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Indophile PM Japan’s ties with India likely to improve WITH Mr Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party taking over as the new prime minister of Japan, it is time to watchTokyo’s moves on the world chessboard. The youngest leader to hold the reins of government in post-World War II Japan is known for his aggressiveness, unlike his immediate predecessor, Mr Junichiro Koizumi.
Towards police reforms
Short is sweet
Decisive firepower Pak tribal deal boosts Taliban Delhi Durbar
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Creamless report OVERSIGHT Committee Chairman M. Veerappa Moily’s decision to leave the contentious issue of excluding the creamy layer from the ambit of reservations for the socially and educationally backward classes to the prime minister is most unfortunate. This is bound to disappoint all those who had expected a bold and forthright decision by the high-power committee in its final report. Given Mr Moily’s known opposition to the creamy layer, it should not have been difficult for him to take a clear stand on the issue. This would have strengthened the prime minister’s hands as well in tackling the issue as there are some dissenting voices in the UPA like the DMK, the PMK and the RJD. Mr Moily’s decision to pass the buck to the Centre has brought the issue back to square one and this shows the committee in a poor light. Whatever the differences, the creamy layer must be excluded from the proposed reservations for the OBCs. This would be in conformity with the Supreme Court ruling in the Mandal case. Clearly, any contrary decision will run the risk of being struck down by the court as null and void. The Moily committee’s recommendation for a review of the policy on reservations every 5-10 years needs to be implemented in toto. The objective is to plug the loopholes in implementation. This was also the cherished desire of the founding fathers of the Constitution with respect to reservations for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. However, this was followed more in its breach than in practice. In their eagerness to protect the vote banks, the political class has been extending reservations to the SCs/STs every 10 years. As a result, what was initially a 10-year affair in the fifties has now become an exercise in perpetuity. Equally significant is the proposal for three more IIMs and more IIT-like institutions. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced an IIM for Chandigarh at a function on Wednesday. India needs more such global brands to grapple with the increasing number of additional seats. The rationale behind the proposal for more IIMs and IITs is that the new quota proposal should not eat into the general category seats.
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Missing package SINCE many prime ministers in the past announced special packages for the states they were visiting, it has become customary to expect such a windfall whenever the PM comes calling. Since Dr Manmohan Singh had done so for the Vidarbha region, there was an air of expectancy in Punjab also when he came to his home state. This feeling was heightened further when Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh made an impassioned plea for ameliorating the lot of the state, particularly its farmers. Normally, such a request is made only when the chief minister is quite certain that a “bonanza” is in the pipeline. But Dr Manmohan Singh belied such hopes. He had sage advice aplenty, but no special package. Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with that. The prime minister should not be out distributing largesse on the spur of the moment, as the Karnataka Chief Minister has been doing in his domain. But in politics, what is sensible is not always politically expedient Elections are near and the Opposition is already projecting the absence of package as a great setback for the farmers. That’s not exactly true, because as the prime minister announced, an expert group is studying their problem and will come to their aid, but what matters more is the impression that any step generates. To that extent, Capt Amarinder Singh has no reasons to be too pleased with the turn of events. Again, projects like the Chandigarh-Morinda railway line and the Amritsar-Hardwar Janshatabdi that he inaugurated will help in the betterment of the state but since these were long in the works, they had no surprise element. Dr Manmohan Singh has studiously avoided playing the role of Santa Claus, but he can surely take the responsibility of being a saviour. Punjab farmers are indeed in dire straits.
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Indophile PM WITH Mr Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) taking over as the new prime minister of Japan, it is time to watchTokyo’s moves on the world chessboard. The youngest leader to hold the reins of government in post-World War II Japan is known for his aggressiveness, unlike his immediate predecessor, Mr Junichiro Koizumi. He has radical views which may, indeed, change the course of Japan’s history. For instance, he has been advocating a rewriting of his country’s pacifist constitution so that it can have full-fledged armed forces to defend Japan’s borders. In his opinion, the time has come for Japan, the second largest economy of the world, to shed its dependence on the US for defence purposes. At the same time, he wants to maintain the closest relations with the super power. This may ring alarm bells in Japan’s neighbourhood, particularly when its relations with China have deteriorated considerably during Mr Koizumi’s prime ministership. There is, however, good news for India. Mr Abe is an Indophile and has clear-cut plans to transform Japan’s relations with India. Going by what he said during his visit to New Delhi last year, India may get greater attention in his scheme of things. There is a reason for this. India has rarely criticised Japan for its controversial past. Mr Abe, who comes from an illustrious political family, mentions with pride the successful engagement his grandfather, Nobosuke Kishi, then prime minister, had with Jawaharlal Nehru during a visit to New Delhi in 1957. Mr Abe is not among those who are defensive about Japan’s imperial past. He wants to see a self-confident Japan playing a leading role on the global stage. He is not an economic reformer like Mr Koizumi. It seems he will lay greater stress on foreign relations. He has retained Mr Koizumi’s Foreign Minister, Mr Taro Aso, without disturbing his portfolio despite the fact that the latter had unsuccessfully contested the LDP’s leadership election against Mr Abe. Mr Taro Aso’s continuance, it is believed, may be helpful in removing the bitterness in Japan’s relations with China to some extent.
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Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give lustre, and many more people see than weigh. — Lord Chesterfield
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Towards police reforms THE Supreme Court has struck a major blow for democracy and freedom by decreeing that long pending and widely endorsed police reforms shall be implemented forthwith and that the directions given in this regard to the Union Government shall be complied with by January 3, 2007. All law-abiding citizens will say Amen. It is the basic duty of the state to uphold the rule of law and maintain order so that citizens may live and prosper free of fear, pressure or anxiety. This it does through the instrumentality of the police, which provides the link between law enforcement and the criminal justice system. The breakdown of the latter two has been a matter of deepening concern as it has led to increasing lawlessness and despair and given rise to sundry mafias that have come to run a parallel system of governance and street justice. The political class as a whole, cutting across party lines, bears primary guilt for this sorry state of affairs, resulting in the criminalisation of politics and the politicisation of crime. Political interference and patronage in the functioning of the police in gross violation of all norms in order to subserve narrow personal and party-political interests has played havoc with standards and morale. Politicians and policemen of integrity have undoubtedly tried to stem the rot but have been overwhelmed by a rising tide of venality and defiance that has created a sense of impunity among wrongdoers. The malaise was noted long back and the National Police Commission made several practical recommendations in a series of reports submitted between 1979 and 1981. These were shelved. The same body of recommendations were reviewed and updated by the
Ribeiro, Padmanabhaiah and Malimath committees in 1998, 2000 and 2002, but again to no avail. Vested interests have proved too strong. Illicit control over the police has become the means of covering up wrong actions, amassing ill gotten wealth and harassing opponents. The UPA government appointed yet another police reform committee under Mr Soli Sorabjee. There is no evidence that its findings would have fared any better than those of its predecessors. However, it has been overtaken by the historic judgement of a three-member Bench led by the Chief Justice on a PIL moved by Mr Prakash Singh, a retired DG Police, and Common Cause 10 years ago seeking enforcement of the NPC’s recommendations. The gravity of the problem, the urgent need to preserve and strengthen the rule of law, the near unanimity of expert opinion on the required reforms, the long pendency of the matter and the lack of any certainty as to when the elusive reforms would be implemented led the court to demand immediate compliance. This does not mean that further debate or suggestions are barred. But it does mean that police reform will not be postponed any further. The four major reforms decreed pertain to insulating the appointment, transfer and promotion of police personnel at all levels from external political interference. This is to be secured by setting up independent national/state security commissions, police establishment boards and a police complaints authority. Senior officials shall have a minimum tenure of two years. The investigative and enforcement roles of the police will also be separated. These reforms provide the critical framework within which other improvements can be effected to create a more independent and people-friendly police. Effecting these reforms will call for perseverance and popular vigilance. Implementation will constitute one of the most significant systemic reforms since Independence and a huge gain for good and clean governance. During the same week, the Supreme Court ordered enforcement of the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendations on university student union elections, which have also been politicised and corrupted over the years. These bar “students” over 28, those with criminal records or any disciplinary background and less than 75 per cent attendance. Posters, politicians and outsiders, processions and spending above Rs 5000 or political donations are prohibited. The killing of Professor Sabharwal at Ujjain shows how far the rot attending union elections had spread. An additional reform that could be introduced is to make individuals and not colleges union members, so that union membership becomes a matter of individual choice and is not involuntary through collective association. The Lyngdoh reform will help curb politicisation of campuses and the intrusion of partisan politics within them. The Supreme Court is also set to rule on demolitions and the sealing of illegal premises in Delhi. Unlawful construction and violation of zonal regulations stem from vote-bank politics, with politicians and bureaucrats turning a blind eye on master plan violations for political or monetary considerations. This is clearly wrong. But demolition and closures on a mass scale are also not practical. The court’s impatience with
willful infringements of law with official connivance is understandable. A sensible via media must be found for dealing with slums, encroachment and urban building violations. The latest slew of judicial verdicts will find widespread support but the public is also concerned with excessive judicial activism, the closed system of judicial appointments and judicial integrity. These too call for cleansing and
reform.
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Short is sweet Children in the 3-6 age group are generally sharp learners. My grandson was born in Canada. One day, my son told me: “Maa, since we are Punjabi Indians, I want you to teach your grandson Punjabi and Hindi. English/French he will pick up automatically in school”. I started conversing with my grandson in Punjabi and Hindi using short words like
Roti, Chawal, Kapre, Agg, Alu, Munda, Kuri etc, which he started speaking in a year or so. In due course of time, he became conversant with more such words which normally we use at home. In the fourth year of his age, he got an opportunity to visit India with his mother. Since he had learnt a couple of Punjabi/Hindi words, he was able to make himself and others comfortable. During his visits to various places he found that wherever he went, everyone during routine conversation used two words like
Roti-Shotti, Kursi-Woorsi, Munda-Shunda, Chaa-Shaa etc. Since he was not taught those words, he felt himself very low in using those single words learnt by him. Feeling shy but angry over his granny’s “ignorance”, he kept his reservations to himself for questioning his grandma on his return to Canada. After having spent wonderful days in India, he landed back in Canada as a little more learned person than before. Though Canadian born but having been brought up in Indian fashion, he could not afford to show his anger on me but certainly wanted to impress me with his newly acquired knowledge. One day when he returned from school, he asked me:
“Roti-Shotti hai?” I promptly responded and served him the food. Usually grannies are very attached to their grand-children and they both feel very close to each other and keep no secrets — rather act as informers for each other. He told me: “Look, Dadimaa, I learnt so many Punjabi words in four
months. You had taught me only the first word which I found insufficient to converse with people in Punjab”. On hearing him, I had no convincing logic to satisfy him except hugging him for the knowledge he acquired but cautioned him to use only the first word of the vocabulary he learnt because short is always
sweet.
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Decisive firepower Despite
the increasing obsolescence of Artillery guns, mortars and rocket launchers in the Army, the government has been unable to conclude contracts for their replacement. Protracted trials of several 155 mm howitzers have been carried out over the last few years. The failure to modernise the Indian Artillery is likely to have unacceptable repercussions for national security. From its original status as a “supporting” arm, Artillery has now graduated to a full-fledged combat arm that dominates the battlefield with its inherently destructive firepower. In the classic “fire and manoeuvre” tactics practised during operations on 20th century battlefields, Artillery traditionally provided the firepower punch, while armoured, mechanised and infantry units manoeuvred to gain tactical advantage. Artillery engagements were generally limited to the battle where once own troops were in direct contact with the enemy. “Covering fire” during attack and “defensive fire” to beat back enemy attacks were provided in a supporting role. Artillery guns, mortars and rocket launchers were considered area weapons and the neutralisation of large areas with inherent dispersion of fire, rather than destruction, was the established primary task. In the post-Kargil 1999 scenario on the Indian Sub-continent, Artillery is clearly seen to be a decisive arm, indeed even a battle-winning one. It was clear to all perceptive observers who followed the Kargil conflict closely, that, though hundreds of valiant infantrymen took back the mountaintops of Kargil foot-by-bloody-foot from the soldiers of the Pakistan Army, it was the Artillery that had paved the way for victory with the overwhelming superiority of its concentrated firepower. Once a threat from across the borders has been discerned, the artillery, firing 155 mm precision strike ammunition, can be employed to destroy the intruding forces quickly so that the aggression can be vacated and sanctity of the international boundary restored. Today, Laser-guided artillery shells can destroy bunkers, bridges and small buildings with a single-shot kill probability (SSKP) as high as 80 per cent. Targets that can be seen by the troops in contact with the enemy can be illuminated by a Laser beam by a ground-based artillery observer (spotter) carrying a Laser Target Designator. Those targets that are behind crest lines and on reverse slopes can be designated by an airborne artillery observer in an army aviation helicopter or even by an Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Improved conventional munition (ICMs) shells carrying anti-personnel grenades and lethal “air-burst” ammunition can be “dispensed” over soft targets such as administrative bases, rations and fuel storage dumps, headquarters and rest areas. As these are not precision strike munitions, these have to be accurately directed using commando artillery observers or TV camera equipped UAVs to achieve the desired effect. Though “smart” precision strike munitions are relatively more costly than standard high explosive shells, these are more effective. When these are available in large quantities, Artillery will be able to cause much greater destruction and indirectly reduce the number of casualties that the infantry has to suffer when the inevitable assault is finally launched. Long-range MBRLs such as Smerch can enable the enemy’s sensitive command centres to be hit with impunity. Had Smerch MBRLs been available during the Kargil conflict, the Pakistani HQ and administrative base at Skardu and other targets deep inside POK could have been hit with devastating results. Other force multipliers include gun locating radars for effective counter-bombardment, UAVs equipped with TV cameras and suitable for high altitude operations for target acquisition and engagement and damage assessment, powerful binoculars for target engagement by day and long-range night vision devices for the same purpose at night. The Indian Artillery is playing an increasingly important role in the successful execution of integrated land-air operations on the modern battlefield. The emerging philosophy of employment of artillery firepower visualises the synergetic orchestration of all firepower resources across the length and breadth of the battlefield to cause destruction, systematically degrade the enemy’s fighting potential and suppress specific combat echelons of the enemy from operating effectively for limited durations. The latter function will include the suppression of the enemy’s air defence (SEAD) assets to enable own attack helicopters to operate freely and to also enable ground attack aircraft of the IAF to launch a strike successfully. In offensive operations on the future battlefield, the Artillery will launch fire assaults or “attack by firepower” in conjunction with other combat echelons to shape the battlefield and, ultimately, create suitable conditions for the decisive defeat of the enemy. In defensive operations, Artillery firepower will be the primary means of breaking up the enemy’s assault before it can be effectively delivered against a defended locality. In fact, with the long reach of its missiles, rockets and medium guns, Artillery firepower will systematically degrade the enemy’s preparations for the attack from the concentration area onwards. The concentrated application of massed Artillery firepower will disrupt the enemy’s cohesion and ultimately break his will to fight. In short, the integrated and synergetic application of Artillery firepower at the point of decision will ensure victory and reduce the Army’s casualties. The Artillery will be a co-equal partner with the manoeuvre arms in the successful execution of firepower and manoeuvre provided it is given modern guns and rocket launchers without any further delay. The writer is Senior Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi
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Pak tribal deal boosts Taliban KABUL, Afghanistan – There is growing evidence that Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s peace deals with Pakistan-based Taliban groups are letting them step up attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Since Pakistan signed a truce in June with the Taliban in its border region of North Waziristan, “we have seen a 300 per cent increase” in Taliban attacks and other incidents in the adjacent Afghan provinces, a U.S. intelligence officer said here recently. Most came from Pakistani soil, he said. This month, Pakistan converted that truce into a long-term pact that Musharraf said bars the Taliban from crossing to fight in Afghanistan. Military analysts in Pakistan and Afghanistan say the deal cannot be enforced and is surrender to the Taliban. President Bush has defended Musharraf, saying simply, “I believe him.” But new signs suggest the deal is letting the Taliban continue – and escalate – the fight: North Waziristan residents say the Taliban have set new rules to make their infiltration of Afghanistan less visible to U.S. surveillance. A source close to the peace talks said these provisions were part of an oral agreement with the Pakistani government that accompanied the written peace deal. A Pakistani government spokeswoman denied there was a secret part to the agreement. Last week, one of the Pakistani Taliban leaders who approved the North Waziristan peace deal was killed battling U.S. and Afghan troops in Afghanistan, Pakistanis and U.S. military sources said. The leader, Mullah Abdul Qalam, was buried in Pakistan, where other Taliban leaders vowed to continue the fight across the border. In one village a few miles from the Afghan border, men said Taliban officials have declared that the jihad now will be more organized and disciplined. Men who volunteer to fight must now cross in smaller groups and stay for longer periods – at least 40 days, according to one source. Fighters will be required to hand their identity documents to the Taliban commander in their village to ensure that they will not be identifiable as Pakistani citizens. Pakistan says the Taliban in Waziristan now are being controlled by the region’s tribal leaders. But that is a transparent fiction, Waziristan residents and analysts say. The Taliban have shattered the tribes’ authority, killing hundreds of pro-government tribal leaders, and “are too strong to be controlled by the tribes,” said retired Pakistani Brig. Gen. Mehmood Shah, a former security chief for the Pashtun tribal zone that includes Waziristan. Musharraf says this month’s deal was with a council of tribal leaders rather than the Taliban, but that, too, is untrue, tribal leaders themselves have told journalists. The real terms of the deal were negotiated between a government team and the Taliban’s leadership, and “the council simply approved it,” said a tribal leader who asked not to be named for fear of government sanctions. For U.S. forces in Afghanistan, there is no doubt the Taliban are mainly Pakistan-based, the U.S. intelligence officer said. “Some of the incidents (Taliban attacks) are generated from inside Afghanistan,” he said, “but the financing, logistics, recruiting and safe haven are all centered in Pakistan.” By arrangement with
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Delhi Durbar Participating
in festivals like Durga Puja are out of bounds for Communists but a wage bonanza for full time party cadres at this time of the year is a welcome relief. After years of fighting against the exploitation of the workers, the CPM has finally realised that it is not paying its whole-time cadres even the basic minimum wages. The party’s General Secretary Prakash Karat noted “we have not been paying even this...the party has decided to pay wages equal to the minimum wages of unskilled labour in each state.” The minimum wage for unskilled labour in the national capital is Rs 4000 per month. The wage hike, the CPM believes, would help in recruitment of more fulltime workers. Are the fulltime cadres only as good as unskilled workers was the passing remark heard, which left the Communists zapped.
What are “Pota cabins” for? As many as 560 “pota cabins” have been constructed recently in schools under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, under the Universal Elementary Education scheme. Under this scheme, a child up to 4 years would compulsorily receive education in government schools. Each “pota cabin” has cost the government about Rs 2 lakh. They were reportedly built for helping the weak students. Some NGOs were asked to teach weak students in such cabins. However, the plan has remained on paper so far. Another plan targeted those children who have to look after their kid siblings at home, and are not able to come to school. With “pota cabins” in place, they can now bring their brothers and sisters to school who can then stay in these makeshift pota crèches. However, these “pota cabins” are still to be put to use. If at all they are being used, they are not being used for the purpose they were installed. Now, the Delhi government is toying with the idea of using them for imparting training to teachers under the Block Resource Centre scheme. Earlier, computers and generators were given to the schools, which have remained show pieces. English was introduced recently, but let alone children, even the teachers find the books difficult.
Indian art heritage gets a boost The other day President A P J Kalam received the first copy of “Indra Dhanush, Celebrating Art” in Rashtrapati Bhawan. It is replete with colour photographs and is a tribute to the rich performing art heritage of the country. The book highlights the various facets of Indian art style. The book captures the 14 performances given by various artistes at Rashtrapati Bhawan as part of the Indra Dhanush series of concerts conceptualised by the President for popularising classical performing art forms. The series of successful concerts is continuing. In releasing the book, written and compiled by Rasika Chaube, the internal Financial Adviser at Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Kalam said music brings bliss and can have a therapeutic effect on people, and is very much needed in the present times. The Indra Dhanush series of concerts began with a performance by Pandit Jasraj on December 27, 2002 at the Art Theatre of Rashtrapati Bhawan and is continuing. Apart from Pandit Jasraj, the book documents the performances of Shiv Kumar Sharma, E Gayathri, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, U Shrinivas and U Rajesh, Sonal Mansingh, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustak Zakhir Hussain, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Debu Chaudhuri, L Subramanium, Saroja Vaidyanathan and Kavita Krishnamurthy.
Teachers’ training shops The Centre’s declaration to amend the National Council for Teachers Education Act 1993, so that teacher training diplomas from unrecognised institutes become valid, is music to the ears of those running teacher training shops. The Ordinance issued by the union Law ministry will allow even institutes that were refused recognition by the NCTE to apply for recognition again. Apart from recognising diplomas that are being doled out by these institutes the Ordinance will also pave the way for recognition with retrospective effect to the institutes themselves. What’s more, once recognition is granted to such institutions the examination held for a course or training conducted by them would become valid.
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But when the foe is cruel and arrogant, he may consider the wise king’s offer to dialogue, a weakness. In his pride, he may deem the wise king’s mildness as feeble hearted fear. This in turn will provide good cheer to his arrogance. — The Mahabharata And among humankind are those who say they believe in God and the Last Day but they do not believe. They try to deceive God and those who believe, but they do not deceive anyone except themselves, although they do not know it. — The Koran It does not matter whether a man lives for four Yugas or ten. It does not matter if he is known all over the world. It does not matter if people everywhere show him respect and follow him. It does not matter if he is praised and has won fame all over the world. — Guru Nanak
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