M A I L B A G

Make military service compulsory

APROPOS “Task force on employment submits report” (July 3), it is shocking to note that the 13-member task force headed by Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia has danced to the tunes of the W.T.O. and confirmed the “His Masters Voice” approach adopted therein.

Although the task force admits that unemployment is increasing by 83 lakh per year, we have no plan of action for providing employment opportunities either in the public sector or the private sector.

To my mind, the only practical solution of the problem is to make military services compulsory for five years for one and all which will bring discipline in the country.

The domain of military activities will have to be enhanced to include agriculture, industry as well as the social sector.

M. M. GOEL, Kurukshetra

Riots in Britain

The editorial “UK police in the dock” (July 3) paints a rather bleak picture of race relations in Britain. As a British citizen of Indian origin who has been living in Britain for many years, I can assure you that the situation is not as bad as your editorial implies.

Racism, needless to say, does exist in Britain, just as caste discrimination continues to exist in India. However, the intensity and degree of racism have been on the downward slide since the seventies. The present trouble in Burnley, Oldham and other northern towns owes its existence to the policy of multiculturalism, insidiously pursued by the Blair government.

Multiculturalism was introduced in the eighties. The idea was to create a cultural space for immigrants so that they can retain their religious and cultural identity. It was never meant to reinforce and crystallise cultural segregation, which is precisely what has happened among Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism only made the situation worse. The result is that Muslim youths today stand totally alienated from the British mainstream. The existing high crime rate and under achievement in education among Muslim youths are direct consequences of this alienation.

The editorial uses the word “Asians” to describe the rioting youths in Burnley and other towns. In fact, they are Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Indian youths (Hindu/Sikh) are not involved in these rioting. And it is not difficult to see why: They are too busy creating wealth and prosperity for Britain.

RANDHIR SINGH BAINS, UK

Survival of the fittest

This is in response to a letter “Why eliminate stray dogs and cattle?” (June 28). But why not?

One can only sympathise with people who propagate such “animaltarian” views. For life is not governed by the whims and fancies of a set of people/organisations that look at it through personalised blinders. In fact, while taking up such constipated cudgels one often forgets the basic reality of life: “survival of the fittest”!

Any move to eliminate stray animals from our residential areas should not be construed to be the efforts to eliminate the species. These moves are made for realising a cleaner and healthier human living.

BALVINDER, Chandigarh