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Badal’s new agenda BRICS for new institutions |
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Divorcing spouse
Maoists &
‘Capitalist Roaders’
A trip to ‘God’s
own country’
Need to decriminalise
drug addicts
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BRICS for new institutions
The fourth summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a grouping of the world’s emerging economies, representing five continents, being held in New Delhi, will be remembered forever for one major achievement, at least. Its expected decision to set up a BRICS bank on the lines of the World Bank may change the course of economic activity in the member-countries. The setting up of this new financial institution by the bloc that has brought together half of the world’s population may speed up infrastructure development programmes in the BRICS nations and serve as a second line of financial defence in times of economic crisis as is being faced by Europe today. It will be a unique financial institution in the sense that the BRICS bank will provide credit in the local currency of the beneficiary nation. The other ambitious project on the BRICS agenda is to bring the member-countries’ stock exchanges together to set up a BRICS stock exchange, which will be different from the other such institutions as it will allow trading in the local currencies of the member-nations. The two projects may, however, take time as these have to overcome certain hurdles. Funding for the projects should not be a problem as the five emerging economies are in a much better position today to launch their own financial institutions. These economies needed such an arrangement of their own to ensure financial stability and uninterrupted growth. The BRICS nations are also expected to throw up their common candidate for the World Bank’s presidency. If they do so it will be difficult for the West, including the US, to ignore the claim of the grouping whose clout is rising fast. Critics of BRICS may say that the grouping is not as strong as it claims because some of its members do not trust each other. The examples being given are those of Russia doubting China because of the latter’s super power ambitions, and of India and China having unsettled boundary disputes. That is true, but the BRICS nations have found a way to work together for their economic advancement. They should not have a problem to devise a common strategy to play an effective role at the global stage. |
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Divorcing spouse
National
statistics don’t exist on the divorced couples in India, but some local records do show a rise. If you wish to know how many couples go in for divorce on mutual consent, compared to those who contest the regular petition for divorce, you will hit a blind alley. Yet, a well-meaning government upgrades marriage laws in favour of women, as it claims, even in the absence of any research-based data on factors that lead to divorce in a fast-changing social order, and how it affects men and women. Last Friday, the Cabinet approved major changes in marriage and adoption laws that claim to give women some advantage once they decide to walk out of marriage. The amendment seeks to introduce the “irretrievable breakdown of marriage” as a basis for couples to seek divorce and also proposes to waive or reduce the “cooling-off period,” which can be six to 18 months. According to a study conducted by the Economic Research Foundation of India, the number of divorces has not risen in India, as they should have, because the laws do not favour women. It was expected that the new legislation will give women the right to marital property. But it still remains ambiguous on parting with 50 per cent of marital property to the woman, as it had promised. The matter is left to the discretion of the judge handling the case. Women continue to stay in failing marriages for many reasons in India; most of these emanate from the social and financial pressures that divorced women are left to face under the existing laws. The courts take several years to settle a case and often women cannot afford the several rounds of litigation involved. Judges generally fix a share of 2 per cent to 10 per cent of the husband’s annual earnings for maintenance, which is not enough for sustenance. This is corroborated by the statistics, which shows that only 18 per cent women surveyed for the study were divorced while 81.7 per cent preferred to remain separated to enjoy a better financial status.
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Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length. — Robert Frost
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Maoists & ‘Capitalist Roaders’ If
India’s attention has been fixed on state Assembly elections in recent days, the Chinese also are preparing the ground for major leadership changes later this year when President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and a total of seven of the nine members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party’s Politburo will quietly move into retirement. The Standing Committee of the Politburo is the apex decision-making forum in China. The graceful move into retirement by China’s political leaders is in marked contrast to India, where politics is treated as a lifetime pursuit and occupation. Around the same time as Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget presentation, Premier Wen and other Chinese leaders outlined their government’s policies to the country’s National People’s Congress (NPC). Wen indicated a slowdown in growth to 7.5 per cent while significantly increasing defence spending by 11.7 per cent to a record $106 billion and enhancing the internal security budget by around 18 per cent. China justified increased internal security spending on the challenges posed by the Dalai Lama “clique” and “’Islamic separatists” in Xinjiang province who have ties with militants in Pakistan. The fact, however, remains that the seemingly monolithic Chinese state structure faces an estimated 300,000 protests ever year. Moreover, there is increasing disaffection over arbitrary exercises of state power and forcible seizures of land. Things boiled over to such an extent that villagers in Wukan in the economically booming Guangdong province drove out Communist Party officials. Bowing to public outrage, the Communist Party eventually permitted the villagers to freely elect members of their village Council. Mao will be turning in his grave and his admirers, the purists in India’s Gopalan Bhavan-based CPM, shell-shocked to learn that the NPC was addressed by China’s second richest capitalist, Zong Qinghou, with the net worth of the 70 richest Deputies of the NPC estimated at $90 billion! China is now confronting the contradictions of having a capitalist economy with 300 million internet users on the one hand, and a secretive, non-transparent one-party political structure on the other. Questions on the internal working of the Communist Party of China have now become the focus of international attention following the sacking of the charismatic party chief and Politburo member of Chongqing city, Bo Xilai, who appeared all set to become a Member of the Politburo’s Standing Committee in the forthcoming leadership changes. Like many others in the emerging ”fifth generation” Communist leadership, Bo is a “princeling”, born in a politically influential family. China, like India, seems to be headed for a period of dynastic leadership. Bo’s father, Bo Yibo, was a veteran of the Communist Party and designated as one of its eight elders. During the purges of Mao’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Bo and his parents, like millions of others, were shamed and incarcerated. His mother was beaten to death when she was imprisoned. With Mao’s decline and death, Bo’s father was rehabilitated and honoured by Deng Xiao Ping. In these circumstances, one would have normally expected Bo to abhor Maoist practices. But as he rose in the party hierarchy, he evidently found that the Communist Party was losing its ideological moorings and even its legitimacy. After he took over as party chief in Chonqing, Bo took a number of populist measures, cracking down on organised crime and corruption, providing housing for migrant workers and maintaining a remarkable growth rate, well above the national average. But where Bo ran into trouble was in adopting Maoist ultra-leftist slogans like “sing red and strike back,” reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution. This ran counter to the views of not only Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, but also the views of the country’s next ruler Xi Jinping, who has described the Cultural Revolution as an ”illusion”. To make matters worse, Bo’s trusted Vice Mayor Wang Lijun, sought refuge in the American Consulate in nearby Chengdu, alleging corruption and persecution by Bo. Wang had to be persuaded to surrender and leave the Consulate. An outraged Wen Jiabao rebuked Bo, who was relieved of his duties as party chief in Chonqing. The Bo episode not only brought out the ideological and personal rifts in Beijing, but also brought into focus the lavish life-styles of Communist Party apparatchiks and Bo’s close links with the Americans. Interestingly, despite Bo’s leftist rhetoric, his elder son, Li Wangzhi, studied at Columbia University and drew attention for his preference for fashionable back tuxedos and for driving in a flashy red Ferrari. Bo’s second son from his second wife, Li Guagua, attended the elite Harrow School and later found his way to the Balliol College in Oxford and the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard. Given Bo’s unconventional ways and growing popularity among China’s leftists, the party leadership saw him as a threat to the stability and order they yearn for. The national leadership, apprehensive about the fallout of the Bo affair and the prospects of similar unconventional behaviour by other organized groups, the party cracked down on potential opposition by organized groups like lawyers. Almost immediately after Bo’s exit, China’s Justice Ministry ordered lawyers to take an oath of loyalty to the Communist Party. Lawyers were asked to aver: “I promise to faithfully fulfil the sacred mission of socialism with Chinese characteristics and uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China”. Bi Xilai speaks fluent English and those who have met him aver that he is a charming, witty and well-informed interlocutor, whose demeanour is very different from that of other Chinese leaders. While Bo’s political ambitions to become a member of the Standing Committee of the Party’s Politburo have been thwarted, his exit is a manifestation of inner-party differences in the present leadership, which wishes to proceed on the path of rapid economic growth, with minimal political changes on the one hand and those demanding greater democratic freedoms and more inclusive economic growth, on the other. Bo’s leftist rhetoric and populism have reportedly struck a responsive chord among leftist publications and websites. All this is occurring at a time of excessive “assertiveness”” by China on disputes over maritime and land borders with neighbours ranging from Japan, South Korea and Vietnam to the Philippines, Malaysia and India. The People’s Liberation Army is given to flexing its muscles and adopting a threatening posture. Any weakening of the political leadership will only lead to the Army seeking a greater role in national and international affairs. It is significant that even while raising defence spending, Premier Wen Jiabao declared: ”We will run the armed forces with strict
discipline”.
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A trip to ‘God’s own country’ A
recent visit to Cochin, my first trip to the Queen of the Arabian Sea, was quite exciting. The weather was perfect at 21ºC and the season was definitely the best time of the year to visit Kerala — which has earned the title ‘God’s own country’. I wanted to check in person why it had won the label and was also keen to see the hometown of quite a few of my friends . During a very hectic but satisfying conference we found time to see some of the scenic beauties. We started the day at Fort Cochin (or Fort Kochi). This man-made island represents colonial India with Dutch, Portuguese and British influences. Our first stop was the neo-classical Santa Cruz Basilica, built in 1505. Walking along the coast, you can spot the Chinese fishing nets – evidence that this was an ancient fishing hamlet. The nets operate even to this day. Many old bungalows in Fort Cochin have been converted to heritage hotels. Our favourite was Malabar House. A short rickshaw ride took us to St.Francis Church — probably one of the oldest churches in India. This is where Vasco da Gama was buried in 1524 — until his remains were taken to Lisbon. Fort Cochin can be a treasure trove if you are looking for handicrafts, antiques, paintings, etc — however, hone your bargaining skills before venturing out. Spending some time in Art Cafés is a must during a visit to Fort Cochin. The ambience in these art cafés is very vibrant and this gives life and colour to this island. There are events happening every evening in Fort Cochin – dance performances, kalaripayattu demonstrations, art workshops and music concerts. The local people are well educated, polite and cultured. The Jew Town in Fort Cochin is a very historical part of Fort Cochin. You walk into a narrow lane of Jewish shops and the street ends at a synagogue, which was built in 1568. Our last stop in Fort Cochin was the Dutch Palace – gifted to the Raja family of Cochin. The mythological murals depicting Ramayana and Mahabharata and paintings of the royal family are breathtaking. Some of these are fading but the details are still very striking (something like reading a Asterix or Tintin comic where even the side-characters are shown with lovely expressions). Then a leisurely cruise on the backwaters. Nothing can replace this magic. The backwaters are a symbol of life close to nature. In the middle of a huge (and I mean really huge) lake are islands where rice farming is carried on. The guide showed us the place from where the snake boat race is flagged off — ‘the last one was by the President of India’, as he proudly tells us. Swinging from a hammock on the deck, you can see the water birds swoop down, stay for what seems an eternity and come up with fish. We then went to Aathirapally waterfalls – a two-hour drive from Fort Cochin. The Chalakkudy river plunges more than 80 ft. at this fall. The walk to the fall is the most exciting part --- a gradient path winding through a thick forest – the fall by itself is a stunner, ‘Abhishek and Aishwarya were here to film the movie Raavan’, as our guide tells us. While in Rome do as the Romans do – and so in Kochi I tried my hand at the famous Kerala lungi called mundi . It is indeed a great dress – it gives a lot of freedom and can be rolled up at half mast if one has to run! There was a very aromatic shop with hundreds of tiny glass bottles of oily heavy perfumes. I was delighted to make my own perfume by mixing the essence of some citric fruits with a heady spice. The resultant concoction smelled very macho and the lady at the shop immediately honoured me by naming it after me
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Need to decriminalise drug addicts
A divergent viewpoint is emerging, suggesting the need to take a fresh look at addicts and treat them like patients and not criminals. This curative approach is contrary to the punitive method prevalent in most countries
Balraj (name changed), an engineering graduate, was introduced to heroin by his roommate. Within a year, he was hooked to it and was spending about Rs 1,500 everyday on the drug. As he was unable to afford his addiction, he became part of a chain, selling and distributing the drug to others. He was arrested after he was found to be in possesion of 20 gm of heroin. A case was filed against him under the NDPS
Act.
Indian jails, particularly in the North-East and Punjab, are packed up with persons, who have been booked for possessing drugs, drug trafficking, and drug-related crimes. In Punjab, out of about 18,000 prisoners lodged in various jails, about 30 per cent inmates have been charged with illegal possession of drugs. Denied bail, they keep on languishing in state’s crowded and cramped jails for years together and come in contact with other drug addicts and inmates afflicted with serious infections like Hepatitis B & C, tuberculosis and AIDS. Jails are not correctional houses for most drug addicts. After getting trapped into addiction, there is hardly any respite or opportunity of going back to a normal healthy life. Even on parole, the only person waiting outside for them is a drug peddler and not family members or friends. There are instances in North India where drug trade is operated and controlled from inside the jails, and those charged with drug-related offences do not even bother to apply for bail. There are apparently 190 million addicts worldwide. Almost no country is spared from the menace of drug addiction and illegal trafficking. According to a UN estimate, in India alone, there are one million registered heroin users and five million unofficial heroin addicts. The youth are the worst-affected by drug abuse. What starts as fun and recreation or to overcome frustration, ends with youngsters getting sucked into the world of drug dependence and addiction. To finance their addictive habits, they resort to various crimes and gradually become small-time drug couriers, a world from which it becomes very difficult for them to extricate themselves. Post-terrorism, Punjab has emerged as a major transit route for drugs like opium, smack and heroin from Afghanistan, which are meant for European markets and the US via New Delhi and Mumbai. According to the UN Drug and Crime Report 2011, India is the largest consumer of heroin in South Asia. The report has also negated the perception that India is only a transit point for drugs.
War on drugs Addiction has been ruthlessly and brutally dealt with by many governments in different parts the world. The USA has been most aggressive against drug addiction. The term ‘war on drugs’ was first coined by Richard Nixon in June 1971. Since then, billions have been spent every year by the US against this war. Today, the US has the largest number of persons locked up in jails for drug-related crimes, and still victory against addiction appears to be a distant dream. Many countries like China, Russia, UK, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and India have been dealing with drug addicts using highly punitive measures, including capital punishment. On June 24, 2011, on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, many drugs peddlers were executed in different parts of China. In China, any citizen can be subjected to drug testing, and when found positive, can be imprisoned and prosecuted. Similarly, in many countries, offenders possessing even small quantity of soft drugs receive mandatory jail terms. Still, none of these countries have witnessed a fall in the number of drug addicts. There is hardly any jail in the world where drugs are not available. Recently in India, too, Punjab DGP (Jails) Shashi Kant kicked up a row in February this year when he claimed that a nexus between the drug mafia and politicians was to be blamed for drug trade in jails. He also claimed that he was under the threat of drug mafia but refused to name anyone. In spite of the war on drugs, there has seen an increase in use of opiate, cocaine and cannabis. There has also also a rise in the use of prescription and non-prescription medicines in this region.
Sympathetic approach A new train of thought, which is gradually emerging in some parts of the world, suggests a need to have a fresh look at addiction, and in ways of dealing with drug addicts. It is being increasingly felt that the criminalisation of addiction and incarceration of addicts is proving counterproductive, and is adding to illicit trading of drugs and a number of crimes. Jails are full of addicts and small-time traffickers but the bigger fish always escapes the net. A wave of decriminalisation has gradually started with satisfactory results. Portugal is the first country to decriminalise addiction. In Portugal, after decriminalisation was adopted in 2000, jails have been emptied out; enforcement agencies have more time to follow drug traffickers. HIV infection as a result of needle sharing is said to have been reduced to zero in 2007, and use of heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs has declined. Reports of deaths because of drugs have reduced by 60 per cent since 2007. Similarly, many other European countries have started taking a lenient and sympathetic view towards addiction. In Switzerland, there are special clinics supplying regular pure heroin to addicts so that they are weaned away from illegal sources and a world of crime. In some Western countries, there are clinics providing medical substitutes for hard drugs. Even in Punjab, substitution therapy with medicines has been started in many
centres.
Need for rehabilitation In has been consistently shown that treating addicts and rehabilitating them rather than putting them in prisons show far better results. It is also more cost-effective. Once a drug addict is jailed for drug crime, family members try their best to smuggle drugs into jail by many indigenous means and some among them even land up behind bars for “helping” their jailed and addict family members. Abrupt withdrawal symptoms in a jail, when not adequately attended to, can even lead to fatal complications. There is need to ensure that addicts are put on substitution therapies and are able to procure drugs through legal and clean means. It also means a major shift in the strategy of treating addicts as patients and not as criminals. This is expected to stop pushing them to the underworld of drug mafia. In June, 2011 the UN Global Commission on Drug Policy released a critical report on the war on drugs declaring that the global war on drugs has failed with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world. This has received a mixed response from the world community. The world opinion is still divided on the methods of dealing drug addicts and the addiction.
The writer, a Ludhiana-based psychiatrist & deaddiction specialist, is a former Consultant of Psychiatry, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana
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Drug addiction in Punjab
Number of illicit substance users in the state far exceeds the UN's estimation of global illicit substance abuse for the 15-64 age group range which is 4.8 per cent. There is at least one addict in 67 per cent of rural households. At least 66 per cent of school students have gutka or tobacco addiction. Around 70 per cent of college students use some abusive substance or other. Narcotic substances seized from Punjab have been highest in the country. At least 20 per cent of heroin recovered in India is from Punjab. Tarn Taran is the most affected rural district. Amritsar is the most affected urban
district. In India, the per head alcohol consumption is highest in Punjab, and Tarn Taran tops the list. In 10 years (1999-2009) more than 43,294 cases has been registered under the NDPS Act in Punjab. There is a rise in snatching incidents in which mostly addicts are involved. Heroin and cocaine addicts are known to spend Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 a day for procuring their daily dose. Students and unemployed youth have become the major target for drug suppliers Drug addiction is becoming a major cause of death among the youth There have been instances of drug addicts killing their family members, including parents, when they are refused money for drugs. Village of widows One of the worst-affected areas in Punjab is Maqboolpura, on the periphery of Amritsar. Many men have died or deserted their family after becoming addicted. It has now become notorious for being the "village of widows". Deaddiction for jail inmates in Punjab
Drug addicts and Jails
Addiction in North India New Delhi, Himachal and Rajasthan have turned into major attraction for foreign tourists and tourist influx reveals a deadly narcotic nexus. Many parts of Himachal Pradesh, particularly Kulu, have become drug heavens. About 3,000 Israelis have made Kasol village in Kulu as their home.
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