime minister has taken Barak under his wing and is backing him generously. They add that, in effect, Netanyahu is Barak's last line of defense, preventing his final crash. Mutual esteem? Chemistry? Affection? Perhaps a bit. But, above all, political interests (the Kadima MK leading the opposition can beat her head against the wall) and Iran are the glue holding Barak and Netanyahu together. Salvation from Iran gets you into the history books.

However, political alliances - like a soccer derby - have their own rules and an expiration date: Barak has not given up on becoming prime minister again, and at some point he will have to go back and build up his standing as No. 1. Netanyahu, unflaggingly untrusting, is on guard. It is hard to estimate how long these two will restrain themselves.

Will they transform the verbiage about the need for negotiations into real diplomatic moves? Will they succeed in avoiding their characteristic tricks and the shticks? Will Barak let go of the role of political commentator and start functioning like a leader? Will Netanyahu adopt the elementary understanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad isn't going to sit down at the negotiating table if he isn't convinced he will get what Netanyahu promised him? Will he acknowledge that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas isn't going to sit down at the table for less than what Barak promised his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, and what former prime minister Ehud Olmert promised?

They have been in office this time around for a year - with nothing to show for it. Marching in place is the way to go. Meanwhile, despite the ostensible harmony, the first cracks are beginning to show in this civil marriage. Barak has sent adviser Salah Tarif to Arab leaders, and his messages have annoyed Netanyahu. The prime minister's tree-planting ceremonies in the territories began on Tu Bishvat and continued nearly into Adar. Barak hit back with talk about how an agreement is essential.

But back to Iran. There are no fractures in the relationship. Barak, like Netanyahu, sees himself as an expert on the Americans. Nevertheless, the Americans are wondering why their messages aren't getting through. Is it the fault of the message, or the selective hearing on the part of the Israelis, for whom the beating of the wings of history are drowning out the sounds of everything else? When the Americans are worried, we should be worried, too. Very worried.

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HAARETZ

EDITORIAL

THE ROAD TO STABLE DEMOCRACY

BY REUVEN RIVLIN

 

The recent oversight on the part of the High Court of Justice with regard to building a private prison and the right of a security suspect to due process resulted in the abrogation of provisions of legislation, and reignited the controversy over the intervention of the judicial authority in Knesset legislation.

Those who dared to publicly support enshrining the relationship between the judiciary and parliament through a Basic Law on Legislation were showered with insults, and accused of attempting to weaken the judicial branch and undermine its very authority to undertake any kind of judicial oversight.

These attacks are unfounded. No one disputes the fact that judicial criticism of the constitutionality of legislation is essential in a democratic system and constitutes part of the modern concept of checks and balances. There is no true democracy anywhere in the world that does not include some sort of judicial critique.

However, unlike other countries, Israeli democracy has gone only halfway. Since the Knesset enacted the Basic Laws and limited its discretion by means of overarching legislative norms, is has been clear that this action implies that the High Court has the authority to keep Knesset legislation in check - to the point of annulling it.

But the work has not been completed. The limitations of this oversight have never been fully interpreted: Which court may enact it, whow many judges and by what majority? What may constitute grounds for legislation to be struck down and how may the Knesset respond?

Lacking constitutional outlines, democracy in Israel is fated to continue suffering frequent crises. This lack of boundaries imposes a chaotic democracy on Israelis rather than a stable and harmonious one with a healthy internal balance among its components.

Years ago, as Knesset speaker, I urged then-Supreme Court president Aharon Barak to compromise and set aside his demand that a Basic Law grant total authority to the High Court to annul Knesset laws. I asked him to support a more moderate formulation that would allow the Knesset to take a law under advisement again after the High Court had declared it unconstitutional - being that only the Knesset's decision on the proper purpose and proportionality of its legislation is truly open to public scrutiny.

Barak refused my pleas. He agreed that clear rules of the game must be set and that the authority to strike down a law be given to a wider bench of more judges, but remained adamant in his position. He did so even though it was contrary to the principle of majority rule and the basic concept that the Knesset is the representative of the sovereign power.

A Basic Law on Legislation would have a historical and constitutional function. Beyond enshrining rules regarding various levels of legislation in Israel and their normative hierarchy, the law would determine proper means of ensuring the stability of Israel's democratic regime. It would place the judicial authority alongside the legislative authority, not instead of it or above it.

A Basic Law on Legislation would for the first time formally and openly enshrine the status of the High Court of Justice as a constitutional court. Moreover, the High Court would be authorized to declare a law unconstitutional by means of an expanded bench and a supermajority, returning the law to the Knesset for reconsideration by a means to be determined.

I believe that now more than ever, after more than 60 years of work toward a constitution, Israeli democracy needs to do away with its ambiguities and institute a clearer dialogue among its branches.

The writer, a Likud MK, is speaker of the Knesset.

 

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******************************************************************************************THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

QUESTIONS FOR MR. TOYODA

 

In the weeks since Toyota's safety problems have become international news, Akio Toyoda, the company's president, has apologized repeatedly. When he testifies on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, he is expected to apologize again and, according to a prepared statement, admit that his company's "priorities became confused" in its quest for growth over the last decade. It isn't enough.

 

Mr. Toyoda owes consumers a complete explanation of why his company failed — for years — to fully respond to complaints about its cars' sudden and uncontrolled acceleration, a problem that may have caused 34 deaths since 2001. He must disclose full details on when the company first learned of the problem, why it waited so long to address it and why it believed that a series of minor and inexpensive fixes would be enough — even after complaints continued to pour in.

 

He also must explain when and what the company told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about these problems. Americans have good reason to fear that regulators failed to do their job.

 

Among the subpoenaed documents Toyota has given to Congress is a chilling presentation bragging about how the company secured "favorable recall outcomes" — including negotiating a deal with the federal safety agency in 2007 to recall only 55,000 optional floor mats that were supposedly causing unintended acceleration.

 

Two years later, in August 2009, a California highway patrol officer driving a Lexus with a different mat was killed in a crash. Only then did Toyota decide to recall another 4.3 million vehicles of various models to install "smart pedals" that would allow drivers to brake even if the gas pedal was pressed. Earlier this year, after more complaints, Toyota recalled more than three million cars to fix a different problem with a pedal that stuck, leaving the throttle open.

 

In testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday, James Lentz III, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., grudgingly admitted that these recalls may not have entirely solved the problem and that there may be other instances of "mechanical, human or some other type of error." But, in his prepared testimony, he insisted that its electronic throttle is not at fault. Critics note that the number of cases of uncontrolled acceleration spiked after the system was introduced in 2001. And Toyota still has not performed a rigorous investigation into the electronic devices.

 

In a letter to Mr. Lentz, the committee's chairman, Henry Waxman, and Bart Stupak, a subcommittee chairman, said that the study Toyota says proves the throttle isn't the cause had a very small sample size and failed to test for real-world conditions. Representatives Waxman and Stupak also have been highly critical of American regulators. In a letter to Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, they say that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's only investigation into the many complaints about Toyota, made in 2004, was "cursory" and "marred by highly questionable assumptions."

 

If there is any good news, it is that the federal safety agency is now taking a much more aggressive stance. It pushed Toyota hard to recall vehicles. It also opened inquiries into how Toyota responded to complaints and whether it communicated problems to the safety agency in a timely manner. It has decided to look again into whether there may be a problem with the electronic throttle controls. Consumers need to hear the answers to those questions soon, and they need to hear how the federal safety agency plans to change its procedures so it can't be sweet-talked or flimflammed by the companies it is charged with overseeing.

 

Toyota has even more hard work ahead if it hopes to regain the confidence of drivers around the world. The first sign that it has the right priorities is to tell the full truth about how it went so badly wrong — and prove to consumers that this time it has really fixed the problem.

 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

POWER GRAB

 

After his brazen bid to steal his re-election, Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, swore that he would do better — and the Obama administration swore it would ensure that he did. He hasn't. It didn't.

 

Mr. Karzai's latest travesty: Issuing a presidential decree to take total control of the country's electoral watchdog commission. Yes, that is the same commission that exposed widespread fraud in the 2009 vote.

 

At a time when American, NATO and Afghan troops are putting their lives on the line to battle the Taliban, Mr. Karzai seems interested only in his own political power. That is hugely destructive. Mr. Karzai's failure to build a credible, honest and even minimally effective government is the Taliban's No. 1 recruiting tool.

 

The Electoral Complaints Commission adjudicates violations and will play an important role in the September vote for a new Parliament. By law, it has five members: three non-Afghans appointed by the United Nations and two Afghans, one named by the Supreme Court and one by a human rights commission. Mr. Karzai will now be able to appoint all five members.

 

His spokesman said it reflected a desire to "Afghanize" the electoral process. Afghans understandably want to control their own institutions. But all democracies need independent election arbiters. And Afghanistan's fragile political system still needs outside help.

 

We were puzzled and disturbed last year when the Obama administration didn't — or couldn't — persuade Mr. Karzai to run a reasonably clean race. Aren't tens of thousands of American troops and billions of dollars in American aid enough leverage? There can be no justification for the administration's failure to prevent this latest power grab. The reaction from the American Embassy in Kabul — it said the composition of the watchdog group is "an issue for the Afghan government and people to decide" — was embarrassingly anemic.

 

There are many questions about whether the decree is legal, and we hope there is a way to reverse it. Surely Parliament members and other politicians realize that without checks and balances, including an independent electoral commission, they all could be victims of a capricious and autocratic president. And Washington certainly needs to make clear to Mr. Karzai that its patience and support are running out.

 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

FIVE REPUBLICAN VOTES

 

After a year of partisan gridlock, it was heartening to see five Republican senators break ranks on Monday to advance a $15 billion jobs bill. The 62-to-30 vote clears the way for the bill's final passage this week.

 

The question now is whether that's as good as it gets or whether Americans are seeing a new willingness to work together to truly confront joblessness. By itself, the bill is too small and narrow to make much of a difference. It must be followed up with other steps to create desperately needed jobs.

 

There are reasons to hope for the best. The Breakaway Five — the newly elected Scott Brown of Massachusetts; Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine; George Voinovich of Ohio and Christopher Bond of Missouri — appeared motivated by the basic political virtues of common sense and constituent concern. That's a sharp contrast with the strategy of obstruction.

 

Mr. Brown said the bill was not perfect but that he voted for it because it "would help put people back to work." Ms. Snowe said the bill did not go far enough but that the Senate had to demonstrate an ability to act "in a tough economy."

 

The real test of bipartisan commitment to job creation will come soon. The main provision of the current bill — a $13 billion hiring tax credit — is unlikely to have much impact unless it's paired with other federal help, mainly extended unemployment benefits and more fiscal aid to states. Without those boosts, an economy afflicted with high unemployment and incessant state-budget cuts cannot generate the consumer demand that employers need to see before adding workers.

 

As it is, extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed expire at the end of February, and governors are building deep cuts into upcoming budgets. The Democratic leadership must quickly introduce a bill to extend unemployment benefits through December and to bolster aid to states. If Republicans really care about jobs more than dragging down President Obama, they will support those measures.

 

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, plans to introduce several other job-creation bills that focus on small businesses, infrastructure spending, clean energy jobs and public-sector employment, like summer youth jobs. One bill that covers all of these important areas would be better because separate bills invite delay and demagoguery, and the jobs crisis is too acute to act as if the nation has the luxury of time. But if the vote on Monday signals a real step forward, new jobs may yet result.

 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

IRAQ'S KNOWN UNKNOWNS, STILL UNKNOWN

BY THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

 

From the very beginning of the U.S. intervention in Iraq and the effort to build some kind of democracy there, a simple but gnawing question has lurked in the background: Was Iraq the way Iraq was (a dictatorship) because Saddam was the way Saddam was, or was Saddam the way Saddam was because Iraq was the way Iraq was — a collection of warring sects incapable of self-rule and only governable with an iron fist?

 

Alas, some seven years after the U.S. toppled Saddam's government, a few weeks before Iraq's second democratic national election, and in advance of the pullout of American forces, this question still has not been answered. Will Iraq's new politics triumph over its cultural divides, or will its cultural/sectarian divides sink its fledgling democracy? We still don't know.

 

In many ways, Iraq is a test case for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's dictum that "the central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself."

 

Ironically, though, it was the neo-conservative Bush team that argued that culture didn't matter in Iraq, and that the prospect of democracy and self-rule would automatically bring Iraqis together to bury the past. While many liberals and realists contended that Iraq was an irredeemable tribal hornet's nest and we should not be sticking our hand in there; it was place where the past would always bury the future.

 

But stick we did, and in so doing we gave Iraqis a chance to do something no other Arab people have ever had a chance to do: freely write their own social contract on how they would like to rule themselves and live together.

 

With elections set for March 7, with America slated to shrink to 50,000 troops by September — and down to zero by the end of 2011 — Iraqis will have to decide how they want to exploit this opportunity.

 

I met last week with Gen. Ray Odierno, the overall U.S. commander in Iraq, who along with Vice President Joe Biden has done more to coach, coax, cajole and occasionally shove Iraqis away from the abyss than anyone else. I found the general hopeful but worried. He was hopeful because he has seen Iraqis go to the brink so many times and then pull back, but worried because sectarian violence is steadily creeping back ahead of the elections and certain Shiite politicians, like the former Bush darling Ahmed Chalabi — whom General Odierno indicated is clearly "influenced by Iran" and up to no good — have been trying to exclude some key Sunni politicians from the election.

 

It is critical, said Odierno, that "Iraqis feel that the elections are credible and legitimate" and that the democratic process is working. "I don't want the campaigning to lead to a sectarian divide again," he added. "I worry that some elements will feel politically isolated and will not have the ability to influence and participate."

 

How might this play out? The ideal but least likely scenario is that we see the emergence of an Iraqi Shiite Nelson Mandela. The Shiites, long suppressed by Iraq's Baathist-led Sunni minority, are now Iraq's ruling majority. Could Iraq produce a Shiite politician, who, like Mandela, would be a national healer — someone who would use his power to lead a real reconciliation instead of just a Shiite dominion? So far, no sign of it.

 

Even without a Mandela, Iraq could still hold together, and thrive, if its rival Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities both recognize the new balance of power — that the Shiites are now the dominant community in Iraq and, ultimately, will have the biggest say — and the new limits of power. No community can assert its will by force and, therefore, sectarian disputes have to be resolved politically.

 

The two scenarios you don't want to see are: 1) Iraq's tribal culture triumphing over politics and the country becoming a big Somalia with oil; or 2) as America fades away, Iraq's Shiite government aligning itself more with Iran, and Iran becoming the kingmaker in Iraq the way Syria has made itself in Lebanon.

 

Why should we care when we're leaving? Quite simply, so much of the turmoil in the region was stoked over the years by Saddam's Iraq and Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran, both financed by billions in oil revenues. If, over time, a decent democratizing regime could emerge in Iraq and a similar one in Iran — so that oil wealth was funding reasonably decent regimes rather than retrograde ones — the whole Middle East would be different.

 

The odds, though, remain very long. In the end, it will come back to that nagging question of politics versus culture. Personally, I'm a believer in the argument Lawrence Harrison makes in his book "The Central Liberal Truth" — culture matters, a lot more than we think, but cultures can change, a lot more than we expect. But such change takes time, leadership and often pain. Which is why, I suspect, Iraqis will surprise us — for good and for ill — a lot more before they finally answer the question: Who are we and how do we want to live together?

 

Maureen Dowd is off today.

 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

BUST THE HEALTH CARE TRUSTS

BY ROBERT B. REICH

 

Berkeley, Calif.

MY health insurer here in California is Anthem Blue Cross. So far, my group policy hasn't been affected by Anthem's planned rate increase of as much as 39 percent for its customers with individual policies — but the trend worries me, as it should everyone. Rates are soaring all over the country. Insurers have been seeking to raise premiums 24 percent in Connecticut, 23 percent in Maine, 20 percent in Oregon and a wallet-popping 56 percent in Michigan. How can insurers raise prices as much as they want without fear of losing customers?

 

Astonishingly, the health insurance industry is exempt from federal antitrust laws, which is why a handful of insurers have become so dominant in their markets that their customers simply have nowhere else to go. But that protection could soon end: President Obama on Tuesday announced his support of a House bill that would repeal health insurers' antitrust exemption, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled that she would put it toward an immediate vote.

 

This is promising news. Forcing insurers to compete for our business would do at least as much good as the president's proposal to give the federal government, working with the states, the power to deny or roll back excessive premiums. The fact is that half of the states already have the power to approve rates and they don't seem to be holding insurers back much.

 

Health insurers like Anthem claim they have to raise rates (as well as co-payments and deductibles) because of the economic downturn. Employers are reducing coverage and cutting payrolls. As a result, more people are buying individual policies, but they tend to be older and sicker. Younger and healthier Americans are simply going without insurance, and thus not subsidizing their costlier fellow policy-holders.

 

This can't be the whole story, because big health insurers are making boatloads of money. America's five largest health insurers made a total profit of $12.2 billion last year; that was 56 percent higher than in 2008, according to a report from Health Care for America Now.

 

It's not as if health insurers have been inventing jazzy software or making jet airplanes. Basically, they just collect money from employers and individuals and give the money to providers. In most markets, consumers wouldn't pay this much for so little. We'd find a competitor that charged less and delivered more. What's stopping us? Not enough choice.

 

More than 90 percent of insurance markets in more than 300 metropolitan areas are "highly concentrated," as defined by the Federal Trade Commission, according to the American Medical Association. A 2008 survey by the Government Accountability Office found the five largest providers of small group insurance controlled 75 percent or more of the market in 34 states, and 90 percent or more in 23 of those states, a significant increase in concentration since the G.A.O.'s 2002 survey.

 

Anthem's parent is WellPoint, one of the largest publicly traded health insurers in America, which runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states and Unicare plans in several others. WellPoint, through Anthem, is the largest for-profit health insurer here in California, as it is in Maine, where it controls 78 percent of the market. In Missouri, WellPoint owns 68 percent of the market; in its home state, Indiana, 60 percent. With 35 million customers, WellPoint counts one out of every nine Americans as a member of one of its plans.

 

Antitrust laws are supposed to prevent this kind of market power. So why are giant health insurers like WellPoint exempt? Chalk it up to an anomaly that began seven decades ago in the quaint old world of regional, nonprofit Blues. They were created in part by hospitals to spread the costs of expensive new equipment and facilities over many policy holders. Collaboration was the point, not competition. The 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act made it official, exempting insurers from antitrust scrutiny and giving states the power to regulate them, although not necessarily any power to regulate rates.

 

The system worked fairly well until about two decades ago when insurers began morphing into publicly held, for-profit cash machines. A new breed of medical entrepreneur saw opportunities to profit from a rapidly aging population eager to get every new drug and technology that might extend their lives, and a government committed to doling out hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid.

 

With size has come not only market power but political clout. Big for-profit insurers deploy enough campaign money and lobbyists to get their way with state legislators and insurance commissioners. A proposal last year to allow California's Department of Insurance to regulate rates, for example, died in committee. These companies have even been known to press states to limit how many other health insurers they license.

 

And when they can't get their way, insurers go to court. In Maine — one state that aggressively regulates rates — WellPoint's Anthem subsidiary has sued the insurance superintendent for reducing its requested rate increase.

 

Political clout can be especially advantageous at the federal level, as the big Wall Street banks have so brazenly demonstrated. Over the past two and a half years, WellPoint's employees and associates have contributed more than $922,000 to federal political campaigns, and the company has spent $7.8 million lobbying Washington policymakers, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. It should not be surprising that WellPoint was one of the leading opponents of the public insurance option, which would have subjected it to competition even where it had sewn up the market.

 

Antitrust is no substitute for broader health care reform, but it's an important prerequisite. If a handful of giant health insurers are allowed to dominate the industry, many of the other aspects of reform (establishing insurance exchanges, requiring people to have insurance, even allowing consumers to buy insurance across state lines) won't bring down the price of insurance.

 

Regardless of what happens at the White House's health care meeting on Thursday, we've got to make sure health insurers compete for every one of our dollars. First chance I get I'm going to find another health insurer here in California — unless Anthem has such a lock on the market I can't find a better deal.

 

Robert B. Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, is the author of "Supercapitalism."

 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL

EXTENDING OUR STAY IN IRAQ

BY THOMAS E. RICKS

 

Washington

IRAQ'S March 7 national election, and the formation of a new government that will follow, carry huge implications for both Iraqis and American policy. It appears now that the results are unlikely to resolve key political struggles that could return the country to sectarianism and violence.

 

If so, President Obama may find himself later this year considering whether once again to break his campaign promises about ending the war, and to offer to keep tens of thousands of troops in Iraq for several more years. Surprisingly, that probably is the best course for him, and for Iraqi leaders, to pursue.

 

Whether or not the elections bring the long-awaited political breakthrough that genuinely ends the fighting there, 2010 is likely to be a turning-point year in the war, akin to the summer of 2003 (when the United States realized that it faced an insurgency) and 2006 (when that insurgency morphed into a small but vicious civil war and American policy came to a dead end). For good or ill, this is likely the year we will begin to see the broad outlines of post-occupation Iraq. The early signs are not good, with the latest being the decision over the weekend of the leading Sunni party, the National Dialogue Front, to withdraw from the elections.

 

The political situation is far less certain, and I think less stable, than most Americans believe. A retired Marine colonel I know, Gary Anderson, just returned from Iraq and predicts a civil war or military coup by September. Another friend, the journalist Nir Rosen, avers that Iraq is on a long-term peaceful course. Both men know Iraq well, having spent years working there. I have not seen such a wide discrepancy in expert views since late 2005.

 

The period surrounding the surge of 2007 has been misremembered. It was not about simply sending 30,000 more troops to Iraq; it was about using force differently, moving the troops off big bases to work with Iraqi units and live among the people. Perhaps even more significantly, the surge signaled a change in American attitudes, with more humility about what could be done, more willingness to listen to Iraqis, and with quietly but sharply reduced ambitions.

 

The Bush administration's grandiose original vision of transforming Iraq into a beacon of democracy that would alter the Middle East and drain the swamps of terrorism was scuttled and replaced by the more realistic goal of getting American forces out and leaving behind a country that was somewhat stable and, with luck, perhaps democratic and respectful of human rights. As part of the shift, the American commander, Gen. David Petraeus, also effectively put the Sunni insurgency on the American payroll.

 

Looking back now, I think the surge was the right thing to do. In rejecting the view of the majority of his military advisers and embracing the course proposed by a handful of dissidents, President Bush found his finest moment. That said, the larger goal of the surge was to facilitate a political breakthrough, which has not happened.

 

All the existential questions that plagued Iraq before the surge remain unanswered. How will oil revenue be shared among the country's major groups? What is to be the fundamental relationship between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds? Will Iraq have a strong central government or be a loose confederation? And what will be the role of Iran (for my money, the biggest winner in the Iraq war thus far)?

 

Unfortunately, all of these questions have led to violence in the past, and could again just as the Obama administration's timeline calls for troops to leave areas that are far from quiet. The plan this year is to pull out about 10,000 troops a month for five months, beginning in late spring. That will halve the American military presence, with the remainder (other than a "residual force" of unspecified size) scheduled to be withdrawn in 2011. The withdrawal plan was written on the assumption that the elections would be held late in 2009 or early in 2010. Under the plan, troop numbers would be kept level to ensure stability in a vulnerable period, especially if the Sunnis were to feel that the electoral process was unfair, or if they were not given a role in the new government commensurate with their success at the polls.

 

But given the changed timetable, just as Iraqi political leaders are struggling to form a new government, American military leaders will be distracted by the myriad tasks of supervising major troop movements. On top of that, the deeper the troop withdrawals go, the more potentially destabilizing they will be — because the first withdrawals will be made in areas that are considered more secure, or where Iraqi forces are deemed more reliable or evenhanded.

 

By June, American troops may be leaving areas that are far from quiet, and where new tensions may be brewing as a result of the elections. Once again, the United States would be rushing toward failure in Iraq, as it did so often under the Bush administration, trying to pass responsibility to Iraqi officials and institutions before they are ready for the task.

 

By late summer, the Obama administration could find itself in the uncomfortable position of reconsidering its vows to get out of combat in Iraq by August and to remove all troops by the end of next year. This will be politically difficult for the president, but he has shown admirable flexibility in his handling of Iraq. My impression is that the American people now wish they had never heard of Iraq, but understand just what a mess it is and are willing to give the president a surprising amount of leeway.

 

Extending the American military presence will be even more politically controversial in Iraq, and for that reason, it would be best to let Iraqi leaders make the first public move to re-open the status of forces agreement of 2008, which calls for American troops to be out of the country by the end of next year. But I think leaders in both countries may come to recognize that the best way to deter a return to civil war is to find a way to keep 30,000 to 50,000 United States service members in Iraq for many years to come.

 

These troops' missions would be far narrower than during the surge era; their primary goal would be to train and advise Iraqi security forces and to carry out counterterrorism missions. (It is actually hard to get below 30,000 and still have an effective force; many troops are needed for logistics, maintenance, medical, intelligence, communications and headquarters jobs, and additional infantry units are then needed to protect the people performing those tasks.)

 

Such a relatively small, tailored force would not be big enough to wage a war, but it might be enough to deter a new one from breaking out. An Iraqi civil war would likely be a three- or four-sided affair, with the Shiites breaking into pro- and anti-Iranian factions. It could also easily metastasize into a regional war. Neighboring powers like Turkey and Iran are already involved in Iraqi affairs, and the Sunni Arab states would be unlikely to stand by and watch a Shiite-dominated regime in Baghdad slaughter the Sunni minority. A regional war in the middle of the world's oil patch could shake the global economy to its foundations and make the current recession look mild.

 

In addition, a continued American military presence could help Iraq move forward politically. No one there particularly likes having the Americans around, but many groups seem to trust the Americans as honest brokers. And there would be a moral, humanitarian and political benefit: Having American soldiers accompany Iraqi units may improve the behavior of Iraqi forces, discouraging relapses to Saddam Hussein-era abuses, or the use of force for private ends and feuds. Advisers not only instruct Iraqi commanders, they also monitor them.

 

As a longtime critic of the American invasion of Iraq, I am not happy about advocating a continued military presence there. Yet, to echo the counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen, just because you invade a country stupidly doesn't mean you should leave it stupidly. The best argument against keeping troops in Iraq is the one some American military officers make, which is that a civil war is inevitable, and that by staying all we are doing is postponing it. That may be so, but I don't think it is worth gambling to find out.

 

Thomas E. Ricks, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security who covered the war in Iraq for The Washington Post, is the author of "Fiasco" and "The Gamble." He also writes the Best Defense blog for Foreign Policy magazine.

 

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 I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

DRAGGING FEET

 

The rather unpleasant sound of feet being scuffled along the corridors of power seems to be audible all around us once again. Despite its recent overtures to the courts and the repeated reassurances that it wishes at all costs to avoid a clash of institutions, the government has made no effort to implement the Supreme Court's verdict on the NRO. In particular, there seems to be no attempt whatsoever to re-open cases in the Swiss courts pending against President Asif Ali Zardari, despite direct orders from the apex court to NAB to do this by writing to the relevant authorities in Geneva. It is quite conceivable, then, that the final showdown between the executive and the judiciary, that has been feared for so long, may still lies round the corner. What we have seen over the past few weeks could just be the lull before a more dramatic event. The president and the henchmen who surround him seem determined to shelter behind the shade of immunity for the man at the top. But consensus is building that this, in the final analysis, may not prove to be very solid cover after all. There are many legal experts who are convinced that the president is indeed answerable for misdeeds in financial matters. Certainly, as far as public opinion goes, most people believe that justice can be served only when the same rules apply to all and there is some measure of accountability regardless of office.

There is another angle to all this. The emerging scenario shows that NAB is unable to act on its own. Nobody subservient to government can carry out a proper act of accountability. To approach the Swiss, NAB must go through the law ministry. For obvious reasons that ministry will hardly be eager to act. But in all this, the government, and especially the prime minister himself, who is constantly being quoted by presidential aides as emphasising that Mr Asif Ali Zardari has immunity, must consider what the refusal to comply with the court orders is doing for the image of the current setup. There is, after all, a limit to how much damage it can sustain before it suffers wounds that cannot be repaired. And, of course, it is also important to avoid inflicting injury on the relations that exist between our institutions, for any tussle between them would cause damage from which recovery could prove extremely difficult for our nation.

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

CHANGE AT THE HELM

 

Four major candidates are said to be in the running for the post of finance minister, which falls vacant when Mr Shaukat Tarin steps down at the end of the month. He has now confirmed rumours floating in Islamabad for some weeks that he has indeed written in his resignation. Officially we are told this is to allow the banker to focus on his own private bank and its affairs. Unofficially there are whispers that Mr Tarin had grown somewhat frustrated with matters of administration and the pressures he faced. As he goes out, Mr Tarin should take pride in the fact that he is stepping down at a time of his own choosing. Far too many others opt to hang on at all costs to power. We can of course think of many in the government who would have done well to move on, given their showing – or the lack of it. The outgoing finance minister also successfully negotiated the November 2008 loan with the IMF that warded off immediate crisis, even though its consequences will be long and difficult ones.

Whoever takes over the helm of affairs at the finance ministry faces many challenges. The economic issues we confront are not easy to resolve. In more ways than one they underpin all that is amiss and that needs to be urgently righted. The axis of issues such as militancy passes after all through the wheel of economic affairs. Setting that wheel on a smooth path can solve a great deal. We must therefore hope that the choice of a successor for Mr Tarin is made entirely on the basis of professional merit. Sadly, this has not always been the case. But it is essential that wisdom be shown so we can acquire a person capable of leading us towards safer ground as far as matters of finance go.

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

ENDLESS TERROR

 

Monday it was Mingora, Tuesday it was the Peshawar suburb of Adezai and who knows where on Wednesday. Something approaching normalcy had returned to Mingora. There were a handful of foreign tourists in town, shops and bazaars were opening and some had spruced up their shopfront with a coat of paint. Business was not exactly booming but there were strong signs that the local economy was up and running again. But the terrorists turned the clock back by detonating a car bomb at Nishat Chowk in the city centre, killing 13 and injuring 41 others. A day later in Adezai it was the members of an anti-Taliban lashkar who were the target. Casualty figures are unclear at the time of writing. There will be finger-pointing and accusations that this or that agency 'failed' in its duty and calls for a 'beefing up' of security all around. None of which amounts to very much in the face of an enemy that has all the time in the world, sufficient resources (this is relatively cheap warfare from the terrorists' perspective) and values their own and the lives of others in paisas. The almost daily carnage appears without end. We do not know who to negotiate with to bring a halt, and when we do negotiate and think we have found an island of sanity that may grow into an archipelago of peace, it all sinks back into a sea of violence within days and weeks.

So would matters really improve if every foreigner left Afghanistan tomorrow? Or if America packed its bags and left Pakistan completely – taking its aid money and military support (and Blackwater) with it? Probably not in either case. The war we fight has its genesis in our classrooms, the grinding poverty and disillusion of millions, and the serial failure of government after government to break the mould of feudal dynastic politics and truly emancipate the people. The butchery is inexcusable, but against such a backdrop perhaps we might dimly discern the mindset that produces it. And even in the midst of this darkness, if we are to hold the ground we have so recently won back, we need to do more to consolidate the peace. Winning the battle is the easy part – winning the peace infinitely harder.

 

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I. THE NEWS

THE GAME-CHANGER

ZAFAR HILALY

Except Obama, just about every American who has anything to do with Pakistan and could find a seat on a plane or hitch a ride has been here to cajole, prod, threaten, and inveigle Pakistan to do America's bidding in Afghanistan. Even Richard Armitage was fished out from some think tank or another.

Such saturation tactics have paid off. An army that has been assigned the near-impossible task of fighting on two fronts, at opposite ends of the country, while keeping an eye on the squabbling politicians, has decided to bite the bullet. Recent developments suggest that we are now squarely in the American camp despite ostensible differences and the reservations of many on America's Afghan policy.

There were indications, which some of us missed, that conjoining with the Americans was in the works. The arrest of Taliban high-ups, the near-perfect targeting of militants by American drones in Waziristan revealed the quality and depth of the intelligence cooperation that now exists. Likewise, the remarkably successful operations in the two Waziristans, although an exclusively Pakistani affair, were much aided by devices not obtainable earlier.

All of which also explains why the American lexicon has changed in the depiction of Pakistan's current role in the war. Even the abrasive Holbrooke was over the moon in his praise of Pakistan, and Hillary Clinton likewise. The Pentagon quartet of Gates, Mullen, McCrystal, Pertraeus are no less profuse, and so too the ex-Pentagonian Jones, now advising Obama.

We expect quick release of Coalition Support Funds of almost $2 billion that are due, beginning next week, with an instalment of $360 million. Sixteen F-16s are expected by July and perhaps more to follow. Drones of a type more potent than what were on offer are on offer now. And, just possibly, down the road, a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement similar to that concluded with India; at least, that is what Christiane Fair, who in her earlier incarnation was a Pakistan-basher, has proposed. Meanwhile, the civilian package will be speeded up with the visa issue close to resolution, and perhaps augmented with dollops of dollars.

Such good news was accompanied by caution from American ambassador, "Nanny" Patterson, who (talking to the FCCI in Karachi) could not resist scolding us for our overreliance on foreign assistance, but that is her wont. She once insinuated to a Benazir Bhutto who was justifiably alarmed about her security that she should calm down and get on with the business of cooperating with Musharraf.

Never downcast, Mullah Omar, raising the telescope to his blind eye, is telling the world through his spokesman that the horizon holds no danger for the Taliban, though inwardly he must be seething at the arrest of his henchmen in Karachi and Quetta. It marks a turnaround from earlier policy which, even by Afghan standards, must appear stunning. The fact that there may have been an unspoken agreement from the Musharraf era allowing the "friendly" Taliban unmolested access to Pakistan no doubt compounded Mullah Omar's rage.

Actually, the recent arrests of Baradar and the shadow Taliban governors Salam and Mir Mohammad may prove game-changers. Some say that it is a ploy meant to appease the Americans and to convey to the Taliban the message that in the current attempts to broker a settlement Pakistan means to be heard by themm or else; and that eventually the arrested officials will be released.

Be that as it may, it is unlikely to succeed. The Americans will want us to "catch more" and will keep an eye on Baradar. Besides, the blow to Taliban vanity will not be easily appeased. The Taliban only forgive an enemy against whom they cannot strike back, whereas Pakistan is an easy target. In any case, for them war is just God's way of teaching them geography. They will not stop warring or seeking revenge for their imprisoned countrymen.

Talk of Pakistan retaining a mediatory role after the arrests appears overly optimistic, perhaps even naive; and so too our policy of treating the TTP and the Afghan Taliban as distinct entities; or, for that matter, the Jaishes and Lashkars and Al Qaeda as being apart from the Taliban. Just as we have conjoined with the Americans, notwithstanding important differences in perceptions, so will these groups conjoin with each other, despite their contrasting agendas.

Increasingly, it appears, McCrystal's desire, expressed to the media in January that Pakistan and America "develop a joint campaign plans so that we approach the entire problem together," is being realised. So too his conviction that they undertake "joint military action against the Taliban (by) launching coordinated attacks on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border"; such as, presumably, the successful air strike by the PAF against militants on our side of the border on Feb 20, which reportedly accounted for thirty of them.

India must be delighted that the Americans have finally managed to pit Pakistan against the Afghan Taliban. And, because America, Karzai, India and Pakistan now have a common enemy, logically Pakistan cannot object to India being allotted the task of training Karzai's army. Of course, Pakistan will object; and also because logic is often the first casualty when it comes to handling India. A pity; because. given the volatile ethnic composition, divided tribal loyalties and a rate of desertion that is the highest in the world, training the Afghan army seems a Sisyphian labour which one could only wish on an enemy.

Now that we seem embarked on a war that may well span a generation, and have unpredictable and unintended consequences, one can only hope that those who have brought us to this pass have not only the measure of their enemy but also of their ally. It is not that America will cut and run, although America has announced that it will begin to withdraw soon, and often that amounts to much the same thing. But, more importantly, whether the American commitment to fund the war and provide the weaponry required, and share the long-term economic cost that it will entail for Pakistan, will be honoured by a Washington that is becoming increasingly mired in debt. On that score one can only hope that our leaders have read the tea leaves correctly.

The consequences of a war that has every possibility now of intensifying and spreading could be traumatic for Pakistan. Terrorism has virtually destroyed Pakistan's economy. It is conceivable, therefore, that as the energy shortfall and water scarcity take hold, food prices soar and joblessness grows and poor governance continues, public disquiet, already fairly high, will spill over on to the streets, in which case the mix of our travails could prove lethal.

Most wars have an outcome. There is a victor and a vanquished side, except in Afghan wars. In these wars the enemy will flee when confronted by an overwhelming force but will return to attack when the odds are better. One is never able to say whether one is winning the war or not.

But assuming we prevail, our victory will be of little consequence unless the Taliban and their murderous allies are defeated not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan. And, frankly, it is impossible to countenance a Taliban defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of the ragtag army Karzai will have at his disposal. Actually, what is more probable, nay, certain, is the defeat of Karzai's forces at the hands of the Taliban once the Americans depart.

Where does that leave Pakistan? Stuck between an unfriendly Afghanistan under the Taliban and a hostile India which is precisely where we do not want to be. Hence the reason why, some felt, that a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan, preceded by an American withdrawal, was the best solution for all concerned especially Pakistan.

We have made this task infinitively more difficult for ourselves by aligning so closely with the departing Americans and seemingly unable to resist their urgings for joint action against the Afghan Taliban. Our only alternative now, it appears, is to decisively win the ideological and military battles against the united Taliban and other extremists at home and hope that someone will do the same in Afghanistan. And, meanwhile, to rethink the basis of our six-decades-old mindset towards India, which has thus far been, but can no longer be, our sole strategic preoccupation.

The writer is a former ambassador. Email: charles123it@hotmail.com

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

WILL YOU LISTEN, MR PRESIDENT?

SALEEM SAFI

Pakistani politics is never all that it seems to be. Ostensibly, the current crisis was precipitated by allegations of corruption. However, it is not the complete picture and behind the scenes, numerous factors and stories are in play. The establishment did nothing to impede Mr Zardari's path to the presidency despite the stigma of benefits from the NRO; and the media was no less supportive.

Once in power, we can now see that Mr Zardari wants to be an absolute autocrat. For him, democracy is a means to achieving that end, while for his opponents, the mantra of corruption and lip service to the rule of law are sticks to beat him with. The whole drama is defined by a wish for institutional and individual supremacy by all the actors including Mr Zardari who, in pursuit of power, has always taken the lead in tackling his opponents, no matter who.

Nawaz Sharif, the establishment, the judiciary, the media and the PPP had all accepted Zardari as president by more by force of circumstance than anything else; and this unusually sympathetic atmosphere offered him an opportunity to improve his image and make himself acceptable to other players.

In the cases of Justice Saqib Nisar and Justice Khawaja Sharif, his spokesman talked about the principle of seniority, but when it came to his own party, Mr Zardari never followed this principle. Seniority became the undoing of his party's senior leadership, and a curse in the sense that all such people were ignored and sidelined. Similarly, his unnecessary delay in the re-instatement of judges not only became a cause of public protest, but also invited the ire of leaders of the movement for independent judiciary.

It would be a blessing if he had stopped at that. Without any proper preparation or an established track record in important foreign policy issues with India, the US and Afghanistan, Mr Zardari opted to take a different line from that of the establishment. He tried to bring the ISI under the control of Rehman Malik who is a suspect in the eyes of the establishment as he is not 'one of their own' and has been allowed to intrude into sensitive areas and regions. As a consequence President Zardari became a burden for the establishment.

In this situation, sanity should have guided his decisions after annoying the establishment, the party and the judiciary – but it did not. He should have sought a closer relationship with Nawaz Sharif but true to his nature President Zardari deceived Mr Sharif as well. Furthermore, instead of implementing the Charter of Democracy and the Bhurban pact to meet public demands and silence Nawaz Sharif, he tried to pressurise him via the tirades of Salmaan Taseer. Inevitably, the media did not remain silent and raised pinching questions regarding various blunders and excesses. Instead of offering satisfactory answers to their questions, he chose to oppress the media by resorting to traditional strong-arm tactics.

Many individuals and institutions reacted to Zardari's excesses and blunders. The issue of corruption was raised by many and it has become both his weakness and his undoing. The senior but ignored leaders and victims of Zardari's politics within the PPP are now paying him back by leaking stories of governmental corruption. Though the reasons behind the establishment's differences with Zardari were different, it also took to using this weapon against him. The mainstay of media's response and Nawaz Sharif's counter-attack also revolve round this weakness.

Against this background, the judiciary shot down the NRO. It was obvious that all the aforementioned actors had unanimously decided to oust Zardari. On the basis of this perception, Zardari cried foul over the imaginary conspiracies pointing fingers at different institutions at different times. Some of our media friends started counting Zardari's days in power. But Nawaz Sharif offered a helping hand. Against the wishes of Chaudhry Nisar Ali and Shahbaz Sharif to strengthen the establishment's hands, Nawaz Sharif chose to help Zardari and wait for his turn. On the other hand, due to rising pressure of the NRO decision's critics, the judiciary took up the matter of the 'missing persons' case and again revealed the establishment's traditional obstinate behaviour. Confronted with this reality, the judges were thus reminded of the Musharraf regime and as such voiced support for the democratic process despite insisting on giving judgments on merit.

The media's position was that despite standing for Mr Zardari's accountability, it does not wish to derail the democratic process. These voices saved President Zardari. After this episode, one might have expected him to have revisited his past mistakes and learned from them. But sadly, once again Zardari's bravado added to his misplaced confidence. Instead of thinking that he was saved because of the other players' compulsions, he thought that he won because of his 'skills' and shrewd politics. As a victor he first attacked the Jang group, slapping it with a ban of official advertisements.

With a new vigour and lust for revenge, he again took on the judiciary by starting with issuance of notifications of appointment regarding Justice Khwaja Sharif and Justice Saqib Nisar against the advice of the chief justice of Pakistan. I am certain that after this ill-advised move, his cronies would be admiring him. But this time he is badly entrapped. Detractors are no doubt sanguine, but Zardari's unnecessary bravado smacks of his wish for 'political martyrdom'. As a Pashto adage goes, a clever bird is seldom trapped, but when it does, both its feet are tied. In the present circumstances, this adage holds true for President Zardari. He may feel that he has once again gotten away from the trap but this will be a false sense of security. This recent crisis was his last chance. It has brought all his foes onto a common platform with a single agenda. He should not test the camel's back with the last straw.

 

The writer works for Geo TV. Email: saleem. safi@janggroup.com.pk

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

FREE FOR ALL

DR A Q KHAN

Everybody is engaged in exploiting and looting the country. Both the rulers and the public are held equally responsible for this lawlessness and plunder. It must be obvious to everyone that when neither rulers nor public follow laws (or are held responsible), the result is chaos and corruption.

One story goes that there was once a raja who wanted to enforce law and order in his kingdom but the elite and the public were not willing to follow the rules and wanted to do whatever suited them. After the raja failed to convince the officers and public, an old, wise minister advised him to allow the people to do just as they pleased. So it became a free-for-all. Robbers, the corrupt, exploiters and extortionists had a heyday. Once the son of an officer got seriously injured in an accident and when he was brought to the hospital there were no doctors available to attend to him and he died. After a few days there was a robbery at the house of the head of the hospital. The robbers thrashed the inmates, stole all their belongings and vanished. The police were least bothered and did not take serious notice. Soon after, a fire broke out at the house of the chief of police but the fire-fighters were slow in reacting and the whole house was reduced to ashes. The sanitary workers refused to collect the garbage and the whole area stank, became contaminated and various diseases spread rapidly.

The powerful bullied the weak, women were molested and soon became too scared to venture out of their houses. Markets were closed for fear of looters and soon there was a shortage of foodstuff. Cities took on a deserted look. In short, there was total lawlessness. The ruler was not oblivious to the situation and his agents kept him informed of the whole situation. Some elderly, wise people got together and decided to convince the ruler to enforce law and order within his domain and to mete out exemplary punishment to violators. The king readily agreed, but insisted that the public be asked to choose – law and order or a free-for-all. A meeting was called and the question was put to the people, who requested the enforcement of law and order.

There were, of course, a few dissenters who did not really want law and order, but since they were in the minority, they did not dare voice their objections. The next day instructions were issued for the strict enforcement of the law and for the appointment of strict officers. At first there were some mischief-mongers who tried to create problems, but they were severely dealt with and within a short span of time the kingdom once again revived, the whole system started running smoothly and markets, educational institutions, hospitals, etc., once again functioned. Though this is just a story with a moral, it reflects on how law and order can change a negative free-for-all situation into a positive one.

During the period of the Caliphs, law and order was strictly maintained. Nobody could dare to violate any law during the period of Hazrat Umar (RA) without being punished. During the Moghul period, law and order was strictly enforced. However, upon the slow disintegration of the empire, the situation became so bad that the courtiers even blinded the king, Shah Alam. The excellent and strict law-and-order situation during the reign of Alauddin Khilji is an unforgettable chapter in Islamic history.

In our country dictators ruled with impunity, not for the good of the country, but to prolong their own rule. Had they been honest and God-fearing, they would have taken steps for the welfare of the public in general and the poor in particular. Had they done so, the country would have been quite different now. For the last 45 years the country has been on a downward path and has now almost gone to the dogs. Shortage of foodstuff, load shedding, hoarding, adulteration, corruption, terrorism, you name it, are the order of the day. At the rate of which we are borrowing from international institutions, we will soon be a failed state. But programmes costing billions of rupees are in full swing and are feathering the nests (or fattening the pockets) of those in power.

There is no faith in Allah but full faith in foreign powers for our survival. There is a lot of submission to foreign dictates and ghairat, or self-esteem, has become a scarce commodity. But as Ghalib said: "When pain exceeds all limits, it itself becomes a healer." Our problems have resulted in an independent and assertive judiciary and an independent, fearless media.

The public can no longer be kept in the dark. Now they are aware of the tricks, lies, cheating, etc., of the political leaders and can form their own opinions to judge the characters of their leaders. Many of the dishonest and corrupt are now planning to get out of the country with their ill-gotten wealth before the noose is tightened around their necks. But remember Allah's warning! "Truly, strong is the grip (and power) of Allah." (85:12.) "The truth will prevail and the wrongdoers will be taken to task, as promised by the Almighty."

On Jan 9 I was invited to address the Rawalpindi District Bar Council and was given a rousing and memorable reception. The whole area was covered with rose petals and hundreds of lawyers raised deafening slogans. In my address I deliberated upon the ills plaguing our society, like lawlessness, corruption, adulteration, hoarding, lying, munafiqat. I pointed out that most of these evils were being practiced by the common man – i.e. about 99 per cent of the population – and because of their attitude, the one per cent ruling clique thrived. If, on the other hand, that 99 per cent of the population acted honestly and with integrity, the small minority of rulers wouldn't dare to indulge in the kinds of misbehaviour mentioned earlier.

I earnestly request the public to revert to Islam in word and in spirit, to be fearful of the Almighty and change their behaviour or face the wrath of Allah. There will be no place for wrongdoers to run away to or to hide in. The punishment of the Almighty will get to them.

A long time ago a Greek philosopher said that whomever God wanted to destroy, he first turned them into mud – i.e. deprived them of their wisdom. The French monarchist, Joseph de Maitere, once said that a nation got the rulers it deserved – i.e., good, honest people got good, honest rulers; bad, corrupt people got bad, corrupt rulers.

Let me draw your attention to just two of the stern warnings given by Almighty Allah to wrongdoers (corrupt, characterless people/rulers).

"Do not think Allah is heedless of the evil deeds in which the evildoers are engaged. He is merely granting them respite until a Day (Doomsday) when their eyes shall continue to stare in horror." (14:42.)

"When we decide to destroy a town (people) we command the affluent among them, whereupon they commit sins in it, then the decree (of chastisement) becomes due against them and thereafter we destroy that town (people) utterly." (17:16.)

Nobody should be under the illusion that, if our rulers and the public do not pay heed to these warnings, our fate will be any different from those who have become examples in history.

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

ON THE WRONG SIDE

RAOOF HASAN

A few days ago, when Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, compared President Zardari to General Musharraf saying that the policies of a dictator were being continued, Prime Minister Gilani was quick to jump to his leader's defence saying that he should not be compared to a dictator, as Mr Zardari was a democratically elected president and he had the support of the people behind him. Technically speaking, the prime minister may have been correct with regard to Mr Zardari having been elected through a democratic process, but it is precisely for this reason that a comparison is due and should be made.

When General Musharraf barged in, dismissing a democratically elected government, he was dubbed a usurper not only in Pakistan, but throughout the world. He did not take over on the basis of any election manifesto or as head of a popular political party; he used the power of the gun to impose himself and ruled for over eight years. In the process, he dismantled all edifices of democracy in the country and removed and imprisoned the judiciary among other things. He was a dictator and did not behave any differently.

If one were to acknowledge the fact that Mr Zardari was elected through a democratic process, as indeed he was, has he behaved democratically since his election? Has he kept his public promises made on the floor of the parliament and before the glare of the cameras? Has he empowered the legislature so that it could play its due role in the affairs of the state? Other than the unending meetings of the constitution committee, what cogent steps have been taken to annul the undemocratic amendments made in the constitution by the ousted dictator? Where stands the Charter of Democracy (CoD) that Benazir Bhutto had signed with Mian Nawaz Sharif? What has been his conduct with regard to the judiciary? In spite of the recorded statement of Benazir Bhutto that Iftikhar Chaudhry "is my Chief Justice" and "the national flag will again flutter atop his house", Mr Zardari continued with the illegal and unconstitutional court of Justice Dogar and allowed Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to take over only when he was left with no other option as a result of the long march leading to the intervention of the Chief of Army Staff. How has he responded to the Supreme Court adjudication with regard to National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) being declared void ab initio and the re-institution of all the cases against him and his coterie of close advisors? Have the Swiss cases been re-opened as ordered by the Supreme Court? In keeping with the internationally accepted democratic norms and traditions, has he asked any of his close aides to resign pending clearance of their names by the courts? Has he shown the courage to face up to the charges of corruption against him by presenting himself before the apex courts? Instead, he has taken refuge behind the controversial constitutional clause relating to his 'immunity'. When even that appeared not to be working, or at least there was a fear that it would be petitioned before the apex court leading to an adverse judgement, he made a blatant attempt to divide the judiciary by appointing Justice Saqib Nisar as the chief justice of the Lahore High Court overruling the chief justice's recommendations with regard to the appointment of judges to the superior courts. The move backfired when Justice Saqib Nisar refused to take over and, instead, vowed to follow the instructions of his chief justice. It was an ill-conceived move with a predominant mala fide intent.

Amidst allegations of rampant corruption levelled against his government, has he proceeded to order even a single impartial and transparent enquiry? In cases where veritable evidence has been presented of corruption, has he dismissed even a single functionary? On the contrary, he has proceeded to counter-attack blaming the 'pen' and the 'bayonet' for conspiring against him. He loves to present himself as the innocent victim whom the vultures are out to gobble. In the process, he forgets that he has carried a reputation for as long as he has been there as a public figure and his recent conduct has contributed little to convince people to think otherwise.

It is not the manner of election that is going to determine an individual's democratic credentials. Instead, it is the manner of governance and unconditional submission before the constitution, the rule of law and the writ of the state institutions that establishes one's credibility as a ruler and motivates people to respect him.

The last couple of years and the dramatic happenings that have taken place, including the exit of the usurper and the elevation of the judiciary to its deserved place in the wake of a historic struggle waged by the legal fraternity, the civil society and some political forces, constitute potent indicators of a change that has taken place: a change that is conspicuous by its commitment to uphold the rule of law under all circumstances. With the passage of time, this change has become even more pronounced and deep-set. This is not likely to alter now or in the future. If a democratically elected ruler subscribes to the continuation of policies enacted and chartered by a dictator, he should not be surprised if he, too, is dubbed a dictator, or is likened to one. The line between democratic conduct and undemocratic indulgences has been clearly drawn. Unfortunately, for the present, Mr Zardari stands on the wrong side of the divide!

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Lahore. Email: raoofhasan @hotmail.com

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S CHAUFFEUR

ANJUM NIAZ

The writer is a freelance journalist with over twenty years of experience in national and international reporting

Let's not get overly swayed by the Swiss banks blow-by-blow account currently hitting the headlines almost every day. There is corruption elsewhere, except the media's full attention at the moment is fixated on Zardari's alleged millions stashed away in reportedly forty bank accounts in Switzerland, Europe and the US. Let's instead zero in on GOR (Government Officers' Residences) estate, Lahore. Number 9 Aikman Road is the official home of the chief secretary, Punjab. It was once a modest, unremarkable sort of residence with just one sentry standing guard. The sprawling lawn would hardly invite a second gaze from the passerby. There was nothing spectacular to see in it. The inmates equally unspectacular would go about their business, unnoticed and unheralded. The chief secretary himself would be his own chauffeur, driving his kids to school and ending up at his office in the Punjab secretariat to conduct the business of the day. And the 'Begum chief secretary' had to fend for herself, use her own private car and private driver to ferry her about the town.

Period.
Today, 9 Aikman Road has been turned into a vulgar display of power, announcing to all and sundry: beware of the inmate. He's a man you wouldn't want to mess with. He's the chief minister's head honcho. He's the chosen one. He's invincible. He's invulnerable. But God abhors vanity. In one fleeting moment, the present chief secretary met his comeuppance. It was divine. His hit-and-run story turned his world upside down. Even his benefactor, the chief minister could not save him. The people's wrath was upon him. Finally he gave in to popular demand and stepped down. He's currently hunkered down because he was allegedly callous enough to leave a dying man on the road when his car hit the unfortunate person. Had his victim been a poor, faceless and unknown member of the hoi polloi, the story would have been dead like the man himself. But the victim was a retired army colonel. His family went to the press. The rest, as they say is history. By the way had our chief secretary committed this crime in the US, he would be behind bars because 'hit-and-run' is a jailable offence.

Join me in a tour de force of the GOR estate, home to elite civil servants and the judiciary. The chief minister too has his camp there. And then decide why these favoured few should live in luxury at the expense of the taxpayers. The British built the homes. The old trees on both sides shading the roads must shed tears at the 'low lifes' now living there. There are 161 homes. And under their porches stand several staff cars – one for the sahib, one for the begum sahib and one for the kids. Several peons, assistants, deputy assistants and drivers, all paid for by the government, stand hand and foot to serve their master and his family. I shan't be surprised if the daily household items, including food, cold drinks and fruit are billed to the government under the pretext of official entertainment. If this is not corruption, what is?

"In my calculation an enterprising and well-connected civil servant could easily cost the tax payer Rs800,000 to Rs10,000,000 a month. Of course none of this is monitorable, allowing the myth of a poor underpaid civil servant to be perpetuated" says Nadeem ul Haque, an adviser to the IMF in Washington. "Did you know that GOR has three clubs and they refuse to let a school be built there? Did you know that they have sealed off GOR as a private garden and have allocated tons of money to make an old house into a leisure club for bureaucrats? Meanwhile the poor kids school in GOR has been destroyed. Who do we blame? It goes far beyond Zaradari," he continues.

Nadeem wonders why the media expends all its energy castigating Zardari day and night while no one shines a spotlight on the bureaucrats who commit daylight robbery in the form of perks that cannot be monetized and therefore are outside of the pale of public scrutiny.

Living in the lap of luxury is head honcho # 2; the commissioner Lahore. According to recent news item headlined 'Khusro Pervaiz highest-paid bureaucrat' we're told that that is what the commissioner has become. A TV channel reports that while Khusro Pervaiz drew a monthly salary of Rs 334,000 as the project director of the Lahore Ring Road project, he was also receiving Rs50,000 a month for holding the additional charge of the commissioner. Please go look and see how many Prados/land cruisers are parked in his home courtesy the project he heads. This is aside the official cars he enjoys as the commissioner.

"The civil servant has learnt to game the incentive system that seeks to keep cash salaries low and allows invisible perks to be distributed freely beyond public scrutiny," says Nadeem. "Recently, they have given themselves all manner of allowances in the name of development and efficiency. Thus the commissioner Lahore is now project director of Ring Road and a development office and hence draws those hefty salaries."

Let us remind ourselves of the role of commissioner Lahore, states Nadeem, himself a son of an ICS (Indian Civil Service)officer. "It is mainly a magisterial function i.e., his/her main task should be the maintenance of law and order. Why then is he doing development? The answer is obvious--to collect the allowances."

How can a commissioner look after law and order when he's busy elsewhere? Maybe the office of chief minister Shahbaz can tell us how.

"The commissioner also gets additional perks that we are not counting. A house in walled estate with a rental value of over Rs300,000, all utilities paid, domestic servants (number unknown), cars with gas (number unknown), cheap club memberships to at least 2 elite institutions etc. Frequently government will give a civil servant of this rank land at heavily subsidized rates," says Nadeem.

"Monetize perks now!" shouts Nadeem, "Is it not time to rid the tax payer of the burden of perks?"

Indeed a valid question but one that does not gain favour with the rulers of the land. Nadeem ul Haque has been kept out in the cold, despite his excellent credentials as a seasoned economist. Someone like him should be heading the Planning Commission, but do you think that can ever happen? The man is too blunt for his bosses' comfort level; his recommendations will denude the bosses of their perks.

A retired civil servant tells me Shahbaz Sharif is not as effective an administrator as he was last time he was chief minister. "He always seems in a hurry," says the civil servant, "he cuts people in the middle and moves on to the next speaker without allowing him a chance to complete his say." Why is Shahbaz Sharif in such a hurry? Does he have a train to catch or a jet to fly him to more exotic places abroad? Why is he loath to listen to good advice proffered by well-wishers? Maybe Governor Salman Taseer is tightening his net around him. Taseer makes no secret of targetting the Sharifs. It's become his obsession.

"Shahbaz Sharif thinks that by making think tanks, he's getting somewhere. But the tragedy is he isn't. Nothing substantial appears happening," the retired bureaucrat who has just witnessed the goings on at the CM's secretariat tells me. "Besides, the junior officers are insecure and unsure of their boss. They don't know when he may fire them on the spot!"

More next week.

SEmail: aniaz@fas.harvard.edu & www. anjumniaz.com

 

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I. THE NEWS

EDITORIAL

SURVIVAL

CHARLES FERNDALE

Talat Masood (The News 22nd Feb) describes how the increased and intelligent cooperation between the Pakistani and US armies has greatly improved the efficacy of their opposition to militants on both sides of the border. But he ends his article with a sentence that seems inconsistent with the gist of all he had said before. He writes: 'To expect Washington to immerse [itself] in conflict resolution [between India and Pakistan] [would] not be compatible with its larger and more immediate objective of bringing stability to Afghanistan'. This statement puzzles me. Surely a major cause of the instability in Afghanistan results directly from the local rivalry between India and Pakistan over influence on the present and future Afghanistan, so to transform that rivalry into cooperation would contribute hugely to stability in Afghanistan, which is what Mr. Masood claims is the larger aim of the US.

Not only that. It would be incredibly short-sighted not to see that the welfare of the whole of South Asia is in America's interests, and is in the interests of the rest of the world, so any effective resolution of the perceived conflict between the short-term interests of India and Pakistan would be not only desirable, but is crucial. The issue of Kashmir must be resolved urgently, intelligently, and once and for all.

Settling disputes by force has a poor record of success. Their predilection to use force as their primary instrument of foreign affairs has been the sickness of the Americans since 1945; it is a sickness that has devastated the post-war world outside of America. The world can no longer afford it. Now that they have at last a truly intelligent president, let us hope that Obama will employ adviser's who will see that many branches of the Taliban have justified grievances that also need to be addressed, if the poor Afghans are to be freed at last from the unspeakable misery into which Western nations plunged them in December 1979 and from which they have never emerged since. Of what we can be quite sure, is that should the Western forces ever leave Afghanistan, they will certainly not leave its people better off than they were before the end of 1979; but they might at least contrive to leave them better off than they are now.

Humans are extraordinarily bad at perceiving their own long-term interests. The reason is that they evolved in the ancient world in which long-term interests had little effect on the survival of people. On the whole, the long-term of world of pre-history was stable and predictable. And, in any case, over most of our evolutionary pre-history, we were powerless to affect long-term events. We became adapted to meeting short-term challenges to our survival. So we are good at seeing our short-term interests, but not at seeing our long-term ones. We are short-term survival organisms.

But all that has now changed. The world in which we live now has been transformed by our own activities, which have caused a greater extinction of other life forms than has almost any other series of events in the five billion year existence of the world. The evolution of a species of human that can save us from ourselves is now the most urgent need we face. But evolution takes a long time and we don't have a long time, so we shall have to adapt socially or perish en masse. The only sort of person who can save us from ourselves now is one who can persuade us to stop fighting over scarce resources and who can persuade us to check, then reduce, our numbers. We have to learn to reproduce less, share more, and so co-operate or die. War, once a useful way of favouring some genes over others, is now obsolete. Any leader who speaks as if that were untrue is also obsolete. Such 'leaders' should be vacuum-sealed, in toughened glass cases in museums, not in White Houses and Knessetts.

The writer has degrees from the Royal College of Art, Oxford University, and the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. Email: charlesferndale@yahoo .co.uk

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

COD IS NOT SO SACROSANCT

 

FOLLOWING his breakfast meeting with PML (N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif at their residence at Raiwind in Lahore on Monday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani once again expressed commitment of the Government to go for implementation of the much-talked-about Charter of Democracy (CoD) as well as recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms about repeal of the controversial 17th Amendment before March 23, 2010. He was confident that this would help orientate the political system besides strengthening Parliament and creating a balance of power between the offices of the Prime Minister and the President.

It would become clear during the next four weeks whether or not the commitments are fulfilled and promises honoured in this regard. A parliamentary committee representing all political parties is seized with the matter and it is for the committee to determine the basis of the new amendments — whether these should be purely in accordance with the CoD, a document signed by the two parties or should reflect ground realities. Already, there are serious concerns from some political parties especially the PML (Q), which has significant presence in both the Houses of Parliament and votes of which would matter on constitutional amendments. Leaders of the PML (Q) have openly been arguing that other parties were not signatories to the document and, therefore, they were not morally bound to go according to the understanding between the PPP and PML (N) leaders. And the issue of appointment of judges has also highlighted the fact that even these two parties are not hundred per cent committed to what they agreed in London. There are reasons to believe that the PPP leadership has remained elusive towards implementation of the CoD and the stand of the PML (N) on the issue of appointment of judges to the superior courts clearly shows that it is deviating from the relevant clause in the CoD. Otherwise too, the two parties are poles apart on many crucial issues and many of them are considered to be unbridgeable. We believe that the CoD was discussed and signed on a foreign land and in an environment, which did not reflect the ground realities back in Pakistan. There are many idealistic provisions, which cannot be implemented in the form they were agreed to by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif. Therefore, there is logic in the proposition that on contentious issues, consensus should be built in consultation with all the political parties and stakeholders and efforts should be made to ensure that the proposed amendments in the Constitution are workable in the Pakistani context and lend much-needed strength to the system. We also believe that CoD is not an issue with the people of Pakistan, who are facing serious problems like price hike, unemployment and deteriorating security conditions, to count a few.

 

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

CLOSURE OF CHASHMA-JHELUM LINK CANAL

 

INDUS River System Authority (IRSA) has closed the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal on the request of Punjab Government after an agreement between the Irrigation Secretaries of the Punjab and Sindh on a water distribution formula. This is a welcome development as Punjab has agreed to the adjustment in water releases in line with its policy of reconciliation and to meet the needs of smaller Provinces.

The Punjab Government decision came after Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah called upon Punjab to close the canal which he said was bound to cause shortage of water in lower Sindh and posed a threat to the wheat crop in the Province. After listening the Sindh point of view, Senior Adviser Sardar Zulfikar Khosa and Senior Minister Raja Riaz representing the Punjab Government assured the Chief Minister that the required quantum of water would be made available to Sindh. Not a single season has passed without the two Provinces sparring over the distribution of water since the accord was signed almost two decades ago. Therefore, the ongoing dispute on water sharing for the remaining period of the current Rabi crop didn't surprise many. The discord on water distribution is unlikely to be settled unless we have technology to forecast shortages, correctly measure losses and build more storages. Persistent drought has left the country with 30 per cent less irrigation water than average for the spring crop. To add to the woes of Pakistan, India has already completed the Baglihar Dam and several other projects are under execution aimed at diverting Pakistani share of water. Despite this alarming situation of water shortage over which the Provinces contest with each other for more share, no practical steps have been taken to stop India from diverting Pakistan's share of water and progress on construction of mega water storages in the country is far from satisfactory. In this scenario, we believe it is the duty of not only Parliament but the Provincial Assembly also to pay extra attention to the alarming situation and impress upon the respective Governments to build water reservoirs to protect the agriculture sector and save the country from turning into a desert.

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

MORE AUTONOMY FOR AJK

 

PRESIDENT of the AJK ruling Muslim Conference Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan has pointed out that the internal autonomy of the liberated territory is inviolable. Speaking at a reception of the overseas Pakistanis/Kashmiris in Dubai, he said except foreign affairs, currency, and defence, Azad Kashmir has had the privilege of managing its affairs autonomously.

Sardar Attique heads a Party, which is known for its pro-Pakistan credentials and, therefore, his cautious remarks are understandable. Otherwise, being a former Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, he must be fully aware of the existing arrangement and undue interference in the internal affairs of the state by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs. It was only after the change of the Government in Islamabad that a coup was engineered by the then Minister for Kashmir Affairs and some of his colleagues, at the behest of the top PPP leadership as a result of which Sardar Attique had to forego power. No doubt, the Muslim Conference has regained his power but the basic question of the role of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs remains there. After grant of substantial autonomy to Gilgit-Baltistan, which now has its own Governor and Chief Minister, there is hardly any reason not to grant more internal autonomy to AJK. Even the provincial autonomy is one of the major subjects of the proposed constitutional reforms in Pakistan as well and there is almost consensus that Provinces should get more powers. There are also plans to grant autonomy to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as well. Under these circumstances, we hope a dialogue would be initiated to grant more administrative as well as financial autonomy to Azad Kashmir.

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

SCUTTLING IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

AIR MARSHAL AYAZ A KHAN (R)

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US Secretary of State has made a dozen statements warning Iran of dire consequences if it continues pursuing its nuclear programmeme. President George Bush and Vice Cheney threatened war, and destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities in an effort to scuttle Iran's nuclear enrichment effort. The International Atomic Energy Agency under US pressure has continued to harass Iran since two decades. Western threats sanctions and warnings did not deter Tehran from building nuclear reactors and enrich uranium for research and medical treatment. Barack Obama administration has maintained its tough stand on the nuclear issue against Iran, with renewed threats of tough sanctions. The confrontation with Iran over its nuclear programme has escalated as Hillary Rodham Clinton continues her verbal and media assaults on Tehran. Russia joined the United States and France in bluntly questioning Iran's ultimate intentions in enriching uranium. Permanent members of the UN Security Council I.e. USA, UK, Russia and France are likely to gang together to pass and impose UN resolution for tough sanctions against Iran. But the resolve of the Islamic government is unprecedented. Tehran has spitefully rejected all Western efforts to block uranium enrichment by Iran. China is unlikely to veto such a UN move, but could abstain during the voting, enabling the UNSC to pass the anti-enrichment resolution.

The West led by the United States of America wants two things to happen to Iran. One in political change, that requires the ruling Ayatullah's to disappear. The other is an end to Iran's nuclear programme. The West has always hated the Ayatullah's regime, and opposed Iran's to develop nuclear capability The West wants Iran to scrap its nuclear power plants and uranium enrichment facilities. But Iran under President Ahmadinnijad refuses to oblige. The West tried to take advantage of the political protests and demonstrations that followed the Presidential elections. The Western media tried to sabotage the Iranian elections and extensively televised baton wielding Baseej militia thrashing the crowds and the Revolutionary Guards shooting and dragging off the protestors to the prisons. It made all kind of stories of beatings and torture of the protestors in Iranian jails, to create unrest in Tehran. The Western media reported executions in jails and concluded that the clergy led regime has become un-popular after the rigged Presidential elections, and therefore will not last.

This is not the first time that the West is engaged in conspiracies for the overthrow of an elected government in Tehran. Half a century ago the United States employed CIA and deposed Prime Minister's Mossadegh's democratically elected government Iran ever had. Violent intervention in Iran seemed a good idea in 1953. But the CIA conspiracy and US intervention brought an autocrat -the Shah in power. Decades of tragedy followed, and set in motion forces that brought Ayatullah Khomini into power. American conspiracies boomeranged and have greatly undermined American national security and influence in the region. Stephen Kinzer in his book, "All the Shah's Men", rightly say's "As hotheads and militants in Washington urge the Obama Administration to attack Iran, the story of the CIA sabotage in 1953 becomes highly relevant. The rulers in Washington need to learn from past blunders." Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, has been the foremost critic of the Islamic Republic of Iran since long. She has been furious at the threatening declarations of President Ahmedinejad of Iran, to wipe Isreal off the face of the earth. Israeli and American media which him the snake, and number one enemy. Nuclear Iran under the Clergy, with him as President is assessed as a mortal threat by the West. Both the US and Israel decades ago made plans to neutralize Iranian nuclear installations by air attacks. Both these countries have rehearsed such plans theoretically and practically. Both have the capability, singly and jointly to launch air attacks and damage and destroy some of the Iranian nuclear installations and facilities. But the horrific fallout of such attacks has prevented brazen aggression, because several underground Iranian nuclear facilities are expected to survive. Mired in Iraqi quicksand and badly stuck in Afghanistan the Obama regime will not survive the political backlash domestically. Regionally and globally such a reckless adventure would destroy US prestige and influence for ever.. The United States is promoting its strategic interests by attacking the Ayatullah led Iranian regime of which it disapproves. Change of regimes in third world countries by CIA intrigues has thrown up worst regimes.

Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Latin American countries are examples. Now the US Secretary of State has come out with a new canard of a perceived danger of Pasdaran-e-Inqilab — The Revolutionary Guards taking over, and establishing a military dictatorship. Speaking in Jeddah, Hillary Clinton said that it would create dangerous problems if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, and the Revolutionary Guards could potentially set off a nuclear arms race. This is fantastic logic! Tehran's decision for enrichment of uranium, and, the disclosure last year of a secret nuclear facility near Qum is the pretext to impose tough UN sanctions against Iran. On February 9, 2010, on the order of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the nuclear plant at Natanz began uranium enrichment from 3.5% to 20%. Tehran insists that this is only to supply the research reactor in Tehran, which has run out of enriched uranium. The government of Iran says that it will stop 20% enrichment, if the West agrees to supply enriched uranium fuel rods for Tehran Research Reactor. In fact an agreement to this effect was struck in Geneva in 2009. But the agreement was not honored by the West on the pretext that Iran did not supply enough uranium for the purpose. It would have been better to take Tehran on its word, and not expunge the agreement unilaterally. Presently Iran does not have the expertise even to turn 20% enriched uranium into fuel rods. Iran needs help and not sanctions. Allegations that Iran could make a nuclear weapon in six months therefore are illogical and mischievous. The hue and cry against Iran in the West is despite assurance by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran was ready to suspend enrichment if it could exchange its low-enriched uranium stockpile for processed fuel rods from abroad. But he said the swap should be "simultaneous" — a demand already dismissed by the United States and its allies. Why have the US and its allies been so quick to dismiss the offer of the Iranian President? Despite the rebuff President Ahmadinejad said, "We are still ready for an exchange of nuclear fuel, even with America," . But the West, especially the United States treats Iranian Presidents offers with contempt, because it does not trust Ahmadinejad and the rule of Shia Clerics over oil rich Iran..

On Feb. 17 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Iran's elite military force I.e. the Revolutionary Guards could assume control of the Islamic Republic. America cannot remove the Islamic government by force, and has resorted to intrigues to remove it.

Earlier the Secretary of State told an audience in Qatar Feb. 15 that Iran's religious leaders are being "supplanted" by the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran is turning into a "military dictatorship. These wild allegations are to frighten the small Persian Gulf Arab nations, so as to gain support among Iran's neighbors for tougher sanctions to rein in Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected Clinton's allegations of growing Guards influence, describing them as "tricks" intended "to divert public opinion in the region against Iran." The UN is moving toward a resolution on fresh sanctions against Iran that "will be targeted at the Revolutionary Guard," threatened Hillary Clinton. The Guards have "assumed greater and greater responsibility not just in the security sector and not just in the nuclear programme, but in the economic and political arenas as well," she said. This naked interference to discredit the IRG does not make sense.

It is an attempt to isolate Iran by sanctions. Hillary Clinton real motive is to create fear among Iran's Arab neighbors in an effort for tougher sanctions to rein in and block Iran's nuclear programme. This disinformation and hideous propaganda, implies that Washington will not rest, till such time the elected government in Tehran is displaced and Iran's nuclear research and enrichment capability is scrapped.

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

NRO: TICKTOCKING, UK & USA

RIZWAN GHANI

 

Amidst ticktocking contempt of court stand by PPP government against Supreme Court's landmark NRO ruling and dillydallying over missing persons cases, had it not been UK law lords judgment forcing British government to make public seven blanked out paragraphs in Binyam Mohamed (BM) torture case, governments of Pakistan, UK and US would have gotten away with their crimes against humanity. The publication of paragraphs clearly shows admission of torture in US custody. Paragraph (x) reads, "Although it is not necessary for us to categorize the treatment reported, it could readily be contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the United States authorities". The political, military and intelligence leaderships of these countries however continued telling the world that there was no torture, no rendition flights and no bloodstained cells world over including Pakistan and Morocco.

PPP government and its CoD partner PML (N) owe explanation to Pakistan on two counts: On international front their end of obligations in UK, US, Arab brokered NRO in post 9/11 missing persons' cases, rendition flights, drone attacks, supporting US so-called war against terrorism (SWAT) with Pakistani money, alleged presence of mercenary forces in Pakistan, continuation of American military personnel presence in the country since Musharraf era, alleged issuance of 9000 plus visas to the Americans and objectives of continuation of Pakistan as non-NATO ally in SWAT. On domestic front, public wants to know if Pakistan is being turned into a American colony through privatization, continuation of Washington based economic model of Capitalism in the name of free market, undermining independence of judiciary, denying restoration of 1973 constitution in its original form, refusing ratification of International Human Rights Charter, avoiding membership of ICC and continuation of presidential form of government instead of parliamentary form to serve American interests in the region. In terms of PPP government's foreign policy of continuation of cooperation with US SWAT and continuation as non-NATO ally is undermining human rights, constitution and functional relations between judiciary and the government. Similarly, in UK, Miliband's refusal to hold public inquiry into BM affair has left Labor government with similar challenges to country's democracy. Obama government is also facing public and media dissension for undermining country's constitution, and global human rights conventions. EU Parliament has rejected bank data deal with US for want of more safeguards for civil liberties and believes human rights have been compromised in name of security (February 12, Arab News).It is equally important that PM Gillani and Nawaz Sharif demand holding of public inquiry on BBC's documentary, Ripple Effect that shows that 7/7 was an inside job.

It is necessary to address the legitimate demand of British Muslims, end hoax of Swat, and hold London and Washington accountable because they have been publically linking Pakistan to so-called global terrorism but both are unwilling to hold public inquiries on 7/7 and 9/11. Reportedly, 40 percent Americans believe that 9/11 was an inside job just like July 1919 terror attacks involving nine bomb attacks in nine US states. Both Gillani and Nawaz Sharif need to stand up to protect national and public interests amidst growing fears that Pakistan is being colonized to help America protect its geo-strategic interests in the region. History shows that without Gorbachev and Yeltsin, west would never have succeeded in breaking Soviet Union. Therefore, PPP government should change its pro-US foreign policy, support for SWAT, which it is protecting as part of NRO deal at the cost of compromising Pakistani citizen's civil liberties and human rights guaranteed under country's constitution and international charters. The continuation of PPP current foreign policy is a threat to Pakistan's domestic, regional and global interests. Ironically, SWAT, Iraq and Afghan wars being fought in the name of Pakistani, British and American publics' lack requisite sanctions by Pakistan and British parliaments, US Congress and UN. American and British policy makers must review their SWAT policy and pressure on Pakistan's foreign policy if they are serious to preserve whatever is left in the name of relations among them. PPP government's continuation of Washington model of capitalism and privatization is violation of country's constitution, which protects right to food and job security and preserving national assets.

It must end because starting from American recession in 30s to unfolding Greece bailout by EU, it is clear that capitalism brings inflation, bubbles, deep divide between rich and poor, exorbitantly high priced health care and education. Pakistan cannot survive under capitalism which has left 50 million Americans without health care, 73 million Hungry in America (Feb. 10 NY Times editorial), 31 percent Americans with annual household income of $12,499 are left unemployed (Worst of Pain, Feb.9, NY Times op-ed) and parents sending only one child to college in spite of earning $80,000 annual salary. ABC reported that due to economic reasons only one in 17 American children is making it to college. Reportedly, only top five percent Americans earn more than one lac dollar annual salary and annual Federal poverty allowance is $22, 400. Pakistan needs discard capitalism and adopt an economic model, which is based on state/public ownership and local agribased resources to protect public's constitutional and international right to food, job, house, health care, education, and equitable distribution of wealth (High time to alter income distribution, Feb.10, China Daily, Breaking the Illusion of Economic and Political Reality, Feb. 2). Shabaz Sharif has talked of giving incentives to argisector but has failed to introduce advanced irrigation systems; mechanized farming; value additions; renationalize seed, energy and fertilizer sector to cut prices; no alternate energy policy to secure country's food security. Agrisector can turn the country into Asia's food basket, pay foreign loans, generate domestic market based employment and end privatization of national assets. However, PPP and PML (Ns) pro- west foreign policies and their western allies are blocking Pakistan's march to prosperity, security and liberation to protect their geo-strategic interests.

Otherwise, how can both parties justify their failures to fight poverty in rural Pakistan by generating job opportunities, access to basic services, financing of development of supporting infrastructure and education institutions and bridging divide in urban-rural Pakistan. Finally, PPP's failure to uphold NRO with help of alleged American and PML (N) support is having adverse implications for public and country at large. It is stoking corruption, anti-state activities, undermining democracy and rough-shodding good governance. PPP should fill the vacant posts in country's courts as part of its democratic obligation to the state and constitution and uphold law which it is using to stay in power. PPP and PML (N's) pro-west foreign policies including SWAT are undermining civil liberties and human rights. Their collusion with the west under NRO has eroded country's security, economy and national interests. It must come to an end. Gillani, as democratic head should demand public inquiry on 7/7 and 9/11 to end hoax of SWAT, and restore Pakistan's credibility in the world. Needless to remind that like BM case truth will emerge sooner than later and then PPP, PML (N) and their western allies will have no choice but to face the book. Clock is ticktocking!

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY

MALIK M ASHRAF

 

The settlement of the judges' appointment issue, as a result of the initiative taken by the Prime Minister marks a new beginning in relations between the judiciary and the executive, the two most important institutions of the state. The sagacity and foresight shown by the Prime Minister in smoothing out the differences in perception between the government and the CJ on the soul and spirit of the article 177 of the constitution, is absolutely remarkable. The Prime Minister by participating in the dinner hosted by Chief Justice in honour of Justice Ramday and then inviting the CJ over to the Prime Minister house for consultations on the points of differences and ultimately accepting the position taken by the judiciary has set a very healthy tradition of showing unqualified respect to the judiciary, something very rare in the political history of Pakistan.

It also goes to the credit of the government that despite having a different legal perspective on the issue, it did not make it a question of prestige and thought it appropriate to have it resolved in the best interest of the nation, Pakistan and political stability, as rightly claimed by the Prime Minister while speaking to the media after his meeting with the CJ. Pakistan and national interest must take precedence over every thing else. The resolution of this issue amicably represents triumph of democracy and success of the policy of reconciliation and consensus adopted as a political creed by the Government. People can see it for themselves how a dictator dealt with the judiciary and how a democratic and representative government has treated it.

The resolution of this issue is also a great snub to the elements who were trying to foment an ambience of confrontation between the government and the judiciary and those who were hell bent to discredit and embarrass the government by attaching all kinds of motives to it for having taken a different view from the judiciary. Their continuous charade against the government and portrayal of an alarmist view of the situation instead of taking difference of opinion as an essential ingredient of a democratic process , did create a sense of the despondency among the masses and dented their faith in the democratic process. But thanks to the political maturity exhibited by the government, the machinations of these elements have not succeeded and they have had to eat dust in the end. But as they say, cynics will remain cynics, these elements have still not given up on their agenda and the propensity to malign and discredit the government. The government initiative is being projected as a climb down and giving in to the demands of the judiciary. They regrettably fail to see and appreciate the whole affair in its true perspective.There is pre-dominant view within the civil society that during the stand-off between the judiciary and the government, some political outfits notwithstanding their dismal and condemnable record in regards to respect for the judiciary—— made deliberate moves to extract political mileage out of prevailing situation. By showing solidarity with the judiciary they also tried to politicize the institution. A certain section of the media also over-stepped its mark by indulging in politics and arrogating itself the role of an adjudicator. It also made concerted efforts to encourage the establishment to intervene. No body in his right mind can grudge the freedom of expression but the proponents of this freedom have to realize that no where in the world the media enjoys unbridled freedom and the license to commit indiscretions in disregard to the universally accepted professional and ethical norms. What was conveniently forgotten was that the freedom of expression can best be safeguarded by the media itself by showing a sense of social responsibility.

The lawyers community which undoubtedly is an enlightened segment of the society as far as constitutional and legal intricacies are concerned, is supposed to take a dispassionate view of such issues and present a realistic and objective appraisal of the situation instead of playing to the gallery. But they also exhibited a very irresponsible attitude. Their call for strike and the threat for launching a movement against the government was uncalled for. Their actions sounded more like the antics of a trade union rather than of a legal fraternity. The bar is supposed to assist and facilitate the bench in dispensing justice and not to act as a policeman to ensure implementation of the decisions delivered by the judiciary or resort to strikes to show solidarity with the judiciary in case there is a difference of perception between the government and the judiciary on constitutional and legal issues.

The lawyers undoubtedly played a pioneering role in the fight against unconstitutional acts of a dictator and they do deserve the appreciation and gratitude of the nation for that admirable initiative. But they need to realize that today we have a democratic set up in the country and an independent judiciary capable of doing its job without any political or moral support from any non-state entity. Their actions are likely to politicize the judiciary and compromise its position. They will scuttle the gains of their own movement for the independence of the judiciary. They have to ask themselves, are we striving for constitutional rule in the country or anarchy?

They must understand that the nation has seen and been through enough of instability and anarchy. The only way we can hope to strength rule of law and democracy in the country is for every body and institutions to remain within their prescribed domain of responsibilities and show an unbiased respect for constitutional rule in the country by refraining from indulgence in activities that negate these cherished goals.

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

AGENTS AND CONSPIRATORS

AFSHAIN AFZAL

 

Pakistan is being blamed for Mumbai attacks and is under immense international pressure to take action against the culprits. Islamabad is trying its level best to sustain international pressure as it hasn't got much choice to fulfill the demand such as 'to call a chicken a monster'. Despite the fact that cases against those blamed for Mumbai attacks are still pending in Pakistani courts, New Delhi is pressurizing Pakistan to take action against those suspected to be involved in the attacks. One wonders, what will happen if innocence of these people is proved in the court. One suspects that in such a case India is not going to accept the court's verdict. On the contrary, it is beyond comprehension that why Ajmal Amir Kasab has not been put on the gallows by now, when India claims to have been in possession of solid evidences. Despite the passage of around one year and three months, India is unable to take action against Kasab, who as claimed by India was caught red handed. However, New Delhi is expecting from Pakistan to eliminate everyone who is suspected by India to be involved in Mumbai attacks.

Much before the incident of November 26, Mumbai attacks, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been trying to convince New Delhi that Pakistan is planning to attack India through its network of terrorists. Ironically, at the same time Islamabad was also tipped about possible attack on its nuclear facilities by New Delhi. Top CIA officials killed during Mumbai attacks had in fact assembled in Mumbai to chalk out plans to counter their own sponsored terror attacks from Pakistan, when November 26 attacks actually took place. Mumbai attacks fell as a surprise for the intelligence bosses at Washington because the timings of the attacks did not correspond with CIA's plans. The network of US intelligence agents in India and Pakistan were surprised too as their own plan fell flat on them due to the premature action by fellow agents. There were many unanswered questions such as; are there groups within CIA? Whether CIA agents like David Coleman Headley betrayed the agency? If we follow the events that occurred during and after the Mumbai attacks, we can easily reach the true story behind the grand conspiracy. Without going into details of numerous links, being outside the scope of this article, CIA recruitment of disgruntle and criminal elements of the target countries is centuries old modus operandai which has now become an open secret.

Aftermath Mumbai attacks, CIA and Indian intelligence agencies started claiming that two Pakistani origin US nationals namely David Coleman Headley alias Daood Syed Gilani and Tahawwur Hussain Rana are the main culprits involved in Mumbai attacks. In order to reach the truth, we need to go into the background. As per the details Headley was born in Washington. His father was a US national of Pakistani origin namely Syed Salim Gilani while his mother was pure American namely Serril Headley. After the birth of Headley and his younger sister, the family moved to Pakistan. In 1970 Headley parents divorced and his mother returned to the US and opened a liquor bar in Philadelphia "Khyber Pass Pub." Father of Headley kept his son and daughter with him and educated them in one of the best institutions. Headley also got an opportunity to study at Cadet College, Hassanabdal from where he completed his Matric (1974-1977). As soon as Headley attained the age of 18 years, her mother Serril Headley took legal measures as well as exerted pressure on Headley to move to US.

Accordingly, Headley moved to US and started living in Philadelphia with his mother. Being exposed to liquor, prostitution and other vices of the West in the bar run by his mother, Headley started taking heavy dozes of alcohol and drugs including Heroin. Over all these years, Headley not only become a drug addict but also got engaged in its trafficking. According to US Court record, he was caught red handed carrying heroin in 1989 and charged with conspiracy to smuggle/import the drug. According to court record, he was again arrested in 1994 on drug charges and was imprisoned for 15 months. Later he started working for FBI, CIA as well as US Drug Enforcement Administration and was tasked to penetrate into Muslim communities. After September 11 attacks (9/11) on US highly secure Pentagon and world Trade Centre, CIA brainwashed him and tasked him to look for elements of Al-Qaida and other hostile groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Bollywood Director Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul Bhatt in a recent interview to United Kingdom's Channel 4 said, "I am convinced Headley was working for Americans, for the FBI. I'd nicknamed him agent Headley…. I liked hanging out with him because he could teach methings about my areas of interests, be it guns, intelligence spy-craft." Links of Rana and Headley are also being established with Pakistanis namely Major (Retired) Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim and Ilyas Kashmiri but this is not an issue of any significance as Pakistani authorities are looking into it. The question arises that when it has been established that David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana are American intelligence agents then why to carryout unnecessary investigation against anyone else. US will never convict Tahawwur Hussain Rana or David Headley and put them to gallows because they have proved their loyalties to American and British intelligence agencies. CIA main target remained all those who were once associated to Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba or presently taking part in Jihad in Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir (IHK). Otherwise, Mumbai attacks were the handiwork of troika of CIA-Mossad and some elements of RAW, which aimed at creating suspicion and mistrust between India and Pakistan so that they are unable to leap towards peace and friendly relations and are always on hostile terms with each other.

US' intelligence plot could have been flawless if certain basic defects were catered in the Planning Stage. The blunders in the ongoing conspiracy has not only exposed that Headley-Rana story is self-engineered but now everyone doubts the genuinity of Mumbai attacks. Probably CIA failed to realize that ordinary masses would come to know striking similarities in Headley and Rana as families of both the individuals are related to Western media. Headley father namely Syed Saleem Gilani, worked for Voice of America while father and brother of Rana works for Hill Times. This isn't all, the biggest blunder that was overlooked is that headley and Rana have common sectarian school of thought which is in clash with orthodox Sunni Muslims. One wonders that how come CIA links both the individuals with Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba when their religious school of thought is deadly against such organizations.

Convection in Mumbai and Denmark attacks is mere a cock and bull story, the real objective of western intelligence agencies is to cripple all Muslim organizations which believe in the fundamentals of Islam. CIA and other western intelligence agencies want to trap Muslims who still believe that Islam is complete code of live and can be applied as political, economic and social system to govern countries. CIA is rejoicing that by engineering Headley-Rana case, they have killed two birds with one stone; by creating further hatred between India and Pakistan as well as established a reason to carryout barbaric attacks on other Muslim organizations in Pakistan and elsewhere. Western countries including US claim to be civilized nations, therefore instead of creating hatred between India and Pakistan, they should leave both the countries at their own. It is expected that if western nations do not interfere in internal affairs of Pakistan and India, they can resolve all their outstanding issues including Kashmir and water dispute. One feels optimistic that in the coming years Pakistan and India would be able to identify foreign agents and conspirators in their files and live with peace and harmony as good neighbours.

 

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PAKISTAN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

INDIA'S LACKLUSTRE REFORM EFFORTS

GEETA ANAND

 

The Cabinet last week announced it would adopt a new policy in April to revive Indian agriculture by promoting the more balanced use of fertilisers. But this laudable goal has once again been thwarted by the very same Cabinet's politically expedient decision not to apply the new policy to the most widely used—and overused—fertiliser in the country: urea. By leaving urea under the old, misguided policy, the government has ensured that the status quo will prevail—urea will remain so much cheaper than other fertilisers that many farmers will use several times the recommended amount of the nitrogen-rich fertiliser.

Too much urea has ruined the soil in much of Punjab and Haryana, the breadbasket of India, causing stagnant of declining yields of rice and wheat. And paying for this wrong-headed subsidy cost the government more than $20 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2009. Recognising this very problem, the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came up with the smart new Nutrient Based Subsidy. Instead of subsidising fertiliser products, the new plan would subsidise the nutrients that are used in different combinations in the products. In this way, farmers can choose the best combination of nutrients to replenish their soil. Also, manufacturers of fertilisers will have the incentive to develop innovative new products if it is the nutrients in them—and not the same old products—that are subsidised.

But with urea still under the old program, urea will likely still remain considerably cheaper than the other products. The government did decide to raise urea's price by 10% in the coming year, but the fertiliser is still expected to be far cheaper than most others.

The government currently covers about half of urea's cost of production, Fitch Ratings says. Mr. Singh's government ought to know better. In 1991, when Mr. Singh was finance minister, he pushed to eliminate the fertiliser subsidy entirely. But in a last-minute compromise, the subsidy was removed from all fertilisers except urea. "Too much urea has ruined the soil in much of Punjab and Haryana, the breadbasket of India, causing stagnant of declining yields of rice and wheat." That compromise is blamed for the imbalance use of fertilisers in India. With urea's price still subsidised and the already-more-expensive phosphorus and potassium-based products now having no subsidy, urea became relatively even cheaper. "So of course farmers began overusing urea when it was so much cheaper. We warned of it," says Ashok Gulati, director in Asia of the International Food Policy Research Institute, a Washington-based think tank. He was involved in the policy discussions at the time.

Even though some subsidies were later restored on the phosphorus and potassium-based fertilizers, India have never been able to stop farmers from buying the cheaper urea. U.S. Awasti, managing director of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd., was amongst the group of fertiliser executives lobbying to keep the old urea subsidy in 1991. He says he and his colleagues were short-sighted back then. "It was a big mistake and we recognise it," he says.

This time around, he and most other fertiliser company executives advocated for the nutrient-based program. "We all know we have to change the incentives for farmers or our country will not be able to feed itself in the future," he said. But then, as today, Mr. Awasti says the decision on taking the subsidy away from urea is politically treacherous. Farmers have responded angrily over the decades when any rise in the price of urea has been proposed. And rural India still comprises the majority of the electorate and is feeling left behind by the more rapid growth of India's cities.

Mr. Awasti says democracies, of necessity, undertake politically difficult decisions in stages—and he's certain that the government will drop the old subsidy on urea in favour of the Nutrient Based Subsidy next year. "It will happen next year because it has to happen," says Mr. Awasti. Judging by history, Mr. Awasti may be overly optimistic about how likely it is that the government will create a truly meaningful new fertiliser policy to revive Indian agriculture next year. — The wall Street Journal

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

ENERGY CRISIS

 

As expected the natural gas and electricity crisis has hit the country's apparel sector - the country's largest employer and export earning sector. As it is, exports have declined as an offshoot of the after-effect of the global recession. And the export stimulus that the administration had offered, earlier, is yet to be implemented. All this makes the possibility of a turnaround by the year end a little bleak.   

This is not good news for the country. And the government has no option but to redouble its efforts to ensure energy supply to the country's factories. The staggered electricity supply to the industries introduced recently has also failed to stop the rot. Some of the factories are using captive generation to keep their wheels moving but such mechanisms are pushing up cost at a time when importers are already offering low prices. This is an extremely disturbing scenario with the potential to throw many people out of work.

We had warned, soon after the assumption of office by the new government, that the two major problems that face the nation are energy and infrastructure.  But unfortunately the government moved at a very slow pace to resolve these accumulated problems. After a year in office, these problems are increasingly emerging as a major crisis. If the trend continues we will have a full-blown disaster very soon.

The situation has been compounded by a combination of lethargy, legal and political encumbrance and corruption. Much of the problem emanates from the fact that the demand forecasts were unrealistically low. Besides, a court injunction on on-shore exploration and disputes over demarcating the maritime boundary has led to a stalemate in the sector. Many of the three-dimensional (3D) works were abandoned and the only one that was done took almost a year to be ratified by the government. The large-scale pilferage in the energy sector is also responsible for bad demand projection.

If the government had taken up the problems in the energy sector in right earnest, from the very beginning, there would have been no problems now. But it is only moving now to sort out the problems, which means that it will take some more time to get the results. Meanwhile, we have to  brace ourselves to face tougher days. 

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

KING SOLOMON'S FORT?

 

An Israeli archeologist has claimed that she has found evidence of strong ancient fortifications in Jerusalem which may indicate that a strong central government existed in the area in the 10th century BC - corresponding to the date mentioned in the Bible when Kings David and Solomon ruled. But other Israeli experts disagreed. They said that while there is evidence in Jerusalem of ruins dating back to the era, there is little proof of strong fortification which would indicate a strong and prosperous country.

Incidentally, the discovery is in an area that is sacred to Muslims and currently houses the gold-capped Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and is near the Wailing Wall - sacred to the Jews. The findings are most likely to start a fresh round of controversy as Muslims are likely to consider it, as yet another effort to annex the area by the Jews. Much will depend on how the findings are responded to by the political establishment. If populists have their way it may push up the Mercury, once again, in a region already infamous for its volatility. One certainly hopes that academic credibility will have the final say. Otherwise, it is an innovative recipe for yet more trouble.

It is shocking to observe that Jerusalem that had been inhabited by people from all faiths for centuries has suddenly become the focus of festering trouble after the Balfour Declaration - almost a century back. People have been warring with each other ever since, in an area that saw the birth of all three of the world's monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. If the Middle-East is the paradigm of civilization then the conclusion would be irrevocable --- earlier generations were wiser than the current ones. At least they knew how to keep the peace which we have found to be elusive. 

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

BOB'S BANTER

YOU'RE NOT A CHICKEN..!

 

"..Cat thinks he's a chicken; an Australian cat has begun to fancy himself as a chicken, and is taking his new role seriously…." Mirror, Feb 23rd You've heard of strange things, men who think they're women, women who act like men, adults who still think they're children, many such in this world right? But a cat thinking he's chicken? Bit strange if you ask me. "Watch out Kitty, there's a dog attacking you! Come on scratch his nose, gggrowl, attack!"

"Cluck, cluck, cheap, cheap!"

I remember the story of a farmer who found a dead eagle high on a mountain, and in her nest he found an egg. He carried the eagle's egg to his farm and placed it along with those of a hen. A few days later it hatched and the farmer watched with amusement the little eagle growing up along with his brother and sister chickens, doing what they did, and acting just like them.

One day the farmer decided that the baby eagle had to learn to take it's place as the king of the sky and not a chick looking for worms. He took the baby eagle to a field and threw it into the air; the scared little fellow fell to the ground startled. The farmer threw him up again and the eagle fell again, nearly bruising itself. "Open your wings!" shouted the farmer, "Those wings are meant for you to fly!" But lil' eagle looked all the more confused, looking desperately to where mother hen was.

There was only one thing to do, the farmer gathered up the little chap and started up the same mountain, from where he had rescued the egg. There on the mountaintop, the farmer held the eagle high over his head and shouted, "You're an eagle, not a chicken, fly!"

So saying he threw it into the sky, off the mountain and watched the dazed bird go up then start to fall and shouted again, "You're not a chicken!"

And suddenly those wings that were jammed together, opened, and the farmer saw the spectacular sight of the bird lifting itself above the winds, using the currents and soaring into the sky, from where it swooped down in majestic joyfulness, gliding, lifting itself, then thrusting into the wind moving higher and higher, till it became a speck among the clouds that seemed to envelop their King.

I wonder when someone will shout to this Australian cat, "You're not a chicken!" I wonder if you my young friends going to write your exams, hear same voice, "You're not chicken, throw away your fear!"

You who face a bully in your workplace or one at home, can you feel yourself being hurtled into space to fly over those fears with wings that sprout from your own two sides, do I hear voices from you my readers, shouting loud in jubilation, "I'm not a chicken anymore..!"

 — bobsbanter@gmail.com        

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THE INDEPENDENT

CLIMATE SCIENCE IS ALIVE

TAREQUL ISLAM MUNNA

 

Climate science is alive and well despite the scandal of leaked emails in Britain and "glitches" in a report by the UN climate change panel, top scientists said Friday.

"There's consensus that action is justified, indeed imperative to reduce the problem of a really serious long-term global effect on the climate," said Lord Martin Rees, president of the British academy of science, the Royal Society.

"My personal take is the key bit of evidence is the rise in CO2 concentration plus simple physics. If we had no data other than that, that would be enough," Rees told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Climate change sceptics seized on a leak of thousands of emails and other documents from researchers at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Britain, which appeared to show scientists saying global warming was not as serious as previously thought.

That scandal, dubbed Climategate, came just weeks before UN talks on climate change in Copenhagen in December.

Several weeks after the talks, another scandal rocked the world of climate science, when the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was accused of basing a report about ice disappearing from the world's mountain peaks on a student essay and an article in a mountaineering magazine.

But scientists weren't out for the count; they just can't, ethically, "go into the gutter" the way the media have in attacking the science world over the leakks, said Jerry North of Texas A&M University.

"It's easy to vilify scientists but scientists cannot go into the gutter and turn the attacks the other way. "But the climate science paradigm is in fact quite healthy. We just have a lot of challenges about how we communicate," said North.

Scientists may be good at crunching numberss and data, but they're bad at doing their own public relations, said Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences.

"There are a lot of smart people working on climate change right now, but we're not doing a good job of translating what we're learning to the public," said Cicerone.

"Instead when we have a major snowstorm on the east coast of the US, jokes are proliferating about how wrong all this global warming stuff was. And yet you turn on your television and look at the winter Olympics in Canada and you find no snow..."

UN climate chief resigns

The resignation of the U.N.'s top climate official, Yvo de Boer, is a severe blow to ongoing climate negotiations.

His resignation, announced Thursday, takes effect July 1, five months before world leaders are to convene in Mexico to hammer out a binding global treaty aimed at combating climate change. And it comes as the United Nations is battling a public relations disaster related to its climate change science.

"It's a setback for the process," the Irish Times' Frank McDonald, the journalist in Europe who probably knows most about the climate circus, told United Press International in a telephone interview Thursday. "Yvo was very much part of this. He knew where the bodies were buried."

De Boer, 55, takes his hat after organizing a rather disappointing climate conference in Copenhagen, where 120 world leaders failed to agree to more than vague promises to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Experts have blasted the so-called Copenhagen Accord, a text patched together in the final hours of the Copenhagen meeting. The non-binding text was merely noted but not adopted by the conference parties. It sets the limit of global warming to 3.6 degrees F and provides short- and long-term finance to help poor nations cope with climate change; it also set 2015 as a review year to see if global action needs to be more urgent to meet the challenge. But it remains a voluntary text, and even if nations commit to it, they are not legally bound to honor their pledges.

Observers say time is running out for a binding deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which runs out in 2012, to be agreed in Mexico -- so de Boer's resignation doesn't come at a good time.

The Dutch diplomat during the past years jetted from capital to capital in a bid to bridge the trust gap between rich and poor nations. He was often frustrated by the pace of negotiations but never vented his frustration publicly, observers say.

The son of diplomats from the Netherlands, de Boer joined climate negotiations in the 1990s and has headed the United Nations' climate brief since 2006.

He put in his most memorable performance at the Bali talks, when he broke down on the podium after being accused by China of mishandling negotiating arrangements, which he strongly denied.

The Bali Action Plan, which for the first time united the world on post-Kyoto climate change efforts, elevated climate protection to the global stage.

Experts, including McDonald of the Irish Times, point to John Ashe, the Antigua and Barbuda diplomat and an expert of the climate talks, as a possible successor.

De Boer will leave politics to advise the Dutch audit and consulting firm, KPMG, on climate change and sustainability. "I have always maintained that, while governments provide the necessary policy framework, the real solutions must come from business," he said in a statement. "I now have the chance to make this happen."

 

(The writer is a columnist and conservator, Wildlife and Environment)

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

UNBECOMING DEFIANCE AND DEMOCRATIC ETIQUETTE

SULAV CHOWDHURY

 

Democratic etiquette is considered to be the loadstar of democracy that encourages both the ruler and the common mass to go by and honuor ethical standard and not to take any attempt to trivialise others. It is unethical to stoop to disparaging other's achievement by mere show of power, which has been endowed upon by the multitude. For a democratic nation, where nascent democracy goes through peaks and toughs from time to time, this sort of unprecedented practice must yield chaotic result and bring forth social cacophony that might lead up to social tension.

The people of Bangladesh is very much circumspect about applying their voting rights and in the last few elections, we have noticed that the unethical practice of the party in power has been rudely and pretty much unanimously answered by the constituents, resulting in descending from power. Unfortunately power that be always forgets this decent, but massive power of the voters while they are in power. This must not bode well for the country, not even for the party itself.

The history itself denounces such unwholesome behaviour of the political parties. The Chilean Pinochet had all the courage to mercilessly kill hundreds of people disregarding minimum sense of law just because of the fact that those ill-fated people denied his undemocratic rule and orders. But the end doesn't always get well and Pinochet too had to realise the cruelty of people power. The military junta in Myanmar has been on a razor edge now-a-days due to their obstinacy over the freedom of Aung Sun Suu Kyi, the Nobel Laureate opposition leader. People in Myanmar has recently been vociferous about this undemocratic captivity of Suu Kyi and been urging the international community to come forward strictly to bring her out of the captivity. This ejaculation may not have been able to unseat the army from the power, but has created huge furor in the international media and is gaining support. An educated guess is that the day is not far away when the military junta in Myanmar will be bound to hear and respect the voice of people and frees the opposition leader and at last backs to democratic practice. Such overwhelming is the power of people and still how unmindful (or it is intentional) the political parties are that they forget it during their ascendancy to power!

As a nation, we are characteristically a little bit impatient and we sometimes do things injudiciously. But patience and prudence are highly important features in democratic process. Any action-no matter who or which body takes it-must have an effective result so that no other party falls prey to undue disadvantages for this. But, we seem to have forgotten the civilised norm and tend to do something that is detrimental and inimical to democratic system. Our nonchalant attitude towards sticking to democratic character has many often germinated unprecedented problems that have disestablished the country in terms of politics, economy and social calmness. Still poverty alleviation is a huge challenge. Traffic jam has reached fever pitch, student politics has descended into lower ebb, prices of daily essentials are increasing, administrative function has been inert! Government, I think, should seriously look into the matters so that the situation doesn't deteriorate even further. But with utter surprise, we take note that the power that be has been engaged in some actions which lack prudence and in some extent, are destitute of true democratic essence. 

Political wisdom never ever permits irrational behaviour that agitates people and forces them to come down on street. In recent times, few actions of the government have drawn huge criticism and the furor has been gaining ground. Unless a prudent revision of the actions taken by the government is not done in apposite fashion, I doubt, the government is going to face a tough time ahead.

Bangladesh, as a country of nascent democracy, needs an uninterrupted timeframe to strengthen its democratic base and consolidate economic foundation. But, despite feeling is there, nothing has been able to allow us a solid timeframe without any hitch or political bickering. This has ultimately taken us back instead of forward as a nation. Economic strength heavily hinges upon how political stability reigns in a country. Unfortunately, political stability is one thing that we have been unable to foster in our socio-political strategy. This must have left an indelible dent in our fight for building economic strength.

Yet, we must say ours is a huge potential country. The resources and potentials we have, we can, if nurtured correctly, go much higher in terms of social, economic and political standard. We passionately pant for that day.

(The writer is Secretary, BKMEA & can be contacted at sulavun@yahoo.co.uk)

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

MD ASHRAF HOSSAIN

 

Bangladesh is lagging behind in developing its population into human resources even after four decades of independence. Unstable political system is the main reason that did not allow the decision makers to make decision in this respect. We have got several education commission reports but recommendations of none have been materialised owing to opposition of interested presser groups.

Bangladesh people need thousands of physicians for healthcare but required numbers of medical colleges have not been established. Modern healthcare is a far cry in rural Bangladesh where the three-fourth of the population lives in. It is the reality that the specialists, even the MBBS doctors, are not willing to stay in rural areas and sale service. Medical collages need to be set up along with the district level government hospitals.To construct infrastructure and industrialisation needs technically qualified huge manpower. It is surprising that when unemployment is a major problem over here, we have been employing a good number of technical and professional hands from abroad. Engineering institutions or colleges can impart undergraduate engineers.

 

Setting up an engineering college is a time consuming and capital intensive project. Indeed Bangladesh is already behind the race. We have to bring engineers from abroad to set up and operate new industrial units in years to come keeping Bangladeshi youths unemployed.

Without proper manpower no industry can develop. In different seminars and informal discussions mostly we agree that expansion of technical education is very much needed. Practically no mentionable achievement is seen. One poly-technique in each upazilla is very much needed to provide technical education facility to all geographic location of the country.

In addition to that, we know, Dhaka has grown into a mega city-more than 10 million people live over here, and at least 10 poly-technique institutions are required for Dhaka. Technically qualified manpower does not increase unemployed problem.

Usually a driver earns more money than a general labourer. It is necessary to impart training in technical trade like driving to provide benefit to poor. Setting up and operate a driving school is less expensive programme of the government in the arena of technical education. We have to keep in mind that Bangladesh has very little wealth to invest. Relatively low investment is required for a driving school comparing to other technical educational institution. One driving school in each district town and city would facilitate training to thousands of youths year after year. Training in driving trade requires less time than other technical trades. It is an advantage for the poor. Trained driver would have higher employment opportunity within the country as well as in abroad. When more trained people would be available, scope of exporting trained man power will also be increased, a good number of poor youth could be able to come out from poverty level.

It is demand of time, we must stop expansion of general higher education and divert more money in professional and technical education at different levels (secondary, higher secondary, graduate and post graduate) for at least in next decade.

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

SYMPATHY AND TEA MAY NOT BE ENOUGH

DR TERRY LACEY

 

The Greek financial crisis threatens to drag the EU back down into a "double dip" recession. This comes alongside continuing doubts on the Dow Jones report of a 60-per cent Dubai World debt deal (Guardian 14.02.10) and the downward slide of the US dollar. Asian economies are nervous of the combined effects of a euro and dollar fall and perhaps oil price rises.

The Asian recovery led by China, India, Indonesia and ASEAN is based on local consumption and powerful state backing, but cannot hit the high road to full recovery, pulling the Middle East and developing world with them, without improved global demand.

The Eurozone countries are caught between a rock and hard place, to launch a financial rescue of Greece against their will and beyond their means, or to possibly watch the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain) crash instead of fly, and bring down the Euro with them.

Greece needs to refinance two lots of sovereign debt amounting to more than €8 billion each in April and May.

How is this to happen without concrete EU support leading to sustainability, rather than solidarity without substance?

Greece only represents about 3 per cent of the Eurozone gross domestic product, but the disproportionate doubts that threaten the Euro reflect fear of contagion and increased focus on flaws at the heart of European monetary union.

"Behind this intense focus on Greece is the long-standing unresolved issue of how to enforce fiscal discipline in a currency union of sovereign states," says Thomas Stolper at Goldman Sachs.

Morten Hansen, an economist at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia questions the determination of Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to join the Eurozone, "Should they go into a zone where there are countries not following the rules and then have to bail them out?" he asked.

Constantin Gurdgiev argued in the Irish Sunday Times that "given Greece's performance over the past 15 years - persistent huge deficits and a creative presentation of official data to conceal them - about the only surprising thing in the country's unfolding drama is that its bonds will still trade at all."

The reluctance of Germany to lead a bailout was led by Wolfgang Schauble, the German finance minister, "Greece has to realise that, when you break the rules over a long period of time, you have to pay a high price."

Temporarily the British can rejoice they did not join the Eurozone. But the UK has tried to finance its way out of recession by a huge state-backed spending spree, resulting in a government deficit at a level not seen since the Second World War.

The British pound has been steadily losing value to the Euro and the recent drop in the Euro does not herald the end of this trend.

Henry Chu writing in the Los Angeles Times points out the British economy is shaky with a yawning budget deficit as a proportion of gross domestic product, alarmingly similar to that of Greece, whose 12.7 percent budget shortfall is four times beyond the prescribed limit for Eurozone countries.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown argues this Greek tragedy is only being played out in the Eurozone theatre.

But the US and UK counter-recession spending sprees also carry a price that has to be paid. The UK austerity programme has to start just as the British face a general election.

From the Germans Greece can expect hard advice but no concrete measures, and from the British tea and sympathy, to which the French may add a freshly baked croissant. Perhaps a little more is needed.

Where does this leave China, India and Indonesia?

As tea-producing nations perhaps they also need to send tea and sympathy to their European aunties, hoping that they will make a full recovery from this second round of coughs and sneezes, before everyone catches another cold.

 

(The writer is Jakarta-based columnist of The Independent)

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

SEARCHING NEW DYNAMICS IN LEADERSHIP OF HASINA AND KHALEDA

ABDUL QUADER CHOWDHURY

 

Do we have the most acceptable leader of transformation in Bangladesh (BD) in this new century? Such leaders are supposed to be usually the charismatic, big-picture visionaries, the ones who have potential ability to change the society.  

Leadership is very much related to agenda of change according to indispensable demands of a nation. The transition from the Industrial age to the Information age is a huge shift. As the pace of change accelerates in such shift, there is naturally a greater need for 'effective' leadership which is described by political scientist as leaders of transformation, of reformation or reconstruction.  

There are many historians who believe that history is made by Great Men / Women, kings and queens, statesmen and politicians, etc. Marxists do not deny the role of such individuals when emphasis on role of mass people as key driver of it. No person, no matter how talented, capable or far-sighted, can determine the main course of historical development, which is shaped by objective forces--the mass people. However, under critical circumstances, the role played by individuals can be decisive. But we do need to recognise the dialectical relationship between the great individual (the subjective factor) and the social forces (objective condition) that govern the movement of society and see this social mechanism in its historical context.  We saw, such as, Vladimir U. Lenin during the Russian revolution in 1917. We also saw Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and Maulana Bhashani, founders of our nation during the sixties and seventies.   

However, the spontaneous role and influence of an individual can span from the one of insignificance to absolutely decisive. The degree of this influence will depend upon the stage of development of socio-political events and conditions, the correlation of social forces, and the role of the brave and tactful individual within these forces. Late president Ziaur Rahaman - in absence of Lt-col. Taher - had become such type of leader during the Oct-Nov 1975 transitions in BD. General Zia transformed his own leadership type and style - from the military - bureaucratic one to mass civilian one as well of the state.

Relevantly, Napoleon was the product of forces outside his own will in France. He owed his being to his parents, and was conditioned by his family life. He was deeply influenced by his inferiority to the upper-class group at his military school. He was certainly deeply affected by the French Revolution. But one cannot say that only his uniqueness or only social forces at work upon him were of importance. We must understand both factors, in order to understand how a Napoleon became the real napoleon. In another way, the rise of General Zia, at the initial stage, was also from a sort of similar backgrounds related to personal frustration at job against his ambitions and the prevailing socio-political condition.

Further, on a different scenario, M. Gorbachev, political trade mark of Russian 'glasnost' and 'perestroika' policies on recovering its almost bankrupt polito-economy in the eighties, was one of the vivid examples of the 'leadership of transformation' in the recent history. He proved himself to be a great communicator and visionary in addressing chronic problems at home and abroad.  His "new thinking" approach in the world affairs has generated great optimism that "peaceful coexistence", plus the "cooperation and compromise" between the superpowers is an achievable goal. He was 'passionate' in his vision and aspirant in his leadership. By the way, personal passion means the mental spirit involving constant focus, lively dream, and restless work to achieve a specific goal. He is role model for the today's leadership partially handicapped with colonial mentality and arrogant attitude.  

An outstanding political psychologist, Harold D. Lasswell, suggests that the most dynamic type of political leader compensates for personal inadequacies. If an individual feels deprived, consciously or not, of characteristics or possessions that he is trained/groomed by his environment to regard as valuable-good looks, family affection, money, social respect, a certain upper-class occupation, an education-his feelings of deprivation create a high tension that seeks outlets. There are many outlets, but those men/women destined to become politically active choose power or prestige as compensation. Since power has always to be justified in terms of the public mandate, they repress their private motives and acquire a set of beliefs/ideologies truly political--a notion of the "public interest." 

Many political leaders "fall" into office; they may be born to it; they may get office with little effort because of family connections. Others may serve in high posts simply because of technical skills; such, for instance, are many army leaders, bureaucrats and business leaders. Most political leaders are subject to a variety of motives; they may wish to earn money, enjoy luxurious life, and help their careers, defeat personal enemies, sometimes serving community and so on.

Women, as heads of kingdom, presidents, and prime ministers, have commanded powerful nations throughout history. Great historical leaders include Cleopatra VII of Egypt, Queen Isabel I of Spain, Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Empress Dowager Tz'u-His of China, Sultana Razia in middle age India and many others during colonial / post colonial eras in the third world. So the women leadership is not a strange phenomenon in the world history. They all had reasons, background supports, mechanisms, tool, motivations and goals. But today is totally different than yesterdays/years.

In socio-psychological viewpoint, what did actually make Hasina and Khaleda become politicians? Is it for seeking justice, revenge, power, rest of their families' future, personal depression, frustration, patriotism? As soon as they got on the high speed road of leadership, what does motivate them to pursue their missions in long term? Is it the pursuing legacy of Mujib-Zia-ideology-power-nation-poor citizen-followers' demand / interests?      It is admitted that women leaders are more likely to be transformational leaders, defined as those who serve as role models, mentor and empower workers/followers and encourage innovation/new though/new policy, even when the organization they lead is generally successful. History supports this notion. 

Both, Hasina and Khaleda emerged in the BD political landscape as their respective party leaders in such a special moment when the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had suffered from a serious leadership vacuum. They both demonstrate their talents and abilities to make their own party stronger and further stronger over the last three decades, more or less. We observed their leadership styles featured with own special human traits, strength, weakness, far-sightedness, shortsightedness, shortcomings, personal emotional complexity, egos, stamina, sacrifice, ambition, etc. 

As public communicator, Hasina in the past sometimes appeared as confusing talker, mixing with her random comments later perceived as pointless or controversial; but recently she is seemingly in full control so far. Begum Zia generally talks decisively to her audiences/others- meaning, to the point, in control; what she talks about actually she means it, but sometimes irrational. Both leaders have been lacking in their visionary will-forces on many counts for the nation; but the only time was the last election 2008 Hasina freed herself from such deficiencies when released her vision -2021 or manifesto of 'Deen Badal'. At this point, Khaleda probably lacks- behind Hasina- in the public views. Usually both leaders keep focusing on the 'Past' while less cover on issues of the present and the future envisaging in their plans and vision. Personal attacks were more frequent than mutual respect, cooperation, positive criticism. Both somehow have typical interests in special friendships with the military and foreign parties, undermining poor citizens/voters at home, to achieve own goals. Sometimes apparently becomes 'pawn' in hands of domestic powerful interest groups represented by male party colleagues/patrons. The sense of patriotism is directly connected to the concerns of native poor community, by the way. So, sometimes their good intention just does not work for them, for others too.    Sometimes they talk in such a tone that it appears on the public eyes that that specific 'leader' is the most all rounder genius in the country and the other citizens, as they want, are just to follow them blindly. Both leaders in the past took controversial tactics of temporary/causal compromises with the military and faith-fanatical forces in order to knock down the prime rival who is relatively democratic/secular force-just somehow to capture state power. In political actions, with whatever ultimate-intention, Khaleda proved herself as an adamant while Hasina sometimes was flexible or less-focused. Image of both leaders at home is almost at similar level, but Hasina is brighter on global stage. There is no culture of publicly appreciation for good works done by colleagues. In average / nutshell, this is how could objectively be described the mode/fashion of the entrances and performances of both leaders in/to politics. And these also depict their level of wisdom, talent, skill, passion, ethics, integrity and professionalism in their jobs.

There are so many false starts, unexpected obstacles, and surprising turns along the path to 'change' in the world history. Political scientists ask a key question- is whether a leader's 'personal passion' matches his or her aspirations and declaration. Martin Luther King had once shouted to his crowd, "I have a dream! He did not say, "I have a very good plan" or so something. He decisively provided passion and a strong sense of purpose of the change - in society of generations, in his nation. He did not use it as tactics of his power take over. The next door neighbour also the campaigned with slogans of 'Garybee Hotao' in seventies, Shinning India in the beginning of the new century, etc. At the end-result, these slogans did not produce expected meaningful impacts. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina advocates the policy Deen Badal (day of changes / Change of days) mainly which awarded her 2008 election prize to power. This promise how far is backed up with her personal 'passion' is the key question today. But the nation keeps fingers crossed to see the end results for ordinary people who believe her.          

Strongly believe that Sheikh Hasina, the eldest of two surviving daughters of Bangabandhu, apparently did learn the underlying lessons clearly taught during the political storm of 2007-08 that helped a significantly improve her perceptions, aptitude, attitude, tactics and personal traits. Same is for Begum Zia too. Hasina tries and has hopefully discovered her strength and weakness in her leadership. She, with collaboration of her advisors, correctly have recognized without further delay the recent developments in BD social phenomenon, concerning information technology, environment, faith issues, terrorism, increase in rural per-capita income etc least to mention about corruption that widely touched the new generation, women, elites, foreigners specifically. Now need to correctly/timely work for materializing the plans - Deen Badal.

Do leaders see the embedded opportunity in every setback?  2008 election bill board registered the biggest ever downward shift in Begum Zia's carrier. Winston Churchill's devastating defeat at Gallipoli that resulted in about 100,000 Allied casualties during WW-I. That had seriously bad impact on the world wide British Empire. When the war was over, Churchill took complete responsibility. He was able to move forward to lead Britain to victory in World War II. Churchill and other great leaders were pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still had the optimism and courage to act. Enduring setback maintaining the ability to show others the way to go forward is a true test of leadership. Post election behavior of Khaleda Zia who is mentally depressed more due to the uncertain future of her sons, reflects such a trend; but yet to see enough. But today she poses to come back. 

Political historian, Falter Isaacson, in his Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, notes that compromisers may not make great heroes, but they do make democracies. His point was that the strength of a country or an organization is not just derived from singleness of purpose. It is derived from the recognition that the sum is greater than the parts and that compromise is often a necessary ingredient in achieving success. Ben Franklin was always willing to give others/competitors credit in order to achieve success. The crucial issue today before Khaleda Zia is whether she prefers working with the nationalist democratics or fanatic forces, in- and outside her BNP, to serve the nation while building her party. She might be wise to bring back her ex-senior colleagues to BNP again to regain/consolidate power. Khaleda drove her BNP two times to power from almost scratches. On certain standards, she is competent, fit, and successful with certain limitations include her health status like every one else have. 

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founders of the independent USA had no formal education. Yet by age 11, he had taught himself English, French, and Italian languages. Franklin, however, did not simply limit himself to book -knowledge. One of his principal methods for learning was to engage others in spirited debate. He was a businessman entrepreneur in his early life, scientist, then became an author, politician, diplomats, and negotiator. However, political scientist John Kotter believes a leader must have a basic threshold of knowledge but does not necessarily need to be the most knowledgeable in an organization. But the continuous learning/practice process, individually and collectively, is the basic foundation of any dynamic leadership.  For only one time, both Hasina and Khaleda officially registered their mutual cooperation in the parliament in 1991 when the government form was constitutionally transformed to the parliamentary system. Like few others, Ben Franklin fiercely believed in competition, but he never hesitated to cooperate with competitors in politics for sake his nation. He could be the most partisan of politicians nd the most accommodating of diplomats in the USA. Today, president Obama tries to follow the adaptable steps of Ben Franklin and George Washington. So far, it appears that family, party, revenge, fame, money, power, nation are dominating ingredients in the local politics. From the historical view-point, any move for any great 'change' without 'personal passion' may ultimately become vogue. One needs to be a transformative leader in that purpose to make 'change' happen for the poor. Both, Hasina and Khaleda are the guardians of 'absolute power' in their own paradigm. Personally, they should to decide wise / tactful course of moves for better of the nation and party, and vise-versa.   Lack of compromise and cooperation between two leaders are the pivotal problems to the democracy and the nation. Anti-state elements have been taking opportunities out these for years. When public speeches are to be delivered, a pre-written scripts authored by appointed brilliant professional speech writers, could be used before the audience. Many world leaders do so. Government Advisors should be impartial, unbiased, petty interest free, developed with updated global knowledge on specific field at acceptable level. Some expatriate Bangladeshi (NRB) experts/specialists could serve better in such positions. Somehow minimise tension of frictions / confrontations in order to gear up campaign against the national/social enemies, and global enemies.         

Probably, the most famous women leader of modern time is Margaret Thatcher of Britain who proved the image of an "Iron lady" able to compete with men dominated civil bureaucracy and able pursue own agenda. Being an excellent example of an ideal female leader, Margaret Thatcher possesses such features as vision of the future and personal charisma. Agendas of 'Deen Badal' perhaps need such a 'Thatcher characters' to move on with.

(The author is an Accountant and freelance writer based in Montreal, Canada

 

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THE INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL

WHY DO MUSLIMS LAG BEHIND IN THE PRESENT WORLD?

PITER MASUD

 

It is an interesting question from every corner of the world, why are the Muslims in bad shape? The explanations given in this article may be helpful to spring up the understanding of the educated Muslims. Three main drawbacks of Muslim world are identified, that are, the education, the quality of Muslim states and the political Islam. Based on these drawbacks, the situation of Bangladesh is evaluated. Finally, a guideline is given for the Bangladeshi people to lead the country forward.

Education: Proper education is the backbone of a Nation. The first fives verses of the Qur'an were revealed on education. In Islam, both men and women are exhorted to seek knowledge. In the Qur'an there is no discrimination between human being except the literate and illiterate people. Unfortunately, the education standard of Muslim countries is frustrating! According to ranking of university web, Saudi is the only country that takes the rank of 30 out 45 countries of the world. There is no university of Muslim world within top 100 universities of the world. The top ranking university of the whole Muslim world is the King Saud University but its place is 199 in the world ranking. Even in Asian universities, universities of Muslim countries do not have any place within 10. King Saud University and King Fahd University take the position of 18th and 38th respectively. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Dhaka University have, respectively, the position of 3044 and 6388 in the world ranking. There are 17,716 universities in the world; contrary OIC countries have only 1460 universities. The percentage of universities in the Muslim world is only 8.24 per cent, where as the Muslim population is 24.31 per cent of the world population. We can imagine the status of education in the Muslim world!

To evaluate the education of Muslim world, we can divide the educational system into three categories based on spiritual, technological and political. The Qur'an is the only one religious book in the world which has not been distorted at all. Muslims must have deep knowledge of Islam, but the Quranic knowledge of Muslim is very poor. Most of the Muslims do not have proper knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith. Very few Muslims in the present world can speak in the language of Quran! The contribution of Muslims to the present research work of the world is not remarkable as we have seen from the data given above. It will be difficult to find out a Muslim professor from all over the Muslim world in political science who is publishing papers regularly in the international journals. There is not a single Muslim politician who has an important role in the present world politics! The entire Muslim world comprised one-forth of humanity but had less than 1 per cent of its scientists who generated less than 5 per cent of its science and made barely 0.1 per cent of the world's original research discoveries each year. Ultimately the present Muslims are working neither for this world nor for the next world!Quality of the Muslim States: In the western world the leaders are the chosen peoples and their characters are better than the general people. In most cases Muslim leaders are not chosen by the people and they do not care about their citizens. In the developed countries, the leaders are very kind to their citizens but very aggressive to their enemy states. Contrary Muslim leaders are very loyal to their enemy states and very antagonistic with their citizens. Leaders of developed countries have a great plan to best utilise their manpower and peoples have the right to freedom of expression. Muslims are suppressed in their own countries and they are seeking other Non-Muslim countries for better and safe lives. According to global peach index 2007, Muslim world is far away to drive the peach. The young generation of Muslim world is in the direction of dark future! A French research foundation in 2008 has conducted a survey and published in the study "Young People Facing the Future". In that study, satisfaction scores about various aspects of young people's lives of various countries are investigated where India ranks the top. Not a single Muslim country is in that list! Over all most of the Muslim countries are in wrong directions and no powerful Muslim leader is coming forward to bring the Muslim states in the right the direction!

Political Islam: After Muhammad died, a series of Caliphs governed the Islamic State: Abu Bakr Siddique, Umar, Uthman and Ali. These first Caliphs are popularly known as the "Rashidun" or "rightly-guided" Caliphs (630-660). After the Rashidun, a series of Caliphates were established. Each caliphate developed its own unique laws based on the sharia. The gains of the Ummayad Empire were consolidated upon when the Abbasid dynasty rose to power in 750. From 750 Ummayad ruled Spain from Cordoba and this dynasty was ended by Hisham III (1027-1031). On the other hand, Abbasid dynasty ruled over the Muslim world initially from Baghdad and finally from Cairo; this dynasty was ended by Al-Mutawakkil III (1508-1517). In the 15th and 16th centuries three major Muslim empires were created: the Ottoman Empire in much of the Middle East, the Balkans and Northern Africa; the Safavid Empire in Greater Iran; and the Mughul Empire in South Asia. When Muslims was in power, they had huge contributions in the science and technology though Muslim contributions are not recognized by the western world. Recently, President Obama has given the recognition of Muslim contributions to knowledge in his Cairo speech. In the middle of 18th century British defeated the Mughal Empire in South Asia and at the beginning of 19th century British set up her colonies in the African countries and they took over the control of Muslim world. At the beginning of 20th century, British Empire failed to control the Muslim world but they distorted the whole Muslim world. Before leaving the Muslim world British introduced the nationalism among Muslims and the Muslim countries were divided unevenly into pieces. For example, Kurdish people were divided into four pieces, Kashmir into two pieces, Kuwait and Iraq into two pieces, etc. After the massacre of Muslim States by the British Empire, at the middle of 20th century, three Muslim leaders started to reform the Muslims to establish the Islamic rules: Sayed Kutub from Egypt, Imam Khomeini from Iran and Saied Abul Ala Maududi from Indian subcontinent. But the western world started to crack down the Muslims upraise. Khomeini became successful though western world still is trying to massacre the Islamic revolution of Iran. The Brotherhood (movement of Saied Kutub in Egypt) was dismantled by the western world. The annihilation of Brotherhood created a spiritual tsunami that shocked the whole Arab world. The member of Brotherhood spread all over the world and they became much arrogant to establish Islam. Due to their action, huge number of Non-Muslims started to embrace Islam. To control the conversion of Non-Muslims to Islam, 9/11 was created by the intelligence of powerful states. As a result Muslims became cornered in the western world and now a day huge number of Muslims are completing their PhD degrees as an alternative of qualified jobs. Any way, there is a reaction of every action. The policymakers should calculate the balance; if the balance is zero, then why so suppressions?

Very recently India, UK and America by the help of present Bangladesh government have started to crack down the Jamat-E Islami in Bangladesh. Jamat is working in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This organization has more than 2 million supporters out side the Indian subcontinent (Europe, America, Middle East and Africa) and this figure will be triple to pentuple within next 10 years. Banning this movement is equivalent to declare the third world war! Are we ready for that?

Situation in Bangladesh: Bangladesh is the second largest Muslim country in terms of population but the quality of education is so poor that the top one university takes the rank of 3044 in the world ranking. The educational institutions are full of politically motivated violence which is the cause of session-jam in the public universities. Somehow there was a balance in Bangladeshi politics from 1991 to 2006 but the imbalanced environment has been created by the last Army ruled care taker government. Politically imbalanced and internally conflicted nation can never prosper. That is why at beginning of taking over the power of USA Obama declared:"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers".

A great leader should treat all the citizens in a same fashion, internal conflict must be diminished. Now the politics of Bangladesh are not only in the parliament or street but also in the family level. Political conflict will destroy our family bonding as well, which is very dangerous! On the other hand, Bangladesh is a country of 88.30 per cent Muslims who are to be ruled by the law of Islam, because this is a smart way to control the Muslims. Rejection of political Islam was the agenda of Non-Muslims. Political Islam reserved the Muslim world at the ruling state; western world came in power replacing the political Islam. Educated Muslims should always keep this in their thinking.

Bangladeshi people must try to keep the educational institution free from violence and every citizen should have the equal rights to study in the public schools and universities. Politicians must bring the balance in politics that is the precondition of prosperity. Not a single citizen should be suppressed; all the citizens should be best utilized for the sake of development of Bangladesh.

(The writer is a PhD student)

 

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THE AUSTRALIAN

EDITORIAL

MEDIA WATCH MORE IN TOUCH THAN INSIDERS

 

WE have had our disagreements over the years with Media Watch, but the ABC TV program was on the money on Monday night with its analysis of our coverage of the federal government's decision to cut the licence fees of the commercial free-to-air television channels.

 

Presenter Jonathan Holmes recognised the $250 million rebate was an important policy story that any half-way serious news outlet would have to cover extensively.

 

His calm approach to the material was a world away from the somewhat hysterical claims of his colleagues on the Insiders program the previous day. That was when host Barrie Cassidy joined Radio National presenter Fran Kelly and Fairfax journalist David Marr in sledging this newspaper. The extraordinary claim that The Australian was campaigning against the licence cut because of its corporate connections with the pay-TV channel Foxtel ignored the great national interest in the story. Our reporting, and our editorial comment on the subject, focused on the need for the government to explain why it had given free-to-air a cut. As Holmes remarked, the story was "a good get by the Oz" and its coverage was a contrast to commercial TV's delay in reporting the issue. Perhaps the team at Insiders needs to examine the facts more closely before passing judgment.

 

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THE AUSTRALIAN

EDITORIAL

WHEN IT COMES TO COAG, LESS MAY DELIVER MORE

 

THE Prime Minister says he wants to end the blame game with the states but he may still have to take a stick to them if he is serious about creating a "seamless national economy" for Australia.

 

Yesterday's performance review of the Rudd government's revamped federal-state machinery is a reminder that herding nine governments in one direction was never meant to be easy.

 

The failure of the Council of Australian Governments to deliver on competition and deregulation targets shows the deep difficulties of initiating reforms in areas where turf wars, rather than the national interest, tend to define the argument. The "significant loss of momentum" in two areas crucial to Australia's prosperity -- infrastructure and transport -- suggests that a fresh approach may be needed from the Prime Minister. As the Business Council of Australia suggested yesterday, Kevin Rudd may need to hone his program and tackle a few key issues where he can deliver.

 

The report from the COAG Reform Council -- the relatively new watchdog body -- represents a breakthrough in transparency and accountability in federal-state matters. The progress report is the first of its kind. It is an important effort to keep the reform process on track by benchmarking success in areas ranging from harmonisation of occupational health and safety rules, to regulation on chemicals and plastics, to supervision of trustee corporations. The council found that the COAG agenda had failed to meet specified milestones in one-third of the 27 red-tape hot spots and identified seven areas in particular that need real attention. These include food, a construction code, environmental assessment and maritime safety. These micro-economic failures are worrying, but the bigger danger is the lack of action in competititon policy in the areas of transport policy, road reform, energy and infrastructure. The report calls on COAG to clarify and reassess its agendas and "find ways to reinvigorate" competition reforms.

 

The report's findings also demonstrate the limits of relying too heavily on the COAG framework to get results in key areas of education and health. Mr Rudd has been generous with the states. In 2008, he gave them an extra $140 billion over five years to kickstart reform and he has looked to COAG for action on many fronts, not the least being Canberra's overdue reform of the hospital sector. Yesterday's report offers a reality check on just how tough it can be to shift the behaviour of the states.

 

It is not all bad news in the 440-page report but the impression is of a COAG -- despite the brave new world outlined by the Rudd government -- bogged down with a large program that is badly in need of a priority list. Australians have been waiting a long time for reforms in the vexed area of federal-state relations and a crowded agenda does nothing to speed progress.

 

Almost two years ago, in April 2008, this newspaper urged Mr Rudd to "go back to basics before he is swamped" and identify three or four key issues for close attention. Within six months, his government was indeed swamped by the global financial crisis. Now that that threat has dissipated, the long, hard grind of reform makes it even more vital that the Prime Minister cut to the chase and focus on his priorities.

 

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THE AUSTRALIAN

EDITORIAL

SHARPEN COUNTER-TERRORISM

 

THE Rudd government's counter-terrorism white paper contained an important initiative on biometric screening designed to help thwart overseas terrorists attempting to enter Australia

 

In other respects, however, the paper covered well-trodden ground and skated lightly over basic, long-running airport security concerns highlighted by this newspaper since 2005. It also contained a major contradiction. While drawing attention to the threat "from people born or raised in Australia, who have become influenced by the violent jihadist message", no new funding or strategies were proposed to address the problem.

 

The paper says the threat from home-grown terrorists has increased markedly since 2004, with a "significant number of Australian extremists" from "a wide range of ethnic backgrounds . . . radicalised to the point of being willing to engage in violence to advance their political aims". Addressing such a trend must involve effective strategies to counter the influence of radical, corrosive ideologies that drive potential recruits towards committing terrorist acts. Authorities should look closely at the hate-filled messages carried on television channels such as Al-Manar, a Hezbollah-backed Lebanese channel retransmitted via Indonesian satellite. Under review for the third time by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, it is banned in the US France, Germany and Spain.

 

On the positive side, the white paper outlined plans to spend $69 million over four years on biometric screening of visa applicants from 10 locations, yet to be specified -- but not Indonesia, Pakistan or India, despite those countries suffering serious terror attacks.

 

Biometric screening, which is already routine in some countries, is vital given the number of attacks perpetrated by terrorists crossing borders. The matching of fingerprints and facial images against the databases of other nations is especially important. Thorough cross-checking might well have seen Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab barred from boarding the Northwest Airlines plane to the US that he tried to bomb on Christmas Day. The Australian also supports focusing the most stringent security on people who fit the profile of potential terrorists -- taking into account their nationality, behaviour, past records and destinations.

 

Even more basic measures are needed to maximise security. Last week, the parliamentary joint committee on the Australian crime commission was told of gaping holes at our major airports. The problems included corrupt baggage handlers, Customs officials and airline staff, abuses of the "nothing to declare" Customs system and catering trucks and air cargo rarely being inspected. Such concerns are not new. In 2005, a report by then-Customs officer Allan Kessing identifying a long list of embarrassing security breaches at Sydney airport was leaked to The Australian. Mr Kessing was later convicted of leaking the report, a charge he denies. It is unacceptable that five years on, such shortcomings remain unchecked and that it is Mr Kessing, not those endangering the public, who faced the wrath of the law.

 

As the white paper concedes, no government can provide a guarantee against terror attacks. Protecting the nation from external and internal threats will remain an ongoing challenge.

 

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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

EDITORIAL

A CALMER STRATEGY AGAINST TERRORISM

 

Last week's heavy jail terms for five Muslim men, most of them raised in Sydney, will have given many people what they think is a clear idea where the threat of terrorism lies. The federal government's new white paper on counter-terrorism, identifying a strand of home-grown violent jihadism, will undoubtedly reinforce this impression.

 

Yet without becoming complacent, we should remind ourselves that, so far, our intelligence and police agencies have been remarkably effective in detecting and preventing acts of terrorism in the planning and preparation stages, and intervening to protect the public. Given the limits on linguistic and interpretive resources in the intelligence agencies, as they have turned from Cold War concerns to this new threat, this result could not have been achieved without widespread and timely co-operation from Muslim communities across Australia.

 

This spirit is something that governments and their agencies will have to nurture carefully, it is clear from the white paper, as we move through a period of ideological turmoil in Islam as its societies are exposed to a rapidly changing global culture dominated by the West and East Asia. Those marginalised and alienated in the middle of that culture can fall for the millenarian, violent script of unscrupulous radicals. Those at risk must be noticed and watched. But radical thought is not a crime, nor is it always or even often a lifelong attitude. Support for the security agencies would drop away quickly if they were to intervene before thought turns to active planning. It will always

 

be a tricky game, in which success is measured in negative outcomes.

 

The foreign threat is always much easier to address, and the public will not begrudge the extra $69 million the government will spend on new biometric identification systems, airport scans and a new anti-terrorism control room to connect the dots - a persistent problem in intelligence, as the alleged bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound aircraft on Christmas Day showed.

 

We are told these new systems will apply to 10 so-far unnamed countries, whose nationals will now have to show up in person at Australian missions to apply for visas, instead of online. We can all guess what countries these will be, though some will have neither Australian embassies nor many of the means to apply electronically. Possibly the list should include Britain, since its reported list of 1500-plus citizens susceptible to violent jihadism is said to worry US and allied security agencies as much as identified al-Qaeda adherents holed up in Yemen or Pakistan. The instigators of terrorism will always be looking for fresh faces to outflank the technology.

 

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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

EDITORIAL

IT'S TIME TO RETREAT ON STUDENT GRANTS

 

THE vice-chancellors of all Australian universities have entered the debate about the government's changes to youth allowance that are stalled in the Senate. They have urged the upper house to pass the changes when the legislation returns to the chamber today. Despite the government's slipshod handling of the measure, they, and the government, are right. The legislation should be passed.

 

The changes originated in last year's budget, which contained sweeping changes to eligibility for youth

allowance. They raised the threshold for the means test on parental income - which had been left unchanged for so long that the benefit was eroded by inflation. But to pay for the change, eligibility rules were tightened. To demonstrate their independence, and hence their eligibility for the allowance, students would have to work 30 hours a week for 18 months. The move was intended to exclude wealthy students who had been able to exploit a loophole in the old rules, taking a year off, doing a little work while living away from home or holidaying to satisfy the older, more lax criteria of independence, then moving back into the family home to study, while the taxpayer paid them youth allowance as pocket money. Clearly changes were needed.

 

However, the government's changes were strangely, and needlessly, heavy-handed. The 18-month period in effect disqualified 2008's school leavers - rich and poor, or poorer, alike. Many of the latter live outside the big cities. For these, youth allowance is necessary. It subsidises the cost of living closer to university so they spend a manageable amount of time working to keep themselves while still concentrating on their studies. This group's legitimate grievance provided a neat political platform for the opposition, which has blocked the changes, with the aid of Senator Steve Fielding, whose interpretation of the needs of Australian families has been, as ever, flexible enough to allow him to maintain his profile as a spoiler with this issue.

 

The government, amid a storm of criticism from student representatives, saw reason and amended its plans. That, surely, should have been enough - but the opposition, having had one victory, will not let go. The changes are not enough, it says. It wants to split the measure so the government's more generous allowance goes through, while the savings measures are held up. This is simply irresponsible. In pursuit of this dubious objective, the opposition and its allies are willing to hold students hostage as a new academic year approaches. They should back down.

 

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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

EDITORIAL

GARRETT MUST GO IF THE BUNGLING IS TO END

 

SINCE Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the new Labor government's first cabinet in 2007, Environment Minister Peter Garrett has been its most ill-starred member. Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon was the first - and so far only - minister to be sacked, but Mr Garrett has rarely been out of trouble since assuming his portfolio. He is now up to his neck in it.

 

Indeed, even the circumstances in which he became Environment Minister seemed to indicate Mr Rudd's lack of confidence in the former rock star and green activist. After a gaffe-prone election campaign, Mr Garrett, who in opposition had been shadow minister for climate change, the environment, heritage and the arts, was appointed to cabinet without the key climate change ministry and without responsibility for water policy, jobs that were given to Penny Wong. The government has insisted this hiving off of the most contentious environmental policy areas reflects their importance, but that is hardly a compliment to Mr Garrett.

 

Just as Mr Garrett in electioneering mode sometimes seemed to be faster in making a quip than in recognising the implications of his remarks, so in government he has seemed to act decisively only when careful deliberation might have cautioned against acting in haste, lest a bad state of affairs be made even worse.

 

Thus in early June last year Mr Garrett abruptly ended the $8000 rebate for solar panels, which householders, retailers and installers had expected to continue several weeks longer, till the end of the financial year. He announced that the replacement solar-credits scheme would take effect immediately, even though the relevant legislation had not yet passed through Parliament. The result was chaos for the industry and its customers, as people reasonably shied away from new contracts until the new rules were in place.

 

Last week it happened all over again, with even worse consequences. Mr Garrett's way of dealing with the crisis arising from his department's failed oversight of the home insulation program has been to shut it down, with the consequence that a booming industry has collapsed. Hundreds of jobs have already gone, and soon it will be thousands. That was not supposed to be the result of a program devised as part the economic stimulus package.

 

The $2.45 billion insulation program was implemented rapidly to boost recovery, and, as it now appears, without adequate scrutiny by Mr Garrett's department. Just how much responsibility for the loss of four lives and at least 87 house fires can be attributed either to departmental officers or the minister is not clear, but it is beyond dispute that warnings on the dangers involved were ignored. In the worst instance, a risk assessment in April last year by the law firm Minter Ellison urged that the scheme be delayed, but according to Mr Garrett two reports submitted by Minter Ellison did not reach his desk until this month - and one of them only this week.That this could have happened indicates grave mismanagement in the department, for which Mr Garrett must accept ultimate responsibility whether or not he was aware of it at the time. The bungle also raises questions about broader responsibility within cabinet: did heightened concern about the need to shield Australia from the global recession create a mood in which risks were overlooked or given insufficient attention? If that was so, the Prime Minister also bears a measure of responsibility for the disastrous insulation scheme, and for the other running debacle on Mr Garrett's watch, the green loans scheme.

 

Yesterday Mr Rudd conceded that the buck does stop with him, and he should now act to restore trust in his government's ability to co-ordinate the stimulus and environmental policy. Peter Garrett must be removed as minister.

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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

EDITORIAL

ISOLATE TERRORISTS IN WORD AND DEED

 

NATIONAL leaders cannot take any chances with terrorism. Upon the release of the counterterrorism white paper yesterday, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith stressed the need to screen all individuals who might pose a threat. As Mr Smith said, ''While the numbers are small … it only takes one to get through.''

 

Mr Rudd announced funding of $69 million for a system of biometric checks on visa applicants from 10 as-yet-unnamed countries. Fingerprints, imaging and other identifying data will be matched against information about terrorist and criminal suspects in biometric databases held by Australia and its allies.

 

Vetting the identity of people entering Australia is essential for security. Setting up a counterterrorism control centre ''to enhance integration and co-ordination'' of national security systems is also a sound move. However, aspects of the announcements raise concerns. First, why publicise a list of 10 high-risk countries? Based on the nationalities of those who carried out the worst attacks of recent years, Britain and Indonesia would be on it. Yet the system was developed in consultation with Britain, and Canberra's security ties with Jakarta mean Indonesia is unlikely to be on the list either.

 

Publicly discriminating against whole populations of countries on the list - bound to be Muslim-dominated - risks feeding a sense of victimisation that extremists can seek to exploit. Despite the dangers of alienating Muslims, the government reportedly ''toughened up'' its language for political effect. If so, that is deeply disturbing. Mr Rudd warned of the threat ''from people born or raised in Australia, who have become influenced by the divisive narrative espoused by al-Qaeda'', yet spoke of ''jihadist terrorism''. He thus framed the terrorists in terms of their own distorted narrative, which portrays them as holy warriors and martyrs fulfilling the religious duty of jihad. Terrorists should not be dignified with any terms that reinforce their false identification with Islamic belief.

 

The security of Australia and other terrorist targets depends on isolating extremists from the Muslim mainstream, globally and nationally. The government must avoid language and typecasting that treats all members of a nationality or religion as suspects. That can only alienate the Islamic community, or at least some members of it to the extent that they become receptive to the extremist narrative of global jihad. The spotlight of suspicion must focus on individual suspects, based on specific intelligence. In word and deed, the government must always make it clear Muslims are not the target.

 

Source: The Age

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THE GUARDIAN

EDITORIAL

EDUCATION: FAITH NO MORE

 

Recurring pattern of church lobbying and Whitehall climbdowns is testing society's faith in church schools as being a force for good

 

The son of the manse seized the pulpit yesterday, and delivered a sermon that distinguished Labour's proposals to overhaul the management of failing schools from Conservative plans for an education market in which many new schools would open up while others would be left to close. The UK's exceptionally long tail of educational underperformance is a drag on fairness and prosperity, and debating the most effective way to tackle it would be an excellent way to use the long election campaign. But the big vision on learning has – once again – been clouded over by a thick fog of faith.

 

Having recently and rightly decided that no school should deny its pupils a comprehensive sex education – covering sexuality, infections, contraception, abortions – at the last minute the government was seized by the fear of God, and yesterday amended its own legislation to allow faith schools to put their own slant on the facts. It is no use the schools secretary protesting – as Ed Balls did yesterday – that what counts is that the syllabus is covered, not the manner in which it is taught. A girl can hardly be expected to take in advice about where to access a termination if the next sentence that her teacher utters is that this would damn her mortal soul. Most faith schools are decent institutions which would not wish to communicate the information in this indecent way. But the question is why Mr Balls would want to do anything other than ensure that ultra-religious rogue institutions could never be given licence.

 

He sheltered for cover under the independent Macdonald report into how personal education should be mandated, but what that actually proposed is that religious schools should be given "guidance and support" to deliver on the requirement, not that some half-baked exemption should be cooked into law. So this looks like a case of the government being led away from the path of righteousness by ecclesiastical lobbying, which has happened several times before. There was, for instance, the climbdown over the plan to force faith schools to take some children from outside their own flock. There was also section 37 of the 2008 Education Act, which undercut Labour's solid record on discrimination at work by allowing schools to hand-pick staff on the basis of their creed.

 

Many devout people – and many believers in faith schools – are represented by the Accord Coalition, which argues that no state-funded institution should be exempted from norms that all other public bodies must follow. Unless all religious schools are required to see the light, the contradictions will become unsustainable. The recurring pattern of church lobbying and Whitehall climbdowns is testing society's faith in church schools as being a force for good.

 

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THE GUARDIAN

EDITORIAL

PRESS STANDARDS AND LIBEL: HACKING AWAY AT THE TRUTH

 

The press's chickens have come home to roost and it is plain that things cannot carry on as before

 

For a period during the late 1990s and early part of this century the intrusions of the British press were pretty much out of control. There is a cardboard box in the information commissioner's office which contains 17,000 invoices from just one firm of private detectives employed to sleuth out personal information on behalf of journalists. Over at the News of the World another investigator was busy hacking into numerous phones of people in government, the military, police and royal family – never mind footballers or celebrities. No one in British public life was safe from systematic surveillance. Some editors were, so they insist, kept in the dark about this production line of bugging and snooping. Their bosses made only limited inquiries and paid off anyone involved, or who complained. The industry regulator, the Press Complaints Commission, made no independent efforts to establish what was going on. The police succeeded in prosecuting one case to do with the royals, but showed little curiosity about other leads. The information commissioner did stick his neck out with one firm of private eyes – but lacked the resources, or perhaps the will, to do more.

 

Today the press's chickens come home to roost in the form of a report from the Commons culture, media and

sport committee. In measured but damning terms, it condemns not only the activity, much of it illegal, but also the inactivity of those who were supposed to monitor, regulate or prosecute it. It finds that News International did not, as the company publicly stated, carry out a full and rigorous inquiry into phone hacking, and was guilty of deliberate obfuscation and "collective amnesia" about events. It was "inconceivable" that one rotten apple was at the heart of it all. The police's reasons for inaction were held to be "inadequate". The PCC was, in the committee's view, relatively toothless and better at mediating than regulating. Its "inquiry" into the Guardian's reporting of phone hacking last autumn was found to be "simplistic and surprising". MPs said it had failed carry out any full or forensic inquiries of its own.

 

Now all this has been uncovered, it is plain that things cannot carry on as before. Two separate issues stand out. One is the need for the PCC to reform itself. Self-regulation is better than statutory regulation – but it is only possible to make that argument if the regulator can truly demonstrate that it has the independence, resources and teeth to do the job. The PCC is already carrying out its own governance review. If the review team needed to be persuaded of the case for change, this report provides it. The second is the need to tie up the loose ends of the series of unsatisfactory inquiries into what happened at the NoW, if for no other reason than its former editor could soon be in Downing Street and in a position of considerable influence. Who were these military, police and government figures who were targeted on his watch? If Mr Coulson didn't know, News International can't remember and the police won't say, then it is time for the information commissioner or a judicial inquiry to find out. Were other private investigators working for the paper? Who were they, and what were they up to? The victims of intrusion have a right to know. David Cameron should surely also want the answers.

 

The report also makes some useful proposals on libel reform, costs, super-injunctions, the reporting of parliament and privacy. What's needed is a thorough review of the whole area of intersecting laws. At the moment the subject of libel is being examined piecemeal – a bit by this committee, a little bit more by Jack Straw, and the costs issue by Lord Justice Jackson. The best bet might be for all political parties to get behind Lord Lester's proposed private member's bill, which deals with defamation and access to official information. Change is, the report makes plain, long overdue.

 

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THE GUARDIAN

EDITORIAL

IN PRAISE OF … A NUCLEAR-FREE EUROPE

 

It is always best to start a long journey with small steps

 

Five Nato states are to call for the removal of all remaining US nuclear weapons on European soil, a move that could spur global disarmament. One might have thought it would have been welcomed by a man who was not only a former secretary general of Nato, but is also a leading member of a parliamentary group for multilateral disarmament and non-­proliferation. Alas no. George Robertson took the opposite view. Co-authoring a paper for the Centre for European Reform, he accused one of the states, Germany, of wishing to remain under the nuclear umbrella, while exporting to others the obligation of maintaining it; he warned of the consequences for decoupling the security of Europe from that of the US; and he said that Turkey could feel compelled to develop its own weapons. This is being unduly hawkish in a year in which the world could make serious steps towards disarmament. It is always best to start a long journey with small steps, and getting rid of between 150 and 240 useless weapons must rank as one of these. These weapons come in the shape of gravity bombs which take hours, if not days, to be loaded on to planes. They have been rendered all but obsolete by missiles which take minutes. Germany is seeking the withdrawal of US tactical nuclear weapons not just from its soil but from Europe as a whole. Making any cuts conditional on parity with Russia is a recipe for stalemate, as the ­superiority of conventional forces is now with Nato. The boot is on the other foot.

 

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THE KOREA HERALD

EDITORIAL

ENTERING 3RD YEAR

 

President Lee Myung-bak chose education as the top item in his administrative agenda as he entered the third year of his five-year term. For him, educational reform means freeing students from the yoke of competition for college entrance and eliminating the costly private teaching that afflicts every household with school-age children. It will be as daunting a job as improving the economy, the primary goal of the Lee administration since its inauguration on Feb. 25, 2008.

 

Just as he presided over the monthly "emergency economic countermeasures conference" throughout 2009, President Lee will now hold an "educational countermeasures conference" every month. Lee will continue to drive his government on the hard task of creating jobs, but now the president will rally the efforts of schools, families, the media, civic groups and all available government organizations in providing knowledge and ethical education under clean educational environment on the other.

 

The president must be well aware that while achievements in the economy can be measured with various market figures and statistics, those in education cannot be calculated in numbers. Particularly in the areas of fighting corruption in public school administration and eliminating improprieties in the private education market, cleanup efforts can hardly bear fruit without broad participation and cooperation from individual homes and the civil society.

 

President Lee may attempt once again to revise the college entrance system, which has already undergone a dozen major changes and numerous minor modifications over the past six decades. None of these revisions have been without fault. Improvement accompanied drawbacks as the excessive competition exposed loopholes in the new system. The newly-implemented admissions officer method is giving rise to special institutes offering to develop skills for interviews with them, for example.

 

The president is about to devote the remaining three years of his tenure to establishing an ideal educational environment and system that can sustain national development for 100 years. In doing so, the president, who has a constitutionally-fixed single term, would have to pay little attention to the fluctuation of his popularity. His approval rate barely reached 49 percent in the latest polls, which was about the level just before the candlelight protests against U.S. beef imports in the summer of 2008.

 

Lee's predecessors Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun all experienced what was dubbed the "third-year trap," with family members or close confidants involved in graft cases that eventually advanced their lame duck syndrome. His aides adamantly assert that the president will be completely free from any such scandal, having donated all of his assets to charity and ensured that his children are nowhere near power.

 

If the president has taken such good precautions with his family, he has not been quite as successful with his own party in making it an effective companion in governance. Being a transplant from the business world, Lee has not developed true camaraderie with members of the Grand National Party, and the schism with Park Geun-hye and her followers will remain as a crucial obstacle to his policy goals, including the Sejong City plan.

 

He may blame it on the Constitution, which deprives the president of political leverage during the latter part of his tenure. But many in and outside the party see his own contributions to the present impotence of the GNP as the ruling group. President Lee should either exert extraordinary efforts to bind the party together through compromise or try to face down his opponents, which would risk a party split. Whichever may happen, President Lee will have to keep his agenda to the non-political areas of education and economy till the end of his term.

 

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THE KOREA HERALD

EDITORIAL

VANCOUVER FEATS

 

Large crowds of youngsters flocking to ski resorts testify to the thriving state of winter sports in Korea. But the many medals Korea is collecting at the Vancouver Winter Olympics have been earned on the ice, not on snow. So the achievements of the Korean delegation should be attributed to the tenacity and dedication of our young athletes who devoted themselves to the sport in pursuit of a "change of life" as speed skater Lee Sang-hwa scribbled it on her diary.

 

When Lee Jung-soo won the first gold medal in short track, Korean fans rather took it for granted, as the nation had dominated the event in the Winter Games since Lillehammer. When Mo Tae-bum won the second gold in 500-meter race at the Richmond Olympic Oval, it was hard to believe that a Korean athlete reached the top in speed skating. As Mo's primary school classmate Lee Sang-hwa repeated the feat in the women's 500m, it was a drama that no imaginative writer could conceive.

 

With five days left, Korea ranked fifth with four gold, four silver and one bronze, comfortably outperforming Asian rivals China and Japan and vying neck and neck with host Canada. Now expecting to garner a maximum of five more gold medals in the figure skating and short track events, the Korean delegation is almost assured of its best result ever in Winter Olympics.

 

For decades, Korea has been known for a tradition of "elite sports" with state-supported training system aiming at high scores in international sports events which were considered as the elevation of the nation's global status. The landscape is changing, with the new generation of talented athletes taking on the world with a will to succeed, while corporate sponsorships become increasingly available. It is more than just a coincidence that all Korean gold medal winners at Vancouver were born in 1989.

 

Now, all our support goes to figure skating star Kim Yu-na - born in 1990 - who will compete in the Pacific Coliseum today.

 

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THE KOREA HERALD

EDITORIAL

CAMPUSES AS ENGLISH-ONLY ZONES

KIM SEONG-KON

 

As Korean universities strive to become world-class universities, the number of courses instructed in English has dramatically increased as of late. Some universities require that even the departments of Korean literature and Korean history offer courses taught in English. Some professors are in favor of these "globalizing" changes, while others are doubtful.

 

Amid the controversy, Pohang University of Science and Technology or POSTEC recently announced that it will transform into an English-only zone within three years. Beginning this spring semester, most undergraduate courses and all graduate seminars at POSTECH will be instructed in English. Students, too, are required to speak in English in class and write papers and dissertations in English. Furthermore, all conferences and even faculty meetings will be conducted in English and all university documents will be printed in both Korean and English.

 

The innovative decision of POSTECH was immediately welcomed by international scholars and students who had been frustrated by severe language barriers and bureaucratic apathy on many Korean university campuses. "If other Korean universities follow POSTECH," said an international student at SNU, "we will have a variety of courses to choose from and a chance to earn better grades." "I wish I could understand what's going on at faculty meetings," confessed an international professor teaching at a Korean university.

 

Considering the challenges foreigners face at Korean universities, the foreigner-friendly policy of POSTECH deserves applause. Besides, the new environment will definitely attract more international students and scholars. Currently at POSTEC, international students only make up 2.2 percent of the student population and international faculty make up 7.2 percent of the faculty. With the new policy, however, the university hopes to increase its international student population to 10 percent and its international faculty population to 25.6 percent within three years.

 

Some patriots assert that international students and scholars should learn the Korean language, just as a Korean student must learn a foreign language when studying or teaching in a foreign country. "Why do we have to use English for foreign students and scholars?" They complain. "They don't do that for us when we go to their country." These patriots often forget the fact that many international students and scholars are not from English-speaking countries. Besides, English is a common language today used in the fields of science and technology, the humanities, social sciences and not to mention the internet. So these patriots' objections to the English zone are not necessarily valid.

 

However, more persuasive objections come from those who are doubtful of the quality of courses taught in English. Experts have pointed out that a class taught in English will not be beneficial to students if the professor's command of English is not good enough. The fact is most Korean professors, who are non-native speakers of English, are not ready to teach in English yet. If you force them to teach in English, the results will be disastrous. Similarly, students who do not have a good command of English will also suffer.

 

Recently I received a questionnaire sent out to professors who teach in English. One of the questions was "What do you think is the most serious problem of teaching in English?" Embarrassingly, possible answer choices included: "The anxiety that students may not understand my English due to my heavy accent and inaccurate pronunciation" and, "In my class, there are too many students whose English is not good enough to attend an English course." If such issues are still at stake, universities are definitely not ready to offer courses in English. A professor who teaches courses in English should be capable of fluently lecturing for at least an hour without a manuscript or prior preparations. Students, too, should be able to participate in class discussions freely and write papers in fair, if not impeccable, English.

 

In the field of science and technology, which transcends the boundaries of language, using English as an official language may not be too problematic. For the humanities, however, things are a little more complicated; both professors and students should be able to freely verbalize their thoughts and discuss in-depth, abstract ideas in English. But such fluency is not easy to achieve. As for faculty meetings, it would be quite awkward if Korean professors were forced to speak in not-so-fluent, broken English.

 

In order to become truly world-class institutions of higher learning, Korean universities must "go global"; we need to invite international students and scholars actively, warmly accept them as one of us and offer more courses instructed in English. How then can we solve the various problems of creating English-only zones? As a first step, we should hire more international faculty members from English-speaking countries so that we can offer quality courses taught in English. Consequently, we can improve our native students' English proficiency and foster a new generation of professors who can offer excellent teaching in English. Instead of rushing to create radical and immediate change, let us progressively transform our campuses, ensuring that any changes will enhance, not hinder, our academic advancement.

 

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and director of the Seoul National University Press. - Ed.

 

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THE KOREA HERALD

EDITORIAL

HOW TO LIVE THE WAY OF 'PEOPLE POWER'

 

After 24 years, "People Power" should already be an integral part of our daily lives. Unfortunately, it is not. Why is this so? To answer this question, we need to be clear about what People Power really is.

 

Our high school history text books do not have an exact definition of the concept of People Power. In fact in a number of instances, little context is given so much so that the high school student's appreciation of Edsa People Power Revolution becomes truncated into just those four days in February 1986.

 

People Power is simply described as a historical event, and some books go on to say that it was a phrase coined by then Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos when he made a desperate call for help in getting his soldiers trapped in Camp Crame out before Brig. Gen. Artemio Tadiar's tanks could close in.

 

Ambassador Narciso G. Reyes thought at that time that "People Power initiated a revolution. It was not in itself the whole revolution. This explains the prevailing air of transition, the sense of instability, of affairs being in flux. It reflects the reality that the Revolution is not yet fully formed."

 

I think it remains so to this day.

 

Many of our youth associate People Power with images of an ailing Ferdinand Marcos boarding a US military aircraft, a distraught Imelda by his side. For them, People Power is all about how a dictatorship -- with its tanks and soldiers -- was toppled by more than a million unarmed and prayerful civilians.

 

Cory Aquino once described People Power as "damayan (help) on a grand scale." She recalled that at Santo Domingo Church "the great majority of mourners had never seen Ninoy alive. They did not know me and in fact I had to introduce myself so I could enter the church. And yet, (around) two million people joined us in the 25-kilometer funeral march. For our pain and sorrow had become theirs as well."

 

On the other hand, Amando Doronila observes that "People Power movements have been an Imperial Manila phenomenon. Their playing field is Edsa. They have excluded the provincianos from their movement with their insufferable arrogance and snobbery -- ignoring the existence of the toiling masses and peasants in agrarian Philippines."

 

Conrad de Quiros sees People Power as a "resplendent act by a people to end tyranny without bloodshed which other nations have been at pains to imitate." De Quiros, however, goes on to say that "yet we were the first country as well to mount anarchic rule after that. Or one characterised by the same pillage that went before it."

 

If we put all of the above together, it would be easy to form the impression that People Power is something that happened in the past and carries little significance today except as an innocuous holiday.

 

But it is not. People Power is -- or should be -- a way of life.

 

The framers of the 1987 Constitution saw this when they articulated a vision of "The Good Society" which is "free, peaceful, prosperous, egalitarian, just and humane."

 

In the book, The Philippines into the 21st Century, Jose B. Abueva et. al say "the 1987 Constitution clearly implies that by themselves alone, the rulers and the ruling class cannot be depended upon to bring the desired changes toward 'The Good Society' without constant pressure from a politically conscious, informed, and organised citizenry."

 

So you see, the argument that democracy gets in the way of progress is false. On the contrary, vigilance and active involvement in our part is the best way to level the playing field so to speak. In so many words, the 1987 Constitution says that People Power is the hallmark of good citizenship.

 

How do we then conduct ourselves as good citizens?

 

In the People Power way. This means that we fully accept that it is our duty to continuously exercise and defend our basic freedoms and rights (e.g. freedom of speech and of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to vote, and the right to fair treatment before the law).

 

If we become remiss of this duty, some petty tyrant could very well come along and take it all away from us.

 

Cory Aquino said: "We cannot allow evil and wrongdoing to go unpunished and unrepented. Responsible citizenship brings with it not only a right but also a duty to protest a wrongdoing, and responsible government is duty bound to listen.

 

"As for ourselves, the best we can do for one another and for the future is to unite in this struggle, and to expand and strengthen the ground for our common cause. We must continue on the road to peaceful change, and resist all efforts to divide us. All the power we need is within ourselves."

 

That is People Power, and that is why we must commemorate it in our hearts every year, with conviction.

 

Eugenia Duran-Apostol is the founding chairman of The Foundation for Worldwide People Power. -- Ed.

 

(Asia News Network)

 

By Eugenia Duran-Apostol /Philippine Daily Inquirer

 

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THE JAPAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

GSDF OFFICER OUT OF LINE

 

In a Feb. 10 ceremony held at the start of a nine-day joint combat drill in Miyagi Prefecture between the Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Army, Col. Takeshi Nakazawa, commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment of the GSDF's Sixth Division, said, "(The Japan-U.S.) alliance cannot be maintained by diplomacy or flowery political words, much less by only a phrase such as 'Trust me.' "

 

After his remarks were reported, the Ground Staff Office's public information section said that Col. Nakazawa's words were not meant as a reference to or criticism of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. In November, Mr. Hatoyama reportedly said "Trust me" to U.S. President Barack Obama, in reference to the issue of the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Air Station Futenma on Okinawa Island.

 

Whatever might have been in the colonel's mind, it is not far-fetched to suspect that he meant to ridicule and disparage Mr. Hatoyama, who is commander-in-chief of the Self-Defense Forces. Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on Feb. 12 expressed his intention to discipline the colonel under the civilian control principles of the SDF, and the Defense Ministry on the same day admonished the colonel in writing. In taking the punitive action, the ministry said that the remarks could be interpreted as being judgmental of the prime minister and making light of politics and diplomacy.

 

Responses to the affair have varied. Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai, a former GSDF officer, supported the colonel's remarks as "a general view" and said that if he had been the defense chief, he would not have disciplined the colonel.

 

Given the current political context, it is not unreasonable to interpret the colonel's remarks as a criticism of Mr. Hatoyama and his administration. The explanation by the Ground Staff Office's public information section appears to be an attempt to protect the colonel.

 

The Defense Ministry should remind SDF members of the importance of refraining from meddling

in politics. Doing so is the only way the SDF can maintain the people's trust. At the same time, the ministry should do its utmost to stay in touch with SDF members' attitudes in order to prevent undesirable developments.

 

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THE JAPAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

NAGASAKI SHOWS DPJ FAULT LINE

 

A candidate supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito clobbered a candidate officially endorsed by the Democratic Party of Japan and its two coalition partners in Sunday's Nagasaki gubernatorial election. The outcome shows that many voters are displeased with the irregularities involving the political funds of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa. On the same day, in the mayoral election in Machida, Tokyo, the DPJ also lost to a candidate (the incumbent mayor) who was supported by the LDP and Komeito.

 

The blow to the DPJ appears even more serious in view of its general dominance in Nagasaki Prefecture, where it monopolizes the two Upper House seats and captured all four single-seat constituencies in the Lower House election last August. The DPJ's sweep in the August election led to the decision by incumbent Gov. Genjiro Kaneko, a former LDP Lower House member, not to seek re-election for a fourth term, which necessitated Sunday's poll.

 

Voter interest was high. Turnout was 60.08 percent, 7.81 percentage points higher than the election four years ago. Mr. Hodo Nakamura, a former vice governor regarded as the logical heir to Gov. Kaneko, trounced Mr. Tsuyoshi Hashimoto, the DPJ-endorsed candidate and former farm ministry bureaucrat, with 316,603 votes to 222,565 votes.

 

Mr. Hatoyama and Mr. Ozawa will have difficulty rallying support for the administration and their party unless they can fully explain matters related to their political finances in the Diet. If they fail to take appropriate steps in this direction, strong calls may arise within the DPJ for Mr. Ozawa to step down from his post before the Upper House election. The result in Nagasaki also shows that the DPJ needs to focus on improving local economies and strengthening the regional arms of its political machine.

 

Still, the LDP has little reason to feel buoyed. Its failure to officially endorse Mr. Nakamura shows its lack of confidence. A local poll conducted by Nagasaki Shimbun 10 days before the election showed that support for the LDP had dipped some seven points since last summer's Lower House election.

 

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THE JAPAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

THREE LESSONS FROM COPENHAGEN

BY BRAHMA CHELLANEY

 

The world now accepts that protecting our atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and even cyberspace — the "global commons" — is the responsibility of all countries. Enforcing that norm is proving the difficult part.

 

And nowhere is the difficulty greater than in two areas: shielding our atmosphere from the buildup of global-warming greenhouse gases; and preventing cybercrime.

 

Of these two challenges, combating climate change is proving most difficult to crack. The reason for that is not hard to seek: effectively combating climate change demands fundamental shifts in national policies and approaches, as well as lifestyle changes in the developed world. It is easier to visualize than to actually devise carbon standards that can protect the material and social benefits of continued economic growth in the developing world and also help shield prosperity in the developed countries.

 

International climate-change negotiations are to be renewed this year. To be successful, they must heed the lessons of Copenhagen.

 

The first lesson is that climate change is not just a matter of science but also a matter of geopolitics. Without improved geopolitics, there can be no real fight against climate change. The expectation at Copenhagen that scientific-research results would trump geopolitics was belied.

 

The need to focus on improving the geopolitics is also being highlighted by the damage, however limited, to the independence of scientific research. The credibility of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has taken a beating since the Copenhagen summit, to the delight of climate-change skeptics. Just before Copenhagen we had "climate-gate," as the publication of damaging e-mail and other documents from the Climate Research Unit at Britain's University of East Anglia became known, exposing highly politicized scientific research in the form of manipulated or suppressed data on human-driven climate change. After Copenhagen has came the IPCC's own "glacier-gate" scandal over one of its key claims in a 2007 report.

 

The IPCC had to admit that its published claim that the Himalayan glaciers are set to disappear by 2035 — rested not on peer-reviewed scientific research but on two 1999 magazine interviews with one glaciologist — a claim which had been recycled in a 2005 report by the environmental campaign group, World Wide Fund For Nature, and then enthusiastically picked up by the IPCC without any investigation. To IPCC's acute mortification, the glaciologist went public after Copenhagen to say he had been misquoted in the magazine interviews.

 

To make matters worse, the coordinating lead author of the portion of the IPCC report, where the claim appeared, publicly acknowledged that the bogus claim had been intentionally incorporated to help put political pressure on Asian leaders.

 

The second lesson from Copenhagen is that to get an international deal, there first must be a deal between the U.S. and China. These two countries are very dissimilar, yet they have a similar carbon profile: Each contributes between 22 to 24 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gases in the world.

 

If a deal can be reached between the world's two greatest polluting nations, which together are responsible for more than 46 percent of all greenhouse-gas emissions, an international accord on climate change would be easier to reach. The United States and China, however, view the world in starkly different terms. The key point that has emerged from their latest diplomatic spats is China's reluctance to subordinate domestic goals for larger international good, be it a climate-change regime or international efforts to put pressure scofflaw states. It also is unwilling to give up unfair practices, such as the gross undervaluation of the renminbi.

 

The Cold War undertones in U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent statement — likening the "information curtain" to the Iron Curtain — reflected an implicit admission that the central assumption guiding U.S. policy on China since the 1990s has gone awry: that assisting China's economic rise would usher in political opening there. The strategy to use market forces and the Internet to open up a closed political system simply isn't working. Indeed, the more economic power China has accumulated, the more adept it has become in extending censorship controls.

 

China strategically seems to bide its time until it can openly challenge the present U.S.-led global institutional structure, which has remained static since the mid-20th century. China accepts and supports parts of the existing order that serves its needs, such as the U.N. Security Council or the World Trade Organization. But it plays by its own rules when its interests do not mesh with the other parts.

 

In Copenhagen, China did everything to ensure no binding agreement emerged. To impede decision-making, it sent only a vice foreign minister to meetings set for the level of heads of government. It also used poor states as a front to obstruct progress through procedural wrangling.

 

Against that background, prospects of China and the U.S. cutting a deal on climate deal this year don't look good. If anything, their disputes on trade, currency and security policies threaten to engender greater bilateral tensions and conflict.

 

A third lesson from Copenhagen, being reinforced by the present circumstances, is to have a more-realistic agenda. Too much focus has been put on carbon cuts for nearly two decades, almost to the exclusion of other elements. It is now time to disaggregate the climate-change agenda into smaller, more manageable parts. After all, a lot can be done without a binding agreement on carbon cuts through national targets.

 

Take energy efficiency, which can help bring a quarter of all gains in reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions. Energy inefficiency is a problem not only in the Third World, but also in the developed world. The U.S., for instance, belches out twice as much carbon dioxide per head as Japan, although the two countries have fairly similar per capita incomes.

 

Furthermore, given that deforestation accounts for as much as 20 percent of the emission problem, carbon storage is as important as carbon cuts. Each hectare of rain forest, for example, stores 500 tons of carbon dioxide. Forest conservation and management thus are important to tackle climate change. In fact, to help lessen the impact of climate change, states need to strategically invest in ecological restoration — growing and preserving rain forests, building wetlands and shielding species critical to our ecosystems

 

The international community must also focus on stemming man-made environmental change. Environmental change is distinct from climate change, although there is a tendency on the part of some enthusiasts to blur the distinction and turn global warming into a blame-all phenomenon.

 

Man-made environmental change is caused by reckless land use, overgrazing, depletion and contamination of surface freshwater resources, overuse of groundwater, degradation of coastal ecosystems, inefficient or environmentally unsustainable irrigation systems, waste mismanagement, and the destruction of natural habitats, including mangroves and forests. Such environmental change has no link to global warming. Yet, ultimately, it will contribute to climate variation and thus must be stopped.

 

In fact, man-made environmental change is the main threat to the integrity of freshwater reserves in the world. Water shortages already are reaching critical proportions in several parts of the world. And this has a bearing on food security. This suggests that goals of food security increasingly will be difficult to achieve. The World Bank has projected the demand for food to rise 50 percent by 2030, even as the present global food system struggles to meet existing demand. Today, agriculture makes up more than two-thirds of all water withdrawals globally, while contributing 14 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions — about as much as running every car, ship and plane. To grow more food demands more water. But water availability already is coming under pressure in the most densely-populated parts of the world.

 

In that light, we need to focus as much on the water challenge as on the energy challenge. As the Global Trends 2025 report of the U.S. National Intelligence Council has warned that although strategic rivalries in the 21st century probably would center on issues related to trade, investment, technology innovation and acquisition, "increasing worries about resources — such as energy or even water — could easily put the focus back on territorial disputes or unresolved border issues. Asia is one region where the number of such border issues is particularly noteworthy."

 

Climate change and environmental change, given their implications for resource security and social and economic stability, are clearly threat multipliers. While continuing to search for a binding international agreement, the international community should also explore innovative approaches, such as global public-private partnership initiatives. As the international experience since the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change bears out, it is easier to set goals than to implement them. How many state parties to the Kyoto Protocol have faithfully implemented their obligations on carbon cuts under that treaty?

 

The political commitments reached in principle at Copenhagen already have run into controversy as well as into varying interpretations, marring their value. They also have created bad blood between the BASIC bloc of four leading developing countries and the broader grouping of developing nations known as the Group of 77 (G77). The smaller countries in the G77 accuse the BASIC bloc of China, India, Brazil and South Africa of acting unilaterally and opaquely in stitching together that nonbinding agreement with the U.S. in Copenhagen.

 

The "Copenhagen Accord," an ad hoc, face-saving agreement at the eleventh hour to cover up the summit failure, seeks to commit major developing countries to "implement mitigation actions," open to "international consultations and analysis."

 

Its future, however, is uncertain. Only 55 of the 194 countries submitted their national action plans on climate change by the January 31 deadline, forcing the U.N. to push back the deadline indefinitely.

 

The BASIC bloc indeed is a partnership founded on political opportunism and is unlikely to hold for long. The carbon profiles of Brazil, India, South Africa and China are hardly similar. China's per capita carbon emissions are more than four times higher than India's. It rejects India's approach that per capita emission levels and historic contributions to the buildup of greenhouse gases should form the objective criteria for carbon mitigation. China, as the world's back factory, wants a different formula that marks down carbon intensity linked to export industries. Once criteria for mitigation action are sought to be defined in future negotiations, this alliance will unravel quickly.

 

More broadly, the climate-change agenda has become so politically driven that all sorts of competing economic and other interests have been tagged on by important actors. Climate change should not be allowed to become a convenient peg on which to hang assorted national interests.

 

Brahma Chellaney is professor of strategic studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

 

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THE JAPAN TIMES

EDITORIAL

THE IMF TO GREECE'S RESCUE?

BY SIMON JOHNSON

 

WASHINGTON — Traditionally "you should go to the IMF" was not something you would say to friendly neighbors and close allies. Over the past few decades, the International Monetary Fund became associated with excessive fiscal austerity, extreme political insensitivity, and — since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 — with an out-and-out stigma.

 

Countries borrowed from the IMF only under duress, when all else failed — and when there was simply no other way to pay for essential imports. (For Iceland in the fall of 2008, for example, the only alternative to IMF financing was to eat locally obtained goods, which mostly means fish.)

 

But the IMF has changed a great deal in recent years, largely under the auspices of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, its current managing director. Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister and contender for the Socialist nomination for the French presidency, has pushed through changes that allow the IMF to lend without conditions in some circumstances, and to give greater priority to protecting social safety nets (including unemployment benefits and health care systems).

 

He has also moved the IMF decisively away from its obsession with fiscal austerity measures (a big early mistake — with lasting traumatic consequences — in Indonesia and Korea in late 1997).

 

Greece undoubtedly has serious problems today. The great opportunities offered by European integration have been largely squandered. And lower interest rates over the past decade — brought down to German levels through Greece being allowed, rather generously, into the euro zone — led to little more than further deficits and a dangerous buildup of government debt.

 

Germany and France — as de facto leaders of the European Union — are haggling over a belated support package, but they have made it abundantly clear that Greece must slash public-sector wages and other spending. Greek trade unions know what this means — and are in the streets.

 

If Greece still had its own currency, everything would be easier. Just as in the case of the United Kingdom since 2008, the Greek exchange rate would depreciate sharply. This would lower the cost of labor, restoring competitiveness (as in Asia after 1997-98) while also inflating asset prices and thereby helping borrowers who are underwater on their mortgages and other debts.

 

But, with Greece and other troubled euro-zone economies (known to their detractors as the PIIGS: Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) having surrendered monetary policy to the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, their currencies cannot fall in this fashion. So Greece — and arguably the PIIGS more generally — are left with the need to curtail demand massively, lower wages and reduce the public-sector workforce. The last time we saw this kind of precipitate fiscal austerity — when countries were tied to the gold standard — it contributed directly to the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

 

This is a situation tailor-made for Strauss-Kahn and the "new IMF" to ride to the rescue. Since early 2009, the IMF has had significantly greater resources to lend to countries in trouble, to cushion the blow of crisis, and to offer a form of international circuit-breaker when it looks like the lights might otherwise go out. The idea is not to prevent necessary adjustments — for example, in the form of budget-deficit reduction — but to spread them out over time, to restore confidence, and to serve as an external seal of approval on a government's credibility.

 

The IMF was created in the waning days of World War II, essentially as a United States-West European partnership. Europe retains strong representation at the IMF, and has always chosen its top leader — in fact, most emerging markets (in Asia, Latin America, and Africa) complain that Europe is overrepresented and has far too much say in how the IMF operates. Yet at this moment of growing European crisis, while there is still time to act, the IMF is confined to the sidelines.

 

This is partly because German Chancellor Angela Merkel, currently maneuvering to ensure that a German is the next head of the ECB, does not want the IMF to become more involved in euro-zone policies. The IMF might reasonably take the position that ECB policies have been overly contractionary — resulting in a strong euro and very low inflation — and are no longer appropriate for member countries in the midst of a financial collapse. If the IMF were to support Europe's weaker economies, this would challenge the prevailing ideology among Frankfurt-dominated policymakers.

 

But the real reason is much simpler. When French President Nicolas Sarkozy put forward Strauss-Kahn's name to run the IMF, he meant to park a past and potentially future rival in a faraway place about which people cared little. Then the global financial crisis hit, and Strauss-Kahn was propelled to center stage.

 

With France's next presidential election fast approaching in 2012, the last thing Sarkozy now needs is for Strauss-Kahn to play a statesman-like role in saving the euro zone. We can expect to hear all kinds of misleading excuses from EU sources for excluding the IMF: "the IMF is too American," "Europe must resolve its own problems," and "the IMF is not appropriate to our circumstances." Given the magnitude of the Greek crisis, they will all ring hollow.

 

Sometimes history is driven by deep forces beyond our control, and sometimes by sheer chance. And at other times, like now, much that hangs in the balance is affected by the deliberate, personal and short-term tactical considerations of people running for election.

 

The EU's leaders will try hard to keep the IMF at bay. This is not good news for Greece — or for anyone who cares about global financial stability.

 

Simon Johnson, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Business, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute and the coauthor of the forthcoming book "13 Bankers." © 2010 Project Syndicate

 

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THE JAKARTA POST

EDITORIAL

MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO SAVE

 

While we commend President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for starting a movement for people to put their savings in the bank, it is going to take a lot more than just lowering the barriers of entry to convince millions of adults in the country to put greater trust in the banking system. A more credible and prudent economic management, including in particular a more serious effort at lowering the inflation rate, will go much further than the official slogan Tabunganku  (My Savings), coined as part of the movement, could ever hope to achieve.

Bank Indonesia says 58 million of 138 million adults in the country have bank accounts. This means that there are 80 million people that are potentially bankable, a lucrative proposition to the dozens of banks operating in Indonesia. To lure them into the system, Bank Indonesia, in collaboration with 70 commercial banks and 910 local credit banks, have made it easy for anyone to open an account. Now anyone may open a bank account with as little as Rp 10,000 (US$1.07), and the administration fee has been waived.

The central bank is hoping to net 48 million new bank customers under the campaign, targeting students, fishermen, farmers, construction workers, street vendors and others whom the system had ignored because they were "small fry". As President Yudhoyono recognized in his speech at the launch of the movement, their tiny savings add up to a lot which could reduce the nation's reliance on foreign funding for its investment.It is, however, not entirely correct to assume that people do not put their money in the bank because of the high entry barriers. Various studies have shown that Indonesians, like most East Asians, have a high propensity to save. But they put their savings in many forms, from hiding them under the pillow or in the cookie jar, to investing in property and gold bars, and for the few wealthy ones, investing in sophisticated financial instruments like stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

People are much more rational than those who crafted the savings campaign give them credit for. The minimum entry in the past may have been prohibitive for some, but there is a better reason why they are not banking, and it is the same reason why people who do have money do not put all of their money in the system: Trust, or rather, lack of it.

As prudent as Indonesia's economic management seems under President Yudhoyono, it is insufficient to convince many people to put their money, or in the case of the wealthier members of society to put more of their money, in the bank.

One major disincentive to save is the relatively high inflation rate in this country. Inflation eats into the value of your savings and is therefore a form of taxation.

A government that tolerates inflation of between 5 and 8 percent, rather than going for a lower rate of below 5, is essentially taking money from people's pockets without publicly saying so. But as the saying goes, you can't fool all of the people all of the time and most people have caught up with the inflation game and some are reluctant to put all or part of their money in the banking system.

In the final analysis, the success of the national savings movement will not depend so much on the incentives offered as in the credibility of the government and of the banking system. As with any movement, there is no substitute to leading a campaign by example. A more prudent macroeconomic management on the part of the government, including a reduction in its own borrowing and a more serious effort in dealing with inflation, would be far more effective in conveying the message.

 

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THE JAKARTA POST

EDITORIAL

VIEW POINT: THE 'BARONGSAI' SYNDROME

JULIA SURYAKUSUMA

 

A few days before Imlek — what we call Chinese New Year in Indonesia — I decided to check out the scene in Glodok, the shopping district in Jakarta's Old Town that is the biggest Chinatown in Indonesia.

In fact, with an amazing 500,000 square meters of shopping space, it's apparently one of the biggest in the world!I imagined Glodok would be abuzz with activity at this time of year, full of people and shops selling various needs related to Imlek (which actually just means "lunar calendar": Xin Nian is the Mandarin name for New Year). Glodok is famous for electronics and hardware, but I targeted shops that sold Chinese paraphernalia as I had a somewhat more eccentric shopping list: a retractable (plastic!) tai chi sword (no home should be without one), a Chinese exercise board, some three-legged toads for feng shui purposes (of course), and some dodol Cina — the Chinese toffee-like "cake" made from glutinous rice flour and caramel sugar that is traditional for Imlek. Dodol Cina is sweet and sticky, so you eat it hoping that your life will be sweet and that you stick (stay close and loyal) to the family, as family is a big thing for the Chinese. And for most Indonesians, for that matter.Strangely enough, dodol Cina are also traditionally made at Idul Fitri, the Muslim festival after the fasting month of Ramadhan. This has long been a custom of the Betawi, Jakarta's own indigenous ethnic group, perhaps because their culture has a heavy dose of Chinese influence.

Other ethnic groups throughout Indonesia have also made their own versions of dodol adding brown palm sugar, and coconut milk. Perhaps they too know that family relations tend to be "sticky" if not always sweet!I was somewhat disappointed with Glodok, because I didn't see the throng of activity I had expected.

Of course the shopping center I went to was awash with red lanterns, red Chinese jackets and tacky fake plum blossom trees, and I could hardly move without treading on dodol Cina, the ground was plastered with the soft, round banana-leaf-wrapped things.

But Glodok really wasn't all that different to all the other malls and shopping centers across Jakarta.

These are also festooned with red lanterns, pink plum blossoms, Gong Xi Fat Choi (Happy New Year) signs and sales attendants wearing red Chinese jackets and Mandarin hats.

So, looks like the Chinese can go anywhere for their Imlek shopping, not just Glodok. Does that mean that after decades of discrimination Chinese culture has finally been truly integrated?

Yes, if one is to believe one's eyes… but that is something one should never do, especially given that retail businesses will never let a hot sales opportunity go by. Don't confuse commercialization with the real thing: genuine ethnic and religious pluralism.

Take Christmas for example, another big opportunity for sales. Yes, fake snow, fake Santas and (still more) red outfits abound, but that doesn't mean Christian churches are safe from bombings and attacks (like the recent case in Bekasi: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/12/19/residents-attack-church-be...) or cancelled church building licenses.

Well, what can you expect when some ulema pass fatwas stating that Indonesia's ancient religious pluralism is haram (forbidden)?

 

They don't seem to grasp that, regardless of their pronouncements, Indonesia is already de facto pluralist. They should embrace that, because it makes us strong and very, very interesting as a nation and people. But they don't. The ulema may be out of touch with reality, but they are certainly in touch with Indonesia's long history of institutionalized cultural intolerance.

It's all about politics of course. A brief rundown on how it affects Chinese culture: in 1965 president Sukarno issued the 1965 presidential decree which included Confucianism as one of six officially recognized "religions" in Indonesia.

After Soeharto took over, anti-Chinese policy became official, with the Presidential Instruction No. 14/1967 effectively Chinese "cultricide".

Between 1967 and 1990 the status of Confucianism was buffeted by conflicting laws at different levels, and it was not until 2000 that the government finally allowed Chinese Confucians to officially practice their beliefs.

It's great that the Soeharto-era bans on the public celebration of Imlek and the public display of Chinese culture are gone, but the underlying prejudice and bigotry die hard.

My tai chi teacher says that the barongsai dragon dance, usually performed during Imlek and other auspicious occasions (weddings, for example), is now done by non-Chinese, like a sport.

There are even barongsai competitions. That's nice, of course, but someone should tell the ulema in Aceh, where there's now a barongsai ban. It's a cultural event, boys, not a religious one! And even if it were religious, what right does anyone have to ban it?

The truth is that the ulema get away with it because anti-Chinese sentiment is still strong in Indonesia, and is constantly manipulated to win public support. Just read our cheapo scandal-mongering newspapers some time. They love running stories about the Chinese as troublemakers, reminding the public about the Bibit/Chandra case, where two Chinese businessmen, brothers Anggodo and Anggoro, are accused of bribery in a conspiracy to bring down the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

And they emphasize that Bank Century is Chinese-owned, as is the Omni International Hospital with its celebrated Prita case.

And then they ask why the government bailed out Bank Century, and why is it now clashing with Aburizal Bakrie, an indigenous pribumi entrepreneur, chasing his unpaid taxes?

The implication is clear — the same old racist story: the Chinese are the root of all corruption. Hey folks, wake up!

It's a simple matter of demographics: the majority of corruptors are pribumi, true-blue Indonesians, born and bred here!

So, the idea of making former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid the "father of pluralism" is surely a tad premature! We've still got a lot more work to do as a nation before pluralism becomes more just than an excuse for shopping centers to redecorate.

In any case, if anyone is to be called the "father of pluralism", surely Sukarno with his Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) was waaaay ahead of Gus Dur.

So if barongsai dances at malls are touted as a symbol of nondiscrimination in Indonesia, it's a pretty hollow one. At this rate, shopping will end up Indonesia's seventh official "religion"!

The writer (http://www.juliasuryakusuma.com) is the author of Julia's Jihad.

 

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THE JAKARTA POST

EDITORIAL

LOST BETWEEN THE FOREST AND THE TIGER WOODS

TOM PLATE

 

At times my loyalty to my chosen profession of journalism cannot be taken as a given. This is one of those times. To put the matter in a quite unrefined way, the Tiger Woods psychodrama makes me sick, and besides turning my stomach, it is turning me into something close to a double-agent. I am in danger of becoming a career journalist with such cavernous doubts about the values and virtues of journalism as all too frequently practiced in America that I am almost ready to spy for the enemy.

Yes, this is because of Tiger Woods. The transcendently great golfer let it all — or at least a lot of it — hang out in his public confession of serial sinning at an appearance Friday before the so-called news media in Florida. Please note that in America these days, a personalized, self-humiliating outing of any and all aspects of one's private life has become part for the celebrity course. Nothing whatsoever is deemed to be out of bounds from the prying public eye. Tiger, a married man, had already admitted that, yes, he has been quite the swinger — and not just on the links.

That should have been more than enough to satisfy anyone, but the news media in attendance was not fully sated by the public self-hanging. They complained that the apology was too scripted and the sinner not pulling out his hair and fingernails. They were also deeply disappointed over Tiger's unwillingness to take press questions.  Good grief — I sure don't blame Mr. Woods for that at all!

My own view is that the more honorable course for Woods would have been not to agree to the press appearance in the first place. Having humiliated his wife, especially, and his larger family, secondarily, the need to humiliate them all yet again — on a staged media platform, no less — is simply incomprehensible.

The more ethical turn of face might be termed the honorable Asia way. In certain Asian ethical cultures, there is only one thing more dishonorable than dishonoring your wife: It's admitting — in a public confession, no less — that you dishonored your wife. Never admit, always deny:

Protecting the honor of one's family is the only right thing to do. Trying to rehabilitate one's image — if perhaps to resume the lucrative commercial endorsement trail — is nothing less than narcissistic, selfish and dishonorable.Somewhere in the genetic double-helix deeply embedded inside Tiger Woods, who after all is half Thai, is a "stoic-gene". Let the news media report what it does, say what it does, conclude what it does; but for yourself: Don't lie, but do not confirm. Let the press go to Hades.

A relevant Asian exemplar for this morality play comes in the stoic visage of the bored Japanese salesman Shohei Sugiyama in the luminous Japanese movie Shall We Dansu? (1996). It explicates the nature of true passion (for living) without descending into melodramatic exploitation. The male protagonist Shohei (to tell the film's charmingly romantic story as brief as possible here) becomes infatuated with ballroom dancing (actually, a no-no in his culture) — and also with his lithe dance instructor.

But he is deeply sickened by these feelings for her and for his hobby, and terrified of anyone finding out for fear of shaming his wife. (Now, go rent out the multiple-award-winning film to see how it works out, but in the end Shohei avoids doing a Tiger and not only saves his marriage but deepens it.)

How hard it must have been for at least the Thai half of Woods's psyche to walk out there in the public eye and confess his sins to a media half of which would not have been there at all had he been a model husband.

The exploitative tendency of the American media improves nothing and decays everything. Instead of honoring thy father and the best features of our American culture, it honors only commercial standards and rampant degrading voyeurism. Perhaps the biggest skirt in the history of American hypocrisy is the one called the First Amendment, behind which is hidden a media constantly drooling like a professional pack of hyenas.

As a journalist and an American, I had no interest in seeing Tiger Woods subject himself to a public whipping. Let me go further: My own view of the Clinton/Monica mess was that it was wholly overblown (once it having been established that the comforting young woman was not gainfully employed by any foreign security service, as, by contrast, was the notorious case in the 1963 Profumo scandal in England).

Certain matters should remain the intimate monopoly of husband and wife. But the American media, as a whole, is incapable of behaving with a proper measure of restraint and class. I do wish we American journalists were better than this. But, alas, we are not.

Former university Professor Tom Plate's syndicated column in Asia is now into its 16th year of continuous publication. This journalist has worked for The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Time and New York Magazine.

 

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THE JAKARTA POST

EDITORIAL

A WIDESPREAD HYPOCRISY ENTAILS A SOCIAL ANOMALY

BUDIONO KUSUMOHAMIDJOJO

 

On Jan. 25, 2010 Fareed Zakaria penned the term "the Democratic Republic of Google" when describing the spat between the behemoth search engine and the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding state censorship. Zakaria may have been complementing Google for taking on a behemoth such as the PRC.It is quite intriguing, then, to read news in Indonesian newspapers and compare them to the Google phenomena.

I randomly picked out an example from The Jakarta Post. In its Feb. 19 issue, this newspaper ran on its front page a story about the personal assets of Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman Hadi Purnomo, who reportedly has more than Rp 26.58 billion, 97 percent of it coming from "donations".

Over on the next page was a story that two officials from the Foreign Ministry, allegedly implicated in the airline ticket scam, would be sent to China and Canada as ambassadors.

 

Further on there was news about the Batam administration's plans to levy a tax on prostitution.In the readers' section there was an exchange of opinions over whether getting a tattoo went against religious beliefs (and which ones). There was also the issue over the performance of the special parliamentary committee dealing with the Bank Century bailout.

All the reports read like a soap opera script.

After Soeharto's fall in May 1998, Indonesia very quickly achieving full democracy. Our nation now is the world's third largest democracy after India and the United States. But we should not forget that bad practices, such as corruption, feeble law enforcement and abuse of power, remain rampant.

It is remarkable to note former vice president Jusuf Kalla's reservations on our process of democratization, in which he said in November 2009 that "democracy is only a tool" that could well be of little use if proven to be too expensive to achieve its ends.

Certainly some people, such as those from the Freedom House, might despise such a statement. There have always been those who believe that democracy is everything, and treat it as a panacea.

But people very often forget that democracy has its qualifications and that it can indeed become unreasonable, particularly if implemented on a basis of "majority wins", as in Athens during ancient Greek times. Implementing democracy Athens-style nowadays could lead to what Bellamy and Castiglione termed "democratic authoritarianism" (Constitutionalism in Transformation, 1996). One of the fundamental pillars of modern democracy is that it requires transparent consistency, which in turn demands honesty.

Former US president Bill Clinton almost got impeached on the grounds that he had lied to the public, and not so much for his sexual indiscretion.

In a democracy, people are expected to walk the talk, which applies particularly to government officials of all ranks, simply because they are constantly under the watchful eye of the general public.We cannot put hypocrisy in the same basket as understatements or white lies. The latter are used to state matters in a refined manner, and are therefore cultural instruments for fine-tuning social relationships. Compared to understatements and white lies, hypocrisy is simply a lie, as it is an act of continuously pretending that something untrue. Public hypocrisy leads people into situations where everyone thinks they can lie about anyone else without guilt.

Hypocrisy is therefore detrimental to the process of maturing in a democracy, or to make it fit its functions vis-à-vis modern society. Rather than helping a democracy mature, a widespread hypocrisy entails a social anomaly, as the public are ushered toward thinking something false to be true. There can be no doubt that Indonesians must put a halt to this demoralizing attitude.

Taken from this perspective, Kalla's statement should be seen as a form of selbstkritik. This German expression, however, might be useful only for those who are ready to undergo painful processes in order to correct a wrong trajectory. Selbstkritik requires far greater courage than that required for one to look into the mirror to check on a swollen or misshapen nose.

We might even risk dishing dirt on ourselves while trying to clean up our surroundings. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "Those who want to clean the world should prepare to bathe with dirty water" (Also Sprach Zarathustra, 1885).Although it is frequently hard to distinguish dirty from clean and separate the two in real public life, we need to clean ourselves first if we really mean to take up that gorgeous robe named "democracy".

The writer is a professor at the Parahyangan Catholic University's School of Philosophy, Bandung.

 

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THE JAKARTA POST

EDITORIAL

DEFENSE ACQUISITION REFORM ESSENTIAL FOR INDUSTRY

CURIA MAHARANI AND DAVID MOORE

 

The newly appointed Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the revitalization of strategic industry was part of 15 programs the President had personally selected. The government believes that revitalizing the defense industry is key to meeting the Indonesian Military's need for modernization.

Several meetings were held with the domestic defense industry to discuss the immediate needs of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri), to explore the opportunities and problems faced by defense contractors and to seek the possibility of getting domestic funding.

Since the first presidency term, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to reduce dependency on foreign weapons by enhancing the local industry's contribution to military requirement. To ensure this, the then vice president Jusuf Kalla chaired a series of meetings in early 2007.

The meeting involved a "demand" team, consisting of the Defense Ministry, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and a "supply" team,  including the Industry Ministry, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Finance Ministry. The meeting successfully produced a weapon-system list that could be locally supplied until the end of the 2009 fiscal year.

The approach to the revitalization program has centered on using defense procurement as an industrial policy tool. It has followed two trajectories: First, sustaining local capability to the  defense industry, growing investment in indigenous R&D and bringing users such as the TNI, and providers (industry and related ministries) into a more constructive relationship.

The long-term dimension of this policy is an effort to produce a road map for the defense industry and a multi-year funding model, as well as create a center of excellence connecting government R&D, university and industry. The second trajectory deals with extracting benefits from foreign procurement to support indigenization and technology catch-up, i.e. through joint research, joint production and offsets. Among such efforts include the joint development of missiles with China and the joint production of a landing platform dock with South Korea. Local industry, such as the state aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Industry (PT DI) has also been proactive in this regard. In a bid to enhance local skills and absorptive capacity for indigenization, PT DI had sent 40 engineers to be involved in the production of antisubmarine airplanes in Turkey. PT DI has also signed an agreement with Alliant Techsystems Inc. in the US, to explore and assess airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) opportunities.  

Unfortunately, although linkages have been built upon the two trajectories, i.e. by involving the local industry in negotiating offset deals, the potential of offsets has not been fully explored. Offsets have been critical in laying the foundation of the defense industrial base and it would remain so to sustain indigenization and bridge the technological gap with more advanced countries. Offsets also provides the opportunity to penetrate the market through participation in the global supply chain. The latter is urgent for Indonesia, as local demand per se has never been adequate to sustain local industry.

Let us look at the progress of the revitalization program. PT DI, ship manufacturer  PT PAL and state-owned weapon producer PT Pindad, each had its share of defense production to prolong life. PT DI made another export breakthrough to South Korea. PT Pindad's APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) have seized the interest of Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Oman, while PT PAL runs their defense production capacity through manufacturing landing platform docks (LPD).

However, three years since the program began, the government has not come up with either a road map or a multi-year budgeting model. Without them, aligning procurement with local industry will remain a short-term affair. Reforming defense acquisition strategy, policy and process is the key.

First, practices that give preference to foreign procurement, like using Urgent Operation Requirements (UOR) should be minimized as it undermines local industry's struggle to develop indigenous capability. A prominent example would be PT Pindad's Armored Personnel Vehicle (APV), which was forced to give way to Renault panzer. UOR also hampered the optimization of benefits from foreign procurement, among which is to negotiate an offset arrangement.

Second, Indonesia needs a defense industrial strategy, which will seriously analyze, and put forth in a coherent structure, a critical domestic and industrial defense capability. This will help the government and industry invest scarce resources in a focused area over a certain period.

Third, offsets should be officially defined and implemented in procurement contract negotiations.

Fourth, through a life management approach, despite it being very complex, it is necessary to safeguard every rupiah that is spent on arms correlates with improvements in defense capabilities and the sustainability of the defense industry.

Despite the President's recent assurance the government would make every effort to find out the right funding scheme to support local industry, it seems to be politically incorrect to strain the state budget for the defense sector when the government has no clear strategy in place.

We need to learn from India, who has dedicated billions of dollars for procurement and local production, but has ended up as the biggest arms importer. Money is definitely important, but it is wasted without the right acquisition strategy, policy and manpower.

A study on how other small defense economies can survive and find their way in the global market would be a good reference for policy makers to determine the most plausible revitalization strategy.

Curie Maharani is an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, specializing in defense acquisition.

Dr David Moore is a British-trained defense acquisition specialist, working as Director at Center for Defense Acquisition, Cranfield University, UK.

 

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

IRAN 'SOLUTION' A TRAP

 

There is rampant speculation that the visits by Steven Chu, the United States energy secretary, to Saudi Arabia on Monday and a high-ranking Israeli delegation to Beijing later this week both will focus on persuading China to support United Nations sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program.

 

Even if this is the focus of the two diplomatic missions, the result will be disappointing to those who want to coerce China into shifting its position on the Iran nuclear issue.

 

According to Monday's Financial Times, the US is hoping that by pushing Saudi Arabia to sell more crude oil to China, it will help China to be less dependent on oil from Iran and more willing to support sanctioning Iran.

 

Such talks are not new. In fact, details of a potential US-brokered deal on increasing crude oil exports to China from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries was revealed as early as last year. Nothing ever came of the US' attempt because Beijing has always stood firm on its stance.

 

The Chinese government has repeatedly made clear that negotiations and dialogue are the keys to break the current international impasse over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said earlier this month that China supports increased diplomatic efforts and an early agreement for an internationally backed nuclear fuel proposal for Teheran.

 

Hence, the attempt to coerce China into siding with the US through oil trade deals is both ill-advised and ill-intentioned.

 

It's true that Iran is an important crude oil supplier to China. But it is also true that China now buys oil from a variety of regions through pipelines and sea shipments thanks to its efforts to seek diversified sources of energy.

 

A sustainable energy supply is crucial to the largest developing country with a rapidly growing economy. But it will only achieve this goal through fair means.

 

A responsible country committed to world peace, China will never trade in its principles for economic gains. This has been tested time and again and widely applauded by many in the international community.

 

On the other hand, contrary to the fallacy that China is the major obstacle to the UN's efforts to impose tighter sanctions against Iran, a few influential UN members including Western allies, such as Italy and Japan, also desire oil supplies from Iran. Their interests will also be in jeopardy if the situation in the Islamic country deteriorates.

 

China's opposition to tighter sanctions on Iran is the natural result of its peaceful foreign policy. Linking the issue with oil deals is nothing but a trap so that some in the West could again blame China if peaceful solutions ultimately fail.

What happened in the past has proven that the world's only superpower never seriously considers any opposition from other nations if it is determined to take extreme actions against a country it dislikes.

 

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

STOP VIOLENT DEMOLITIONS

 

Brutal and coercive demolitions are outright unacceptable. It is a serious violation of human rights and against the basic principles of law. These incidents are even more intolerable amid public indignation that has challenged the State Council's regulations on demolition.

 

In an incident early Monday morning, 200 people armed with sticks and knives clashed with artists in Changdian village of suburban Beijing's Chaoyang district during a forceful demolition of an arts center. Eight artists were injured, including a Japanese person, in the clash. The artists in turn launched a protest against the barbarous demolition that afternoon.

 

The arts center was established in 2008. More than 100 artists from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as other countries rented houses from local villagers to create artworks and install galleries. Many of them have invested a lot of money in their studios and galleries.

 

In regards to this arts center, a collective of villagers were the owners of the land. Occupation of the land for business purposes should have had the consent of all villagers. We don't yet know if the local villagers collectively agreed to the demolition. But the fact that they signed contracts with the artists to let them use their houses for 20 or 30 years point to the impossibility that the villagers would go against the contracts. Another reason is that the artists brought the villagers stable income and prosperity through rent payments.

 

A village committee head and a township leader reportedly rushed to the arts center and promised that an investigation into the demolition would be conducted.

 

But how could the demolition crew be so brazen that they could even think of using force to drive away the tenants of the arts center? They should have been arrested as criminals for the violation of human rights and for causing harm to public security in a dangerous fashion. It hasn't been reported whether the crew has been detained.

 

Collaboration between real estate developers and local governments is well known as a root cause for forceful demolitions. Real estate developers can hardly acquire the land they need unless they have close connections with local governments, also one of the biggest beneficiaries in the real estate boom.

 

There has been no report to identify the real estate developer behind this case. And neither is there any information that the developer had any support from the government.

 

No matter how long it will take for a thorough investigation to reveal the entire story behind this violent demolition, the illegitimacy of violent demolitions by real estate developers is beyond doubt.

 

The new regulations under discussion will draw a line between requisition of land by the government for public interest and the occupation of land by real estate developers for commercial housing projects.

 

Different measures will be made for evacuation. But it will take quite some time before the amended regulations are adopted and made into effect.

 

What is urgent are the efforts by local law enforcers to stop real estate developers from forcing residents to move by the use of force and violence. It is shameful that a local government can allow developers to have their own way.

 

Copyright By chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved

 

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

SHOULD CHINA REVALUE ITS CURRENCY?

BY GARY S. BECKER (CHINA DAILY)

Two of the most important and closely related economic issues today are the value of the yuan and the huge assets accumulated by China, mainly in the form of United States Treasury bills and other US government assets.

 

China's central bank had the yuan's value fixed at a little over 8 per US dollar during the 1990s and until 2005. It then allowed the yuan to rise gradually to less than 7 a dollar until 2008, when it again fixed the rate of exchange at about 6.9 yuan per dollar. This exchange rate is considerably above a free market rate that would be determined in a regime of flexible exchange rates. So there is no doubt that China is intentionally holding the value of its currency below the rate that would equate supply and demand.

 

The value of the greenback has fallen substantially against other currencies since May 2009. Since the yuan is tied to the dollar it's value, too, has declined in the same ratio: 16 percent against the euro, 34 percent against the Australian dollar, 25 percent against the Korean won, and 10 percent against the Japanese yen. This substantial devaluation of the yuan has made many countries angry with China's policy of pegging it to the US dollar.

 

US President Barack Obama has apparently complained to President Hu Jintao about the yuan's low value and urged him to revaluate it substantially.

 

The US and other countries are worried that the undervaluation of the yuan increases the demand for Chinese exports and reduces China's demand for imports from countries like the US because China keeps the dollar and the currencies of other countries artificially expensive compared to its currency.

 

The US and other countries hope that greater demand from China for their exports, resulting from a higher value of the yuan, will help them resume sizable economic growth as they recover from severe recession. Their governments especially want to reduce the high levels of unemployment.

 

Indeed, in good part due to the low value of its currency, China has run substantial surpluses in its current trade account because it imports fewer goods and services than it exports. As a result, it has accumulated enormous reserves of assets in foreign currencies, especially US government assets denominated in dollars. At the end of last year, China had an incredible more than $2 trillion in foreign currency reserves, which included US Treasury bills. This is by far the largest reserve in the world and its ratio to China's GDP is huge: a quarter of about $8 trillion (purchasing power parity adjusted).

 

I doubt the wisdom of the US for complaining against China's currency policy and of China for its response. On the whole, I believe most Americans benefit rather than being hurt by China's long-standing policy of keeping the yuan at an artificially low exchange value. The policy makes the goods imported from China, such as clothes, furniture and small electronic devices, much cheaper than they would have been if China revaluated its currency substantially. The main beneficiaries of China's current policy are poor and lower middle class Americans and people in other countries who buy made-in-China goods at remarkably cheap prices in stores such as Wal-Mart that cater to cost-conscious families.

 

US companies that would like to export more to China have indeed been hurt by China's currency policy. They employ fewer people than their capacity and thus contribute to the high rate of unemployment in the US. But I believe the benefits to American consumers far outweigh any losses in jobs, especially because the US economy continues its recovery.

 

Since the opposite effects hold for China, I cannot justify the country's policies from the viewpoint of its interests. Its consumers and importers are hurt because the government has kept the cost of foreign goods artificially high for them. Their exporters gain, but as in the US, that gain is likely to be considerably smaller than the negative effects on the well-being of the average Chinese family.

 

I have reached a similar conclusion on China's excessive reserves. The US has little to complain if China wants to hold such high levels of low interest-bearing US government assets in exchange for selling inexpensive goods to the US and other countries. China's willingness to save so much reduces the need for the Americans and others to save more. But are not differences in savings rates part of the specialization that global markets encourage? It is difficult to understand why China is doing this because it is giving away goods made with hard work and capital for paper assets that carry little returns.

 

One common answer is that China hopes to increase its influence over international economic and geo-political policies by holding so many foreign assets. Yet it seems to me just the opposite is true - that China's huge levels of foreign assets put it more at the mercy of American and other countries' policies. China can threaten to sell large numbers of the US Treasury bills and other US assets it holds, but what will it buy instead? Presumably, it would buy European Union or Japanese government bills and bonds. That will put a little upward pressure on the interest rates of other governments. But to a considerable extent, the main effect in our integrated world capital market is that sellers to China of euro and yen-denominated assets would then hold the US Treasuries sold by China.

 

On the other hand, the US can threaten to inflate some of the real value of its dollar-denominated assets - not an empty threat because of the large US government fiscal deficits and the sizable growth in US bank excess reserves. Inflation would lower the exchange value of the dollar, and also of the yuan as long as China keeps it tied to the greenback. That would further increase the current account surpluses of China, and thereby induce it to hold more US and other foreign assets, which is not a very attractive scenario for Beijing.

 

So my conclusion is that the US in its own interest should not urge China to revaluate its currency - countries such as India have a much greater potential to gain from such a revaluation. On the other hand, I see very little sense at this stage of China's development for Beijing to maintain a very low value of its currency and accumulate large quantities of reserves. Paradoxically, presidents Obama and Hu should have been arguing each other's position on these economic issues.

 

The author is an Economics Nobel laureate (1992) and professor of economics and sociology at Chicago University.

 

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

MEDIA PUNDITS DEPICT NATION'S ROLE IN AFRICA WRONG

BY BARRY SAUTMAN AND YAN HAIRONG (CHINA DAILY)

International media have reported up a storm on the recent surge in China-Africa links. They invoke a theme familiar from the past two centuries of colonialism and Cold War: Africa is beset by poverty and ignorance, caused by ruthless and corrupt rulers. Westerners are trying to bring them to book and instill order on the continent, but other forces, in this case Chinese interlopers, are making that difficult.

 

The facts on the ground show China's engagement in Africa has been more positive than this discourse claims. The Chinese are getting bad press in the West because they are from a country that is neither liberal democratic nor white, yet are effectively competing with those who are - to the point that some Africans see Chinese development activities as providing a model.

 

The Chinese, it is said, are in Africa only for natural resources, to feed China's industry and huge population. To exploit the continent, they provide loans and aid to rogue regimes.

 

They worsen the plight of Africans by dumping cheap, shoddy products in their markets and ruin local industry. Chinese investors pay Africans a pittance, in contrast to more ethical Western firms. Given all that, China can only be an obstacle to Africa's development.

 

It's an exciting tale but, alas, the media have gotten it all wrong. It's not mainly China that impairs Africa's development, but a world system of neo-liberal capitalism, based on privatization, trade liberalization, and reduced social spending, into which China is now partly integrated. As part of the same world system, China and the West have many activities in common in Africa, but there are also some distinctly Chinese trade and investment practices and these are often more appealing to Africans.

 

China-Africa trade was $3 billion in 1995, but $107 billion in 2008. That's still only 4 percent of China's world trade. Yet, it makes China Africa's second largest trading partner and trade is balanced in Africa's favor. On imports from Africa, the China-in-Africa media discourse focuses overwhelmingly on oil. It's often alleged that Chinese demand for oil perpetuates Africa's reliance on petroleum exports, preventing growth of more labor intensive industries, such as agro-business and manufacturing.

 

Most of what China buys from Africa is indeed oil (62 percent) and ores and metals (17 percent), but in 2008 oil was 88 percent of US imports from Africa and minerals made up most of the rest. China's investment in oil production in Africa equals only 8 percent of that of Western multi-nationals and 3 percent of all investment in African oil. China received 9 percent of Africa's oil exports, but Europe and the US each took 33 percent.

 

China also couples oil acquisition with low or no interest loans to build the infrastructure Africa needs, at a much lower cost than the West is willing to do. For 2006-2013, China lent or will lend $28 billion to Africa for infrastructure and as trade credit. There is also less scope for corruption with China's loans for infrastructure projects - often built by Chinese firms paid directly by China's government - than with the all-purpose aid Western sources provide African governments, such as the money for primary education in Uganda in the 1990s, four-fifths of which never reached the designated schools .

 

The focus of the China-in-Africa discourse on China's exports is almost wholly on basic consumer items and their alleged negative consequences. Chinese goods are held responsible for the decline in Africa's textile and clothing (T&C) industry. But when Chinese goods first came in mass around 2000, Africa's T&C was already decimated by the international financial institutions' forced trade liberalization of the 1980s and 1990s, which opened the market to second-hand and new clothing from developed countries. The fact is that Chinese goods are much cheaper than imports from other countries, as well as locally made goods that are made costly by poor infrastructure, pricey utilities, and corruption. A British government study found that Chinese exports to Africa mainly displace developed country exports.

 

China's stock of investments in Africa rose from $49 million in 1990 to $7.8 billion in 2008. The total stock of FDI in Africa in 2007 was $36 billion, with most of it from the EU, US and South Africa. There are about a thousand significant Chinese enterprises in Africa, but the media discourse focuses only on investment in extractive industries, particularly on one investment, the Non-Ferrous Metals Corporation Africa (NFCA) Chambishi copper mine in Zambia.

 

Conditions at the Chambishi mine, with its 2,200 employees, have indeed been deplorable. Chambishi, however, is not the only Zambian mine where conditions are highly oppressive, as the many strikes at Western and white South African mines show. Zambians regard all the mines as much worse now than they were before privatization, at World Bank insistence, in the late 1990s. In any case, Chambishi mine is not the largest Chinese-owned enterprise in Africa. In Nigeria, a Chinese conglomerate employs 20,000, including many local managers, yet the media dwells on Chambishi.

 

A comparison of Chinese and Western firms in Africa would find that many on both sides have oppressive conditions, but Western firms garner much higher profits. In contrast to Western investments, many Chinese enterprises are equity joint ventures, sharing profits with Africans. Most produce for the local market and focus more on infrastructure and manufacturing than do Western companies.

 

China is presented in the discourse as "indifferent to Africa's authoritarian despots, as it courts the continent for energy and minerals," as a leading British journalist put it. But the US and France support most despots in Africa, providing them with military assistance and legitimacy. The West is also implicated in the trade in money and trade in people. Some 40 percent of Africa's private wealth has been sent overseas (Martin Meredith, "The Fate of Africa: a Survey of Fifty Years of Independence," Washington Post, Jan 20, 2006), much of it to banks that trade interest and secrecy for these funds. London and Zurich, not Beijing, receive these fruits of capital flight and tax evasion. Western states trade their citizenship for the skills of hundreds of thousands of African professionals, especially doctors and nurses who have trained in, but are now lost to Africa. China has trained tens of thousands of Africans to be doctors, engineers, agricultural specialists and they generally return to Africa ("China has Education Cooperation with 50 Countries," Business Daily Update, Nov 28, 2005).

 

The China-in-Africa discourse lacks a comparative approach and reflects Western elites' perception of their national interests and moral superiority. Its proponents fail to question Western government rhetoric about "aiding African development" and "promoting African democracy." At the same time, they seize on any example of supposed exploitation by Chinese in Africa.

 

Many Africans - and some Westerners - question the binary view of a new Western "civilizing mission" versus the actions of "amoral" Chinese who don't fully practice neo-liberalism by, for example, conditioning loans to African states on reduced spending on social services. They are increasingly rejecting a discourse that draws attention away from Africa's systemic problems of exploitation and human rights and toward blaming Chinese, not for what they actually do in Africa, but for being the newly perceived strategic competitor of the West.

 

Barry Sautman is a political scientist and lawyer at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology who works on ethnic politics in China and China-Africa relations. Yan Hairong is an anthropologist at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the author of New Masters, New Servants: Migration, Development and Women Workers in China (Duke University Press, 2008). The article first appeared in Yale Global online on Feb 10, 2010.

 

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

WIDEN THE TABLE ON RICE DEBATE

BY LI DUN (CHINA DAILY)

Though the government has approved the planting of genetically modified (GM) rice in Hubei province on a tial basis, controversy persists.

 

Opponents doubt that GM rice is safe. They wonder if it poses a health risk and question the rice's impact on the environment and biological diversity. However, advocates stress that transgenic technology is a "unique" method available for ensuring grain security amid China's increasing population and depletion of arable land.

 

Some biosafety committee experts at the Ministry of Agriculture, for example, argue that their assessment that GM rice is safe was based on experimental research, tests, environmental releases, production tests and application of safety production certificates.

 

But how do we make a decision on GM rice? Who should be responsible for an issue that concerns not only our health but the lives of our children? Who should be the decision-makers even if no one can make the claim that GM rice is safe except for some special "experts"?

 

Right now, we should be alert and not have blind faith in technology in the name of science, and we should not worship money amid market trends. In a society that has been divided into groups with different interests, scientists and experts will have their own interests and could become spokespeople for these certain claims.

 

At times, we are only able to hear the voices of scientists or experts of one argument while the opposing voices of others are screened from the masses. We now urgently need a decision-making process that takes into account the interests of different groups. Decision-makers and the public must make choices based on the complete awareness of various opinions, and the public should have the opportunity to participate in deciding major choices that affect their interests.

 

Guided by the "Put People First" core of China's newly set governing philosophy, the government should prudently arrange the institutional regulation of foods and drugs. Without sufficient evidence that proves a certain food or drug is not harmful to your health, the products must not be allowed into the market.

 

Industrial revolution has made people believe that humans can conquer and change everything and do as we please. Now the governmental proposal of "harmonious development between human and nature" guides a new orientation for correcting our previous mistakes.

 

Opponents argue that GM rice from genetic engineering is essentially different from hybridized rice. GM rice cannot raise yields as it claims though it could be pest-resistant, and since it has the ability to breed, it might change or even deracinate China's rice varieties. Still, there is no convincing explanation about why GM corn caused organ damage in test rats. And furthermore, what potential risk can GM crops pose for us and the next generations to come? Should the companies and experts who are relentlessly advocating GM rice be obliged to make their evidence of support clear and understandable to decision-makers and the public before any verdict?

 

Nearly 80 percent of the world's GM crops are products of one single American company and more than half are cultivated in the US. But other than bringing profit to GM crop manufacturers, it has not resolved the problem of poverty. Fifteen percent of the world's population is starving not because there is no food available, but they simply have no money to buy it.

China was a net exporter of soybeans before 1995. But after importing GM soybeans, its foreign dependency rate has reached more than 80 percent. Local non-genetically modified soybeans are being driven out of the market place and even facing extinction because it's not economically competitive compared with GM soybeans. If we buy GM soybean seeds whose patents are held by foreign companies, we have no room to bargain on prices. The interests of farmers should also be considered in the decision-making process.

 

No longer are we in an era where a small number of people should be making decisions behind closed doors in the interests of the majority. In terms of the decision-making on commercializing GM foods, the authority needs to publicize comprehensive, accurate and genuine information and hear all of the different opinions with full participation and thorough debate from the public. Decisions should be made by the National People's Congress or its standing committee, because it concerns the health and lives of each of us and our children.

 

We should clearly record and publish the names of officials who approve major projects that affect the lives of people. We should also record and publish the name of experts who provide evidence or endorse the decisions of the government - especially when these decisions entail irreversible consequences - so that we can make officials accountable and decide whether to praise or blame the officials and experts alike. Only by doing so can we oblige these officials and experts involved in the decision-making process to remove their self-interests and uphold the interests of the general public.

 

The author is a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article first appeared in the Outlook Weekly magazine.

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CHINA DAILY

EDITORIAL

A HEAVY HEART IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

BY CHEN WEIHUA (CHINA DAILY)

It was fun to wine and dine with friends and relatives over the Chinese New Year holidays, but small talks often ended in heavy hearts.

 

Some described in length about how some of their business friends had prepared big-ticket gifts for government officials. Others told of how some rich Chinese lavished in shopping sprees in Paris and snatched up upscale apartments in Shanghai and overseas. Still others revealed how each and every project could potentially bring down several officials.

 

These stories are nothing new. However, the perpetual nature of these topics today means that social woes have not been wiped out or wound down.

 

The latest survey by people.com.cn shows that corruption and income disparity are two of the top five concerns among the Chinese ahead of the upcoming annual sessions of the National People's Congress - the legislature - and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - a political advisory body.

 

If you've read the news headlines of the past year, you would find a long list of high-ranking officials under investigation or rounded up on various corruption charges: from Li Tangtang, deputy chief of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region government; Huang Yao, vice-chairman of Guizhou CPPCC; Chen Shaoji, Guangdong deputy Party secretary and CPPCC chairman; Xu Zongheng, mayor of Shenzhen; and Wen Qiang, former leader of Chongqing municipal judicial bureau.

 

While the punishments for these corrupt officials might be interpreted as a stronger resolve on the part of the government to combat graft, no room for complacency is allowed.

 

No effective mechanism has so far been introduced to root out the causes of widespread corruption, such as nepotism and bribery. Much of the government's operations are still opaque at best rather than transparent, and gives ample room for under-the-table deals and other shady opportunities.

 

For one thing, the long-anticipated income and asset disclosure system for senior public servants remains merely a lip service despite public outcry. Optimistically speaking, the system - which is practiced in many countries - might only become a small-scale experiment in limited government sectors in the coming years.

 

What is embarrassing is that a full disclosure of the income and assets of each and every government official would simply expose way too many scandals.

 

The people.com.cn survey also shows greater public grievances with county and division-level officials, officials in the police and the courts, and with prosecutors. Unfortunately the ample opportunities for corruption have made the occupation as a public servant one of the most contested jobs in the past year.

 

As corrupt officials squander illicit money and send their family members, relatives and friends on shopping sprees in Paris, hundreds of millions of migrant workers roaming the country are struggling to get a bus or train ticket home for the Spring Festival family reunion.

 

The long queues of workers staying for days and nights outside a ticket office in the freezing winter are sad stories every year. It is a reminder of how these people have been left behind during the nation's supersonic economic growth in the past decades.

 

The country's Gini coefficient, which measures the inequality of income and wealth, has already reached an alarming 0.48, turning our once egalitarian society into one of the most unequal on the planet. The trend is further worsening.

 

The ongoing people.com.cn survey also reveals other major public concerns such as pension, forced relocation, steep housing prices, unemployment, health care, a fair judicial system, public supervision and access to quality education.

 

Although these are not new problems for the country, it is sad to hear people bring them up time and again every year in a tone that is growing in anger.

 

No one expects a quick solution to all these tough issues. Keeping the wide-ranging corruption and widening income gap unchecked simply means we are moving away from the harmonious society we are trying to build.

 

I hope the talks at the next Chinese New Year dinner will be less disheartening. But to achieve that would require lots of tough actions, rather than endless tiresome talks.

 

E-mail: chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

 

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DAILY MIRROR

EDITORIAL

SINDU, THE MALWATTA BABY ELEPHANT THAT RAN AMOK

 

Sindu along with his brother Raju created quite a national sensation in July last year when they were brought to Dalada Maligawa from the Pinnawala elephant orphanage.

 

Although Sindu was given to the  Malwatta Temple and Raju was sent to Asgiriya the duo continued to frequent the Maligawa premises and the environs.

 

Last Sunday when Sindu was being fed in the compound of the Diyawadana Nilame, a car which was heading towards a temple which was on a hillock right behind the Diyawadana Nilame's residence had crashed into his compound.

 

One could imagine what the poor baby elephant would have thought when he saw a car coming from the heavens and landed right next to him. The Malwatta baby elephant had got so frightened it had broken the lock of the gates, run down the main road and damaged a nearby house. Like the proverbial rabbit it would have thought that the end of the world was coming.

 

The accident seriously injured three people who were in the car and had gone on to traumatize the baby elephant of Malwatta.  But then one may also say that more trauma is caused by the news coming from Malwatta chapter post the arrest of Fonseka as the temple is poised for a head-on clash with the State.

 

And the accusing finger for this rift between the State and the Malwatta Temple had been pointed towards the anti-religious  JVP which had started making a strong presence at the temple using the Fonseka issue as a cover. Those close to the temple hold that the JVP, which is making a desperate bid to win a few seats in parliament with the help of the Fonseka family, is instrumental in poisoning the prelate against many politicians. The results are there for anyone to see and it certainly had caused an agony among those who have national unity as the prime goal in mind as there are strong signs that many anti-national forces are waiting to exploit the opportunity to further their agendas.

 

These groups who are all for the UNP establishing a close rapport with the prelates and who feel that the government too had made blunders. observe that both the prelate and the government should work out a rapprochement before things get out of hand.

 

After all the true owners of the country and also the Buddha Sasana, they claim, are the people of this country.

 

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DAILY MIRROR

EDITORIAL

COLOMBIANS REVISITED

 

Due to numerous requests for a classification, Howler & Howler of Oxford Dictionary fame were consulted and on their   suggestion the following formulation was proposed in the manner of speaking English in Sri Lankan style. Indeed a caricature between two elections in times of transition.

 

Colombians ( pronounced Kolam-bians - to rhyme with Sinhala word for invoking mirth 'Kolam')

 

Male: Grown quiet and now laid back; 'SF' is suddenly a prohibited word, expunged from the vocabulary; instead 'shall mind my own business this time' is the password. A low profile maintained at gatherings. After SF joined the JVP desires to forget the 'Day of the Jackal General'. Avoids buddies who gave false hopes, but has acquired a SF trait of gritting teeth and waiting for a strike back moment (what a shame Tigers are not on suicide missions for hiring?).Switch from SF to RW or MR, instantaneous- unborn with political wisdom.

 

Female: Most are faded and jaded from the days they carried once –upon-a- time 'charms' tag, loud and loquacious these "come - back dames" were on a high, now takes defeat worse than the men and in the empty heads trot out excuses more to convince themselves. They now form the band of 'No Where Girls' back again in the wilderness after the dreams of being restored of the lost glories in the ruling circles, remain shattered. Ascending or descending forever on the social ladder. Female of the species is less tolerable than the male, because of the gaping mouth.

 

Non Colombians –

 

The western oriented elite steeped in knowledge of worldly affairs especially in aesthetics, politics and sports looking at issues objectively, vocally critical of MR, RW and SF and anything repugnant to good governance. Humble and appreciative of the refinements of the oriental and occidental; loyal and dedicated to whatever stance consistently maintained. Enjoys rich conversation and leads a dignified social life style.    

 

This time, the brash and the dash has evaporated. Sure they look subdued. Some of Colombians are back at work on unofficial election duty, ironically for MR, at the general elections. Last time they were the vocal yokels for SF. The hubbies have crossed the floor (''for business requirements") and their chorus girls are on strict instructions to take it easy, for the sake of keeping alight the home fires burning which is the bottom line. True Greens are still with the Grand Old Party as they did from school days. Now it is a testing time to identify the genuine stalwarts. They have crossed party lines as much as the somersaulting superstars Ronnie De Mel and G.L.PeirisThe less principled are the eager beavers catching up on lost time running in circles as errand boys for friends and relations of MR, oiling the old contacts of the last 4 years for the next 4 years before reverting back to base. They are more tolerable in sound though still bitchy- less irritable to listen though still goofy; having lost the spring in the feet and discharged the wool in the head. Money counts in the land of the Colombians which is an extra special tonic for social elevation.

 

Colombians are back at the embassy parties pumping the diplomats with the loose Colombo Twitter which wended back home across the oceans at the presidential elections in the diplomatic dispatch bags. They now get a diplomatic perfunctory hearing ("pretend to listen", "in/ left ear-out/ right ear") after having misled embassy circles. The Foreign Offices of a few missions are recalling their diplomats for the misinformation relayed home, of a regime change, under the spell of the Colombo Brigade. So the Colombians are dispatched to the outer circle of embassy cocktail circuit which is as bad as being sent to the edge of Siberia but still have sufficient pedigree to catch the lens of the camera for the photo moment where the fat men are pictorially depicted carrying tumblers in hand (eternal spring of tumbler talk) in the company of fatter and aged female companions   (political pundits). To get featured in the columns, the tonnage in the wallet and weight age around the waist counts. Appropriately the fashion pages are renamed as Galleries of the Fat, Aged and  Ugly.

 

 Now it is back again to the droppings of "Lalith [Weeratunga] told me on the phone when he telephoned last week…" after the short spell of a bout of supposed calls from Sarath  & Sarath. These names droppers are back at their perennial pastime dating back to time immemorial of "my Paski" [Paskaralingam] during the Premadasa era; to meeting "Chari boy [Ratwatte] at Aunty Nalini's{Wickremasinghe's] home" in the Ranil days to; encounters with "Dharmasiri" [Pieris] said when he came home for dinner" in the time of Sirimavo and "Menik [Diwela] told me so" in JR's glory period. Snootiness made them avoid Bala during the summers of Chandrika- that was striking beneath the low water mark of the Colombians. Name dropping is the name of the game.

 

Is this weird breed limited to the city limits of the metropolis? The carbon copies of the upstarts survive in the provinces mostly in the outdated upper echelons- from the Galagedera Uncle to the Nawalapitiya Nanda with an enclosed enclave in a snooty part of the silly billy Society of Kandy. They lord over in their miniature decaying castles providing much merriment to the local dwellers with their outlandish frantic antics.  These provincial brothers and sisters came last time to the big city and spread the happy tidings to their Colombo cousins that Providence was delivering their province to SF. Unsuspecting Colombians took their word and ecstatically jumped for joy. Now they are posted in the list of un- welcomed guests in the homes of the Colombians and have to search for new rest houses during the rounds to the big city.

 

Colombians hang around the Long Verandah of the every Tom Dick & Harry Golf Club which is virtually an extension to a crowded platform at a railway station during peak office hours where social climbing MR purported contacts mooch around in search of free drinks, free bites and easy prey. Colombians feel rejuvenated after having their pockets picked- cursing that defeat can indeed be expensive- listening to the cheap talk of those MR-I-Know- Him exponents, seen often hanging in the queues in search of tables at the diners club without the credit card at the Temple Trees during election time. Eventually their assurances are in the same category as election promises. MR is breeding a new generation of upstarts called the Mahindians more disoriented than the Colombians.

 

After the definition come the identification of the characteristics of the Colombians- curses sentries when stopped at check points; on the road to nirvana listening to anglicized bizarre Buddhism by a not-so-holy preacher in a Colombo 007 temple; hangs around long hours looking dreamy, drinking expensive coffee in trendy cafes; entered  buying a ticket at the elegant Galle Literary Fair as if on a visit to a circus, to be seen more than to hear, and still speaking of it, while the true lovers of literature are continuing with their reading on their return; talks of knowing the cell phone number of a lady called Shiranthi or spouts of holding memberships in several clubs where the colonials roamed in the bygone days.

 

 Colombian Man- "Why is Colombo mocking us as Colombians?

 

Colombian Woman- "Because of our queer breeding and disturbing graces"

 

Colombian Man- "They are jealous, because they cannot compete with us."

 

Colombian Woman- "Yet we have become the laughing stock of the nation."

 

Colombian Man- "But this time we are displaying divided loyalties"

 

Colombian Woman- "We cannot be always losers"

 

In matriarchal Colombian society the last word is with the society women being silly, stupid and sordid.

 

These fairies and gnomes look at the mirror and inquire whether "am I a Colombian?'. Some wish to dispel the dog collar, others desire to acquire it. Such is life in Colombo.

 

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DAILY MIRROR

EDITORIAL

 

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2010: LIVING THROUGH A KLEPTOCRACY AND NOT WANTING AN ALTERNATIVE

 

Are we honestly serious in wanting democracy, our rights and human development, to live in Sri Lanka ? If the people were serious, this society would not be entertaining any of the rubbish that is doled out as politics and promises by political leaderships, blue, green or red, at every election for 62 years.If this country had been any serious, a racist kleptocracy would not be asking for a popular vote with confidence, while the Opposition is happy playing the fiddle on the side walks of the same Sinhala politics of a government they  accuse as obsessively corrupt and undemocratic, but nothing else.

 

Yes. Corruption in governance, not only by politicians but with top Administrators involved too and often and almost always in partnership with business leaders, had been an issue that had never been taken seriously by the people. Policies and development plans are other factors the society and social leaders have not been interested in, to question, demand and develop a social discussion.

 

Therefore, elections how ever free and fair, have not been utilised to demand and discuss future policy and plans. Again, and because of that disregard, this society does not discuss rampant poverty that never gets alleviated. The first major focus on poverty alleviation was in 1990 under President Premadasa, with the launch of the Janavasiya programme and its Trust Fund. Then it was highlighted, poverty was a rural phenomenon with about 80% of total poverty being rural and the percentage under poverty calculated at 26.1%. The poverty line then in 1990 was drawn at a monthly family earning of Rs. 1,100 in all.

 

Janasaviya was given a total facelift in 1995 and was established under a separate Ministry as "Samurdhi". A massive poverty alleviation empire was created with public funds, employing around 26,000 "Samurdhi" officers. The poverty line was raised to Rs. 1,400 in year 2002 and the percentage living in poverty had increased to 28.8%. The poverty line was again raised to Rs. 1,650 by the year 2005 and those living under poverty was said to be 26%.

 

From 1990 since Janasaviya was first launched, now in 2010 and twenty years after, with "Samurdhi" claimed as a better programme for poverty alleviation, we still have almost the same population under poverty all through the past years, with an increased "Samurdhi" employee network touching or more than 30,000 that did not adequately cover North and East. North and East comes as "projections" or as special basic information with a foot note to say "not enumerated as ……." even in census and statistics tables, in the department.

 

That being so on poverty that is never questioned even during the elections, this society exists with the bottom 20% of the population restricted to a per capita income of 8.0 and the next 20% just above them with 11.8, while the highest or the top 10% of the population enjoys a per capita income of 42.8 and thus have access to all social facilities including political power.

 

Health in the government sector is one area that is under heavy fire. People have been told and is made to believe that its the politician head as minister who is always at fault. Will a red shirted, supposedly honest comrade substituted as minister within this setup, solve the health issue in this country ? Its far from a "single person" issue. Its a systemic chaos, where professionals and technicians in the sector are also corrupt. Most who should be in their hospital 'wards', are busy "channelling" patients for big money at private clinics. Most who have to be in their labs and machines, are handling private work in business medical centres. There is no health planning even at provincial level where health is a devolved subject under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The health sector unions including the GMOA are never in favour of such 'provincialisation' of the health sector and therefore don't contribute for provincial development, in their own health sector that would benefit them as well.

 

 Top administrators and the many health sector unions don't therefore ask for a "national health plan" that would base the hospital and the medical practitioner on a "Referral" system. One that would allow general practitioners and the out-patient departments to play a vital role in hospitals, that would then make "specialists" less important.Who would discuss these issues publicly ?  Who would, for that matter ask for such planning ? Not this society, for sure.

 

So is it with education in this country. Any person with some money and a bank guarantee to raise loans for investment, could open up a business for "child education" and label it an "international school". Have they got any regulatory mechanism that lays down standards on teaching, facilities necessary, management, fees and recruitment ? None for sure. Public education is definitely in a mess.

 

The central ministry nor the provincial ministries have answers for even Grade I (one) admissions. Nor can they even organise a mid term schools' exam, efficiently and without corruption.

 

Its the system again that needs complete overhaul and not, any more change of faces. In general, the present population of pupils sitting the G.C.E. O/L exam totals over 500,000, including private admissions. According to the Examination Department, at national level, over 51% of them don't qualify for A/L studies. To talk about schools' candidates, in educational zones like Bibile, the percentage qualifying for A/L studies and almost all in the Arts stream is just 34.08%, in Passara its 34.76%, in Dimbulagala its 31.73%, in Galenbindunuweva its 33.73% and it goes on that way in practically all rural areas.

 

After the G.C.E A/L examination in an education system that does not talk of a strong tertiary level, again only about 20,000 students are admitted for universities that don't in effect provide degrees which make graduates competent for employment. That again leaves the question, what is the fate of the 500,000 children who sat the O/L exam, minus the 20,000 admitted to universities, who are never taken care of within this "Free" education ? From that huge number, well over 64% are from the rural society and that numbers over 320,000 children each year. Where do they go in an economy that can not absorb them into economically viable livelihood projects ? INone of it is discussed in this society and certainly not on election platforms that only tell people the "opposites" are weak, are corrupt and are worse. No explanations given nor asked for.

 

Election platforms, TV talk shows and media interventions with political "stars and celebrities" are entertainment at a cost, most voters habitually enjoy. With all that social ignorance, impotence and disregard, the next most important question this society would have to answer is, what relevance have "free and fair" elections in deciding winners without programmes ? Without alternatives ? This society is ready to live with any kleptocracy, never mind its colour.

 

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DAILY MIRROR

EDITORIAL

GRABBING AND GREED - DOES IT EVER END?

 

Each and every government has its fair share of failures and failings. Among these, stands out one key problem. During the reining period of each government there have been those unmentionable, low down, dirty people that have thrived from the misery of people, and have grabbed, stolen, and acquired by foul means, what does not belong to them.

 

 Where do we start? How about President's House and the disappearance of a priceless painting that 'suddenly' appeared in house of a son-in-law of a former president? Surely after that incident one would think that the Government bureaucracy would have developed an inventory. But clearly just a basic inventory is not enough. As one minister who moved back into the official residence for the relevant ministry (after being out of office for a term) discovered, the predecessor had ransacked furniture from the house, replacing various pieces with cheaper counter parts. So while the inventory count had the same number of items categorized in broad terms such as chairs and table, a teak chair had been replaced by a plastic chair.

 

 What do we do with these looters? Maybe a formal committee needs to be established to avoid the looting of public property by elected representatives and that checks when there is hand over or even at the end of one term of government. And an inventory with photographs. 

 

 There are also accusations that various government actors have been and are involved in the looting of other public goods. Even though there are strict laws and procedures for cutting down trees and mining sand these actors see no problem in giving their catchers special permission or to turn a blind eye to their looting of our trees, and the sand from the rivers.? There are supposed to be laws against all this however who would dare to take on any government types?

 

 Another form of looting that seems to be increasing is that politicians in government are allegedly even stealing immovable items, like houses and land. There are even individuals within this government who are alleged to have and continue to, grab through thuggery, and foul means, land, houses and businesses that do not belong to them.

 

 Recently we heard of a house on Pedris Road in Colombo , where one of the politicians and his goon squad arrived at a house on election eve, a house that was closed up but protected by the security guard. They had set upon the guard beating him up and throwing him out and then moved into the said premises and taken it over. Then there was this house off Turret Road , where a goon squad moved into a closed up home and took it over. There are reports of prime land (including beaches) in the East and the North, again, that have been demarcated and taken over. Again actors in Government have been accused of being involved in this.

 

 When is the accumulation of wealth, especially things that belong to other people stop? When is it safe for us citizens to assume that our private property stays our own and not seized by powerful people to use as their own? WHEN IS IT ENOUGH! Even when we eat there comes a time we absolutely cannot eat another mouthful….. Does this ever apply to accumulation of wealth or does sheer greed take over?

 

 The talk at the junction is that there are 3 key people who are up to these nefarious and vile acts. If we at the junction have heard of these stories, then we are sure that the Prez too has heard of these same stories. If so WHY has the Prez not put a stop to it? Doesn't he realize that it is a result of these actions that there is an increasing perception that corruption is rampant in this Government. Action needs to be taken against any individual who is robbing the public blind, as this will restore public confidence.

 

 Why oh why are the public silently accepting all this thievery, pilfering and gross lack of care by politicians who do not give a damn about how we the public feel? Why are people not going to court with these cases? We are all working extremely hard to feed our children and make sure we give them a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, until one day, someone walks in and takes over what is rightfully ours.

 

 We are supposed to be an intelligent people.  Burying our heads in the sand and pretending everything is so okay, is not an option. How is it that we have all become such a spineless, gutless set of apathetic people? How much more can we take before we all say enough? Please Mr. Prez. you can put a stop to this.

 

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Cell: - 0091-93131-03060

Email – samarth@samarth.co.in, central.office@samarth.co.in

Registered Office: Rajendra Nagar (East), Near Bhagwati Chowk, Lachchipur

Gorakhnath Road, Gorakhpur – 273 015

 

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