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Statesmen in need Profile |
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Fear of nuclear Islamists
On Record Poor training costs
cops’ lives
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Statesmen in need GOOD
governance and check on bureaucratic and political corruption inter alia are the two main determinant of growth and development of any country, state or the region. Any lacking or shortfall on these two fronts would eat into the very vitals of society and any gain made on the economic front evaporates into the pockets of these two governing classes. The World Bank has estimated that equivalent to about US$ 1.6 trillion are being annually taken out of the developing countries and stashed into the offshore banks by these corrupt rulers. Of this amount, bureaucrats’ share is about US$ 40 billion. The World Bank observes that this money, if recovered, can boost economic growth by one to two per cent in these countries and quite a few countries would not need assistance to put their economies at a higher growth path. Hence, this bank has launched “Recovery of Stolen Assets Initiative”. How far this initiative succeeds is a different issue, because the outside banks are bound by their solemn pledge not to disclose the identity of the depositors and details of amounts and transactions. It is anybody’s guess how much amount, yet it is not a hidden fact that our corrupt are not lagging behind in acquiring properties abroad through such corrupt money and stashing their ill-earnings in Swiss and other banks. The black money floating around in the country is another element that is responsible in putting the economy out of control. To be fair, this money, may to some extent, contribute to the growth of the economy, but will certainly affects development adversely, more so inclusive growth and development. It is common knowledge that today no property deal in urban areas, and even in rural settings, is registered at more than 30 per cent of the real transaction value of property in India. It has become virtually impossible to buy or sell any immovable property entirely with white money. All this is the outcome of bad governance or lack of good governance. When the roof leaks, the floor cannot be kept clean! The rampant corruption at the functional levels of the country is the seep-down effect of corruption at the higher administrative and political levels. The inclusive growth and development being the direct function of clean good governance, any check on corruption and ensuring of transparent accountability will automatically translate into proportionate economic growth, development and level of social satisfaction. Thus, as elsewhere else, the mother of all economic and social problems in this country is the lack of good governance and pervasive corruption ensuing out of that. When the congress government took over in Punjab in 2002, the then Chief Minister made a public announcement that his government pledged to stem corruption and provide good governance in the state. The perception at that time was that it is not the Congress that had won elections, rather it was the Akali- BJP combine that had lost elections. Their defeat was perceived to be primarily due to corruption at all levels and lack of good governance that put off the people. Consequently, the voters turned to the Congress for deliverance. Yet, it was not to be! The level of corruption during that regime became more pervasive in its depth and spread. About governance, the less said, the better it is. In 2007 elections, it is a repeat and here again it is not the Akali-BJP regime that has won, more so it is the Congress that has lost the elections on the same grounds the Akali-BJP combine lost last time. Then, the million-dollar question is, why these political parties don’t understand this basic cause of their defeats and why do they repeat the mistake again and again? The answer is the vicious circle they are in and this is not unique to Punjab alone. It is all over the country staring at the very face of democracy and its healthy survival. The election process has come to heavily depend on money power, bribing the voters and sops offered to the pressure groups and criminality in politics has also taken its own toll. To say the least, criminals and mafias have hijacked our legislative assemblies and Parliament. What can one expect of the members of Parliament and assemblies who do not let any worthwhile debate take place at huge public cost and take money even for asking questions in Parliament? The only item they agree upon readily without any dissention or debate is when it comes to raising of their salaries and perks. Outside they may give any dissenting statements, yet inside they do not raise even their little finger. Under such a system, no rational policy can be adopted because the money spent has to be realised and accumulated for the next elections and contributors to the candidates’ election funds, which are invariably out of corrupt money, have to be compensated. Here good governance gets the beating and corruption a sustained boost. When such politicians come to power, who have gained access to assemblies and Parliament through such unethical means, they cannot deliver any worthwhile dispensation and instead indulge in trivialities. For instance, the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh is more concerned about developing Ambedkar parks and smaraks demolishing stadia and government buildings than controlling corruption and crime. Development is a far cry there. In Punjab, governments have been and are more inclined towards throwing small sops to different categories of people and their pressure groups rather than designing a long-term plan to ameliorate poverty amongst the disadvantaged sections of society. Serious planning for future is a gigantic task, which requires a certain level of honesty and commitment as well as long-term vision, grit and political will power to deliver. Throwing of sops is small time play, which harms society more and helps it the least. Such sops develop begging mentality in the recipients who become more and more demanding, thereby sucking in the already scant resources which otherwise would be utilised for developing capacities in the needy sections of society. For instance, over Rs 2,000 crore subsidy which goes to the farm sector in the form of free power supply can be utilised to build the productive capacity of the sector through targeted investment subsidy to the marginal, small and medium farmers. This can improve their incomes and thereby ensure food security of the country. This untargeted input subsidy does not land into the pockets of the farmers, because it keeps the estimates of their cost of production low and consequently lower procurement prices. If at all some benefit flows, it flows to the bigger farmers and consumers of the commodities. Similarly, free power to the poor breeds inefficiency in its use. Credit provided at rates out of alignment with market rates leads to corruption, misuse, diversion of funds and mounting irretrievable indebtedness. If any subsidised credit is to be given to the farmers or poorer sections of society, why should it not be given as an incentive on timely repayments rather than on advances, which prompt the borrowers to default in the hope of loan waivers? Many other such sops thrown out to the people day in and day out, specially when the state’s coffers are empty, develops a tendency of being dependents and wastrels amongst recipients. Yet, the non-performing governments seek shelter behind offering of such sop and debilitate the already strained economy and get embroiled into the vicious circle. This is what is called the incumbency factor in the losing of game. Thus, there is no replacement for clean and transparent good governance which obviates the need for corrupt money and unfair means for getting on to the political power. Yet, the question remains: will our politicians ever realise this ground reality and start acting as statesmen in the interest of society and in their own interest? n
The writer is a former Vice-Chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board and former Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University
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Profile
This was an artist’s humble tribute to a great cricketer. The painting adorns Kumble’s drawing room in his Bangalore house. The reprints are available for Rs 25,000 a copy. Kumble’s achievements have been undeniably very good, with the famous 10-wicket haul against arch rivals Pakistan at the Kotla. Call it a twist of destiny; he now leads the Indian squad at the same Feroze Shah Kotla ground as India’s 30th Test captain. Kumble is now 37 and he has got the chance to captain Indian team almost at the fag end of his glorious 17-year-long career by default. Two of his mates have refused the thorny crown. ODI skipper M.S. Dhoni, whom he was assigned to protect and nourish, has been named his deputy for the tests. The Karnataka leg-spinner belongs to a rare, diminishing breed, an intuitive cricketer who knows his job. As many as 118 Test matches and 271 one-dayers have not taken the edge of his unrelenting pursuit of sporting excellence. The real test for Kumble would be the tour of Australia. Kumble, who began his career as a mechanical engineer, discovered the virtues of precision and accuracy. He put these virtues to telling effect on the field when at 19, he made his debut in August 1990 against England. Two years later, he took his first five-wicket haul against South Africa at Johannesburg to announce his arrival on the world stage. In 1993-94, he bowled a magical ODI spell to crush West Indies in the final of the Hero Cup in Kolkata. Precise and ruthless, he demolishes batsmen with virtual clinical efficiency, based on the simple principle of line and length, and desire to make the batsman play every ball. With every ball on target he has won many leg-before-wickets (LBW) by fooling many batsmen into playing across the line. Besides being an excellent cricketer, Kumble is a good photographer. His star sign is Libra and astrologically this is sign of art which includes photography, painting and sculpture. Also, he has Sun and Mercury combination in his sign Libra. Bowling, according to astrologists, is controlled by Mercury, which signifies deftness of hands and all types of bowling requiring skill with the hands. Kumble’s stars also show good luck, strength and stamina. He possesses all the three traits. Blue colour also goes well with his star. According to numerology, number 8 bring him luck. It is also sign of powerful character. Kumble was born on October 17, 1970. The numbers 1and 7 add up to 8 ( 1+ 7). Call it coincidence or astrology, Kumble wore blue flannels as India fought for rare victory over England at the Oval. As home batsmen stonewalled to safety, his attempts to take English wickets became more intense and his competitive instinct came to the fore. Observers say, at this stage in his cricket career, Kumble has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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— Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen after she left Kolkata following violence — Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) President H.D. Deve Gowda I am fed up with the affairs of national parties, including my party, the JD (S). I am seriously thinking of starting a regional party. I am struggling hard to assuage the discontentment among the JD (S) party MLAs, who are angry with the decision to withdraw support to the Yeddyurappa government. — Former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy The Left parties allowed the UPA government to proceed with talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna only after the understanding that it will have to report back to the UPA-Left coordination committee. — Sitaram Yechury, CPM leader The nuclear safeguards issues are a serious business, involving complex issues. We have to work out all these. — Atomic Energy Commission Punjab’s health services are not commensurate with the per capita income. The state should have been on the top in terms of health indicators in the given conditions. — Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations — Maneka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha Dr Venugopal has no clue what is happening in AIIMS. He is 66. He is old. He is not in a physical condition to walk. We cannot allow this sort of anarchy. — Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ response to Maneka Gandhi’s charge — Uma Bharati |
Fear of nuclear Islamists A government unable to control large parts of its territory, a military in disarray, loss of control over the nuclear assets, radical Islamists intent on acquiring WMDs – that’s the stuff nightmares are made of, at least for the West. Pakistan’s current turmoil is causing jitters around the world precisely because the nightmarish scenario evoked above might just come to pass as General Pervez Musharraf drags himself and his country to the brink of collapse. Musharraf himself is using the threat of nuclear weapons falling into wrong hands as a justification for his decision to declare Emergency in Pakistan. For long, the US and the West have viewed nuclear weapons in South Asia with dread because of the possibility that a conventional war between India and Pakistan might escalate into a nuclear one. Bill Clinton called the Kashmir conflict “the most dangerous flashpoint on earth” precisely because of this fear of a nuclear holocaust in the Indian sub-continent. The Indian and Pakistani officials, on the other hand, have continued to argue that just as the threat of Mutual Assured Destruction resulted in a “hot peace” between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, nuclear weapons in South Asia will also have a stabilising impact. They say, despite several provocations, India and Pakistan have behaved “rationally” during various crises by keeping their conflicts limited and avoiding escalation. But since September 11, 2001, the nature of problem for the West has changed in so far as the threat is now more of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal being used against the West by radical Islamists if they can lay their hands on it. There is little hope that the rational actor model on which classical nuclear deterrence theory is based would apply as much to the Islamist terrorist groups as it would to the Pakistani government. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there were suggestions that the US had explicitly sought guarantees from the Musharraf government that its nuclear arsenal was safe and had also assured India of its security. The present turmoil in Pakistan has again raised concerns about the safety, security and command and control of its nuclear stockpile. Though Pakistan’s government was quick to dismiss media reports that its nuclear weapons were in danger of falling into wrong hands as “inspired” and stressed that Pakistan provides the highest level of institutionalised protection to its strategic assets, the credibility of such claims remains open to question. Instituted in 2000, Pakistan’s nuclear command and control arrangements are centred on the National Command Authority which consists of the Employment Control Committee, the Development Control Committee and the Strategic Plans Division and only a small group of military officials apparently have access to the country’s nuclear assets. However, these arrangements continue to be beset with some fundamental vulnerabilities that underline the reluctance of the Pakistani military to cede control over the nation’s nuclear assets to the civilian leaders. Of all the major nuclear states, Pakistan is the only one where the nuclear button is in the military’s hands. It is not at all comforting when politicians like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif make it clear that even at the height of various crises, the Pakistani military kept the civilian authorities out of the decision-making loop on the crucial issue of nuclear weapons. Moreover, senior civilian and military officials responsible for these weapons have a problematic track record in maintaining close control over them. A.Q. Khan was the head of the Pakistani nuclear programme (and a veritable national hero) but was instrumental in making Pakistan the centre of the biggest nuclear proliferation network by leaking technology to states far and wide including Iran, North Korea and Libya. Pakistani nuclear scientists have even travelled to Afghanistan at the behest of Osama bin Laden. True, Pakistani military remains very professional and perhaps the only one cohesive force in the country today. However, it is not clear if it would be able to continue to exert its control over the nation’s nuclear assets if Musharraf gets overthrown in the absence of institutionalised safeguards. The military has also become demoralised, reflected in the large number of soldiers preferring to surrender to the militants rather than fighting. There are growing signs of fraying loyalties in the Pakistani army underlining the danger to its cohesiveness. The growing “Islamisation” of younger generation of Pakistani military officers is well-recorded and given the close links between the Pakistani military and intelligence services and the terrorist groups fighting in Kashmir and the Taliban, it is not far-fetched to assume that there is a real danger of elements within Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex colluding with radical Islamist groups. Pakistan has taken the US help after 9/11 in designing its system of controls for its nuclear arsenal and prevention of thefts. The US has reportedly spent about $100 million in helping Pakistan secure its nuclear arsenal. Though some reports say that the US had provided Pakistan with missile launch code system to prevent unauthorised use of nuclear missiles and has also given PAL technology to Pakistan, Pakistan has denied that. The exact number of Pakistani nuclear weapons and the location of its nuclear storage and deployment facilities remain a closely-guarded secret. Pakistan has strongly resisted US attempts to garner more information about these facilities for fear that the US would not hesitate to target and/or physically remove them in case there emerges a real threat to Pakistan’s nuclear assets. It is believed that Pakistan relies on separating the fissile core from the weapon thus ensuring that a usable weapon doesn’t fall easily into wrong hands. But it would take little time for the command and control network to collapse if Pakistan slides towards greater anarchy and then sympathisers of radical Islamists within Pakistani military and intelligence agencies helping the terrorist groups in acquiring the wherewithal of a nuclear weapon becomes a real possibility. For the US, the role of Pakistani military is critical in fighting Islamic extremism and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Now chickens are coming home to roost as the Pakistani military seems unable to take on the Islamist forces gathering momentum within the Pakistani territory while the nation’s nuclear weapons seem within reach of the extremist forces. The US has suggested that there are contingency plans in place to deal with the possibility of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorist groups but it remains far from clear as to what exactly the US would be able to do if such an eventuality arose. India needs to be aware of the potentially catastrophic implications of the collapse of governing authority in Pakistan. A boost to fundamentalist forces in India’s neighbourhood will have some serious consequences for the utility of nuclear deterrence in the sub-continent. Irrespective of India’s other problems with Pakistan, Indian decision-makers had little doubt so far in trusting that their Pakistani counterparts would take rational decisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons. That assumption might soon need to be revisited if the present trends in Pakistan continue much longer.
The writer teaches in King’s College, London
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On Record
Sir David King was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK government and Head of the Office of Science and Technology in October 2000. Prior to his appointment, he was Head, Department of Chemistry and Master of Downing College, University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of Queen’s College and continues as Director of Research at the university. A recipient of many international awards, he advises the UK Prime Minister on scientific issues. He speaks to The Sunday Tribune after receiving the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Medal for International Cooperation and Contribution to Public Understanding of Science in New Delhi. Excerpts: Q: How do you look at scientific cooperation between the UK and India? Q: What are the challenges in the scientific sphere in India? A: India has strengths in chemistry, mathematics, computer science, agricultural science and medical science. To face Q: With climate change as an issue of global concern, what are the expectations of countries like India? A: We are keen to use all resources at our disposal to assess the impact of climate change. Through modelling in our met office, we are capable of telling the impact of climate change in the world. We are working with the scientists in India. The CEO of UK’s Environment Research Council discussed with the leaders in this country how collaborative efforts can be undertaken to benefit India’s capability. Q: How can India reduce carbon dioxide emission? A: The current negotiations among various countries should lead to an equitable outcome. It should be the same level of carbon dioxide emission per person by the end of this century. We should calculate and work to agreed stabalisation levels. We need to generate end trajectories and then stage those targets. If the US reiterates its position of not managing the problem until India and China manage theirs, any commitment by India will then remove blockage points. Q: With India keen to diversify its energy sources, how do you look at the option of nuclear energy? A: In the UK we would not manage environmental issues without nuclear power stations. We need another generation of nuclear power stations. We need to get 30 per cent power from nuclear energy but it will reduce to 7 per cent by 2020. India has set a good target of generating nuclear power but issues such as waste disposal have to be addressed. Q: What impact will climate change have on India and the UK? A: Impact on the UK would be in terms of flooding and variation in the rainfall pattern. We can manage the problem in 20 years if emissions are reduced. For India, the impact on monsoon is of vital import. Monsoon is an important phenomenon globally but it is difficult to describe the impact of climate change on it with the present models. |
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Poor training costs
cops’ lives REPORTS of violent attacks and killings of policemen appear in newspapers with disturbing regularity. They seldom agitate public mind. Death of a policeman in line of duty is viewed with shock and horror in many developed countries because a policeman is looked upon as the symbol of authority of the government. His death in the hands of a criminal is viewed as a challenge to the power and authority of the state. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs), 781 police personnel were killed and 4005 injured in 2002, 827 killed and 2975 injured in 2003 and 830 killed and 2350 injured in 2004. Anti-terrorist operations were the main cause of deaths and riotous mobs were the main cause of injuries to the police personnel during the last five years. Increasing incidents of fatal attacks have an unsettling impact on the morale and outlook of policemen in many ways. It creates among them a “seize mentality”. The police willy-nilly feel that they have to strike hard against their enemies and it is not possible to follow the rules of the game. When I was the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Rourkela in Orissa, a constable on night patrol was murdered by some criminals whom he challenged on the road. A blind fury gripped officers and men and it was difficult for senior officers to restrain them from applying rough and ready justice to the criminals when the latter were apprehended. Because of the constant feeling that the public are unsympathetic and unappreciative, the policemen develop insecurity and suffer from a “self-pity syndrome”. This feeling is accentuated by a sense by social isolation which not only a policeman but members of his family undergo due to the nature of his service. As a result, police very often come to recognise themselves as a group apart, a group that sees the world as “we” and “they”. Hostility and isolation feed on another. The suppressed inner tension in the case of some policemen finds an outlet in violence verbal or physical against the criminals, and at times against innocent marginalised groups. Such aggression has never lack rationalisation. Some policemen, says criminologist Gordon Misner, picture themselves as “crime fighters against the Mongol hordes without the support of the public, the politicians or the courts”. This misconceived zeal makes them to think that the hardened criminals will not respond to normal methods of investigation and detection and so they resort to practices that are downright questionable and illegal. Killing of policeman on line of duty raises demand for more sophisticated and effective weaponry for the police. During terrorist violence in the Punjab, it was argued that police with the 303 rifles were in no position to face the terrorists’ firepower equipped with quick firing automatic rifles and other lethal weapons. But it is neither possible nor desirable to heavily arm all police posts. Apart from the risks of misuse or loss of weapons, this step will alienate the police from the public. Further, for the police in democratic societies there is overriding need to build up an organisational culture that frowns upon misuse or abuse of force. It becomes difficult to develop that kind of organisational ethos and culture when large numbers of policemen get killed in line of duty. An unsavoury fall-out is the growth of police vigilantism. Many policemen lost their lives at a young age. This also reflects the courage, dedication to duty and the sacrifice made by the police. They also get killed in accidents. We must review the training programmes for developing self-protection among them. Prof. Harman Conardie of the Department of Criminology, South Africa made an analytical study of killings of policemen in South African where more than 200 policemen have been killed each year since 1993. Before democratic elections in 1994 social scientists felt that the killings took place because of the police were perceived to be the most oppressive arm of the apartheid regime and hence looked down upon as enemies of the people. But even after the installation of democratic government there was no abatement of killings of policemen. The study showed that if the police officials were careful and maintained strategic distance during confrontation with the subject, the risk of attacks could be minimised. Too often police officers betray errors in judgement and fail to follow prescribed safety regulations. Again an officer with a negative and prejudicial attitude increases the possibility of becoming a victim of violence. Some specific preventive measures can be taken to ensure greater safety for the police officers. One is to improve training. There should be constant training to provide police with skills, they need to deal with sudden assaults on them. Effective career-long training remains the best protection for always-vulnerable police officers. Again with expansion of technology different kinds of protective garments have been devised. In this respect, soft body armour has been a major breakthrough. It has been responsible for saving the lives of many police officers. The major breakthrough has come with the introduction of strong plastic fibre garments. The vest protects by catching the bullets in a net line web of fibres and the fibres elongate in response to the collision and absorb the energy of the bullet. The US police now use bulletproof vests. The writer is Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi |
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Yusuf Arakkal
I can’t say where I am. But I have left my heart behind in Kolkata. I have no place to go. India is my home, and I would like to keep living in this country till I die.
People think that I will receive a drubbing in the elections... all they have to do is wait for six more months...If we don’t return with a bigger strength you can stop recognising us. I never tried to forge an alliance with the Congress.
I have been watching Dr Anbumani Ramadoss trying to make forays into AIIMS through direct action or Bills in Parliament. The minister has twice tried to bring Ordinance to remove AIIMS chief Dr Venugopal.
I am keen on returning to the BJP. I am honoured by Rajnath Singh’s offer. This is so sudden that I need time to think before I decide. 