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Friday, February
15, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Now, the long wait Musharraf goes berserk
HARI JAISINGH |
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Eros. Amour. Cupid.
Need to check US excesses
Older mothers face greater
breast cancer risk
1998, Economics: AMARTYA SEN
Verdict in heart patients’ case — Viagra is safe
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Now, the long wait Although sporadic clashes and skirmishes had taken place, the polling in Punjab on Wednesday was by and large peaceful. Stray incidents of violence marked it but did not mar it. For that, the credit goes to the police force as well as the Election Commission which had made elaborate arrangements. The peaceful conclusion is an achievement in itself considering that many other states of the country have a far worse track record. The voting percentage was not as high as last time but was considerable nevertheless. There was tremendous enthusiasm in the rural areas and the traditional mela atmosphere was evident at many places — a healthy sign for the democracy indeed. Now that the fate of the candidates is sealed in the ballot boxes — electronic voting machines actually — there is a long wait ahead for everyone. Only the announcement of the results would show how correct psephologists and exit polls were. Most of them have predicted a change of government. It would be pointless to say either aye or no to that at this stage, but one thing is certain: the Congress has risen like a phoenix to post such a creditable challenge. Capt Amarinder Singh can claim some credit for it, but the fact of the matter is that the Akalis lent a helping hand to a great extent. Infighting eroded their base greatly. The anti-incumbency factor is being highlighted. If that is only for public consumption, then it is alright, otherwise the think tank of the SAD-BJP government should also address itself to numerous errors of omission and commission that alienated them from the masses and allowed a strong wave to gather against them. Corruption was a central issue which proved decisive in most of the constituencies. The 2002 elections did not prove too bloody but the campaigning was less than graceful. None of the parties put forward a constructive, practical blueprint before the voters. Instead, the focus was on the so-called misdeeds of the other side. The courts rightly refused to intervene, but the fact remains that many of these attacks were aimed at below the belt. These are bound to leave a bad taste. Whichever party comes to power, it has to first erase the bad blood that has been generated and then undo the mistakes of the past five years. A clean government is the minimum that the public expects. Once probity and integrity are established, the next item on the to-do list is an efficient administration. History is a witness that Punjab fell a victim to terrorism mainly because of bad administration. The situation has been retrieved after a grave sacrifice. It will be a shame if the same mistakes are repeated yet again. |
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Musharraf goes berserk It is no exaggeration to say that Pakistan ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf has gone berserk. Whenever he opens his mouth before an audience, national or international, these days he makes baseless charges against India, only to be rebuked by the global community. His Tuesday's statement in Washington that there "may be a possibility of a nuclear test" by India and "may I also say provocative" received the treatment it deserved from the Bush administration. It was dismissed as something childish. Obviously, if such a development was to take place in the subcontinent, it could not remain hidden from the USA with its unprecedented presence in the region. Pakistan does not have to take the trouble of bringing it to the notice of Uncle Sam. This demeanour came immediately after the General tried to mislead the US leadership on the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by alleging that India might be involved in the gory incident. The Washington Post described it as "an irresponsible and implausible suggestion that is not backed by evidence". Soon President Musharraf got eggs on his face with the arrest of Omar Sheikh, the terrorist leader associated with Masood Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammad, who disclosed that the kidnapping drama was the handiwork of the ISI. If the General's intention is to divert the attention of the world community, particularly the USA, from the real task of neutralising the Pakistan-patronised terrorist outfits, which he committed to accomplish on January 12, this is not possible under the circumstances. He has to show concrete results on this front to prove not only his sincerity but also to save Pakistan from being declared a rogue state. In fact, there is a direct link between his January 12 pledge and the desire to initiate talks with India on the issues coming in the way of normalising relations between the two neighbours. That is how the atmosphere conducive to such an engagement can be created. India is not averse to discussing Kashmir or any other problem for that matter, but it cannot be possible so long as Pakistan continues to see "freedom struggle" in cross-border terrorism. Parleys are also unthinkable till the terrorists hiding in Pakistan and wanted by India are not brought to justice. Pragmatism demands that General Musharraf takes immediate measures to desensitise the Pakistanis on the Kashmir question as he did on militant jehad and religious extremism. Crying over the shoulders of Uncle Sam and beseeching him for third-party mediation, not acceptable to any self-respecting nation, will not do. This is time for action. Desperate behaviour never helps. |
Of crime, election and politics Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee may have his own reasons to say that the results of the forthcoming Assembly elections should not be seen as a referendum on the performance of the Central Government. In a way, he is right, though every election is seen as the people's mandate. Looking at the nature of alliances at the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, some fallout of the verdict on the NDA government is but natural. We ought to accept poll results as an opportunity for an honest assessment of the public mood and where things are going wrong and why. It is a different matter that no attempt is made to draw lessons from the mistakes committed. No wonder, we look like a nation which is perpetually in a state of drift. Take the case of criminals in politics. Crime and politics seem to go together in UP, Bihar and some other states. According to a report, 965 candidates — 17 per cent of the 5,539 contesting the UP Assembly poll — have a criminal record. In this criminalised polity, every party is guilty. If criminals are allowed to contest elections, what could be the future of democracy in the country? No honest Indian would like our legislatures to be hijacked by history-sheeters. How and why mafia groups have come to dominate the political scene is puzzling. As a people, have we lost our sense of decency? How come leaders have ceased to draw a line between what is good and what is not? True, there are some serious flaws in the system of governance which makes criminals look respectable in public life. This problem is not new. It has been with us for quite some time. After the Bombay blasts, the N.N. Vohra committee drew the nation's attention to the nexus between criminals and politicians. This is actually the crux of the problem. This nexus operates at different levels of governance. The report continues to gather dust and no one seems to lose sleep in the absence of follow-up action. There has to be transparency and accountability in public life. Politics does not mean mudslinging. Nor should it become an exercise in rhetoric, misplaced declarations and falsehood. Most political leaders thrive on negativism instead of tackling the real issues that have a direct bearing on the people's life. This was very much visible during the election campaign this time. This is a pity. Every government has to be judged on the basis of performance of its ministers and administrators, both individually and collectively. This is the only way to improve matters and loosen the evil grip of vested interests on the system. At stake is the people's faith in the system and in the democratic structure. Today the people's faith in the system and those at the helm has been increasingly undermined. Electoral reforms hold the key to the quality of governance and parliamentary democracy. Mr T.N. Seshan and Mr M.S. Gill did initiate some reforms, but they were not substantial. Some of the basic problems — criminals in politics, free flow of black money in elections, high expenses and the lack of transparency and accountability in the system — remain unattended. We need to think on new lines. Broadly speaking, there are three aspects of the electoral problem: the ever higher cost of elections, the "means by which the resources are raised by political parties and individual politicians, and the manner in which the electoral administration could check the corrupt practices in the elections". It costs a small fortune to fight an election. Though the permissible expenditure limit under the law has been raised, the actual expenses incurred by candidates is many times more than the prescribed ceiling. Those who beg, borrow and spend lavishly to win the poll race, wittingly or unwittingly, unleash undesirable forces which affect the quality of politics. An invisible system of "sponsorship" exists today. A person who pays would naturally want returns on his "investment". He carves out a political constituency to promote his personal and business interests. A nexus is thus established between money-bags and politics. Black money pours in and in the process more black money in the polity is generated. Since, on an average, elections are held every four or five years at the local, state and national levels, one can imagine the quantum of black money generated by hundreds of corporators, legislators and members of Parliament, simply because most candidates in the poll fray have no choice but to look for "sponsors". Millions of rupees are thus churned out by an electoral system which, while sustaining democracy, falls an easy prey to black money operators and underworld dons. In his revealing judgement on the Amar Nath Chawla case, Justice P.N. Bhagwati made some pertinent observations on the electoral system. He said: "The object of the provision limiting the expenditure is twofold. In the first place, it should be open to individual or any political party, howsoever small, to be able to contest an election on a footing of equality with any other individual or political party, howsoever rich and well-financed it may be, and no individual or political party should be able to secure an advantage over others by reasons of its superior financial strength. "It can hardly be disputed that the way elections are held in our country, money is bound to play an important part in the successful prosecution of an election campaign.... The availability of disproportionately larger resources is also likely to lend itself to misuse or abuse for securing to the political party or individual, possessed of such resources, undue advantage over other political parties or individuals". Can this process be reversed? This is not easy. It so happens that the economics of politics and electioneering processes have considerably weakened the political will of our leaders to make the democratic structure a mirror of the common man's aspirations. It will be worth recalling what K. Santhanam, a member of the Constituent Assembly and later a member of Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet, said in the early seventies: "No electoral reforms will be of much consequences unless the functioning of political parties is free from present defects of indiscipline and bossism. I am convinced that there should be a basic law which provides for the registration of political parties, their constitution and procedure for amending such constitution, accurate maintenance of membership registers and accounts which should be subject to periodic audit by persons authorised by the Registrar for such purposes..... When a recognised party sets up a candidate in the election and he gets the benefit of its name and symbol, it should not be open to him after election to leave the party without forfeiting his membership of the legislative body. This will put an end to party hopping which has become a menace to Indian democracy". In the ultimate analysis, people alone can make a difference to the working of democracy. Our callous attitude and tolerance of the wrongs done by corrupt persons do more harm to society than anything else. The people have to understand their role since everything depends on how they conduct themselves in the interest of evolving a cleaner public life. At the end of the USA's constitution-making convention at the Independence Hall on September 17, 1787, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or monarchy?" "A republic", Franklin said, "if you can keep it." After over five decades we have somehow managed to keep our Republic going. But corrupt politicians, corrupt businessmen, corrupt bureaucrats and corrupt policemen in collaboration with criminals and organised mafia groups, middle-men and operators have destroyed vital democratic institutions. What we see today, as Sri Aurobindo put it in a different context, are "the average pettiness, selfishness, egoism and self-deception". An honest democratic system cannot function effectively on negative traits leading to diabolism. Herein lies the challenge to the Indian Republic. It is badly caught in the politics of crime, populism, inefficiency and drift. |
Eros. Amour. Cupid. Oh! This chirpy cherub is going to strike again with his arrow and send the love-birds into a tailspin. February 14 is a “honeymoon” day, especially in Western calendars. Turn on your heart-strings, send honeyed messages and cards bordered with laces and frills, lollipops and roses. Stories abound about the start of these love-filled customs on a Valentine’s Day. Some historians trace it to an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Young men struck people, including women, with strips of animal hide. The women did not flinch from the blows as they thought that the whipping made them fertile. Other experts link the day with one or more saints of the early Christian church. There were, at least, two saints named Valentine. The English folklore has it that birds chose their mates on Valentine’s Day. Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote in the Parliament of Fowls,: “For this was on St Valentine’s Day. When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.” This belief holds in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream when a character in the play stumbles upon two lovers in the woods and asks,: “St Valentine is past/Begin these wood birds but to couple now?” One can hark back to a more romantic time when unmarried women in England and France would get up before sunrise on Valentine’s Day. They would sit by their window for hours waiting for a man to pass by. It was believed that the first man they saw would marry them within a year. The sweet swan of Avon mentions this belief in Hamlet. Ophelia sings: Good morrow! ‘Tis St Valentine’s Day All in the morning betime, And I be a maid at your window, To be your Valentine! Close to home in north India, there is another kind of Valentine’s Day which is celebrated by married women. Its spirit is catching on with the eligible maids also. On this day, they get up at cock-crow, fill their bread-basket and then remains sans belly-timber throughout the day until they see the moon at night. In the evening, the better halves gather in a park to sing serenade to their worse halves. Of late, even the men have started keeping a fast on the day just to give company to their beloveds. A real Valentine’s Day!. But, the Valentine tradition is yet to catch on in this part of the globe in a big way. Yours truly tried to popularise it donkey’s ears back by cooing precious sweet nothings (or somethings?) to a girl whose smile exuded a “je ne sais quoi” like Mona Lisa’s. “Your smile can light a thousand lamps,” said this child (of cupid) in a be-my-valentine tone. And she had no love lost for me after she had come to know the import of that day. She would not touch me with a barge-pole. Ever since I have minded my P’s and Q’s and stopped toying with the idea of spreading St Valentine kind of love. For me: Sic transit gloria Valentine! |
Need to check US excesses Lenin was fascinated by the idea. He saw in it the means to change the course of human history. But when he died, the idea died with him. Primakov revived it. But he did not stay long enough on his job to give it a try. I am
referring to the prospect of Russia, China and India coming together. It was one of the great “ifs” of history. China showed little interest in the idea then. Nor did it show much interest when Primakov proposed it. But the idea refuses to die. It is an ide'e fix'e — an obsession of history. But why? Because the world — at least a good part of it — is not happy with the way the world is going. It fears a catastrophe. But why this fear? Because the world is led by America, an arbitrary power, which is seeking hegemony over the world. Its unilateralism is a traversty of the democratic principle. Be that as it may, today the issue is not about a new ideology or about charting a new course of history. The issue is about unilateralism, American excesses, the arbitrary nature of American power and how to check it. America has no monopoly on wisdom. It is as much prone to error as any other nation. In fact, its history is replete with follies. Hence the need to broaden humanity’s quest — to make decisions more democratic. The point is: we are inexorably moving towards a multipolar world. So America should accept the inevitable. It should welcome correction. I think Primakov had precisely this objective in mind. America could have aspired to be the envy of the world. It had the resources to change the world, to change its history. But it chose to buy the silence of the world, if not its acquiscence. The Americans could have said, as Thucydides, the Greek statesman, said of the Greeks: “We shall be the wonder of the world, not only of the men today, but of after times.” But that was not to be. Why? Because America lacked wisdom. Hence the fear among people about the way America is exercising supreme power in the world. The world paid a very high price for the cold war. But it was more an American enterprise. Today communism may be dead, but the ethical ideas which gave it birth and life are not dead. When historians will make their final judgement on the cold war, it will not be all that laudatory of the USA. It was America which sowed the seeds of fundamentalism and terrorism. The Taliban is largely an American creation. The world has already paid a high price for America’s folly. More so, India. But America looked the other way. It said that there was no terrorism! But when the terrorists struck at America, America sounded the big drums around the world. It made it into a global war against terrorism. The point I want to make is this: this is not how a country, which wants to be the leader of the world, should behave. Here was an utterly self-centred nation. And this explains why there is a growing feeling in the world that American hegemony can lead to a world catastrophe. Hence the demand for a multipolar world. That America can no more be trusted to lead the world is now a widespread conviction among peoples. Even among America’s allies in Europe. If they are not too vocal about it, it is because Uncle Sam is still able to declare annual dividends to the investors in the enterprise of capitalism. India, Russia and China — these are countries which went through painful soul-searching in recent times. India was under colonial subjection; Russia was subjected to both cold and hot wars; and Europe was ready to cut up China among European nations. Today, India, Russia and China are united on one thing: to prevent a repetition of threats to their respect and sovereignty. They can never be sure of it so long America is at the helm of global affairs. But forming an alliance is not the way to correct America. That will revive the cold war. In any case, China is opposed to such an “axis”. As no other power can replace the USA in the near future, the only way to bring the USA under some discipline is by strengthening the UN. It is here that Russia, China and India can make a major contribution. Today America recognises India as a great power, as a global actor, as a strategic partner. It wants India to police the Indian Ocean and be a countervailing factor against China. China is worried. But should it? It is boosting Pakistan. Today China may be a highly pragmatic country. But not too long ago, it was almost insane. One has to be on one's guard. But that does not prevent cooperation. There are many areas of cooperation. For example: to create a multipolar world, a democratic world order, to check the excesses of globalisation and to strengthen the UN system. India has no problem with Russia. Our friendship was built on mutual trust. There has been no change in that position. But, I am afraid, with the change in India's policy towards America, we can mess up our relations with Moscow. India must understand that American friendship is not tested. There are many things on which we do not agree with America. That is why we should be careful. As for China, our differences with it are well known. China will not support us for a seat in the Security Council. Nor will it recognise us as a global power or as a nuclear power. China will continue to back Pakistan. And China is in no mood to resolve the boundary problem in the near future. “Leave it to the future,” say the Chinese. However, we can still work with China. There is only one condition: both countries should not initiate actions which can cause further friction. If I may hazard a guess, the 21st century will be dominated by oil politics. Central Asia will be the major theatre of conflicts and intrigues. The USA will use Pakistan to bring about changes in the Central Asian leadership, which is mostly pro-Moscow. This explains why are USA connived at saving the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. In the process, America is bound to hurt the interests of Russia and China. That is why Russia and China feel compelled to close their ranks. Any close relation between the USA and Pakistan will be at the expense of India, whatever America might say. Hence the need for India to stand together with Russia and China to prevent American excesses in the region. India is not without defence. It can put a price as the largest customer for oil and gas in the region. |
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Older mothers face greater breast cancer risk Women who have a child late in life face a much higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to a major study covering more than 90,000 women. The report, published in the British Journal of Cancer, also said that girls who start their periods relatively late in their teenage years enjoy a reduced risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Women who had their first child in their thirties were 63 per cent more likely than women who gave birth before 30 to develop breast cancer before the menopause. And they had a 35 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer after the menopause. Girls who started periods at 15 were a third less likely to develop breast cancer than girls who had their first period before the age of 12. The study found there was only limited protection from breast cancer if a woman had several
children. AFP |
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Verdict in heart patients’ case — Viagra is safe A recent study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed that the anti-impotence drug sildenafil citrate, better known as Viagra, can actually be taken by men suffering from heart ailment. Using ultrasound images of the heart during exercise, the researchers have shown for the first time that Viagra does not adversely affect blood flow to the heart in men with stable coronary artery disease who are not taking nitrates. In the study, 105 men with known or probable coronary artery disease were administered with two exercise echocardiograms (ECG). The testing was done on a reclining exercise bicycle to allow continuous ultrasound imaging of the heart, and it was combined with an ECG to monitor the heart's electrical activity. While one stress test was given an hour after taking Viagra, the other after taking a sugar pill. "We expected and saw that echocardiograms of these heart disease patients would show evidence of inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle during exercise. The key finding, however, is that the problem was not made worse by sildenafil," said Dr Patricia Pellikka, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and the lead investigator for the study.
ANI St Valentine is good for heart, say scientists Cardiologists issued their own Valentine’s Day message — love is good for the heart. As romantics sent cards and red roses, the World Heart Federation (WHF) issued a statement urging loving couples across the globe to let their emotions run free. "Valentine Day lovers have another reason to celebrate today as findings show that being in love and being loved helps to keep us healthy and is particularly good for our hearts," the WHF statement said. The Geneva-based federation, which is dedicated to fighting heart disease, said love also reduced stress, depression and anxiety — three major psychological risk factors behind heart disease.
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Never say that you wish your situation were different! Never wish you had some other person’s life or troubles or worries. Accept your own as a working basis, the best for you. Then go ahead and change whatever displeases you. Remember, you are the maker and moulder of your destiny. You do not recall the fact, but you brought about the present conditions of your destiny in your former incarnations. There is no partiality in the universe. The whole scheme is well balanced. If you were allowed to change lots with anyone on the face of the earth, you would complain and find fault in a short time. We are all blind racers on the track of earth. The kind, the millionaire, the statesman, the law-maker, the beggar, the labourer, the cripple, we are all in the dark. The only thing is to trust the hand of the Master, and do our best. Believe your position is the right starting point for you. It is the shapeless block of stone from which you are to fashion the perfect statue. Or is it the mere mud from which you are to mould the clay image, and later that is to be put into enduring marble.... Take the mud of your present environment and thank God for it, and make the image of the future you desire. — Ella Wheeler Wilcox,
the New Thought *** What is there that is mightier than destiny? For it is present even in the plans we devise to overcome it. — The Tirukural, 380 *** The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. — Albert Einstein |
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