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States’ turn
Lessons in honesty |
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Afghan survival after 2014
...a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
Aamir all the way
Not so yummy
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States’ turn It is called the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011. While the first half of this commitment is on its way to implementation, the latter part pertaining to state Lokayuktas for now remains a guiding principle. As anti-corruption winds blowing across the country gain force, it will be in the interest of various parties to amend the relevant law in states to bring in an anti-corruption ombudsman on the same lines as has been done at the Centre. Politically, this should no more be a debate as most parties have gone the extra mile to claim credit for getting approved a powerful Lokpal law. What most states have today, except Karnataka, are Acts passed over the past three decades that do not even provide lip service to the cause of checking corruption. Such is the state that many Lokayuktas do not receive complaints enough to keep even their skeletal staff busy. That is so because people have no faith in the institution as well as those appointed to the post. Lokayuktas either do not have jurisdiction over all government and executive posts, including the Chief Minister, or have no power to take legal action. Of course, they do not even have the infrastructure and staff to conduct independent investigations. All of these are issues that have been adequately addressed in the new Bill. Tackling corruption in the states is also important to give people hope for change, as the departments in which the general population experiences graft the most are state subjects, such as the police and revenue. To expect state governments to move swiftly on this count may be asking for too much, but the Delhi Assembly election experience should be a wake-up call to all parties. To convince voters that the passage of the Lokpal Bill was not just about political expediency, rather out of genuine concern, all parties, especially the Congress and BJP, should carry it through by appointing independent state Lokayuktas that have the necessary bite. |
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Lessons in honesty The proposal to train Britain’s MPs in ‘honesty’ would have been laughable had it not been symptomatic of a serious malaise. Indeed, for quite some time the conduct of those holding public office has not been above board. Often their style of functioning and behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. Lord
Bew, chairman of the committee on standards in public life, may have a point when he says that often people are thrust into situations they didn’t expect and they may not necessarily know how to behave. Perhaps training, especially on how to deal with gifts from lobbyists, is in order. But that MPs have to be reminded to behave in public life with “integrity, selflessness and honesty” is itself an indictment of those in high offices. If Britain is facing a crisis of confidence in its duly elected members of Parliament, one can only imagine the gravity of situation closer home. In India, one doesn’t really need Anil
Shastri, the son of one of the country’s tallest leaders, Lal Bahadur
Shastri, to tell us that the present political leaders lack values. With floodgates of corruption scandals involving politicians opening in recent times, public faith in the entire political class has been eroded. While the UK may take comfort in the fact that even those with honest intentions can benefit from a course in ethics, a similar move would perhaps yield little results in India. For the only exercise from which the thick-skinned Indian political class ever learns any lessons is the election. The emergence of AAP with a clean image can perhaps teach them a thing or two about the merits of honesty. Either way, it is indeed a sad reflection of the times we live in, that be it Britain or India, honesty has to be taught and drilled in, and does not come naturally as a way of life. This in itself is as deep a cause for disillusionment as the plethora of corruption scandals inundating us. |
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Thought for the Day
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. — John Steinbeck |
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An open letter to General Smuts.
IN another column we reproduce the “Open Letter to General Smuts” addressed by Mr. Vere Stent, editor of the Pretoria News. As coming from a Boer, the letter is of especial importance for the charges enumerated in it against the Union Government and for the opinion it expresses about the attitude of Indians. It should be translated into every one of the vernacular languages and published by every vernacular newspaper in the country. With regard to the £3 tax Mr. Stent asserts that General Smuts gave Mr. Gokhale to understand that it would be remitted, that the consulting of Natal members was a mere formality and that at the meeting of the Natal members the majority against remission was only one. The motive for non-remission, he asserts, is to force Indians to reindenture, and this he says is “disgraceful”. The Punjab Legislative Council.
A meeting of the Punjab Legislative Council was held in the Durbar Hall of the Government House, Lahore, on Saturday, the 20th December, at 10.30 A.M. His honour the Lieutenant Governor presided and there was a full attendance of members. Colonel Maclagan and Mr. Maynard took the oath as new members. Then followed interpellations by the several members who had put down questions and their replies by the official members responsible for the respective departments. The Hon’ble Mr. Mant introduced the Fisheries Bill to which the Honourable Bakhshi Sohan Lal moved a number of amendments which were all rejected. To meet an objection by the Hon’ble Mr. Mahomed Shafi, Mr. Mant moved an amendment which was carried, and the Bill passed. The Punjab Courts Act Amendment Bill was then introduced by Mr. Barron.
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Afghan survival after 2014
Will there be a civil war in Afghanistan once the international security forces leave the country in 2014? There is a perception that the Karzai government will not be able to survive the withdrawal and will collapse, leading to a civil war resulting in the Taliban taking over. How plausible is such a scenario in 2014, or after that? While this perception has been there ever since Obama announced his exit strategy, the current ground situation in Afghanistan, positive developments in the past decade and, more importantly, the widespread self-belief in the Afghan community do not support such a breakdown either in 2014 or in the near future thereafter. Of course, there are other critical non-security challenges, for example better governance and stable economy, which should be the primary focus of international debate, but certainly not whether Afghanistan will survive. In assessing the security situation, the first come the Afghan forces. The army and police are better trained and armed today than in the 1990s. While the Taliban onslaught was supported by Pakistan, the Afghan regime in the mid-1990s was poorly trained and equipped, and highly divided. Though Ahmed Shah Massoud led the troops, the hard reality for him while fighting the Taliban was his troops were divided, poorly trained and worse, insufficiently equipped. Today the situation is the opposite. Thanks to the international support in training, recruiting and arming, the Afghan forces are better placed to deal with any security situation, especially fighting the Taliban. They are better equipped with mobility and communication. The command and control in the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) runs better today. In recent years there have been multiple success stories of Afghan forces taking care of situations. One can now hardly see any foreign troops patrolling the streets of Kabul. The Afghan army and police are present all over the city. The ANSF is not only willing, but also ready to take charge. The transformation has already taken place. On the other hand, the Taliban now is not what it was. While they could earlier organise suicide attacks and ambush troops at will, their military capabilities today seem to be considerably damaged. The fact they are using more suicide attacks shows the decline in their conventional capabilities. Besides, the Taliban cannot take Pakistan’s support for granted as they did in the 1990s. The international community will be closely watching Islamabad. Even within Pakistan, the opinion is divided on what role they should play. With the Pakistani Taliban wreaking havoc within, the opinion is unlikely to support any misadventure in terms of supporting the Taliban militarily. Finally, the international security forces, especially the US troops, are not likely to leave Afghanistan altogether. Though the US and Karzai have differences over the bilateral security arrangement, Afghanistan is likely to agree to it. As a result, there will be residual American presence, especially for handling electronic surveillance and some air support. Militarily, Afghanistan is thus unlikely to collapse. Infrastructure and governance, however, are a mixed situation. There have been numerous non-military developments all over Afghanistan. The country today is not what the Taliban left when they fled in 2002. From road infrastructure to mobile connectivity and electricity, there have been many positive stories. Never has Afghanistan seen so much of road infrastructure as today — in terms of kilometres built since 2001-02 as well as quality. Mobile connectivity and electricity too are similarly developed. Of course, there is a long way to go in completing the electrification of the entire country. The international community has also succeeded in building local capacity. Compared to 2001-02, the achievement in building local capacities from maintaining books to distributing aid has been significant, given that everything had to be raised from scratch. There is also a civilian and private component in most sectors. This means there is a vested interest in maintaining the existing framework. Of course, the critics are correct about bad governance, drugs, corruption and the role of warlords. Karzai could have done better on these counts, and has to be held accountable. However, to be fair to him, he has succeeded in building a coalition and maintaining a regime, which never existed before. He bargained even with the devil to run his government. But we have to keep in mind the circumstances in which he took over. Besides, expecting Karzai to establish a stable and democratic Afghanistan is asking for the moon. In fact, a stable and democratic Afghanistan would be a historic anomaly. Which period of Afghan history would one want Karzai to replicate? Will Afghanistan be able to sustain itself economically after 2014? Will Karzai or his successor be able to run the government once the international economic support starts going down? This is a billion-dollar question. There are a few positive developments on this front as well. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline seems to be closer to getting realised than in the previous years. The four countries have signed the gas sale and purchase agreements. In a regional meeting in Central Asia earlier this year, they agreed to fast-track the process in confidence building on infrastructural networks. The Asian Development Bank has agreed to be the financial adviser to the project. Besides the pipeline, Afghanistan has also been working on building an electricity network linking Central Asia and South Asia (CASA 1000). There is yet another initiative involving Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan to network the power grid. These developments will help Afghanistan’s economy as a transit country. If the next government succeeds in getting electricity and gas, the country could expect more investment to sustain the economy. Besides such calculations, the Afghans across board strongly believe they would succeed. Compared to 12 years ago, there is a middle class and youth bulge, both believing in the future. Afghanistan would certainly not fail nor collapse. The international community should appreciate the above transitions and change the debate — from a civil war discourse to finalising Afghanistan’s transformation. The nature of its survival depends on continuing regional and international interests in stabilising it. The writer is Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. |
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...a rose by any other name would smell as sweet “Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic colognes.” —Quentin Crisp
1. The recent case of eve-teasing in the adjoining state was dealt with earnestly. It is likely the term “eve-teasing” was coined to provide people some distancing from a socially awkward issue, a role euphemisms play. But gradually the term has come under criticism for its allusion to the story of Adam and Eve. It is even looked at as a veiled insult. On the other hand, the straightforward term “bride burning” did well for the cause, making a direct and honest statement. Cloaking issues in euphemisms can sometimes sidetrack them from receiving due attention. 2. Many students were found to be underachievers in English. As if the use of the phrase “underachievers” for “failures” wasn’t protective enough, there was a suggestion to replace it with “potentially proficient”. Straight talking should be preferred in such contexts. However, in euphemistic terms like “funeral home” and “memorial park” for a cemetery, the use of the words “home” and “park” certainly lends a touch of warmth and peace to an otherwise harsh reality. 3. Lisa thought Alex had a screw loose from the way he spoke to her. Many euphemistic terms like “having a screw loose”, “having lost one’s marbles”, “nut case” and “whacky” have been coined to speak about mental illness. But they project a comic element in a problem requiring medical support. Euphemism treadmills keep inventing new terms since sometimes the old ones end up acquiring different connotations with the passage of time. 4. Suheil graduated from the academy in 2001 with a diploma in spoken French. Calling a school an “academy” is yet another instance of euphemism where the status of an organisation is elevated. Similarly, people may refer to a school teacher as a professor, a secretary as an executive assistant, or a property dealer as a real estate manager. In certain government departments, junior employees avoid the use of the personal pronoun “you” while addressing a senior, making euphemistic use of sir, madam, jenaab or sahib constantly. Euphemisms are a useful device as long as they are not disrespectful to the subject and do not detract attention from the main issue. They come naturally to most languages since they facilitate communication in sticky situations. They have therefore been popular through centuries, or else the Bard wouldn’t have remarked “...a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. |
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Ratings: ***** Excellent ****very good ***good **Average *poor
Aamir all the way
By now even an average filmgoer understands that hype need not translate into substance. So the fuss over Dhoom 3 made at an astronomical budget of Rs 150 crore could well be misplaced. Undeniably, Dhoom 3, third part in the hugely successful Dhoom series, falls short of its predecessors and is in a way much ado about little of significance. In fact, much of what is being depicted here is a showcase of its heroes’ (Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra) antics, its heroine Katrina Kaif’s beauty in a Barbie doll sort of way and all else that you expect from a usual Yash Raj signature. Great locales (US at its best), some chartbusting music (Pritam at play again), only here there is an ace up the sleeve which comes by the name of gifted actor Aamir Khan. As Sahir, the slippery thief who gives police the slip at every nook and corner of Chicago’s streets, he is easily the best thing about the film. Call him the villain of the film, the lead protagonist, anti-hero or what have you, he remains the fulcrum around which the film revolves. And the superstar actor doesn’t disappoint at all. It’s his film all the way more so after the interval when a twist in the tale makes him dominate almost each and every frame. More appeasing than ingenuous, cheesy rather than heart warming… there are no wow or jaw dropping moments whatsoever. Despite the lavish spread the storyline that begins with an epilogue of sorts is lame for most parts and only a wee bit refreshing in its surprise (albeit predictable) factor. Why the US police can’t nab the thief beats us completely? Why it takes an Indian cop Jay (Abhishek Bachchan) to decipher basic common sense questions about the elusive thief is once more as ludicrous as why the US police looks awestruck at the thief when he does tricks worthy of a circus act. Ah, lest we forget, the great Indian circus, a company owned by Jackie Shroff, is the central leitmotif from where the film takes off to unravel a tale of vengeance. It’s this that gives the film its raison d’etre as well as some joyous moments. Alas, the film is far from an out and out joyride. The length of over two and a half hours only beleaguers its impact. Still it makes for watchable fare for Aamir and some dramatic tension between Aamir’s character and no not the police but guess who? Well…we are not telling and giving away the only surprise element that makes the film worth its salt and in this case your ticket’s price.
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Not so yummy
There are animation films and there are animation films but they vary from the good to the not-so-good. Cloudy with a Chance of MeatBalls 2 falls in the latter category and that’s putting things mildly. Not surprising at all as it follows in the footsteps of the parent film with Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) wanting to make the world a better place by his inventions like turning water into food. Living in a small town in the Atlantic Ocean called Swallow Falls, he looks up to major inventor Chester V (Will Forte). Along with his girl-friend Samantha “Sam” Sparks (Anna Faris), they set about their misadventures with his dad Tim (James Caan). The machine that works wonders is called Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Marketing Dynamic Food (FLDSMDF). Some of the creatures are cute, like the cheese-spider or the spewing crocodile and one comes across all kinds of fruit and veggies dancing around but the songs are not well chosen except for “Yummy, yummy, yummy…” and the lines trite more often than not like “a bully-turned-friend will be a friend to the end.” But by the time Flint realises he is taken in by Chester and decides to fight back the film runs out of steam. What can one say about the voices? Also, these days even if films are in 3D they are not so advertised. Guess they are a no-no. |
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Saturday December 21 STAR MOVIES 11:23AM The Lost World: Jurassic Park MOVIES NOW 10:05AM Superman MOVIES OK 11:05AM Om Shanti Om ZEE CLASSIC 1:27PM Zevar ZEE STUDIO 10:15AM The Karate Kid, Part II STAR GOLD 12:20PM Hero No. 1 Sunday December 22 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is an American romantic fantasy and adventure film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. MOVIES OK 11:55AM One Two Three ZEE STUDIO 10:45AM The Lion King FILMY 11:30AM Infomercial STAR GOLD 12:00PM Dhadkan ZEE CLASSIC 9:05AM Ponga Pandit STAR MOVIES 10:27AM Mr. Bean's Holiday |
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C
In fact, in this cop-thief chase there is some emotional drama too, to keep you engaged. However, where the film lets you down is that none of the chor-police sequences are nail-biting. There is no razor’s edge, ‘hold your breath’ suspense or even a masterly executed heist that would want you to sit back and applaud. Besides, more than the actual robbery the film focuses on motorcycle stunts that defy gravity as much as credulity. Yes, there are some high octane chase sequences, few that go on forever, but these are once again deliberately mounted and crafted to elicit seetis and taalis from the cinema hungry audiences.
But it is a long, long journey with Lord and Miller stumbling with weak establishing shots. The visuals too are at best average and going through a dull middle is another handicap. Though the climax is a saving grace one isn’t likely to brave it out till then.
11:05am movies ok
3:00pm star movies