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Friday, February
22, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Exaggerated opinion Handling the ISI
HARI JAISINGH |
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Editor regrets
Profiles in possibilities 2001, Chemistry and Physics: KNOWLES, NOYORI &
SHARPLESS
Grumpy people are born that way
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Exaggerated opinion Delhi is not the worst metropolis as the Supreme Court believes. Its opinion that lawlessness in encroachment on public land makes the national capital the most lawless city is highly exaggerated. New Delhi attracts a huge influx of people from the Hindi heartland seeking a better life and even a livelihood. And they need a place to live and hence pitch the tent at any open place. The point is that the hoped job opportunity in Delhi is the cause of its intense problems. The same position exists in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata where too people flock seeking jobs and a place to stay. In Kolkata individuals are ready to live on railway platforms or on footpaths but at other places they prefer a temporary thatch in a slum. These are an excuse for a hut, which are a shame in developed cities. But these provide a modicum of privacy that the fleeing villagers forced by poverty rush to unfriendly cities. Delhi’s problems do not spring from administrative failures but from a social breakdown built into the system. Planning over the years has left the poor and the deprived out of its sight and the neglected flee to the cities to make it big like people with engineering and management degrees rush to America to make a kill. They are not in the same class but savour the same thoughts. The result is drastically different. One succeeds in a big way in a foreign country while the other fails miserably in his or her own land. Social development in India has been extremely uneven and kept out a good portion of people from its purview. This is the reason why many villagers denied of education and job opportunities rush to towns and cities seeking jobs and livelihood. Modern amenities like electricity, water supply and television channels are additional attractions. The denial or absence of these is no provocation for a strong protest and this should not be treated as a trigger for social unrest. The encroachment in Delhi has to be understood in the context of the hunger for land in all urban areas. The “laldora” concept is virtually redundant at this time when the country is groaning under a food mountain. We need more land for housing than to produce foodgrains. The government has sadly brought this point to the notice of the Supreme Court. The verdict of the apex court will distort the perception of the common man. And that is sad. |
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Handling the ISI If The New York Times' latest report on the ISI is to be believed, the notorious intelligence agency of Pakistan is in for drastic changes in the coming few days or weeks. This seems to be linked to the drive that began with General Musharraf's January 12 historic address to the people of Pakistan. On that day he decided to take on religious extremism head-on, though under international pressure (read American). He might have expected a serious challenge to the move mainly from two quarters: the gullible public under the influence of half-baked religious personalities (to call them mullahs is considered derogatory) exploiting the people's sentiments, and the Talibanised elements in the Army. The General must be heaving a sigh of relief so far as the reaction of the public is concerned. There has been no noticeable expression of opposition to his campaign in the streets. But that does not mean that he is going to have a smooth sailing. Pakistan-watchers would agree with the view that no programme of the government in that country can be implemented successfully unless it has the backing of the ISI. The agency is hated for its subversive role within Pakistan as much as elsewhere in the subcontinent. Who will understand this better than General Musharraf. Hence his plan to eliminate the threat to his position as well as to his anti-extremism drive from the ISI. The ISI has virtually been part of the constituency of religious extremists owing to its close interaction with the erstwhile Taliban rulers of Afghanistan and links with madarsas. A large section of ISI officers and other functionaries are not happy with the U-turn in Pakistan's Afghan policy and tightening of the screws on the madarsas. They are now going to be removed from the ISI. This will mean sending at least 40 per cent of ISI personnel back to their parent units in the armed forces. There are a large number of inconvenient men inducted into the ISI from different civilian intelligence networks. They too are going to be dissociated from it. These functionaries will be replaced by men from the Army's intelligence units. Perhaps, they are considered more reliable so far as General Musharraf's interests are concerned. Some of the covert operations of the ISI may be taken away from it. This, however, does not mean that there will be any let-up in the ISI's Kashmir-related subversive activities. The truth is that Kashmir is not a major concern of Uncle Sam. It is difficult to believe at this stage that the ISI’s Kashmir cell will now have a diluted role to play. |
Economic growth & welfare of poor Will the Budget slated to be presented by Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on February 28 be people-friendly? It will be difficult to give a straight answer to this hypothetical question. Even democratically elected governments these days are hardly in tune with the hopes and aspirations of the common man. They lack in sensitivity to grasp public mood and sentiments. The popularity graph of most governments invariably nosedives within months of their coming into being as ministers and bureaucrats get into cosy comforts of their offices. Promises made during election times are hardly honoured since electioneering these days is based more on rhetoric than anything else. Confidence-building with the electorate is perhaps the last priority. It must be said that the Indian economy too is very much part of the drift that we see in the general governance of the nation. Primary objectives invariably get lost in populism. Targets are missed. Hard decisions are avoided. A soft state like ours invariably opts for soft options alone. Besides soft options, the distortion of priorities has shattered the common man's dream. Take a typical village. What are its basic needs? A health centre, a primary school, a gram panchayat with financial power, an all-weather access to a market centre, an economical and efficient communication system and drinking water supply. A potable drinking water facility is an insurance against water-born diseases. Many examples of misplaced priorities and distorted thinking can be cited which generally lead to wasteful and unproductive expenditure. If the bureaucracy takes away 79 paise against every rupee spent, one can guess the extent of futility of the system. In fact, a sort of Parkinson's Law operates in the field of development. Corruption only makes things worse. What can be more regrettable than the absence of drinking water supply in the majority of the villages? What can be more tragic than the poor conditions of primary health centres? What can be more pitiable than the horrifying state of primary schools? This is nothing short of criminal neglect on the part of the authorities concerned. Even in infrastructure development, India has a long way to go. We lag far behind China. Of course, a serious thought is being given now to these areas. Still, the approach continues to be lopsided and misplaced. Persons at the helm of national affairs ought to have a broad vision of the country's development. They have to constantly review the country’s priorities and set targets. For most of the time since Independence the national leadership has been either blissfully unaware of the realities or has preferred to depend on its half-baked ideas in the hope that miracles would take place in this land of gods and goddesses. What can be more shameful than the fact that priorities are decided on political considerations or money-making for self and operators. Distortions are bound to be there in the circumstances in every critical area of national life. This is what has been happening for the past several decades. The problem with our rulers is that their thinking and actions are dominated by petty political considerations. Even vital economic issues are either allowed to drift as a matter of political convenience or overlooked if these do not suit them for their partisan goals. And it is a fact that delayed decisions and actions have not only pushed back the development process but have also escalated the cost of projects. The country has been paying dearly for non-performance. I fail to understand why people tolerate such leaders. I fail to understand why the corrupt among them continue to thrive. People do talk of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, and yet in the absence of organised voices, they continue to rule the roost unchallenged. Why this is so is baffling. Perhaps, this phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that people are not well-informed. Illiteracy can be another reason. Equally relevant is the serious gap in communication channels. To reverse this process of drift, people have t be a determined lot. Much will depend on how the authorities conduct themselves and how honestly they work out budgetary options and priorities. One, the rate of growth needs to be speeded up. It should be a minimum 6 per cent of the GDP. An ideal rate of growth will be 8 to 9 per cent. Looking at the quality of governance, this may be a tall order. Two, to make India economically viable, efficient and competitive in the global market, administrative restructuring has to be given top priority. The ruling class in this country thrives on redtapism, thanks to the ever green colonial rules which continue to dominate the official thinking. We have surely taken to reforms. But progress in this respect is far from satisfactory. Even the first generation reforms have several serious gaps. As for the second generation reforms, I find a lack of clarity and conceptual thinking. Meanwhile, the impression has gone round that everything is dictated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It is perfectly all right to listen to experts at home and abroad. But their opinions have to be tested on the touchstone of common sense and national interests. What generally happens is that the country's interests are often compromised for petty gains, personal or otherwise. This is no nationalism. I do not wish to make any wild charge against any individual. But if we truthfully examine major deals relating to defence and other projects, we will find that they are mostly decided not on rational economic norms but for reasons which cannot be justified. The only way to stop this drift will be extra vigil on the part of the people. There is no other way to guarantee economic independence. Three, we have constantly to keep in mind that 48 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line. They have the right to come up on the socio-economic ladder. Their tears have to be wiped out. They are entitled to have a reasonably good standard of living along with the rest of the population. This has to be a passionate commitment on the part of every Indian. Poverty and the gross disparities existing in society can be lessened not by doles and subsidies but by strengthening the capacity of the people to be self-reliant and helping the poorest to earn and attain socially acceptable levels of living standards by extending opportunities for gainful employment for them. This is practicable only if development projects are organised by competent and dedicated men "within the administrative hierarchies and governing structures" of grassroots democracy. Most Indian problems have emanated in the past not from the whims or caprices of nature or from the malice of the Opposition but from the government's own managerial deficiencies and wrong priorities. What the country needs is "management accountability" at all levels. The quality of administrative management holds the key to economic growth, whether it is a state enterprise or a private venture. The answer to India's manifold and complex problems lies in evolving new concepts which must be sufficiently liberal and forward-looking and yet firmly committed to the uplift of the poor and the under-privileged sections of society in the shortest possible time. All budgetary exercises have to be prompted by these broad objectives. The true yardstick for economic success is efficiency, performance and competition. This requires a new management culture, apart from proper technology tools. Amidst the recent disinvestment controversies, there is need for rationally redefining the roles of the public sector and private enterprises. There does not seem to be transparency in the government's moves for disinvestment in the case of certain public sector units. It will be disastrous if the impression gains ground that the NDA establishment is bending over backwards to favour certain vested interests in the name of disposing of "loss-making units" in the public sector without properly evaluating their real assets. Mind you, these are the people's assets. It is, therefore, imperative that new demarcation lines are drawn to meet the changing needs of the economy. Here the test has to be "what works best and what best serves the welfare of the people in the largest sense," as Prof John Kenneth Galbraith once put it. In fact, the concept of welfare must be taken to include not only efficient production of goods and services but also an equitable distribution of income and opportunities and the avoidance of undesirable features of private capitalism. Over to Mr Yashwant Sinha. |
Editor regrets The Editor was grim-faced as he rapped the staff meeting to order. “We’re up against it in no uncertain manner,” he said gravely, “Our readers are complaining bitterly that we’re inducing in them suicidal thoughts and driving them up the wall by publishing unremitting bad news — strikes, bandhs, dacoities and armed robberies, bank scams and full text of the NDA’s agenda for governance, the Prime Minister’s speech on panchayati raj institutions and SAARC declaration on terrorism. As you know, it’s the established policy of our newspaper only to inform and educate our readers and not instigate them to reach for the nearest open razor and end it all.” “I’ve decided on a radical U-turn in our editorial policy. From tomorrow we shall publish only good news and nothing but good news. Bad news is out and out for good. I welcome suggestions.” He leaned back on his plush executive chair. The paper’s ace crime reporter — a veteran of 25 years in covering the police beat — took the floor. “I’ll do a special feature,” he said “on the crime situation in the country and highlight the fact that due to better policing methods and use of sophisticated technology, the crime rate is down and the citizens are feeling secure and I’ll underline the fact that during 2000-01 there were only 10,321 cases of armed robberies and dacoities, as compared to 10,329 cases during the corresponding period last year.” Just as he finished speaking, he was handed a note. “Come immediately. House has been broken into in broad daylight and miscreants have gotten away clean with everything they could lay their hands on, including the imported electronic burglar alarm and the German shepherd watchdog.” It was the turn of the paper’s political commentator — a respected senior journalist. I’ll do a two-part op.ed article,” he said, “to the effect that with the formation of the BJP-led govt at the Centre, coalition politics has come to stay and that Indian politics is now entering a more mature and healthy phase and that instability and fragmentation of political parties should soon be a thing of the past. He was handed a telex message. The Lok Dal (Ajit Singh) had split into the Lok Dal (Ajit) and the Lok Dal (Singh). The paper’s young sports reporter said eagerly. “I’ll do an upbeat story on Indian hockey “and I’ll underline that India is well on the path to recovering its lost glory and prestige and I’ll point out how in the pre-Olympic tournament, the Indian Olympic “A” team lost by a narrow margin to the Kenya “B” team.” He was urgently called to the telephone to take a message. “Indian Olympic team has lost by a margin of 17 goals to Burkino-Faso “K” team.” The Editor was close to despair when the paper’s press superintendent walked into the room. “I’m afraid tomorrow’s good news only edition can’t be printed,” he announced. “Why not?” snapped the Editor going red in the face. “Because,” said the superintendent, “the printers have just gone on an indefinite strike.” |
Profiles in possibilities Will America carry out its threat to attack Iraq? I do not think so, for the costs can be prohibitive and rewards not commensurate. Iraq has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. America’s temptations can be high. But the Russians are already there, well entrenched. And yet Iraq is attractive because its oil is much cheaper. But one man stands in the way of America — Saddam Husain. America wants to remove him. Today America is universally hated in the Arab world. Why? Because it made peace with Arab monarchies, which are basically undemocratic. The Arabs have put up with this patiently for long, even the fact that they have no control over their own destiny. Prof Edward Said says: those days are over. The younger generation has seen through the double-talk of Washington and is no more prepared to tolerate the conditions in which they are placed. Their desperation has impelled them to take to terrorism. The issue in the Arab world is democracy. America is blocking the way of the Arabs. Instability of the world — this is what brings rewards to America. Our pandits may not agree. Peace and stability go against American interests. The continuing war between the Jews and the Arabs is perhaps the best illustration of this policy. This war has gone on now for half a century with US support to Israel. Perhaps it will continue for another half a century until the oil wells dry up. By then America will have no need for either the Jews or the Arabs. American oil policy is determined by a few people: Vice-President Dick Cheney, former secretaries of State James Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security adviser Scowcroft, former British Energy Minister Timothy Eggar, former Foreign Minister Malcolm Riftkind and President Bush himself are some of the men who control world oil. Their main aim is designed to isolate Iran, contain Iraq and reinforce Turkey. This has become easy after the events of September 11. Today the Islamic world is quiescent and less
belligerent. The fight has gone out of it after America drove out the Taliban from Kabul. There are no street demonstrations today against the USA or any sale of Osama T-shirts. America is thus bound to take full advantage of it. If the Palestinians continue to resort the terrorist methods, they will lose the world’s goodwill. And they will create conditions for a more open intervention by America in the Jewish-Arab conflict. This has become possible for two reasons:
(1) America has discovered in Central Asia an attractive alternative source of oil. And (2) the Arabs have become more dependent on America for their very survival. It is said that with dwindling oil prospects in West Asia, the Arabs have less influence over Washington. The Israelis knew that they could not go on with this conflict without US support. But that too will dwindle with declining US interests in the region. Be that as it may, let us have a look at the regional profiles: Iran and the Gulf: September 11 has helped Iran. It brought down the Taliban, its sworn enemy. But, in the process, it has brought another enemy to Kabul — America. Today Iran is more concerned with its national interests, not, ideological. It was on the same side as America in the war against the Taliban. Thus Kabul can be a check against American plans against Iran. But one can never be sure. The clerics in Iran are still powerful. They remain hostile to America. Iran has better relations with the Gulf countries today. America cannot be happy about it. In fact, by scaring the Gulf states by the Iranian menace, America has promoted its enormous arms sale in the Gulf. What is more, the USA has bases today in the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. The US navy’s 5th fleet is based in Kuwait and Bahrain. These developments have alarmed Iran. It feels almost surrounded today. Which explains why it is opposing US presence in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Khatami, President of Iran, has generated a measure of confidence among Gulf states that Iran poses no threat to them politically and militarily. On its part, Iran has realised that a conflict with the Gulf states cannot do any good to it. But Iran’s military buildup is causing concern among Gulf states. At the 8th OIC meeting in Tehran, Khomenei, the spiritual leader of Iran, assured Gulf states that there would be no threat from Iran to Muslim states. This seems to have reassured them. But the major gain has been the change in the attitude of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Though they are still ideological rivals, they are friendly today. This is also a matter of concern to the USA. In short, the Arabs are not fully reliable anymore. Terrorism will take other forms. Russia: Hence the US search for oil in Central Asia. But here America has to content with Russia. Russia is emerging as the second energy capital of the world, with a prospect of 16 million barrels of crude a day under its control. This is double the production of Saudi Arabia. And in gas, Russia is supreme. Russia is thus in a strong position to maintain its position in Central Asia. And China is more likely to back Russia. Which is why Washington has chosen to be friendly with Russia. A Russia, in strategic partnership with China, but hostile to America — this is a prospect that America wants to avoid. It also explains the opening to India. Central Asia: The USA had no presence in Central Asia. Today it has a military presence in Uzbekistan and it is engaged in expanding the Manas air base in Kyrgystan, where 3,000 US troops are expected to be stationed. This will help the USA to strike at any place without using Pakistan air space. The Caspian Sea is the most vital region for the USA today. It is full of oil and gas. Three states meet here: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. How to take out the oil from here was the main issue before the US oil companies. They preferred the Iran route, the cheapest. But the US State Department continues to threat Iran as a terrorist state because of its link with Hezbollah. So the Afghan route was chosen. To woo the Taliban, the US oil companies went out of their way. They even paid the salaries of the Taliban officials. But what went wrong? America did not provide for the contingency of a Frankenstein monster — like Osama bin Laden. This is why the US oil companies have chosen the south-eastern route avoiding the northern route through Russia. The Chinese route was given up as it is too expensive. Now that Afghanistan and Pakistan are literally under US control, the US will revive the old proposal of a pipeline through Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is America’s supreme goal. Terrorism — this has come handy to camouflage the real purpose. One hopes India will not fall for the double talk of Washington. We must pursue our interests in our own way. |
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Grumpy people are born that way Grumpy people seldom need reasons to be in a bad mood, but scientists have come up with the perfect excuse: they are born that way. So there is no point in telling them to cheer up - their brains are simply designed to be more grumpy than others. Psychologist David Zald of Vanderbilt University in Nashville has identified a tiny part of the brain which he believes governs people’s tendency to have regular bouts of irritability, anxiety or anger. The more active that part of the brain, the more likely someone is to suffer bad
moods.' It looks like it is this part of the brain’s activity that regulates people’s mood. It is also a part of the brain that controls sweating, stomach acidity and heart rate and other physical feelings associated with stress and bad moods,’ said Zald. The culprit is a postage stamp-sized bit of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which lies an inch or two behind the right eye. Zald conducted studies on 89 people, scanning their brains using a technique called positron emission tomography, or PET. They were then asked to complete a detailed survey of their moods over the last month. Those who experienced a lot of bad moods were also revealed to have a lot of extra activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Zald’s research is backed up by studies on people who have suffered damage in that area of the brain. These people often lose the ability to feel anxiety or stress. `They could literally think to themselves: ``Should I bet that $ 10,000 on a roll of the dice?’’ and not feel anything in the pit of their stomach. They just don’t feel anxiety, which is linked to bad moods,’ said Zald.
The Observer White bread poses cancer risk: experts White bread and refined rice cereals should be swapped for wholegrain food to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, experts have said. The Cancer Council of New South Wales said Australians should choose wholemeal or wholegrain for at least half of their daily servings of breads, cereals, rice and pasta. The evidence was now strong enough to make such a quantitative recommendation, the council’s Chief Executive, Dr Andrew Penman, was quoted as saying. Up to now, the only public message on the issue has been a National Health and Medical Research Council recommendation to consume four servings a day of cereal-based food. "We are now going further and suggesting this be modified to include two servings a day of wholegrain cereal," Dr Penman said.
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The adorations of the tongue are for God, and also the adorations of the body, and alms-giving! Peace be on thee, O Prophet, with the mercy of God and His blessing! Peace be upon us and upon God’s righteous servants! — The Tahiyah *** Live in complete harmony with nature, experience the grace of God in the splendour of the universe. Be blessed by God’s reassuring love, The sweet dawn will sweeten your soul. — Yajurveda, 34.37 *** Through rigorous discipline and strict austerity, Burn thy passionate desires. — Samaveda. 24 *** Money corrupts our common life and we must therefore banish it from among us. We must first give and afterwards eat. Giving is god-like, Hoarding is hell. Walk alone, O thou fortunate, walk alone. What do I want? I want change: First, change of heart, then change in personal life habits, followed by change in the structure of society. I aim at a triple change, a triple revolution. — From Moved by Love:
On the path to freedom *** Two guides are mine: The saint to bless without, Ram to dwell within. — Song of Mira Bai *** The Memories of Vinoba Bhave (English translation by Marjerie Sykes) My death has died and made me immortal. I saw my death with my own eyes, and it was an incomparable festival. — Sant Tuka Ram |
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