The Pakistan Army started one of its largest ever military exercises code named Azm-e-Nau-3 (New Resolve). It is the largest exercise since the Zarb-i-Momin war-games conducted in 1989 with an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 soldiers from all arms and services participating. Exercise High Mark 2010 which is concurrently being carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), is being fully integrated with the army field exercise which will continue till May 13. As per Pakistan’s ISPR (Inter Service Public Relations), “the ongoing exercise is a culmination of a long and deliberate process of war games, discussions and logistic evolution of ‘Concept of Warfare’ that is fully responsive to a wide menu of emerging threats”. The process commenced with Exercise Azm-e-Nau-2, conducted in February 2010 and aims to validate the concept of a new defensive doctrine for countering conventional threats. Latest acquisitions in the field of weapons and equipment, intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication means are also being tried out and tested in Azm-e-Nau-3.
Answering questions from the press, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Training, Major General Muzammil Hussain and their Director General ISPR Major General Athar Abbas said the exercise was part of the continuous process of threat evaluation. As India’s offensive capability was Pakistan specific, having a credible deterrence was a prerequisite to reduce the threat of war. They added that the exercise is being carried out specifically as a response to a possible threat from India and is based on Indian capabilities and not intentions which could change overnight. They stressed that weakness invited aggression while credible capability to hit back deterred war.
The question that obviously begs an answer is ‘why now’? In addition to the troops deployed by the Pakistan Army in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Baluchistan, close to 1,00,000 troops are currently engaged in fighting a sub-conventional conflict in South Waziristan, Orakzai and Khyber regions. The overall security situation in Pakistan’s two main provinces, Punjab and Sind is grave with incidents of terrorist violence being the norm rather than the exception. So, why the exercise at this time?
Major military exercises are generally held to check the state of preparedness of a force or validate war doctrines and operational strategies. Since Exercise ‘Zarb-i-Momin’ conducted two decades ago, there has been a radical shift in Indian war fighting doctrine which Pakistan has been trying to assess and find an answer to. Exercise Azm-e-Nau is evidently aimed at validating Pakistan’s response to the Indian Cold Start doctrine and was only to be expected. Naming the exercise ‘New Resolve’, is perhaps meant to signal to the Pakistan Army and to the people of Pakistan that the new leadership under Kayani will not kowtow to perceived Indian pressures to dismantle terrorist training camps in Pakistan. Their military leadership has expressed confidence that Pakistan has the requisite wherewithal to effectively counter a swift military campaign launched by India in the conventional domain. But how much of that is bluster and how much based on facts requires evaluation.
The attack by Pakistan sponsored terrorists on the Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001 and the terror attacks on Mumbai from 26 to 28 November 2008 did not invite a military response from India. However, Indian public opinion was inflamed and it is unlikely that any Indian government can now afford to ignore public sentiments if a terrorist attack on a similar scale was to reoccur. In all likelihood such an eventuality will be met with a swift military response from India against selected targets in Pakistan or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Pakistan is loath to rein in the terrorists operating against India from within its soil as the establishment views them as strategic assets. She is also fully conscious of the fact that any misadventure by any of the terror groups operating from Pakistan against India will invite a strong response which may well involve the use of force. This leads one to the conclusion that perhaps the timing and scale of Exercise Azm-e-Nau-3 is to send a signal to India to desist from such a course as not only is Pakistan fully prepared for a military response from India but also has the offensive capability to escalate the conflict into Indian territory. It is unlikely however that the Indian security establishment will buy this line.
Too much should not be read into any apparent Afghanistan connection in relation to the current exercise. While the Pakistan Army conducted Exercise Zarb-e-Momin in 1989 subsequent to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan the present context is quite different. While the United States may well be looking at the Pakistan Army to facilitate its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the current conflict in Afghanistan is not being held under the backdrop of a cold war as was the case in 1989. To what extent Washington concedes ‘strategic space’ in Afghanistan to the Pakistan Army thus remains to be seen. In any case, the extent of US withdrawal from Afghanistan can only be conjectured at this stage regardless of any policy announcements being made on that score. In addition, a new factor this time around is the spread of insurgency in the entire region of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. The Pakistan Army will not find it easy to extricate itself from the ongoing insurgency in the region and will be committed in operations against its own people for quite some time in the foreseeable future.
What Exercise Azm-e-Nau has done is to give the Pakistan army a much needed boost after its image was dented both domestically and externally in the manner it undertook counter insurgency operations in the frontier regions. Use of sophisticated aircraft and artillery to quell its own people spoke poorly of the Army’s ability to handle conflict and the large scale killing of innocent people could be likened to the genocide committed by it in 1971 in East Pakistan. That the country’s top political leadership braved the hot desert sun to witness the exercise speaks of a new found confidence in the Pakistan army.
There however appears to be an underlying element of uncertainty and concern on the part of Pakistan in terms of its military capability with respect to India and Exercise Azm-e-Nau would perhaps aim at coming up with certain viable options. Pakistan no longer has the means to pose an effective conventional threat to India. While it still retains the ability to continue its proxy war in Jammu & Kashmir, a major terrorist incident in India may well be the trigger to invite a swift and massive Indian response. Pakistan’s options thereafter despite its bravado will remain extremely limited.
Article by: Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch, SM, VSM (Retd) is Additional Director, CLAWS
Credits for the Article to Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) http://www.claws.in
The first decade of the millennium faded into eternity with the world witnessing unprecedented violence from the expanding global footprint of ‘jehadi’ terrorism, grave political instability in parts of the globe, economic upheavals caused by a severe recession and, deepening chasms among the world community to in the management of the world’s environment and climate. Through all this turmoil, the UN stood a mute spectator and also helpless to the unwarranted nuclear ambitions of some nations besides not being able to thwart unilateralism of the most powerful.
Nevertheless, for India, the last decade was one of promise an ‘India Unbound’, as Gurcharan Das writes in his book of the same name, on its way to realise its vast potential. Though we have miles to go to wipe out, as the Mahatma had ordained, ‘tear from each eye’, India unmistakably stands at the threshold of its long awaited destiny. However, not much can ever be achieved or sustained in these highly violent times if India does not accord adequate attention to security. In recent years government has been pussyfooting on security matters, with the minimum acceptable combat profile of our Armed Forces slipping to alarmingly low levels in relation to our potential adversaries. This aspect has to be addressed by the government with the urgency it deserves, for capital acquisitions and military capabilities take a very long time to develop. A basic security imperative, the Indian Armed Forces have to maintain a reasonable capability to cater to a two-front threat in a nuclear overhang in the ‘worst case scenario’.
Last year, fortunately, in the areas of Internal Security and Intelligence, under a determined Home Minister, some overdue steps were initiated which need to be followed up with vigour to combat not only the formidable terror threats from outside our borders but also the alarming Maoist/Naxal threats from within the Indian heartland where out of our 619 districts, nearly 220 have been grossly affected. The gruesome massacre of 74 CRPF personnel in Dantewada last fortnight by the Naxals is a grim reminder of the serious void in our internal security preparedness. The Indian police and importantly the para-military forces in the country need to gear up to counter the internal security threats through a motivated leadership, penetrative intelligence at grassroots levels, adequate prophylactic measures and innovative tactics against. Though internal security is certainly not the Indian Army’s primary operational role, just like in J&K and the North-East, it must proactively contribute to nip the evil in the bud before it’s too late. Anyway, it is being asked to do so!
Rashtriya Rifles units specifically trained for counter-insurgency roles, instead of regular battalions, could be suitably employed in specific sectors. The synergy of Army, police and para-military operations will have a positive outcome in our internal security endeavours. An excellent example is that of the Indian Navy now overseeing anti-terrorist operations in concert with the Coast Guard and the new Coastal State Police, a model that may be replicated in the hinterland. Since 2009 has not seen any major terrorist strikes, all those across our borders who have been masterminding terrorism, are surely plotting to do their evil biddings this year with greater ferocity. Precisely for this reason alone, Pakistan’s notorious ISI with their henchmen from the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen have gone into an overdrive since January this year, especially in J&K. Also in concert with its sleeper cells in India, they masterminded the recent Pune blasts which are reminiscent, albeit in a smaller scale, of the 26/11 Mumbai blasts. Foreigners, tourists, international gatherings, sporting events and Jewish establishments apart from many other soft targets will continue to be targeted by the merchants of death from Pakistan. Though the Centre does send various intelligence advisories from time to time, state police forces must become more professional and thorough in their operations. The security of our countless strategic assets, critical infrastructure and institutions in India has to be fully buttoned up.
Meanwhile, the government must also speedily implement the major recommendations of the various national commissions on police reforms to energise the police and para-miltary forces. With ten years having elapsed since the last major Security Review (post Kargil), the government may wish to carry out an all encompassing Security Review to look at all challenges to the country in the coming decade including the military, internal security, nuclear and space dimensions. Thus establishing a National Security Commission to look into all these critical aspects is called for.
As we endeavour to strive for a multi-faceted relationship with a now friendly Bangladesh, notwithstanding Bangladesh’s old linkages with Pakistan armed forces and the ISI, India must establish professional relationships with that country’s security organs.
A nuclear armed Pakistan, despite the danger of imploding and becoming dysfunctional by the day, refuses to see reason and continues to be the incubator and exporter of terrorism to India, Afghanistan and the world over. Till the ISI and Pakistan Army desist from using their erstwhile ‘strategic assets’ namely the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqanni network, pro-Taliban warlords like Gulbuddin Hekayatmar and homegrown terrorist organisations like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Sipahe-e-Sanghvi , peace and stability will never return to Pakistan. India, therefore, has to be vigilant 24/7. The US continues to reward Pakistan with generous doles in financial and military aid despite its continuing delinquent acts in the sub continent and thus Pakistan remains selective, duplicitous and on a high horse in the war against terror in this region. India needs to categorically make it clear to Pakistan that we will, come what may, continue with our humanitarian and developmental aid to Afghanistan and if the Pakistanis wish to resume the Composite Dialogue, they have to display sincerity in curbing terrorist activities against us both in India and Afghanistan. As in the past, Pakistan will only acknowledge a message if it comes from a strong and resolute India. Meanwhile India must, politically and economically, venture out to frontiers, yet significantly untapped, with South American nations, East and Central Asia and the European Union. The Prime Minister’s highly successful visit to Brasilia last week to attend the meeting of the four powerful and emerging economies of the world namely the BRIC grouping( Brazil, Russia, India and China) followed by the meeting of the IBSA( India, Brazil and South Asia) heralds the multi-polarity in future global structures which also requires India’s effective contribution.
Notwithstanding the siege within and myriad external challenges in its march forward, India stands to play an increasingly significant role globally in the years ahead.
Article by: Lt Gen Kamaleshwar Davar PVSM, AVSM (Retd) was the first chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Credits for the Article to Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) http://www.claws.in
India has now been pushed to overhaul its policy options towards Afghanistan due to the fast changing security matrix. The reassessment is mainly due to three factors: attacks on Indian projects and interests in Afghanistan, increasing military success of anti-government forces and the exit of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the foreseeable future.
Indian targets in Afghanistan have so far suffered four attacks in the past two years, killing about 101 people and wounding 239. Attacks were made by Taliban and Pakistan-sponsored militant groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba, basically to stalk India out of Afghanistan. Pakistan fears that any greater involvement of India in Afghanistan is detrimental to its national security interests. Any India-friendly dispensation in Kabul is not acceptable to Islamabad and it does not wish to get caught between two adversaries. Also, if peace, stability and development return to Afghanistan, Pakistan would lose its strategic importance. So, it is good to keep the pot boiling or to have a Pak-friendly regime like the Taliban in Kabul.
On the other hand, India’s prime interest is to see peace, stability and democracy in Afghanistan free of any outside interference; certainly it does not have any geo-political ambitions in Afghanistan. Irrespective of whoever rules Afghanistan, New Delhi’s would like to ensure that the regime in Kabul should not sponsor/encourage terrorism; and secondly, it should not be subservient to Pakistan and work for the latter’s interest. The Taliban failed on both counts and therefore, India was extremely uncomfortable with that regime. Part of the reason was that India was closely associated with the Northern Alliance that was bitterly opposed to Taliban. After the overthrow of Taliban, India-Afghan relations took a U-turn. From zero involvement, India became the third largest donor to the war-ravaged country. India willingly helped reconstruction in Afghanistan.
However, despite its deep engagement, India has not been invited to any of the international meetings on Afghanistan. The main reason for this is Pakistan’s objection. India believes that it understands Afghanistan better than any other extra-regional power. India being ignored, however, is perplexing. This is despite the fact Washington knowing fully well that India is an important actor in Afghanistan’s stability. This was reiterated by the Obama administration during recent visit by Manmohan Singh to Washington.
In the light of these developments India has come to three major conclusions on its engagement in Afghanistan:
1. India will stay engaged in Afghanistan, come what may. New Delhi thinks that it cannot go back on its commitment to the people of Afghanistan. India, however, knows well that it is going to be long-drawn process and has prepared to dig in. India also firmly believes that it is important for the international community to stay on in Afghanistan for as long as it is necessary; hasty withdrawal will backfire by bringing back the very forces it wanted to eliminate in 2001. The immediate interest of India is the safety of about 4000 Indians engaged in various reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. The government of India does not want to send a signal that India is bending its will in the light of recent attacks. This may be read as victory to militants and may increase further attacks. There are intense consultations to increase the number of CISF personnel. The main problem is that projects in which India is involved are scattered. India is also talking with the Afghan government of taking their help in securing Indian personnel. An idea of creating security enclaves clustered to few projects has been heard of. The practicality of this idea will be discussed in detail with other actors in Afghanistan and implemented only after a trial run.
2. India is contemplating on making some readjustments as far as unimportant projects are concerned. This does not in any way mean scaling down its reconstruction programmes; only the methodology of how things presently are done will be revisited. Cases of any lethargy in security are being looked into for rectification. If necessary, strength of Embassy and Consulates staff may be pruned down and only those essential will be retained.
3. At the same time, India is looking at options of securing its long-term interests in Afghanistan. One of the options thrown is to open a channel with Taliban, of late favoured especially by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Although, India firmly believes that Taliban is bad not only for Afghanistan, but also to the entire region and the world, it is willing to “do business” with the group if three conditions are met: renounce violence and sever connections with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups; accept the Afghan constitution; reintegration into the mainstream Afghan politics and society. The watchword is “reintegration” and not “reconciliation”. India is willing to support the former as the latter has already been rejected by Taliban. Even to achieve this, India has to work hard by co-opting important actors like Russia, Iran and Central Asian Republics. The US also favours this approach of “peeling off” amenable elements in Taliban and giving them a way out. Unless everyone gets together leaving aside differing individual national interests, it is difficult to press the fast forward button to stability.
Article by: Dr. N Manoharan Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Credits for the Article to Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) http://www.claws.in
The Nange Paon Satyagrha strongly condemns cowardice act of naxals in which they blew up one CRPF van on 8th May, 2010. The Nange Paon Satyagrah is a social campaign against all those traditions, customs, policies and practices which give rise to inequality, promote injustice and hinder liberty. Nange Paon (barefoot) is symbol of social rejection, political exploitation and economic disparities which the poor and powerless ones are subjected to. Like other phenomena, the conflict between the naxlites and the state also worsened the situations of the poor in Chhattisgarh; they became accessible targets & active participants of both the conflicting parties. Their basic human rights of peace and dignity are on cross roads. If a quick glance at the profiles of deceased ones in naxal violence is made, we shall find them from low socio-economic profile, irrespective of their loyalties. In any encounter or armed conflict poor triggers at poor.
D.G.P. Vishwaranjan in his letter to Police personnel & intellectuals of Chhattisgarh rightly pointed out “that fight of the insurgents is against constitution, democracy & people of the Indian state”. It is noteworthy that Vishwaranjan has gone through 10,000 naxal documents in his life. He has deep knowledge about naxals & their tactis. In his interviews he always points out that the naxals are fighting only for money, they never blow up vehicles of business – companies rather they target vehicles of police, CRPF & security forces. His interviews make it apparently clear that “money is the lifeline of insurgency” and “economics, not politics or ideology is the engine of armed struggle which the Maoists have adhered to”. Maoists take donations from the same corporates whom they claim to fight.
They have betrayed Mao – Zedong now Mao – Zedong said “Power flows through the barrel of the gun”. The Chhattisgarhiya Maoists have betrayed this popular version of Mao. Here the power has started flowing from money & other vested interests and gun is going to fail. By killing and targeting the CRPF/ Police personnel they can not claim to have eliminated any “class enemy.” Now they have befriended class – enemy.
Article by: Rajesh Singh Sisodia Pledged to remain bare – foot until human rights are totally exercised.
I have twice experienced big disillusionment in my life – with “the real socialism” and with the “real” democracy, as I grew up during the socialism, experienced the transition, and gradually realized that as far as the democracy exists it is actually imitation and fake. Maybe, I will witness the emerging failure of the Anglo-Saxon capitalism, which I rather call individualism or extreme individualism.
Today, I feel like we live in two fantasy novels at the same time: The Futurological Congress by Stanislav Lem and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Realization of one suggested illusion is often prelude to another bitter one, and the reality increasingly looks like the one of Big Brother.
It is still unclear what will substitute the capitalism/individualism, and what will happen with the democratic ideas. Probably, the next utopia will be another negation of the previous one still keeping some of its elements.
Perhaps, it is utopian to hope that this time, finally, on the brink of ecological disaster, various social development projects will occur in different countries, and that the most efficient of them will gradually strengthen their position in a positive competition, rather than through hot or cold wars.
1. THE LOST ILLUSIONS FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS AFTER 1989
In 1989, with the end of the “real socialism” and the beginning of the transition to democracy and market economy, everything seemed clear. We believed in the democratic ideology and values. We assumed that we had finally understood the truth, and knew who was good and who was bad.
During the first years of the transition, I was a student at Sofia University, and would suck in all on social sciences from both media and newly published Western literature. I would go to the rallies of all parties and organizations in order to feel the atmosphere and their spirit. I would reinvent the new for the Bulgarian society ideas, including spiritual beliefs and God.
Not just words but a reality were democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and expression, rule of law, division of powers, transparency of the political governance, the supremacy and the lack of alternative of the market economy and capitalism, individualism, fairness of the world order, free and fair elections, independent and objective media and journalism (at least CNN and BBC), the power of civil society and NGOs, state sovereignty…
I believed that the democracy, which “may not be perfect but is the best political system ever invented“, could be achieved by those who sincerely sought it and diligently fulfilled the requirements of the most developed democracies, respectively of those organizations, which the latter led. I was happy with the successes of Bulgaria towards membership in both NATO and European Union, because we had many examples of countries that had achieved prosperity, stability and security as a result of those memberships.
Capitalist society and democracy were synonymous. The U.S. and allies sincerely wanted peace in the world and prosperity of all countries, and they sympathetically helped both emerging democracies and developing countries. They were strong, and dominated the world because of the superiority of their ideology, political and economic systems. The U.S.A.’s leaders were more reliable because they had been already rich when were elected, and the British secret services were the best in Europe. I thought that although the U.S. played the role of world’s policeman, any society needed police, and we were lucky that they themselves performed the job; because of both their democratic system and internal control by the civil society they could not abuse this role. The established democracies had outgrown the disadvantages of their imperial periods.
However, gradually I started seeing increasing discrepancies between words and media suggested, on the one hand, and reality – on the other. For Bulgarians, the events associated with the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, and especially with the affirmation and identity of the newly established country FYR Macedonia was like a litmus test. First I thought the biggest problems were caused by the Serbs and some individual Western countries allies of he U.S. as a historical recurrence due to deformations of their national psychology. Gradually, I realized that it was not about individual countries but about the system.
I myself wonder in which of the above mentioned I still believe now: perhaps, in spirituality and God? I also believe in humanity, morality and solidarity as the substructure of the society; however, I learned the latter from my family, my country’s culture and socialist ideology, even though I find the utopian as a whole.
2. THE WORLD IN APRIL 2010
The Macedonian Issue
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is like a litmus test for the actual policy and values in today’s world for anyone, who is at least a little informed or get interested in and read something of the history of the Balkans. Macedonia is a vivid embodiment of the Orwellian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
As known, the country split from former Yugoslavia in 1991, and Bulgaria first recognized it. Currently, it is in involved in name dispute with Greece, and Macedonian version of history of both nation and state are disputed by both Greece and Bulgaria. Positions regarding the ethnic identity of the modern Macedonians are not very clear, and have shades, but hardly Bulgaria or Greece would deny the right of the Macedonians, as well as ones of any other people to identify themselves ethnically.
The problem is that for political reasons the Macedonians identify themselves based on falsified history, including their neighbours’ one, and that is seen as hostility, provocation, irritation and sowing future conflicts. A Big Brother’ sentence, which is fully true to Macedonia is that who possesses the past, they possesses the future too; who possesses the present, they possesses the past. That policy started during the former Yugoslavia, and then it was explained with the Serbian intentions to keep the Macedonians away from Bulgaria and cleave them to Serbia. However, it is going on nowadays, with some lucid moments of rapprochement between Macedonia and Bulgaria, for example at the time of the deceased Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, who died tragically in a plane crash in 2004. By the way, there was nothing nationalistic or chauvinistic in this rapprochement from the Bulgarian side; it was in European spirit.
Any objective and honest observer could at least compare Macedonian versions / translations of historical documents and fiction with the originals, and see that “Bulgaria”, “Bulgarian” and their derivatives would be replaced by „Macedonia“, „Macedonian“, etc.
If today’s Macedonians want to be Macedonians and not Bulgarians or any other, nobody and nothing could stop them, even the fact that their ancestors had Bulgarian self-consciousness. What is the logic for the Macedonian leaders to care for this falsified and fake version of history instead of for the actual and real modern Macedonian identity? What is their benefit from it, especially given the dispute with Greece and barriers to Macedonian integration into NATO and the EU to which they aspire?
A more precise question, however, is why Anglo-Saxon countries, Germany and other, obviously encourage it if judging from the appearances of their officials, journalists and other citizens on Macedonian media, where they confidently explain to the Macedonians how much they are right in the dispute with Greece, and suggest they must be united and speak with one voice. The latter is often repeated by the Macedonian politicians too. Furthermore, they put tremendous pressure on Greece, even knowing that it is not that much about the name but about the Macedonian provocative and hostile interpretations of history.
At the same time, the most logical solution of Greek-Macedonian dispute is to show those falsified sources and the own historic documents and records of Britons, Americans, Germans, etc., and to suggest to the Macedonians that they can be whatever they want, but not on the basis of falsification.
Unfortunately, the logical explanation for not doing it is that the falsifications and „Macedonism“ (as in Bulgaria they call the Macedonian aggressive nationalism based on fake history and crooked historical interpretations hostile to the neighbours) are necessary for the above mentioned big countries themselves, and serve their (geo)political interests. In our country it is believed that the Macedonian nation was created by the Comintern in the 40s of the last century, with the participation of Bulgarian communists. However, given that the official Macedonian language is written up by Americans, and the latter’s more than controversial policy today, I wonder if it really happened that way.
Another paradox is that the media in Bulgaria do not show all this to the Bulgarians. While the Bulgarians as a whole know very well their history, and are aggrieved at and disappointed by the Macedonism, they are not aware of the attitude of their new allies on the Macedonian dispute, and therefore remain very positive about them.
Where are the correctives?
The democratic ideas still sound to me beautiful and attractive, but today’s reality makes me doubt in their practical feasibility. If there was democracy some time in the past, where is it today, when every election is manipulated by controlling public opinion and moods, at the same time formally declaring it as fair? In such case, of course, it is hard to speak about independent media, journalism and freedom of thought and speech. Could we suppose that during the past decades of democratic blossoming, the democracy was largely been only words, but then the Cold War and rivalry with the Soviet bloc and communism were to blame? Or maybe, there was more democracy, due to both fear of infiltration of communist influence and deterrent effect of the antagonist camp?
In the last century, the prosperity of the Western democracies was probably achieved thanks to pluralism, dualism, and if using a market term, to the absence of monopoly. It coincided, and largely is due to the existence of the Soviet Union and Soviet camp of countries, which formed a second pole. Two opposite poles, it is a normal and stable condition in the nature. When one of the poles dropped out, the other pole not only lost much of its motivation to have more acceptable for the people image, and really be better, but many of its shortcomings hypertrophied. Monopoly in politics proved as dangerous and harmful to ordinary people as the economic monopoly was. The democracy, the democratic society, the civil society, the political parties – each of those proved to be powerless as internal corrective.
So the most powerful countries and ruling circles were able to set whatever aims they want (or to pursue old ones), and use any means they could wish in order to achieve them, without anyone controlling them and being capable to stop them, and even without public understanding of what they actually were doing. While it is not inconceivable to suppose that once upon a time the rulers would think exactly what they would say, and there was less hypocrisy in the public space, nowadays, the words apparently only serve to conceal the real intentions and goals.
Besides the absence of equally powerful rival as a corrective, the development of ICT and psychology, respectively the techniques for mass influence, also contributed to that state.
Kingdom of individualism
A little over a hundred years ago, in his book To Chicago and Backwards , the Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov quoted the words of a Serbian immigrant in the U.S. that “dough is the queen“. However, in my opinion, the capitalism is a kingdom of the individualism. Money give much more individual freedom, enable the individual to be less dependent on a community and its norms, as well as on society and place, and therefore make them less accountable to others and less moral. “Money do not smell”; they not just allow a person to get almost everything they need, anywhere in the world, but also to influence people and institutions. Even if they might have been acquired in a queer manner inconsistent with our ideals of good and morality, they are capable of providing an image of integrity.
The real rulers, the “world rulers”, people with the money, influence and power are seeking for global governance through the leading countries. They may not necessarily be politicians; for the politicians it is just important to be good executors and public faces. Of course, as it is known that the U.S. presidents are usually wealthy people, emanating from a few family clans. The country of the unlimited opportunities is really such one for a particular range of people.
The right place for every rich man, who wants to become wealthier and has global ambitions is in those societies. The immigrants possessing lots of money are welcome there. The society as a whole also benefits, getting high life standard, which maintains the loyalty and attachment of the ordinary people, in addition to the normal human instincts of belonging to a community – yet no individual can be a lonely island, even though the British would say that about themselves by way of a joke.
Countries such as England and the U.S. prosper by attracting, in one or another way, of wealth – capital, natural and other resources, “brains”, and also through exporting their problems. For example, in recent decades, they export their environmental problems, respectively nature polluting industries.
Aggressiveness and false positivity
Aggressiveness is considered a good thing in the U.S. It is obvious in popular culture and films, and also I have heard it from an American Methodist pastor. I thought that actually the Americans meant activity and vigour, but later realized that they speaked literally. Being aggressive means to be a fighter, to attack your competitors, to weaken them in order to achieve success yourself. Meanwhile, this is something quite different from the Bulgarian culture, where people tend to wish on holidays “to be better”, or torment themselves on different unfortunate occasions that they are not good enough.
Perhaps, the history of aggressiveness can be traced back at least to the dawn of capitalism, when the British Empire managed to benefit from the higher aggressiveness of some of its nationals, benefited by sending prisoners away to America and Australia and by allowing the adventurers and rebels to travel overseas and conquer distant lands.
Both aggression and exploitation are the way of survival of those societies. At the same time, today’s Anglo-Saxon cultures consider themselves positively inclined, and have built a positivist image. They are considered optimistic, seeking opportunities above all and believing in ultimate success. However, is that positivity true: while seeing and looking for opportunities for yourself, preventing others from doing the same? It is rather destructiveness.
In this sense, the criticisms of the former communists that the capitalist system was exploitative and imperialistic were reasonable. It is another issue that the political alternative proposed by the former and being realized for some time, was not good and collapsed.
Managing the public opinion and the public mood
Perhaps, all the rulers of all times dreamed of what today’s rulers have achieved through the media, ICT and psychological techniques. In the past, they applied only physical violence but today they mainly rely on the more sophisticated methods.
The world rulers can control the mass consciousness in order to achieve their desired election outcomes, be it political or even cultural elections such as the “Eurovision Song Contest” (again for political purposes). The way they do it is similar to that in which consumers’ preferences and mood are moulded by the marketing.
The mental picture in our minds about the world we live in is a target of influence and modelling. For example, the media suggested ideas about the allocation of political forces or rival camps are not reliable because some already subject countries may be presented as opponents just for the sake of convenience, and then put in different scenarios similar to “good and bad cop”. How would any country agree to be treated that way? Unfortunately, today, each country can be conquered through a series of (pre-)election manipulations resulting with electing puppet politicians, who hold “reforms” until the key positions are occupied by their people. It seems to be a dangerous new virus, with which the societies have not faced in such a scale so far, and against which they do not have immunity.
The world rulers act globally, not recognizing borders and state sovereignty. They apply it to both countries proclaimed as undemocratic and evil and “friend” countries either new allies from the former Soviet bloc or ones of long standing from “Old Europe”; the small and weak countries, and the big developed countries which were once “great powers” may be equally hit. “England has no friends but has interests” is an old-time sentence.
With regard to enemies such interventions will be justified with imposing democracy and human rights, while in the case of “allies” – with corruption, breaking some rules … even being unlikable. Regarding the latter I mean Bulgaria, as it is not hard to notice that the media in different countries keep on publishing negative and tendentious articles about Bulgaria as it happened during the Cold War, at the same time skipping the good things. Bulgarians blame themselves for their poor image, but perhaps there are major political interests and objectives behind it. And we are certainly not worse than the others, so that is pure discrimination, indiscernible from racial one, anti-Semitism “or any other.
Technical societies
It seems that the world rulers are not very interested in philosophy and philosophical issues. They are practical and pragmatic, but above all their philosophy is ‘I want’, and both social engineering and sciences are to just give them the technology and techniques for achieving the desired. I think if, figuratively speaking, Jesus went down to them, they would be only interested in acquiring his skills and techniques and applying them. Of course, after making sure he does not threat them (otherwise, a similar to “Star Wars” scenario will be activated), and trying to subject him, and treat him as a laboratory exemplar.
Ordinary people’s wishes can not interfere with and impede the rulers’ ones. Maybe, this is why the primary instincts are encouraged in the individualistic societies. Normally, any society has restrictions and taboos, and it is hard to believe it is just about mass culture and individual freedoms. More likely, the goal is eccentricity, sexual lawlessness, alcohol and addictions to be taken up as freedoms, so distracting people from thinking of their true freedoms. People are encouraged, openly or not, through advertisements and mass culture, to harm their health through hazardous sex, alcohol, smoking and drugs, and afterward they themselves and society pay a lot of money for treatment, which certainly is also financially beneficial for variety of industries, including pharmaceutics.
Environmental short-sightedness
Nature is treated in the same way as society – as a resource for achieving small group of people’s individual and corporate goals as well as for fulfilling their limitless opportunities. Individualistic societies are unable to deal with the environmental problems likewise the way they are powerless in the social sphere. However, while in the social sphere it could be balanced somehow by the abundance of wealth concentrated from and on account of the world, in terms of ecology it can not happen.
Today’s environment shows the failure of the dominant Anglo-Saxon capitalism. Unlike the humans and societies, the nature can not be manipulated and exploited endlessly. The mankind reached the limit and began to realize it. Unlike worms, which corrode an apple, we have no where to shelter afterwards, including the rulers with unlimited opportunities. It is not know if ever and when people will be able to leave the Earth and colonize other planets or objects in space.
The leading countries and politicians try to take the initiative here too, but their approach is clearly limited to enlightenment, i.e. alert about the situation and danger. At the same time, there still are powerful economic interests that oppose the actions addressing environmental problems. The environmental objectives, set in various documents and at different forums, are either regarded as insufficiently ambitious or can not be agreed. However, even if they were agreed, their feasibility would be doubtful since the sustainable development requires a life philosophy differing from both individualism and consumerism. Unfortunately, Europe, the European Union, the leading European countries and increasing number of other have got into, softly speaking, Anglo-Saxon influence, and therefore are moving away from the sustainable development.
3. WHAT IS COMING?
Negation and replacement of the leading concepts and lifestyles
There will be disappointment in the now dominant views associated with capitalism / individualism and perhaps democracy, which will lead to their denial and replacement in accordance with the development spiral known from the Hegelian dialectic. It means not only a negation of the theory, but also of its practical dimensions in living, including both current world leadership and related relations and organizations.
It is yet not known which will be the new dominant concept, and who will be its carriers. It may be related to ecology, since the environmental problems are becoming far more acute, and will inevitably stand in the centre of attention, while the systemic failure of the leading individualist societies and their leaders to deal with them will be tangibly felt by the world. The strength and sharpness of the resistance to this leadership change will probably depend on the severity of the problems, as well as on whether the way for expansion and new space colonization will be found. In the latter case, the ruling circles would rather treat the Earth as a rotten apple, and would search for a egoistic salvation.
It is not excluded that the current trend of global total control and manipulation will continue, but getting regional, nationalistic or other similar dimensions, particularly given that the current opposition to the global Big Brother, which has retained some potential and capacity for organized resistance, including appropriate psychological attitude of the population, can not be described as democratic. However, the presence of many totalitarian centres would still be pluralism, and hence could result in positive long term developments.
Dealing with the Big-Brotherhood
The Big-Brotherhood problem is not due to the revolutionary technological development, which has occurred for the recent decades, respectively ICT methods and techniques for psychological impact. George Orwell created that image in his novel shortly after the World War II, as opposition to the totalitarianism and propaganda at that time, when there was just radio and cinema, and the boom in the development of psychology was forthcoming. But the technological development made the Big-Brotherhood more sophisticated and raised it to a new level.
I hope that the use of ICT and psychological techniques by the rulers for control and manipulation of both individuals and communities will be overcome. It could happen by using the same means, for example development and distribution of such ICT, which are aimed at protecting the personal privacy and freedom. Possibly, the world rulers’ skills for implementation of ICT and psychological impact techniques will gradually be acquired and used by a number of centres of power. However, people and societies will gradually learn to recognize them and not succumb. The Big-Brotherhood problem now swept under the rug purposefully (by the rulers) or because of reluctance and fear will gradually be recognized and evaluated as priority.
It is also possible, even though may sound fantastic hat the psychology, communication, interaction between the people in society will develop in new directions of more transparency and sharing both life and thoughts with each other.
Triad Individualism-Sociality-Environmentalism
The human aggression, love of power and greed that underlie today’s problems are so inherent to the human as the socials instincts and the need for community, belonging and cooperation are. In recent history, for the first time individual and social dimensions of the human have formed a leading duo and unity and struggle of opposites, a thesis and antithesis. Indeed, individualism appeared along with the capitalist system. While the individualism / capitalism, which preceded the socialism and sent it history (or at least its most radical and organized carriers) seemed triumphant winner in the late 80’s and early 90’s of the last century, it now appears to be one-sided and insufficient by itself.
In this sense, there will probably be return and strengthening of the social, communal elements and more close monitoring on those individuals and groups of “world rulers”, who now have enormous and uncontrolled power. The new socialism / sociality will certainly differ from the Soviet one, and will rather express itself as attachment to community, more cooperation and responsibility to the society. The latter will differ from the “social responsibility” which, like the ever popular “Glasnost” only depends on the goodwill; it will then be both an obligation and value.
Environmentalism will join the current duo individualism-socialism. And maybe exactly from the former will come the strongest impetus for change and shifting power from the individualism. The question is whether it will be too late.
If we lean on the experience, the environmental problems will continue to be swept under the rug, because of both resistance of the individualism and existing powerful economic interests, and their influence on the public consciousness on one hand, and due to the psychological denial from the society on another hand. This will go on until many people feel the environmental problems really acutely, and the latter become environmental cataclysms. Otherwise, even now there are many indicators of climate change, as well as voices predicting a pending catastrophe within one or more decades, but people are too busy with the problems in the ‘individual-society’ duo.
It is obvious that the leaders of individualistic societies are trying to play a leading role in relation to ecology too. However, they can hardly be successful, because coping with these problems requires a different philosophy including rejection of consumerism. Because of their impotence in this regard, they would possibly resort to imitation of change, and thereby will delay and make it more difficult to find proper environmental solutions.
I wish to believe that alternative projects with efficient environmental aspects will appear before the ecological disaster, and will prevent it. We can only speculate whether they will include the good old statehood and nationalism, which currently seems to be the only hope for correction of the global individualism and Big-Brotherhood.
If we survive, ideal would be to have a balance between individualism, sociality and environmentalism. Of course, every ideal is utopian, and even if pursued it can never be fully achieved. Since two poles are a normal and stable condition in the nature, it is likely to have a new grouping in pairs in the triad individualism-sociality-environmentalism. It may be a variation of our historically familiar duos society-nature (from the early stages of development of the homo sapience). It is even possible that if the environmental disaster is avoided a new duo individualism-environmentalism will make first appearance. However, I suppose that individualism will have previously undergone transformation and catharsis, and above all, will have dismissed the consumerism and Big-Brotherhood. Anyway, the next duo will most likely include sociality, either as a transition or as a permanent condition.
If the individualism and the socialism are two opposite extremes of the same thing, we could maybe expect their convergence (synthesis) in a more distant future. Then probably, a third element will be clearly outlined and ready to join the duo. It may be the spirituality and what is now associated with divinity. Or it could appear from the technology.
In conclusion, these thoughts of mine may be familiar to someone, look like an attempt at fiction a la Orwell to others, or as madness for third. Anyway, I hope that they will still lead anyone to think and at least sometimes try to perceive the media news from this point of view.
The pressure is on to have India accept and promote Genetically Modified Organisms or GM plants and foods. The recurring theme of various reports, across the world in this regard is inconclusive on the long term benefits of GMO.
One thing is clear, these new inter-species gene-spliced products would need large amounts of resources to sustain their ‘gains’ after some time. In most of the world today: processes needing ‘large water, power, pesticides and chemical fertilizers’ are frowned upon. This understanding has come some 40 years after our First Green Revolution when intra-species cross-bred products were used. The new GM products are under use for less than 15 years today and already serious cracks in their acceptance is found in Euroland and USA.
Caution is the only key when we deal with a billion plus citizens, most of who will never be well-informed to make a meaningful choice, if such is left by the creators of GM-foods. Is this rush to adopt GM foods politically, economically, technologically viable? Must we again suffer alien domination? The second green revolution must come from
Please read the attached pdf file for two important reports in our local newspapers in this regard. Register your protest and ask for decades long testing and evaluation by third party with citizen oversight. Kindly inform well wishers too.
Report by: Praful Vora, Convener – JNM JNM will work towards fundamental political, electoral and governance reforms. www.jagrutnagrik.com
The ruthless killing of the CRPF jawans by the Maoists in Jharkand have caused great sorrow in the country. While the Union Home Minister says that the Maoists will be wiped out in three years and media is clamouring for strong action to defeat the Maoists, there is also widespread apprehension amongst the people as to whether the government can do this.
The fact that cannot be ignored is that the Maoists have some sort of support amongst the local population in the areas where they have entrenched themselves. The local population in these regions are impoverished lot and have been taken for granted by the politicians , government machinery and the business houses. These poor people have been exploited in variety of ways and feel helpless and angry. Their mood is such that they would support anyone who would promise to improve their living conditions by whatever means.
Perhaps, most of these people think that the government is the villain and the politicians and police men and bureaucrats are seen as representatives of the government and therefore are equally hated. Under the circumstances, it would not be possible for the government to defeat the Maoists without the government getting closer to the local population and winning their trust and confidence.
The government has, no doubt announced number of well meaning welfare schemes to improve the living conditions of the poor people including educational and medical facilities etc. However, the ground reality is that while such schemes are discussed with great fanfare in the media and the conference halls in star hotels, very little benefits really reach the poor people. Most of the funds allotted for the welfare schemes are siphoned away by the politicians, bureaucrats and the government officials at various levels as well as the contractors. The level of corruption amongst these sections including the contractors is so high that with every governmental welfare schemes and fund allotment , the politicians and government officials at various levels become richer with the poor people remaining without any change in their conditions.
With such prevalence of corruption, the Home Minister of Government of India sitting in Delhi and the Chief Ministers in the affected states are only talking in vacuum, when they lecture about solving the Maoist problem. It is high time that we should recognize that the corrupt politicians and government officials are the cause for rising of the Maoist movement and the Maoists cannot be defeated without eliminating this cause. Obviously, these corrupt elements should be defeated and thrown away which is a pre condition for throwing out the Maoists.
The media , which is increasingly coming under the control of the business houses and are no more representative of the people’s thoughts and preferences particularly that of the poor people, is criticizing the NGOs for asking the government to speak to the Maoists and convince them about the well meaning attitude of the government , instead of approaching them with a war like attitude.
The NGOs who understand that the Maoists have gained strength only due to the frustration of the poor people and characterlessness of the governmental agencies and the politicians who deal with such poor people, are being painted by the media and the government as sympathizers of Maoists which is not true.
The government should improve its image , get rid of corrupt elements and identify people who are honest and who can win the confidence of the poor people for dealing with the issue. The bullet cannot be the ultimate answer for the problems caused due to disparity in the national income and denial of opportunities to the poor and downtrodden.
I. Freedom of Expression or Owners’ Orders? The Western world thinks that media in Ukraine are relatively free, and that Ukraine is the most democratic country in the CIS space in the information and media sphere. But in reality there is a big difference between the way democratic rules and standards are applied in the media sphere in the West, and the situation in Ukraine. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression do exist to some degree in the Ukrainian information field, but there are too many ways in which those freedoms are systematically limited or undermined:-
A – The daily coverage of State owned media is unbalanced. They habitually concentrate their news output narrowly on information about state institutions and their activities — especially the President, the parliament, and the national government, as well as local authorities. Both domestic news and foreign news coverage are viewed almost exclusively from the perspective of Ukraine’s concerns and preoccupations, giving a distorted picture of the realities of international affairs. A general lack of adequate funds is one important cause of this deficiency.
B – Ukraine has no public media of the kind that are familiar to the populations of western countries. Pledges and intentions “to create public TV and radio” or “to change local media into an important part of the public TV system” etc are routinely made by each new presidential team, and every new Cabinet of Ministers responsible for broadcasting in Ukraine. But in reality the great majority of Ukrainian politicians, including the President, Speaker, Prime Minister etc. are afraid to create the public media – like the BBC in the United Kingdom – in Ukraine. Ukrainian politicians and governors are unwilling to face open criticism of the kind that is normal and expected in countries that enjoy really independent public media, especially broadcasting. Thus, public service broadcasting is seen by many top politicians in Ukraine as their potential adversary. Crucially, one important reason for this hostility is that the creation of a successful public broadcasting system would be a strong competitor to private owned media, which currently owe their allegiance to various businesses controlled or owned by those same top persons in politics and businesses in Ukraine. As a result, the politicians’ commitments to establishing public media have so far been shown to be empty words.
C – Privately owned media are in principle free in their editorial policy. However the freedom of action of journalists and employees is all too easily stopped by owners at any time when they choose to intervene. Yes, top journalists in the private media have relatively good salaries, and modern technologies to make products of high quality, which is generally interesting and useful for their audiences or readers. But every staff member in the private media understands that everything is subject to political or business influences of various kinds in Ukraine. There are two media trade unions, both of which purport to support journalists’ working rights and to uphold journalistic ethics, but the results of their activities are disappointing. Journalists are not united and solidarity is weak in the face of the pressures I have mentioned.
D – Legislation in the media sphere allows state owners or private media owners a virtually free hand to do what they want with their media organisations. In January 2010, the National Commission On Morals and Ethics prepared a new law on moral and ethical issues in the media, named the “Journalists Code”. However, lawyers — including those working for the parliament of Ukraine and for leading media NGOs — say that the law fails to protect the rights of journalists in basic respects. One of those legal experts even condemned the new law as dangerous, because it makes a mockery of the concept of freedom of expression, and instead creates a legal framework for censorship to be practised in the Ukrainian media (the criticism of Y. Zakharov, Head of the Group of Human Rights Protection in Kharkiv).
E – For media owners, media have regularly been used during campaigns and elections as a tool to promote their own interests, whether party political, personal or business. State owned media often give prime time exposure to powerful figures and candidates during campaigns, in clear breach of Ukrainian laws. But few people care enough to speak up against these abuses. NGO activists, journalists and lawyers are powerless to prevent them, and many have grown inured and accustomed to the lack of genuinely independent media scrutiny of political campaigns.
II. What should be done? Many things, and urgently!
A – To change the relevant laws in Ukraine to protect and support independence of the media, and to translate the many Ukrainian and international commitments and texts about upholding free media into reality.
B – To create genuinely independent public service media based on the “best practice” in Western Europe.
C – To give Ukrainian journalists more opportunities to experience and understand the workings of independent European media at first hand. Such experience could help Ukrainian journalists to fight for their professional rights, to apply European principles of impartiality and independence in local media – and to teach their bosses how to do a better job of following agreed rules and standards in journalism.
D – Training for news editors, reporters and others in being independent and objective in covering various kinds of news events and issues in Ukrainian and international affairs.
C – An ambitious programme of training for journalists working in local media. Media in small cities are poor both in terms of financing and technical support. Most of those journalists now have little or no chance to observe or study the professional working practices of more experienced colleagues. It’s VERY important to invite journalists from the East, as well as from the South of Ukraine and Crimea, to take part in training sessions/ master classes with European journalists and editors. In reality, some very untransparent and undesirable practices from Soviet times are still prevalent in a number of Ukraine’s regions.
D – I also welcome the chance to develop a Ukrainian internet media community through the AEJ website. It will be a useful means for Ukrainian journalists to get information on AEJ activities, on the activities and concerns of Western media, and the principles on which they aspire to work, from news production to the principles of media research etc. Bohdana Kostiuk, a member of the Ukrainian section of the AEJ and a freelance Journalist for Radio Liberty, will be contributing a Russian or Ukrainian language page on the site, for the benefit of our Section members.
Article by: Arthur Rudzitsky, President of the AEJ Ukrainian Section and President of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Press Distributors (UAPPD)
Jeffrey Smith has written two books about the significant danger genetically modified (GM) foods pose to your health, and the health of the entire planet.
In addition to his books he has also created two videos: Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals, and Your Milk on Drugs, Just Say No. Genetically Modified Foods = Toxins in Every Bite? Corn chips, or tortilla chips, are quite pervasive. Perhaps you’ve had some yourself this week? Well, let’s see how you feel about buying them again once you realize what you’re risking by eating them.
In the only human feeding study ever published on genetically modified foods, seven volunteers ate so-called Roundup-ready soy beans. These are soy beans that have herbicide-resistant genes inserted into them in order to survive being sprayed with otherwise deadly doses of Roundup herbicide.
In three of the seven volunteers, the gene inserted into the soy transferred into the DNA of their intestinal bacteria, and continued to function long after they stopped eating the GM soy! There are serious medical implications to this finding. However, the GM-friendly UK government, who funded the study, chose not to fund any follow up research to see if GM corn — which areengineered to produce an insecticide called BT toxin (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/08/enjoy-pesticides-in-every-bite-of- gmo-food.aspx) — might also transfer and continue to create insecticide inside your intestines. These kinds of studies are sorely needed, and fast, because as of right now, about 85 percent of the corn grown in the US is genetically engineered to either produce an insecticide, or to survive the application of herbicide. And about 91-93 percent of all soy beans are genetically engineered to survive massive doses of Roundup herbicide.
What this means is that nearly ALL foods you buy that contain either corn or soy, in any form, will contain GMO unless it’s certified organic by the USDA (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/01/Which-Organic-Label-Should- You-Trust.aspx). Other major GM crops include cottonseed and canola. When trying to avoid these GM crops, you’d also have to avoid all the derivatives of them, which would include items such as maltodextrin, soy lecitin, and high fructose corn syrup.
Other common GM products include: His first book, Seeds of Deception (http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm), is the world’s bestselling book on the topic. His second,Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods (http://www.geneticroulette.com/), provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. He’s also the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/CampaignforHealthierEatinginAmerica/index.cfm) is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
As a major force riling against GM foods, Smith is responsible for limiting the spread of GM crops in the US, just like others have successfully done in Europe. • Some varieties of zucchini, crookneck squash, and papayas from Hawaii • Milk containing rbGH • Rennet (containing genetically modified enzymes) used to make hard cheeses Aspartame (NutraSweet)
How Genetic Engineering Works Many are under the flawed assumption that genetic engineering is a very precise, refined science. Not so, explains Smith. “… in order to understand the risks associated with GMOs, I’m going to back up and talk about the process of creating a genetically modified organism because if we understand that, then a whole host of things that can go wrong all of a sudden become clear. … The biotech industry gives you this impression that it’s a very clean process. We just take a gene from a species and carefully splice it into another, and the only thing that’s different is it’s producing some new beneficial protein to produces some trait. This is far from the truth.
What they do is – let’s say you want to create a corn plant that produces a pesticide. So you go to the soil bacterium called BT for “Bacillus thuringiensis” and you change it so it’s more toxic, and you make millions of copies of the gene. You actually put a piece of a virus there which turns it on, it’s called the promoter. It’s the “on” switch that turns this gene on, 24/7, around the clock.
You make millions of copies and you put it in a gun and you shoot that gun into a plate of millions of cells, hoping that some of the genes make it into the DNA of some of those cells. Then you clone those cells into plants. Now the process of insertion and cloning causes massive collateral damage in the DNA that could have higher levels, and do have higher levels, of allergens and toxins.
… Anti-nutrients of soybeans that are genetically engineered have as much as seven times higher the amount of a known allergen cold trypsin inhibitor when compared to non-GM soy, in their cooked state. There is a new allergen in genetically modified corn. There is a new anti-nutrient in the [GM] soy which blocks the absorption of nutrients.
They don’t look for these things. These are found after they’re on the market by some few of the independent researchers that are doing their work.” Farmers have long used BT spray on crops, and because it’s a natural bacterium, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the biotech companies claim it is safe for human consumption.
However, this too is clearly misguided optimism. Smith states: “Based on peer reviewed published studies, animals like mice that were fed BT had damaged tissues and immune responses as powerful as if they’ve been fed cholera toxin, and then they became multiple-chemically sensitive to where they started to react to formally harmless compounds.”
It’s important to realize that when the BT is spliced into the corn, it’s thousands of times more concentrated than the spray version. According to Smith, thousands of farm workers who harvest BT-cotton in India are complaining of rashes all over their bodies. And animals grazing on BT cotton plants after harvest have died, sometimes within a day or so.
This should tell you something. Now, some will point out the fact that humans are not dying like flies from eating GM foods. But the death of grazing cattle is likely the result of an acute reaction to large exposure.
So, as Smith Genetically Engineered Health Problems states, it’s still an indicator for what might be happening in the human system, albeit at a much slower rate. For example, Smith mentions an Italian study where they fed BT corn to mice.
As a result, the mice expressed a wide variety of immune responses commonly associated with diseases such as:
Although Monsanto doesn’t believe (or admit) this is a possibility, their shortsighted focus on profits is blinding them to the very real thr
eats that this technology is posing to the viability of the human race. How Conflicts of Interest May Be Destroying Health of Millions.
In this interview, Smith discusses some of the political intricacies involved with GM food labeling, and some of the more shocking conflicts of interest that may be harming literally millions of people. Back in 1992, the FDA authority responsible for the decision of whether or not to label GM foods turned out to be a former attorney for none other than Monsanto. His name is Michael Taylor.
He went from being Monsanto’s attorney to serving as their vice president, and after that he became a policy maker at the FDA. At this point in time, Taylor serves as the US food safety czar! Taylor claimed that the agency was not aware of any information showing that GM foods were significantly different than conventional foods, and therefore no testing and no labeling were required.
Since then, documents made public from a lawsuit showed that it was a lie that the policy was clearly fictitious. In fact, the overwhelming consensus among the FDA’s own scientists were that genetically modified foods were inherently dangerous and could create allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems, and of course they should be labeled because they are a food additive and new food additives must be labeled.
In addition, Smith has documented at least 65 serious health risks from GM products of all kinds. Among them:
Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce
Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells
The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning
Several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties
Investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products.
However, Smith explains, the FDA was directed by the White House to promote the biotechnology industry, and they knew that if they labeled GM foods, most Americans would avoid it like the plague. So, true to form, they supported the economic interests of the biotech companies at the cost of long-term human and environmental health. It remains to be seen whether or not this type of blatant conflict of interest will be perpetrated again, allowing genetically modified alfalfa to be brought to market. There’s currently a grassroots movement underway demanding that Chief Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself in the April Supreme Court consideration of GM alfalfa.
As it turns out, Chief Justice Thomas is also a former Monsanto attorney, who served the biotech giant from 1976 to 1979. What You Can Do NOW! The silver lining in all of this, however, is that we actually don’t NEED policy changes to kick GMO’s out of the market! The only requirement is getting enough people to consistently avoid buying anything that contain GM-derived ingredients, and the food manufacturers will do the rest. They WILL respond to market demands, because if they don’t they go out of business. For a helpful, straightforward guide to shopping Non-GMO, please see the Non-GMO Shopping Guide (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/SG/DownloadtheGuide/index.cfm), created by the Institute for Responsible Technology.
In addition, the natural food industry has decided to turn October of this year into “Non-GMO Month,” and October 10th (10/10/10) will be “Non-GMO Day.” I encourage you all to prepare for October by spreading the information about GM foods.
European and western writers have often made a heinous effort to tarnish the image of Islam by expressing something contemptible & negative views & reviews about Islam, particularly in context of women education and their rights in society. They opine that Islam suppresses the rights of women not allowing women to be progressive in modern societies on educational ground. Is it right? In this article, I would like to express the facts of Islam how it has brought the women-society to the level of progress through education. For finding out the facts over this issue, we will have to observe the situations before the advent of the last prophet of Islam, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh).
The last apostle of Islam was born in 571 A.D. and before his period, the women were neglected, ignored, not allowed to make life-styles like men, and at some places women were cremated alive to death. In Arab, people hated females so much that if a baby-girl was born to them, she was buried alive in fear of expenses. There was no room for a girl to be paralleled with men on the earth.
But thanks to the most merciful, the most kind God who purified His religion Islam with final attachment by revealing His book, the Glorious Quran to the last messenger Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), for the guidance of Mankind. The world-historians have written that before the advent of the prophet, the world, particularly the Arab world was mingled with dusts of darkness and the situations of women were disordered. What to say about education, the women were also tortured in other fields and they were not compared positively like the men in that period. But then in the glow of Islam, natural realities came to light, and the people separating women from their real rights started understanding the values of girls & women in their societies.
Islam gives equal rights to women like men for passing happy or progressive lives on the earth. It also emphasizes the education of girls positively on equal grounds like boys. And not only this much, Islam also blesses the guardians who have baby-girls in their homes. If a guardian of three daughters nourishes his daughters in a perfect way providing them value based educations under Islamic canopy, Allah will enter him into paradise on the day of resurrection.
Today women / girls find themselves free to make better progress for better career, and from east to west we find girls achieving education participating in positively progressive activities like boys, but for all such progressive aptitudes, the credit goes to Islam only. Western societies have also derived some relevant progressive ideology from Islam but have not taken in full because of which western culture finds itself unsuccessful in giving security to the women or the girls going to universities. In other words, if Islamic culture is followed well, there will be security for women lives. For instance, Islam opposes nakedness; narrow uniforms for women, sexuality or doing evils with opposite sexes etc. but whether you believe or not, today unfortunately these contemptible evils appear in western culture because of not following the principles of Islam in full.
In a nut shell, Islam provides full freedom to women with safety, which is not observed in other cultures than Islam. Today why numerous women swimming in oceans of other cultures are embracing Islam? The answer is that they find their full safety in Islamic customs. They decorate the ornaments of chastity in a secured way with Islamic values. Some times such news appears that a girl is allegedly raped while going to college, but you can’t hear such news about a woman being protected under Islamic canopy. Islam instructs women to achieve the goals along with value based education but under the perspective what Islam selects for them. In Arab world as well as other places where girls or women follow Islamic ideology, the society becomes healthy and people save themselves from the evils which we find in other societies than Islam. The girls/or women going to colleges or universities keep their chastity safe feeling satisfaction in veils and the men observing respected women in Islamic clad regard them with respective eyes.
However in my opinion, if Islam protects women societies encouraging them to come to the verge of success, it would not be recalled as a new thing because it carries out the laws of nature. Its purpose is to guide men and women towards realities, and the reality is that the women are equal to men and a valuable asset for human-life.
Without a woman the life of a man is incomplete and without a man the life of a woman is incomplete. Islam never discards a woman; she has got the equal right what her opposite sex (a man) has got from the chamber of the world creator, Allah. In brief, Islam emphasizes: an equal status quo of a woman//girl like a man//boy.
Today, if our western countries like France, America and United Kingdom wish a better and safer atmosphere for women or the girls going to universities, they should take guidance from the Islamic culture which the book of Allah, the Glorious Quran has revealed for healthy society. And if it is not done accordingly, it will mean such mentioned countries are having cruel attitudes towards their women. They do not wish their country-women to be progressive in their lives, and they want to pollute human societies by selling their women/girls to markets’ corrupted people. In brief, the people allowing their women/daughters to be naked in the society can never be the friends of female-community, and this is why they oppose Islam because Islam is only the religion that fights sincerely for the actual rights of a woman or a girl breathing on the earth.
# 1. Most recent: Murderous attack on Environmentalists Sumaira Abdulali & Naseer Jalal, and TOI Journalists. Maharashtra, March 16.
On March 16, the sand-mining mafia which is choking Bankot Creek – a rich mangrove habitat for migratory birds, crocodiles and marine life in Maharashtra’s Raigad district — attacked environmental activists Sumaira Abdulali and Naseer Jalal, and a team of journalists from The Times of India, when they visited the creek on Tuesday afternoon to report on the rampant illegal activities.
After a 10 km high-speed chase on a twisting ghat road, Sumaira’s vehicle was rammed by an LCV as it entered the highway, and immediately surrounded by three other vehicles. In the presence of a traffic cop, 15 to 20 people smashed the vehicle’s rear window, the side mirror and side window. They then tried to snatch the camera from the TOI photographer but failed. The mob threatened to kill local activist Jalal who was in the vehicle and asked Abdulali not to visit the area again… or else.
Cops reached the spot after being phoned by the TOI office, but the attackers continued to threaten and abuse the team of journalists and environmentalists; they had spent Rs 28 crore “buying the creek’’ and nobody could stop sand-dredging there, the mob said.
Cops then escorted the team to the Mahad police station, four kilometres away, where police officials filed an FIR and booked the accused for attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting. The Mahad police registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting. Shockingly, they did not arrest the accused who were present at the police station from 3 pm to 9 pm. One of the accused, present in the mob, was the local MLA’s son. At 9 pm, Sumaira and her colleagues were hurriedly ushered out of the police station as the MLA came in. The accused are now said to be “absconding”.
# 2. Police raid on the house of Journalist Dandapani Mohapatra. Orissa, March 11.
On 11th March, while Mr Mohapatra was away in some meeting, violating all procedures, the police raided his house for nearly six hours ransacking all his belongings and not even allowing his ailing wife and children to take their food. The police had not given a copy of any search warrant to his family members, nor stated any reason for the raid. As per Mr Mohapatra the police took away a number of old journals such as Ghadaghadi, Inquilab and Marga O Chinta – none of which is proscribed by the government – without giving a seizure list, which is mandatory. Strangely, the police took the signatures of Mr Mohaptra’s son and that of the local Sarpanch on a number of plain sheets of paper. After raiding the house, the SDPO Chhatrapur threatened him on the same day in the evening asking him to come to the Police station by 15th of March or face the dire consequences. No criminal case is said to be pending against him under any allegation.
It is believed that the intention of the police in raiding the house of Mr Mohapatra was to terrorize him and suppress his dissent, which he has been expressing through his writings continuously for many years. He is the General Secretary of Dakhshina Odisha Sahitya Sammelani, a literary organization. He was publishing a satirical magazine called Ghadaghadi between 1984 to 1990. Currently, he has been writing for a weekly tabloid called ‘Sahanamela’. The police seem to have told the media that the raid was undertaken due to suspected Maoist links.
#3: FIR on Journalist Dr E Rati Rao. Karnataka, March 5.
Dr E Rati Rao, Vice-President of PUCL-Karnataka and Vice President of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), a senior scientist and activist with many decades of standing in the women’s movement, the civil liberties movement, and campaigns against communal violence and caste atrocities, has been charged with sedition by the Karnataka police. The FIR against her implies that in Karnataka, defending secularism, opposing atrocities against dalits and minorities or fake encounters, and organising marginalised communities for struggle amounts to ‘sedition.’
Dr. Rati Rao was Editor of an in-house PUCL-Karnataka Kannada language bulletin (called PUCL Varthapatra)– and it is this bulletin (last published in 2007) that is the supposed basis for the charges of ‘sedition’. The FIR against Dr. Rati Rao accuses her of publishing the PUCL bulletin that is “favoring naxals and Muslims and is propagating that the police are killing innocent people in the name of encounter”; that “calls upon dalits, women, minorities, farmers and adivasis to build organizations in order to fight for their rights”; that “accuses the Sangh Parivar in Karavali (coastal Karnataka) of indulging in false propaganda and fueling communal disharmony” and “calls upon the secular forces to raise their voice against such spread of communal hate”; and “by raising such issues incite and spread intolerance, disbelief, discontent amongst the public”; that “in the name of doing good to the dalits, women, minorities, & adivasis the said bulletin is spreading false information against the casteist & communal Government…It is propagating intolerance, disbelief, and discontent amongst the Government officials.” The sections under which Dr. Rati Rao has been booked are Section 124 A (Sedition), Section 505 (False statement, rumour, etc., circulated with intent to cause mutiny or cause communal discord) and sections of the Press Act that relate to knowingly spreading false information.
The PUCL Bulletin in question had discussed the attacks on the Christian community in Karnataka and had indicted the Government for failing to do enough to protect the minority community.
# 4: Murderous mob attack on Muzaffar Bhat & eight others, followed by FIR & arrest. Jammu & Kashmir, February 27
Dr Muzaffar Bhat, Convener of J&K Right to Information Movement and 8 other colleagues who had organized an RTI awareness programme in Branwar had all the tyres of their vehicle punctured during their overnight stay in that town. After they had their tyres repaired in nearby Chadoora market, they were murderously assaulted by a mob of 20 persons, and rescued in the nick of time by CRP and police personnel.
However, when the activists complained to the police, the police booked them instead, based on motivated charges leveled by Rashida Begum w/o Chaudhury Saifuddin of Branwar, who is also Halqa President and affiliated with the National Conference in the area. The activists were booked for rioting and house trespass, assault and theft (stealing gold ornaments) in FIR No. 42 of 2010 registered at Chadoora Police Station. Five activists were arrested and detained in custody over the weekend, namely Mushtaque Ahmed Mir, Abdul Rehman Bhat, Bashir Ahmed Lone, Nazir Ahmed Ganai and Mohammed Sadiq. Muzaffar, Dr. Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, Latif Ahmed and Ashik Ahmed applied for anticipatory bail. Thus, victims of the attack are being further victimized by the police, while those guilty of the attack are at large.
#5: Murder of Shashidhar Mishra. Bihar, February 14
On Feb. 14 in Bihar, well-known RTI activist Shashidhar Mishra was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on motorcycles at the entrance of his home. He had been working to expose local welfare schemes.
# 6. Murder of Vishram Laxman Dodiya. Gujarat, February 11.
Vishram Laxman Dodiya of Ahmedabad had filed an application under RTI to get details about the illegal electricity connection by Torrent Power. He could not get any information. On February 11, 2010 he was found murdered, shortly after meeting with the company officials. Three people were arrested in the case. His son is yet to receive the inform
ation under RTI. Contact: Harinesh Pandya, Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) magpgujarat@gmail.com 079-26821553/0719
#7: Murderous assault on Ajay Kumar & colleague, followed by false FIR. New Delhi, January 12.
When Ajay Kumar asked New Delhi authorities later in 2009 why Municipal councillor Satbir Sharma had authorized the construction of private houses and shops on public land, he didn’t imagine the question would land him in the hospital with a fractured nose.
Mr Kumar was stonewalled by the public information officer at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, so he appealed to the Central Information Commission, which directed the MCD together with the police to jointly inspect the property. However, only two persons were allowed to come and inspect. Accordingly, Mr Kumar, who is General Secretary of an NGO, Public Grievance and Welfare Society, Kishan Ganj, went with his colleague Manmohan Gupta on January 12… only to find themselves surrounded by a mob.
“Neither the police nor the MCD officials helped us,” says Mr Kumar, who was beaten in the head repeatedly by an iron rod, leaving him unconscious and bleeding profusely. Society president Surinder Puri said, “The police registered an FIR on January 18, after we took up the matter with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. But to our horror, we found that on January 12, they had filed a false FIR against us in connection with a weapon – a loaded katta (countrymade gun) supposedly found in our car.”
#8: Priyanka Borpujari & other Mumbai journalists assaulted, followed by FIR. Chhatisgarh, January 6
Priyanka Borpujari, a journalist from Mumbai, and her colleagues, were physically assaulted by locals and by police in Dantewada, Chattisgarh. Her camera was forcibly snatched away, they were detained overnight and a motivated FIR was lodged against them with charges of dacoity etc. More details at http://priyanka-borpujari.blogspot.com/2010/01/from-detention-drama-to-dacoit.html For details, contact: Priyanka Borpujari aa.priyanka@gmail.com 9820741992
#9: Murder of Satish Shetty. Maharashtra, January 13
Social activist Satish Shetty (39), who had blown the whistle on a series of land scams in and around Talegaon, Lonavala and Pimpri-Chinchwad near here, was brutally murdered near his residence at Talegaon-Dabhade. Shetty was on his morning walk around 7am when he was attacked with swords and sharp weapons. An anti-corruption crusader for the last 15 years, Shetty had used the RTI Act to expose the irregularities in government offices. He had exposed many land scams in and around Talegaon, besides the setting up of restaurants and marriage halls in residential zones, selling in the black market of kerosene meant for distribution through ration shops, etc. Shetty’s murder is a major embarrassment for the police as he had demanded police protection after having received threats to his life. For details, contact: Sandeep Shetty 99603 86681 or Vijay Kumbhar 99232 99199
#10: Firing outside Nayana Kathpalia’s house. Mumbai, January 8.
Two assailants barged into the Swastik building opposite Oval Maidan in Churchgate at 6.45am and fired a round with a country-made revolver outside Nayana Kathpalia’s first-floor residence. The 65-year-old co-convenor of the NGO Citispace, who has been fighting for open spaces in the city, escaped unhurt. “The two men entered the building to kill Kathpalia. In the absence of a watchman, one stood near the gate while the other went to her house and opened fire after Kathpalia’s domestic help Soma China, 28, opened the grilled security door. The panicked assailant fled immediately,” said an officer from the Marine Drive police station. “While an additional bullet was found outside the house, the gun lay abandoned under a tree outside the building. The police have registered a case under section 307 of the IPC and under various sections of the Indian Arms Act.” The officer said that the dog squad, deployed after the incident, led the police to a restaurant next to the sessions court opposite the Maidan.
The NGO has been targeted for its relentless protests against Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme being implemented on open spaces and their opposition to hawkers.
THE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO MOUNT. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS? Are we going to be content with signing online petitions? Or are we capable of ramping up our actions? Please remember, by doing so, we will not be acting altruistically, we will be acting in enlightened self-interest.
Let us go beyond just signing online petitions, sending letters of support and holding meetings. Let us organize at least a one-day protest this Sunday in support of all such people, who have been under attack from both anti-social elements and the police / administration.
What kind of protest? Let us think hatke. Also, think nationwide.
Here is one idea: On Sunday, for 24 hours (say 8 am to 8 am), we walk up and down the streets of our own cities wearing black clothes, handcuffs and mouth-coverings of the sort that Jain monks wear. We carry placards that says, “Citizens who seek Truth are under attack by goons and police in all states of India.”
Wherever we feel tired, we sit down and rest — even if it is on a footpath. If the police asks us to move, we move. In the evening, we ask aam janta / supporters to give us candles, which we light at various places — walls, street corners, gates etc. and we go around all night till 8 am.
And we distribute pamphlets, give people copies of letters to the Chief Ministers of these states, along with postage stamps and envelopes (for which we charge money to meet costs). we ask people to sign, seal and post these letters. Alternatively, we can post them. Hopefully, we can get such letters signed and sent in the hundreds.
Can we all do this in various cities, this Sunday, next Sunday… and maybe the next? In this way, we can try to build public opinion and media glare on the entire issue of oppression of RTI activists.
WRIT PETITION ON PADMA AWARDS DISCRIMINATION FOR URGENT SUO MOTU CONSIDERATION Moved under articles 226, 12, 13 and 14 and also under article 51A of the Constitution of India and appropriate rules framed thereunder.
Dr. Leo Rebello, The Petitioner-in-Person Residing at: 28/552 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East, Mumbai 400101. Versus The Union of India, through the offices of The Prime Minister and The Union Home Minister .. The Respondents
THE PETITIONER UNDERSIGNED SHEWETH The undersigned being aggrieved, since 1991, that his name is not being considered for the Padma Bhushan continuously for so many years, inspite of several recommendations and having received no replies to various notices sent Re: irregularities, arbitrariness and/or corruption, is moving this Writ Petition under article 226 of the Constitution of India, urging the Chief Justice and other Judges of this High Court, to take suo motu action on this important issue, in public interest, as this is not a solitary instance of discrimination as further reading will prove.
Justification for considering this Writ Petition as suo motu: When grave irregularities take place, it is not necessary for the Hon’ble High Courts or the Supreme Court of India, to wait for conscientious citizens to knock at their doors or when approached, as in this case, to stand on technicalities. May it be noted that the time is very short and the process may be put in motion. Later on, if required, the Petitioner may be asked to file a regular Writ Petition, which direction he undertakes to obey.
Brief Introduction of the Petitioner: Dr. Leo Rebello is one of the seniormost qualified Naturopaths in India. He has trained and treated thousands since 1978, delivered over 10,000 lectures in 63 countries, including at WHO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNEP, UNYO, IAEWP WONM, UN-Habitat and Medicina Alternativa conferences. He has been interviewed by the world media and received several prestigious awards. His original tome on “AIDS and Alternative Medicine” (which has gone into 4 editions) and now translated in Hindi has reached out to masses with the profound message “From AIDS Scare to AIDS Care”. Besides, he has written 39 other books on Nature Cure, Yoga, Holistic Healing, Tropical Diseases, Panacea for Pain, Cancer, Muscular Dystrophies etc. many of which have gone into multiple editions and his Nature Cure and Yoga Therapy book, 3rd revised and enlarged edition, has been translated and published in Turkish language (10,000 copies). His “Revised Oath for Doctors” and “Health Reforms” or scholarly articles “War on Your Health” are being circulated widely and have been translated into various world languages and read on the Radios, Televisions, in universities and at various conferences. He also has 31 years of experience in the field of social work, human rights, education (both formal and informal) and is associated with several NGOs in responsible capacities. He was the Special Executive Magistrate for 18 years and served on the Indian Film Censor Board for two years. Since 2004, he is also the World Peace Envoy and his recent inspiring book WORLD WITHOUT WARS has been nominated for Peace Nobel.
Locus: The petitioner’s rights have been affected since 1991, when he was first selected for Padma Award, notified to that effect, and then his name was removed. As such, he has been discriminated time and again, impinging on his fundamental right under article 14. And he is not the only one to be discriminated thus. In essence, this is a pro bono publico petition.
Whether Notices served on the Respondents?: Yes. Four telling notices served are reproduced below for ready reference, with some public comments received. No response from the Respondents has been received till date. That further proves scant respect of corrupt authorities to law and justice. Selling awards is a big business in Delhi, both in the Govt. as also by ‘letter-head organizations’.
Brief Background of Padma Awards: The Government of India instituted on 2nd January 1954 four Civilian awards known as Padma Awards, namely, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri for exemplary contribution in the fields of Art, Literature, Medicine, Education, Social Work, Civil Service and Public Affairs.
The names of the Padma awardees are declared on Republic Day and the awards are conferred in second or third week of March at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi by the President of India. Till that time, technically, the names of the Award winners can be withdrawn or included, if grave error has been noticed.
The petitioner’s name was recommended by several eminent persons for Padma Bhushan under Medicine category, for his monumental contribution to Nature Cure, which is one of the seven recognised systems of medicines in India and Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Morarji Desai and several others have stood by it. Dr. Leo Rebello has taken on the mantle to spread this safer, cheaper, effective, reliable and ageold system of health care, and has served the nation well since 1978. He pioneered the first distance learning course in Naturopathy in 1978. More details can be found on his popular website: www.healthwisdom.org
Infact, the Petitioner NOT only deserves the Award for the outstanding contribution and original research in the Traditional and Natural Medicine, in which he is renowned all over the world as the Guru of Holistic Healing, but he could have been also considered for Literature (40 books, hundreds of articles, poems, reports and letters to editors written) and for Social Work, having dedicated himself to it for the last 31 years and helped thousands in all these years. Infact, under section 32 of the Advocates Act, the undersigned as a Human Rights Activist has helped so many, that his name was shortlisted as the Member of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, but again, corruption being what it is, Shri Subhash Lalla, an Ex IAS, who was then working as the Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh was selected for vacancy reserved for eminent social worker.
The fact that such an eminent person is not selected on Merit, and the fact that so far no one has got the Padma Award for outstanding contribution to Naturopathy (category Medicine), itself proves how the selection process is faulty. Corruption even in Awards or for selection to appointments of MPs under eminent persons category (for which too his name has gone several times) itself proves how corrupt and discriminatory is the Govt. machinery.
GROUNDS 1.. Dr. Leo Rebello fulfills all the basic criteria laid down for the Padma Bhushan Award. On Merit he should have got the Award long ago. But the fact that his name was first selected in 1991, he was notified of it on 23.01.1991 and then it disappeared from the list, and year after year he is being discriminated, itself proves mischief, incompetence or corruption in Awards selection. Infact, it is openly said that one can get the name included in the Padma Awards list for amounts ranging from Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.1 crore and the petitioner knows how certain persons have got these awards by paying or through influence.
2.. The Hon’ble Judges will surely be conscious of the facts how the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is now pushing the name of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for Bharat Ratna, on the specious ground that “he is an eminent Maharashtrian Cricketer and even theMaharashtrian President being his fan will not have any objection to it”. What an abomination, inspite of public ire about the 2010 Padma Awards list itself. This further proves how the authorities show scant respect to principles of natural justice or contempt for even the Supreme Court Order.
3.. T
hrough RTI applications moved by activists, through print and electronic media, and through the four explicit annexures reproduced below it is prima facie proved that there is corruption in Padma Awards list, and this Hon’ble Court has to intervene in timely manner by issuing appropriate writs in larger public interest and for probity.
URGENT PRAYERS Pending final disposal of this WP on Merit, the faulty list declared on 26th January 2010 be stayed and no award ceremony should be held in March this year to confer the said awards, until further scrutiny by this august court. Otherwise, it will amount to condoning the continuing corruption and discrimination.
OR
Three tainted persons, namely, NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Dr. Prakash Reddy of the Apollo Hospital, and actor Saif Ali Khan should be removed. Instead the name of Dr. Leo Rebello included in the Padma Bhushan list. This should not be difficult, as in the past, the names of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and Shri Kishorebhai Ratilal Zaveri were released on January 30, 1991. [Ref. Decision dated 10.08.2009 delivered by the Central Information Commission in Mr. S.C.Agrawal’s RTI appeal].
Similarly, the name of octogenarian Acharya Janki Ballabh Shastri, who has rightly turned down the Padma Shri shaming the Govt. for choosing his juniors much before him, may also be considered for Padma Bhushan on merit. If this is taken care of, the Govt. can save its face, but also the message will be driven home that in future such aberrations will not be tolerated by the guardians of law.
OR
The Hon’ble Court may hold the Padma Awards list 2010 in abeyance and direct the Govt of India to constitute a committee under the Chairmanship of the Vice President of India with Cabinet Secretary as the ex officio secretary, the opposition leader and 5 eminent citizens of India, and the undersigned being the petitioner and who has studied the gaphla in the Padma awards selection since 1991, as members. This committee of 9 persons, within 15 days, should make an objective assessment and report-whether discrimination is practiced while conferring these national awards and to check if undeserving people have received these national awards or not. This Hon’ble court may then pass final orders on the basis of Report of the constituted committee referred to in this para. This will be swift, just and proper remedy, for which this Petition is submitted.
FINAL SAY This Hon’ble Court is within its rights, jurisdiction and duty-bound to intervene to protect probity in public life and save the nation’s highest awards being given or sold to the undeserving, inspite of Supreme Court judgment of 15.12.1995. If this is not contempt, pray what is?
When the issue of Hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal’s name was questioned, as to how he could be given Padma Bhushan inspite of theCBI cases etc., it was expected that the govt of India will come out by listing exceptional and outstanding contributions made by him to the Indian society. But the GOI instead maintained the veil of secrecy by declining to disclose as to how the said individual’s name crept into the selection list, whereas, the said “award selectee” revealed the nexus when he adamantly and unwisely blared that he will personally come to receive the award since he is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s man and worked on his behalf in the USA. Need we say more?
The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India had issued appropriate directions on 15.12.1995. Justice Kuldip Singh, who was part of that Bench, had observed: “the Padma awards have been conferred on businessmen and industrialists who have multiplied their own wealth and have hardly helped the growth of national interest”. These words aptly suit NRI Hotelier Sant Singh Chhatwal, as also Dr. Pratap Reddy of the Apollo Hospital, or Actor Saif Ali Khan. But even Justice Kuldip Singh had not envisioned the crimes that would be part of the grow-rich process.
May it kindly be noted that these prestigious civilian awards are conferred for exceptional and outstanding contribution to the Indian society, not because someone is a director of some big industry or a Multi National Corporation, like Ms Indira Nooyi, serving as CEO of PepsiCo, who was selected, last year. She may be the highest paid NRI in bankrupt USA, but what is her contribution to India? On the contrary, Pepsi and Coca Cola has not only ruined our businesses, but also the health of the younger generation.
The paramount consideration in preparing Padma Awards List is the person’s “exceptional and outstanding contribution” to the nation. The contribution here should be taken as positive and proven contribution to the welfare of the people of India and not as personal record breaking performance, like in the case of shooter Abhinav Bindra or cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, because for the field of Sport there are other awards. Like one person cannot be held guilty twice, one person should not get two awards for the same feat.
“The Indian experience with regard to the Executive, Judicative and Legislative instrumentalities over six decades has been one of exploitation darkening into misgiving, misgiving deepening into despair and despair exploding into violence. The categorical imperative for stability in democracy is, therefore, to see that every instrumentality is functionally kept on course and any deviance or misconduct, abuse or aberration, corruption or delinquency is duly monitored and disciplinary measures taken promptly to make unprofitable for the delinquents to depart from the code of conduct and to make it possible for people, social activists, professional leaderships and other duly appointed agencies to enforce punitive therapeutics when robed culprits violate moral-legal norms.” Opined Justice Krishna Iyer about two decades ago.
Under article 51A of the Constitution of India, every citizen (that includes the petitioner and the Hon’ble Judges of this Court) has to perform 10 fundamental duties. Hence, this petition, which this Petitioner firmly believes will be considered with due attention. Suffice it to say that the Petitioner is NOT the only person discriminated by the corrupt regime and this petition may be turned into a PIL and the Hon’ble Court may appoint an amicus curiae to guide itself on finer points so that the society marches ahead by putting into effect Zero Tolerance to Corruption slogan.
I, Dr. Leo Rebello, age 60, proud Indian citizen, hereby solemnly affirm on 3rd March, 2010, that whatever stated in this petition as also the annexures are studied facts and submit this important petition for kind and urgent consideration of this Hon’ble Court, to prevent the law breakers from escaping the long arm of the law.
Dr. Leo Rebello The Petitioner in Person 3rd March 2010
Almost every developing country in the world except a few countries like Myanmar and North Korea claim that theirs is a democratic governance. Obviously, democracy as a concept is viewed as the most desirable form of governance and people of every country would like to jump into this band wagon.
However, in actual practice , in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the process of democracy is marked by bitter animosity and quarrel between the different political parties , giving an impression as if these countries are in constant turmoil all the time with one group trying to defeat another group to seize power. Large segment of the population of these countries who are not part of the political groups, remain as mere spectators in this so called democratic process and often feel frustrated and helpless. Such people who are not part of any political group many times wonder whether this sort of democracy has done any overall good to the country at all.
What the discerning common people note is that the difference between the political parties in these countries are not due to any fundamental difference in policies and programmes but only due to the personal ambition of the leaders of the political groups.
Of course, elections do take place in these developing countries at periodical intervals, where ruling group can be dislodged in a smooth manner if desired by the people. But, the problem is that these elections are being contested by different political groups who are bitterly opposed to each other and they conduct themselves during the electioneering and thereafter as if they are in the midst of a warfare. They give an impression that they are sworn personal enemies exhibiting sort of hatred towards each other and may go to any extent to destroy each other in their bid to capture power and enjoy the benefits of power thereafter.
In recent times, there have been even more deterioration in the quality of democracy practiced in the developing countries, in that several political groups (political parties) are now controlled by families of the political leaders that would inevitably lead to family rule and sort of feudalism . In the process, the political groups become outfits sans any ideology , with the party cadre pledging loyalty to one political family or the other.
With the family members getting stranglehold of the political parties to achieve their ambitions of seizing power, the philosophy, principles and ideology do not have any significant place any more. What becomes priority to the politicians is only the upliftment of their family members and achievement of their ambitions to seize power and for this they “skillfully” work out schemes to outdo others . In the process, a few political groups (political families) align between themselves to outdo another aligned force and this is what is now known as coalition politics .
Each political group in its anxiety to defeat the other often even go to the extent of maintaining thugs and rowdies in their groups to indulge in violence, settle scores with the opponents, indulge in malpractices in election including bribing the voters etc. Due to this approach, the law and order machinery virtually collapses.
When personal ambitions of the political leaders and the needs of their families become the most important factors , the progress of the country inevitably suffers and the democracy becomes a counter productive movement. Several developing countries seem to be rapidly moving towards this condition.
In such scenario, the democracy loses its purpose and significance and people become disillusioned. The people may then probably think that the rule by a dictator and his family could be even less harmful than this sort of several political groups and their family members spread all over the country and ruling the nation.
After the ethnic war, when Sri Lanka went for presidential elections, it caught the worldwide attention and even admiration to some extent as a vibrant democracy. But all these became anti climax when the political groups and presidential candidates fought the elections, bitterly abusing each other as if they are sworn enemies.
After the poll, the opponent presidential candidate was arrested and is now facing trials , confirming the suspicions of many that the political parties and their leaders have no bigger target than outdoing one another ,unconcerned about the consequences to the national welfare and progress.
It appears that the process of democracy is only a tool for these politicians to climb to power and to control the government and the country and enjoy power and authority for the families and the followers.
On the other hand, the votaries of democracy expect that these political groups should contest the elections on the basis of policies and programmes and should really be competing with each other to provide greater service and benefits to the people and country at large.
In such situation, democracy as a concept appear to have failed in many developing countries. This is certainly a very unfortunate condition since the developing countries have millions of citizens living below poverty line and they desperatively need meaningful and progressive programmes of the government. Such expectations of the people will not be met by ambitious and self serving politicians who have emerged in the democratic system that are now being practiced in the developing countries.
I’m not a trained economist. But I sort of understand it from a grassroots, human rights pov. I hope you have time to read my little column. Feedback and circulation welcome. For more articles on this very important subject, look up www.outlookindia.com . _____ opinion (Outlook India, March 15, 2010) The Khaas Aadmi Budget: It’s time people got—or took—direct charge of budget-making By Partha Banerjee http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264559
[Note: I used some info from online articles and blogs.]
In a euphoric moment, when the country was celebrating Sachin Tendulkar’s double century in ODIs, Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister and International Monetary Fund’s governor-designate for India, presented his budget. And we might say, “It’s not cricket!”
In a non-election, no-risk year, he announced the following important news for his fellow countrymen. (1) Rich Indians will get Rs 26,000 crore of tax break in 2010-11; (2) food subsidy for the poor will be decreased by Rs 424 crore; (3) fertiliser subsidy for low-income farmers will be pared by Rs 3,000 crore; and (4) real estate magnates and hotel owners will get huge tax concessions. Then, he announced even more important news. In an already high-inflation situation, petrol and diesel prices will be increased. Everyone knows what that would do to the urban/rural poor and lower middle class.
Major corporate media, following a new-found, ‘successful’ US model, praised the budget. They said that following the announcements, India’s stockmarkets jumped. “The market lapped it up and the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex boomed,” a Financial Times article said. Big NRI businessmen too made positive statements.
But wait a minute. I’m an NRI too, living in the US for 25 years. I teach blue-collar American labourers coming back to get a college education. I see how corporations here are laying off these workers in thousands and yet getting themselves millions of dollars in bonuses using the Obama government’s bailout money. I see how American media is completely bypassing the suffering poor workers. And now I see how a section of Indian media houses is following the footsteps of their American mentors, and suppressing the real stories around this major, extremely skewed budget. I find it unbelievable that nobody is questioning and challenging the so-called democratic government of Pranab babu, Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi dynasty on how the 80 per cent poor—rural and urban—would now be able to find food or kerosene for their families, pay rent, or get healthcare for ageing parents. Does anybody really care?
Let’s look at the history of Indian budgets since the so-called post-Soviet, post-non-alignment, liberalisation days. Since then, the series of policy measures launched by the Indian government are part of the so-called structural adjustment programmes (SAP). Indian governments have since taken up the following IMF-World Bank-dictated measures to implement SAP: (a) Massive devaluation of rupee; (b) new industrial policy allowing more foreign investments, thereby destroying traditional Indian businesses; (c) rampant disinvestment of government equity in profitable public sector enterprises; (d) ‘reforms’ of the financial sector by allowing in private banks; (e) cuts in social spending to reduce fiscal deficit; (f) market-friendly approach and less government intervention; and (g) liberalisation of the banking system.
Twenty years ago, the World Bank secretly submitted the above SAP elements to the government; we now know that the group of senior officials in the finance ministry—all ex-World Bank/IMF employees—who were involved with this memorandum did not disclose it to the then PM, Chandra Shekhar. Have we heard about this from Pranab babu or his predecessors P. Chidambaram or Manmohan Singh?
Clearly, the focus of the new budget is to provide more help to the corporate sector and the rich, with an illusion that the new growth would percolate down to the downtrodden—what is called “trickle-down economics” in the US. It has now crashed the US economy, and it’s going to crash India and its vast middle class in the coming days.
If Indian leaders were not so indebted to Western institutions, they’d have come up with a people’s budget following the successful model of Brazil’s Lula De Silva: a transparent economic blueprint where ordinary people have open access to create and modify it based on their own national, regional or local needs.
In a truly democratic, transparent, people’s budget that India should have developed over the recurrent, five-year plans, we’d see serious investment in small-scale industry, agriculture, education, healthcare, land/water reform, training for unskilled workers, incentive for poor women’s entrepreneurial efforts and ‘Grameen’-type banking, development of a sustainable environment and sports for young Indians with tangible goals. On that list, we’d now definitely add disaster preparedness and evacuation strategies, given what we’ve just seen in Haiti and Chile. I shudder even to think of the extent of possible destruction in the event of a large earthquake in Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore.
Pranab babu’s IMF budget has no clue on any of the above. Who can answer correctly? Soniaji, or maybe, the next media-predicted prime minister—Rahul Gandhi?
_____
Source: Partha Banerjee New York-based human rights activist
International Journalist, the Chartered Institute of Journalists, London Member, Wikimedia /Wikipedia Australia Member, International PEN Member, International PEN Sydney Centre
Indian Administration Services should be renamed as the Indian Public Facilitation Services or Indian Public Services.
(It was called as Indian Civil Services, ICS, and after Independence it was changed to Indian Administration Services, IAS. The term “Civil” is a democratic word and was used by the British Empire in pre-Independent-India. The term “Administration” is an undemocratic word and is used by the Indian Governments in independent India. The British Empire ruled India, but used a democratic word for a undemocratic ruling. But in Independent and democratic India, the people do not enjoy a democratic ruling because they are being ruled with similar characteristics, rules and attitudes of undemocratic rulings as during the British Empire. And the situations are worse today, because in Independent India the people have lost a democratic word for public services. In a valued democracy, governments and their structures are for public facilitations, not to rule on them.)
Any government employee, from chief secretary to village guard, who gets any salary or facility from the government, should be directly addressed as SERVANT (SEVAK) in place of Officer. It should be compulsory in all name plates, all documents and in all types of conversations.
(It is contradictory that people take oath as public servants, but they behave as masters of the people of India and are called Officers and Lords. For example, in some states, District Collectors are being termed as JILADHISH, which means owner of district. It is undemocratic and violation of fundamental values of a Democratic Constitution.)
There is a demand in India for ‘Right to Recall’ for public representatives from Parliament, Assemblies, Pachayats etc. even though these representatives face elections each 5 years. They have to face the people of India to prove accountability to the people, but there is no concern for unaccountability of government officers, even though they are public servants. There must be another high priority demand for Public Rights on government officers. Public should have direct and open rights to monitor any government employee and should have direct and open rights to dismiss or suspend or punish or remark in character-service book to any direct or indirect government employee or department or structure. The Public of India must also have rights for social audit of any government department or structure.
(In a democracy, Government means representatives of the people. Because large numbers of people cannot sit to make decisions for each thing and for routine things, thus systems of representations were evolved in history of human society leading to democratic systems. Representations does not mean ownership or mastership. Representatives make policies for the betterment of people and people provide them assets and money collectively (known as taxes). Government employees can never be masters or owners or superior to the people in a democracy, because they are employed by the people, to serve the people. Thus if there should be rights for calling back public representatives, there must be rights for monitoring/suspending/ dismissing/others on government employees. In India, there are too many black-holes in execution and policy making systems that violate Democratic Values, for example Government officers behave superior to the Public & Public Representatives.)
All National/Regional/Local policies including Judiciary, Education, Health, Development, Commerce & Finance and Others should be strictly verified by the people of India as the final and last authority. Local Public Representative Bodies should be the final authority to form policy for themselves and government machineries should work for to execute those policies.
(If governments have not capacities/abilities to arrange direct & open systems for verifications then they should not have rights of formations, executions and implementations of policies. India is a country of social and geometric diversities and cannot be understood by reading a few lines of text books to qualify in the examinations to become Administrator and Policy Maker of the public of India. Governments represent common people, thus they cannot act as rulers and masters of the People of India. Because governments make policies and work for the welfare of the People of India, the People of India should have the final rights of verifications of policies. It is commonly said that common people do not know how to improve their welfare and are incapable of understanding. Parliament and Assemblies are the highest authorities for policy makings and representatives are elected by the common people. But if common people can decide their representatives, then they should also have rights of verifications of the works of their representatives. People should have fundamental rights to verify policies, decisions and rules which are being made for them and on behalf of them.)
National/State Budgets are finalized by closed & centralized powers, without being verified by Local Societies. How can big financial groups, high level secretaries and centralized political powers be accountable for larger society, without having ground understandings of Local Communities/Societies? How can these very small groups decide for millions without any verification or concern? These nonsocial, non-accountable and non-democratic processes should be changed in public accountable systems. Budget should be verified by Local Social Systems and government machineries should execute the decisions of Local Social Systems.
(In many decades after Independence, it has been understood that there are big black-holes in the governance systems of India. Things are becoming worse and moving towards greater unaccountability. Policies should be verified by the people of India. An open and easy verification structure/system should be formed to get active participations of the people of India to empower Democracy and to stop violations of the fundamental values of Democracy.)
All governance systems i.e.- Parliament, Assemblies, Panchayats, Execution Systems and Judiciary Systems should be converted into direct-open-public-facility-management systems from centralized-closed controlled-administrative ruling systems and should be made direct accountable to the People of India.
International PEN announced today the launch of a year-long campaign in celebration of the Writers in Prison Committee’s 50th anniversary.
The campaign-Because Writers Speak Their Minds-marks 50 years of defending freedom of expression around the world. “International PEN was created out of the scars of World War I to bring societies back together through their literatures,” said President John Ralston Saul. “Constant violence against writers quickly forced us to realize that free speech and literature are one and the same thing. PEN is the foremost and oldest freedom of expression organization in the world and since 1960 the Writers in Prison Committee has set the standard around the world for defending not just the rights of writers, but the free speech of everyone.”
What began as a committee of three individuals in 1960 is now a Committee of more than 70 PEN centres worldwide. The annual case list now consistently contains the names of almost 900 writers, editors, journalists and internet writers. The campaign celebrates the work over fifty years with fifty emblematic cases of the Committee, including prominent historic writers like Josef Brodsky and Vaclav Havel, more recent cases (Anna Politkovskaya, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Salman Rushdie) and current cases like those of Lydia Cacho and Liu Xiaobo. PEN centres around the world will participate with events and campaigning on current cases. The International PEN festival of world literature, Free the Word! (London, 14-18 April) will mark the anniversary with several events.
“We’ll also look to the future, to see how the WiPC must evolve and adapt to meet new challenges,” said WiPC Chair, Marian Botsford Fraser. “The 50th anniversary is an opportunity to honour (and in some cases remember) writers on whose behalf we have written letters, lobbied governments, made great noises in public places and quiet agitations in diplomatic channels. But it is also the springboard for ongoing work in the defence of freedom of expression.” The name of the campaign, Because Writers Speak Their Minds, is taken from the 1960 speech formally proposing a Writers in Prison Committee.
The first 50th anniversary mini-campaign concerns Iran, and will be launched with a coalition of other freedom of expression organizations, in mid-February. There will be ongoing work on behalf of Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, the only one of the emblematic 50 cases currently serving a prison sentence.
Originally founded in 1921 to promote literature, today International PEN has over 140 Centres in 100 countries across the globe. We believe that writers can play a crucial role in changing and developing civil society through the promotion of literature, international campaigning on issues such as freedom of expression and translation, and challenging and breaking down barriers and access to literature through publishing and distribution at international, regional and national levels.
International PEN announced today the launch of a year-long campaign in celebration of the Writers in Prison Committee’s 50th anniversary.
The campaign-Because Writers Speak Their Minds-marks 50 years of defending freedom of expression around the world. “International PEN was created out of the scars of World War I to bring societies back together through their literatures,” said President John Ralston Saul. “Constant violence against writers quickly forced us to realize that free speech and literature are one and the same thing. PEN is the foremost and oldest freedom of expression organization in the world and since 1960 the Writers in Prison Committee has set the standard around the world for defending not just the rights of writers, but the free speech of everyone.”
What began as a committee of three individuals in 1960 is now a Committee of more than 70 PEN centres worldwide. The annual case list now consistently contains the names of almost 900 writers, editors, journalists and internet writers. The campaign celebrates the work over fifty years with fifty emblematic cases of the Committee, including prominent historic writers like Josef Brodsky and Vaclav Havel, more recent cases (Anna Politkovskaya, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Salman Rushdie) and current cases like those of Lydia Cacho and Liu Xiaobo. PEN centres around the world will participate with events and campaigning on current cases. The International PEN festival of world literature, Free the Word! (London, 14-18 April) will mark the anniversary with several events.
“We’ll also look to the future, to see how the WiPC must evolve and adapt to meet new challenges,” said WiPC Chair, Marian Botsford Fraser. “The 50th anniversary is an opportunity to honour (and in some cases remember) writers on whose behalf we have written letters, lobbied governments, made great noises in public places and quiet agitations in diplomatic channels. But it is also the springboard for ongoing work in the defence of freedom of expression.” The name of the campaign, Because Writers Speak Their Minds, is taken from the 1960 speech formally proposing a Writers in Prison Committee.
The first 50th anniversary mini-campaign concerns Iran, and will be launched with a coalition of other freedom of expression organizations, in mid-February. There will be ongoing work on behalf of Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, the only one of the emblematic 50 cases currently serving a prison sentence.
Originally founded in 1921 to promote literature, today International PEN has over 140 Centres in 100 countries across the globe. We believe that writers can play a crucial role in changing and developing civil society through the promotion of literature, international campaigning on issues such as freedom of expression and translation, and challenging and breaking down barriers and access to literature through publishing and distribution at international, regional and national levels.
Precisely at six o’clock in the evening, on January 30, 1948, All India Radio announced: “Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi at twenty minutes past five this afternoon. His assassin was a Hindu.” The Mahatma was shot in the gardens of Birla Mandir, in the presence of about one thousand of his followers whom he was leading to make his daily evening devotions. Dressed, as always, in his khadi dhoti and leaning heavily on a stout walking stick, Mahatma Gandhi was only a few feet from the Mandir when the shots were fired. He crumbled instantly, putting his hands to his forehead in the Hindu gesture of forgiveness to his assassin. Three bullets penetrated his body, one in the upper right thigh, one in the abdomen, and one in the chest.
India was plunged into sorrow. All over India the news spread like wildfire. Minutes later, in Bombay rioting broke out. In Delhi, in the fast-gathering gloom of the night, the news set the people on the march. They walked slowly down the avenues and out of the squalid bazzars, converging on Birla House. Thereby the thousands they stood weeping silently, moaning and wailing. Above the vast plains, the fields, the cluttered slums, writhing jungles, the air was crystal clear. The mantle of India’s night, the fine haze of the cow-dung fires burning in a hundred millions hearths, had disappeared. To mourn the Mahatma, those hearths were cold.
From the beautiful mansion to the wretched slums, the people wept. Calcutta’s great maidan was almost empty. Through its streets a barefoot sadhu, his face smeared with ashes walked crying: “The Mahatma is dead. When comes another such as he?” There were grave fears, heightened by the savage outbreaks in Bombay, that without her saint to hold passions in check, all India might be whirled into strife.
In New Delhi, a heartbroken man found in the depths of his sorrow the words that he had despaired of finding. Jawaharlal Nehru’s eyes were filled with tears as he stepped before the microphone of the All India Radio. The words he was about to utter were spontaneous, but they glowed with unforgettable beauty.
“The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere”, he said. (Perhaps, an unconscious imitation of Homer’s: “The sun has perished out of the heavens”). “The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light”. “In a thousand years”, Nehru predicted, “that light will still be seen…the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. For that light represented something more than the immediate present; it represented the living, the eternal truths, reminding us of the right path, drawing us from error, taking this ancient country to freedom.”
The light whose disappearance Nehru mourned belonged to the rest of the world, too. Messages of condolence poured in from every corner of a shocked globe. Mahatma Gandhi’s first political rival, Field Marshal Smuts, sent a simple tribute: “A prince among us has passed”. At Vatican, the Pope Pius XII paid tribute to the Mahatma as “an apostle of peace”.
It was the irony of fate that one whose life was directed against violence should be snuffed out by the forces of violence. “It shows how dangerous it is to be good”, was George Bernard Shaw’s reaction to the news of the assassination. “Just an old man in loin cloth in distant India”, commented Louis Fischer. “Yet, when he died, humanity wept” In a moving editorial the New York Times wrote: “…the saint who will be remembered, not only on the plains and in the hills of India but all over the world. He strove for perfection as other men strive for power and professions. He pitied those to whom wrong was done: the East Indian labourers in South Africa, the untouchable ‘children of God’ of the lowest caste in India, but he schooled himself not to hate the wrongdoer…Now he belongs to the ages”.
Appropriately in the vast outpourings of tributes, Indian newspapers themselves produced the most memorable testimonial of all. Several of them left their editorial pages blank ringed by a black border.
Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948 and he was tried and executed. But almost everyone, who holds authority now in India and speaks untruths is a co-assassin with Godse, though not tried and convicted. Everyone in power who misleads the country away from freedom – political, economic, cultural and social – for which Gandhiji stood all his life, is an uncovicted abettor of Godse. Every dishonest man, either in business or in government, is a co-assassin with Godse. Everyone who utilises power for personal or party advantage is a Godse. Everyone who gives or receives a bribe is an unconvicted Godse. Every hypocrite in public life puts a knife into Gandhiji’s side. Father, forgive us.
Valentín Valdés Espinosa, co-founder of and journalist for the daily newspaper Zócalo de Saltillo, reportedly left the newspaper offices with two colleagues late on the night of 7 January 2010. In the centre of Saltillo, their car was intercepted by a group of men who forced Valdés and another, unnamed Zócalo reporter into a vehicle and drove away.
According to the Coahuila state attorney general’s office, Valdés was found dead in front of a hotel in Saltillo early on the morning of 8 January. He had reportedly been tortured and shot several times. On his corpse a message was found that read: “This is going to happen to those who don’t understand. The message is for everyone.”
The attorney general’s office has stated that the murder was carried out by organized crime. Valdés covered local news, including crime, for Zócalo de Saltillo. In July 2006, another journalist from the same newspaper chain, Rafael Ortiz Martínez, reportedly disappeared in Monclova, Coahuila, and has not been seen since.
The national news magazine Proceso has reported that the other reporter who was abducted along with Valdés was later released, but this has not been confirmed by either the newspaper or the attorney general’s office. According to the newspaper, the third reporter who was with Valdés was not abducted.
—— The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is shocked and saddened by the murder of Zócalo de Saltillo journalist Valentín Valdés Espinosa, who was abducted on 7 January 2010 and found dead the next day in Saltillo, Coahuila state. He had reportedly been tortured before being shot dead. Valdés is the second print journalist to be murdered in Mexico in as many weeks and the 28th since 2004. The WiPC calls on the federal and state authorities to investigate this latest killing, along with all other unsolved journalist murders, as a matter of the utmost urgency, and to bring the culprits to justice. It also calls for the implementation of effective journalist protection programmes. ——
Valentín Valdés Espinosa, co-founder of and journalist for the daily newspaper Zócalo de Saltillo, reportedly left the newspaper offices with two colleagues late on the night of 7 January 2010. In the centre of Saltillo, their car was intercepted by a group of men who forced Valdés and another, unnamed Zócalo reporter into a vehicle and drove away.
According to the Coahuila state attorney general’s office, Valdés was found dead in front of a hotel in Saltillo early on the morning of 8 January. He had reportedly been tortured and shot several times. On his corpse a message was found that read: “This is going to happen to those who don’t understand. The message is for everyone.”
The attorney general’s office has stated that the murder was carried out by organized crime. Valdés covered local news, including crime, for Zócalo de Saltillo. In July 2006, another journalist from the same newspaper chain, Rafael Ortiz Martínez, reportedly disappeared in Monclova, Coahuila, and has not been seen since.
The national news magazine Proceso has reported that the other reporter who was abducted along with Valdés was later released, but this has not been confirmed by either the newspaper or the attorney general’s office. According to the newspaper, the third reporter who was with Valdés was not abducted.
—— The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is shocked and saddened by the murder of Zócalo de Saltillo journalist Valentín Valdés Espinosa, who was abducted on 7 January 2010 and found dead the next day in Saltillo, Coahuila state. He had reportedly been tortured before being shot dead. Valdés is the second print journalist to be murdered in Mexico in as many weeks and the 28th since 2004. The WiPC calls on the federal and state authorities to investigate this latest killing, along with all other unsolved journalist murders, as a matter of the utmost urgency, and to bring the culprits to justice. It also calls for the implementation of effective journalist protection programmes. ——
(Neeraj Bhushan is writing ‘PTI Diary’ these days, taking up the role of a whistleblower attempting to expose a corrupt system eating up India’s premier English News Agency – Press Trust of India, commonly known as PTI.
Postings in the online diary are done every Sunday evening, when Neeraj turns into a wonderful storyteller, and his stories are real, based on his personal experiences and first hand accounts)
.
Here are some excerpts from his jottings:
“Joining PTI at its head office in New Delhi on August 1, 1997 was a good break, despite a meager stipend. We were a lot of 40 odd journalists inducted into the news agency after a difficult written test and screwing interviews.
To begin with, we were quite out-placed. There were no chairs for the new recruits. We were put under strenuous postures while discovering the new job relationship. We were to report to different news departments for next six months. It was difficult, as there were no Department Heads. Things were just running. People were just working, routinely and mechanically.
During on-the-job training, I found a very disturbing trend. People were quitting in large numbers. I was shaky. Further, I found the office atmosphere choking. There wasn’t clean air around. Safe drinking water was another problem. But, no one in the office premises would dare talk, confidently. Someone may be always listening. Every conversation was being overheard.
There was no one I could discuss my problems with. I had no clue about my service conditions. I wanted to know my company’s rules and regulations so that I could follow them in true letter and spirit.
However, there was neither the HR Department nor a Legal Cell. My Regional Manager, whom I had reported while joining, would see me with contempt. Once, when I raised an important issue related to my leave, she was rude. “Why don’t you leave PTI?” was her terse unprovoked statement. I would have normally been shocked by the such treatment but since by then it had become transparently clear that there was a caucus in the company which promoted only its YES MEN and would not listen to anybody else, her behavior did not come as a surprise. Sadly, this caucus comprised of persons from both the management and employees and had the covert support of a section of journalist and non-journalist staff which would act as the eyes and ears of ‘the management’. Other than them, every single officer or any journalist was a mere nominal person.
The lecture session by the Editor-in-Chief finally brought about my collapse when, in a class of his own, he had ensured presence of all those occupying ‘top’ journalistic positions. They were noticeably made to sit there only to be bullied by him. To me, it appeared they had already been conditioned for the situation. The Editor-in-Chief wanted to make it very clear to us that he was the only boss of the company. Many amongst us had no doubt about that, with their journalistic fire and self-esteem having been wiped and flushed down. They stood brainwashed.”
(Neeraj Bhushan is writing ‘PTI Diary’ these days, taking up the role of a whistleblower attempting to expose a corrupt system eating up India’s premier English News Agency – Press Trust of India, commonly known as PTI.
Postings in the online diary are done every Sunday evening, when Neeraj turns into a wonderful storyteller, and his stories are real, based on his personal experiences and first hand accounts)
.
Here are some excerpts from his jottings:
“Joining PTI at its head office in New Delhi on August 1, 1997 was a good break, despite a meager stipend. We were a lot of 40 odd journalists inducted into the news agency after a difficult written test and screwing interviews.
To begin with, we were quite out-placed. There were no chairs for the new recruits. We were put under strenuous postures while discovering the new job relationship. We were to report to different news departments for next six months. It was difficult, as there were no Department Heads. Things were just running. People were just working, routinely and mechanically.
During on-the-job training, I found a very disturbing trend. People were quitting in large numbers. I was shaky. Further, I found the office atmosphere choking. There wasn’t clean air around. Safe drinking water was another problem. But, no one in the office premises would dare talk, confidently. Someone may be always listening. Every conversation was being overheard.
There was no one I could discuss my problems with. I had no clue about my service conditions. I wanted to know my company’s rules and regulations so that I could follow them in true letter and spirit.
However, there was neither the HR Department nor a Legal Cell. My Regional Manager, whom I had reported while joining, would see me with contempt. Once, when I raised an important issue related to my leave, she was rude. “Why don’t you leave PTI?” was her terse unprovoked statement. I would have normally been shocked by the such treatment but since by then it had become transparently clear that there was a caucus in the company which promoted only its YES MEN and would not listen to anybody else, her behavior did not come as a surprise. Sadly, this caucus comprised of persons from both the management and employees and had the covert support of a section of journalist and non-journalist staff which would act as the eyes and ears of ‘the management’. Other than them, every single officer or any journalist was a mere nominal person.
The lecture session by the Editor-in-Chief finally brought about my collapse when, in a class of his own, he had ensured presence of all those occupying ‘top’ journalistic positions. They were noticeably made to sit there only to be bullied by him. To me, it appeared they had already been conditioned for the situation. The Editor-in-Chief wanted to make it very clear to us that he was the only boss of the company. Many amongst us had no doubt about that, with their journalistic fire and self-esteem having been wiped and flushed down. They stood brainwashed.”
José Alberto Velázquez López, editor and owner of the daily newspaper Expresiones de Tulum, based in Tulum, Quintana Roo state, and a contributor to a local television station, was shot dead in Cancún on 22 December 2009. Velázquez was driving home after a Christmas party for the newspaper staff when he was followed by two men on a motorbike who shot him in the chest, leaving him with serious wounds. He was taken to hospital but died late that night.
The newspaper staff had reportedly received several anonymous telephone death threats in the previous few months and its printing press was also firebombed in November 2009. Velázquez, who was also a lawyer, had reportedly written a number of articles accusing the mayor of Tulum of corruption, poor administration and a lack of regard for the public but had stopped reporting on local politics after receiving the death threats, which allegedly included a threatening phone call from the mayor. The mayor and Velázquez had reportedly been enemies since April 2009, the month that the newspaper was set up and that the mayor came into office.
State prosecutors in Quintana Roo have opened an inquiry into the murder. They are reportedly looking at two possible motives: Velázquez’ work as a lawyer or that it was a crime of passion. However, his colleagues at Expresiones de Tulum have reportedly dismissed these leads, suggesting that the murder is instead likely to have been related to the editor’s criticism of the mayor. Police investigations into the November 2009 firebombing of the newspaper premises have yet to yield any results.
Velázquez reportedly leaves behind a heavily pregnant wife and a five-year-old son.
Background Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a journalist. From January 2004 to December 2009, a total of 27 writers – 26 print journalists and one author – were murdered, seven of them in 2009 alone. Five more print journalists have disappeared in the same period. Few if any of these crimes have been properly investigated or punished. International PEN believes that it is likely that these journalists were targeted in retaliation for their critical reporting, particularly on drug trafficking. While organised crime groups are responsible for many attacks, state agents, especially government officials and the police, are reportedly the main perpetrators of violence against journalists, and complicit in its continuance.
—- The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) protests the murder of José Alberto Velázquez López, editor of Expresiones de Tulum, who was shot dead in Cancún, Quintana Roo state, on 22 December 2009. The newspaper had been subject to attack, including death threats, in the previous few months and it is thought that Velázquez’ murder may have been connected to his criticism of local authorities. He was the seventh print journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2009 and the 27th since 2004. The WiPC calls on the federal and state authorities to investigate this latest killing, along with all other unsolved journalist murders, as a matter of the utmost urgency, and to bring the culprits to justice. It also calls for the implementation of effective journalist protection programmes. —-
José Alberto Velázquez López, editor and owner of the daily newspaper Expresiones de Tulum, based in Tulum, Quintana Roo state, and a contributor to a local television station, was shot dead in Cancún on 22 December 2009. Velázquez was driving home after a Christmas party for the newspaper staff when he was followed by two men on a motorbike who shot him in the chest, leaving him with serious wounds. He was taken to hospital but died late that night.
The newspaper staff had reportedly received several anonymous telephone death threats in the previous few months and its printing press was also firebombed in November 2009. Velázquez, who was also a lawyer, had reportedly written a number of articles accusing the mayor of Tulum of corruption, poor administration and a lack of regard for the public but had stopped reporting on local politics after receiving the death threats, which allegedly included a threatening phone call from the mayor. The mayor and Velázquez had reportedly been enemies since April 2009, the month that the newspaper was set up and that the mayor came into office.
State prosecutors in Quintana Roo have opened an inquiry into the murder. They are reportedly looking at two possible motives: Velázquez’ work as a lawyer or that it was a crime of passion. However, his colleagues at Expresiones de Tulum have reportedly dismissed these leads, suggesting that the murder is instead likely to have been related to the editor’s criticism of the mayor. Police investigations into the November 2009 firebombing of the newspaper premises have yet to yield any results.
Velázquez reportedly leaves behind a heavily pregnant wife and a five-year-old son.
Background Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a journalist. From January 2004 to December 2009, a total of 27 writers – 26 print journalists and one author – were murdered, seven of them in 2009 alone. Five more print journalists have disappeared in the same period. Few if any of these crimes have been properly investigated or punished. International PEN believes that it is likely that these journalists were targeted in retaliation for their critical reporting, particularly on drug trafficking. While organised crime groups are responsible for many attacks, state agents, especially government officials and the police, are reportedly the main perpetrators of violence against journalists, and complicit in its continuance.
—- The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) protests the murder of José Alberto Velázquez López, editor of Expresiones de Tulum, who was shot dead in Cancún, Quintana Roo state, on 22 December 2009. The newspaper had been subject to attack, including death threats, in the previous few months and it is thought that Velázquez’ murder may have been connected to his criticism of local authorities. He was the seventh print journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2009 and the 27th since 2004. The WiPC calls on the federal and state authorities to investigate this latest killing, along with all other unsolved journalist murders, as a matter of the utmost urgency, and to bring the culprits to justice. It also calls for the implementation of effective journalist protection programmes. —-
Sydney PEN is shocked and dismayed by the sentencing of dissident Chinese writer and academic Liu Xiaobo to 11 years imprisonment on charges of “subverting state power”. The trial was held on December 23, 2009 in Beijing, following Liu’s detention late last year. The trial concluded without providing a verdict until Friday, December 25. Liu was detained shortly before the publication of Charter 08, a petition which he co-wrote and which was signed by numerous Chinese intellectuals and writers in December 2008 calling for political reforms including an end to the Communist Party’s single-party rule.
Since Liu’s detention, Sydney PEN has joined International PEN, Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) and other PEN centres in the region and worldwide in publically protesting the charges against him. The American government, the UN joined hundreds of international writers in the movement in favour of Liu’s release. According to International PEN, around 100 journalists were surrounded by the police near the No. 1 Intermate People’s Court where Liu’s trial was held. It was reported that many of the activists were restricted at home while others were blocked by the police when trying to go to the court. A few tens were said being detained. Most of them were released shortly after while Liu Di, a member of ICPC, has been still missing since someone saw her in a police car near the court. According to some of her friends, she had sent a statement to publish before she left home at 6:40 in the morning of December 23. According to her statement published, she had decided to give up to the police for complying with her promise to share responsibility with Liu Xiaobo.
Sydney PEN has not received further news of Liu Di,
a Beijing resident. A translation of her statement is presented below.
My Statement of Confession – Willing to Share Responsibility for Offence with Liu Xiaobo By Liu Di December 23, 2009, the day of Xiaobo’s trial To: The Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court, the No. 1 Branch of Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate and the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau
I am Liu Di, also known as Stainless Steel Mouse on Internet. Considering that the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and the No. 1 Branch of Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate have completed the investigation and prosecution of Liu Xiaobo’s case of inciting subversion of state power and delivered to the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court to be tried on December 23, considering that three organs mentioned above have taken Charter 08 as an important criminal evidence against Liu Xiaobo, and considering that I am one of the signatories and organizing plotters, I am now “giving up to confess” to you according to the paragraphs 3 and 4 of PRC Criminal Procedure Law. I declare the followings:
My “giving up to confess” does not mean that I agree that your allegations and trial against Liu Xiaobo is lawful and just. On the contrary, I believe that the Charter 08, which , Liu Xiaobo and other has drafted, organized, planned and signed, is an outstanding service to promote the country to constitutional democracy and benefit nation’s future and people’s welfare. I am honored and proud to have been in it.
Since you has accounted Mr. Liu Xiaobo’s launching of the Charter movement as a crime based on your special values, I must be an integral part of this case because I not only completely agree with the spiritual value of this document but also have been involved in its organizing, planning and operating activities. I should be an accomplice of Liu Xiaobo’s case. According to the principle of equality before law, you should take me as Liu Xiaobo’s accomplice to judge us together, but not make selective justice to leave out such an important criminal suspect as me.
As a judgment of values, a judicial trial should be examined by history. Czech Republic’s Charter 77 movement in 1977, Taiwan’s Formosa Incident in 1979, and China’s Charter 08 movement in 2008 are all the just acts of the people fighting for human rights, freedom and democracy. The former two campaigns have already been justified by history, and so will the latter. As judicial staff, you should bear in mind to safeguard the dignity of the Constitution. To safeguard the people’s constitutional rights is your bounden duty.
In 2003, I published an article, Worms of Persimmon Oil (liberals) surrendering to the Party and Government, condemning the authorities for violation of the citizens’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression, and so had been detained for one year on the charges cooked up by the Beijing Public Security Bureau. I have known well that losing freedom is a great pain of life, thus full of fear and boredom of imprisonment. However, for the dignity of Constitution and laws, and for no more imprisonment of the people in the future due to their free speeches and independent opinions, I would prefer to share with Mr. Liu Xiaobo the same case with the same penalty.
(The Independent Chinese PEN is among 145 member centers of the International PEN, the oldest human rights organization and international literary organization. It aims to protect Chinese writers’ freedom of speech and freedom to write worldwise and advocates for the rights of Chinese writers and journalists who are imprisoned, threatened, persecuted or harassed. For more information on ICPC’s work, please visit http://www.chinesepen.org.)
