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Mourning Maahi
A memorial to riot victims |
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Egypt gets elected Prez
Euro zone’s myriad problems
Of liquid gold
Personnel policies: Army shoots itself in the foot
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Mourning Maahi
Any
heroic effort is only as good as the outcome. Unfortunately, the 86-hour Army operation to rescue the four-year-old Maahi from the narrow bore-well in a Gurgaon village proved to be no more than a body-extrication exercise. The owner of the premises on which the tragedy took place was renting out quarters to migrant workers, and the bore had been drilled illegally to pump out water to supply the tenants. The Haryana Chief Minister has announced the guilty would not be spared. He apparently does not realise many guilty have been spared since 2006, when six-year-old Prince was rescued from a bore-well in Kurukshetra. Else, Maahi would not have ended her birthday in the fashion she did. In fact, if there is a wider inquiry — and some soul-searching — to identify the guilty, the Chief Minister may not want to know the answer. The immediate failure in this case was of the local authorities, beginning with the sarpanch, who failed to stop the drilling, for which approval is required in the district. The next in line to take the blame equally should be the planners for allowing the state’s showcase city to be woefully short of water, as well as other infrastructure. Where there is a demand, there will be a supply — illegitimate if legitimate is not available. Officials are winking at the hundreds of bore-wells being drilled — most probably for a consideration. Locals don’t complain because it is a desperate need being fulfilled. Villages encircled by cities across the country are being reduced to modern-day slums, with multi-storeyed quarters coming up with no supervision, as civic laws do not apply there. Then there is the failure to realise that deep-bore drilling, often beyond 300 ft, is not something causal that anyone may be allowed. It is heavy engineering and involves risk to life and property; people providing the service need to be qualified for the job. The government thus needs to have a registration system for them, and rules to regulate drilling bores, and filling when abandoned. If it were only the landlord responsible for Maahi’s death, there would not be one such case every year in the country.
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A memorial to riot victims
The
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) proposes to raise a memorial to pay homage to Sikhs killed in the November 1984 riots in Delhi. What is seen as a police cover-up that followed and the fact that the victims complain of being denied justice, are still major concerns for the community that was at the receiving end. Indeed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s apology for the violence, and other reconciliatory measures have provided balm for wounded souls, but, according to popular perception, the Congress is associated with the riots, and its leaders like Sajjan Kumar still face cases regarding their role in the large-scale killing that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Paramjit Singh Sarna, who heads the DSGMC, chose to speak about the memorial not in Delhi, but in Amritsar, where he was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who he had invited to inaugurate Guru Teg Bahadur Niwas, a residence for pilgrims to be run by the body. The present management of the DSGMC and the Congress are close to each other. However, on the issue of the memorial, the Congress will be in a difficult situation since the memorial, if built, would reflect ill on the party. Immediately after the 1984 riots, rather than the government, it was the community, along with some NGOs, that swung into action to provide succour to the survivors. The DSGMC, too, played a role, although it faced criticism of not doing enough. As time passed, the event receded from New Delhi’s collective memory and efforts to improve the lot of the families of the victims, who had suffered, have tapered off. Many of the orphans of 1984 are now adults, and while a memorial would remind people of those who lost their lives, various substantive measures need to be taken to provide education and security to the families of the survivors.
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Egypt gets elected Prez
Egypt
got an elected President for the first time in its history on Sunday with the Supreme Electoral Committee declaring Muslim Brotherhood-floated Freedom and Justice Party chief Mohamed Morsi as the winner of the run-off elections. Mr Morsi faced a tough challenge from former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, considered close to military strongman Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. The announcement of the election result was delayed, which led to speculation that the ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) might manipulate the poll outcome to deny Mr Morsi his due. But that would have caused widespread protests all over Egypt, leading to an uncontrollable chaotic situation. Perhaps, the interim military rulers read the writing on the wall and decided to honour the mandate given by Egyptian voters. But the ruling generals have taken certain measures which may remain a threat to Egypt’s march to democracy unless they decide to undo these at some stage. They have got the first elected parliament dissolved with the power of writing a new constitution remaining with SCAF. The military has acquired a major say in policy making. The Brotherhood, Mr Morsi’s parent organisation, has expressed its opposition to the last-minute decisions taken by the military, which means the possibility of a showdown between the two sides in the days ahead. Mr Morsi has been successful in emerging as the first elected head of government in Egypt not only because he got massive support from the most popular Islamic movement called the Muslim Brotherhood. He has been allowed to take up the reins of power also because of the US pressure on the power-hungry ruling generals not to prevent the march of the democratic process that began with last year’s uprising at the famous Tahrir Square in Cairo. Now that Mr Morsi has become the President of Egypt, he must remember that he has certain international obligations to fulfil. The world community will be watching his moves closely because of his Brotherhood connection. The engineer-turned-politician will have to ensure that a democratic Egypt under his command respects human rights and does nothing which can lead to its getting branded as a theocratic state in the guise of democracy.
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As knowledge increases, wonder deepens. — Charles Morgan
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Euro zone’s myriad problems
The
euro zone seems to have survived, at least for now. After keeping the world on tenterhooks for weeks, the Greeks ended up voting for pro-bailout political parties to assume power and gave the besieged nation some semblance of stability. The conservative New Democracy party came first in a critical election and pro-bailout parties won enough seats to form a joint government. This was Greece’s second national election in six weeks after an inconclusive ballot on May 6. Antonis Samaras has been sworn in as Greece’s Prime Minister at the head of a coalition government with the rival Panhellenic Socialist Movement, or Pasok, and the smaller Democratic Left. His government will now have to reconcile the demands of the country’s international lenders with the growing frustration of its recession-wracked citizens. The European leaders had warned that if a new Greek government rejected the bailout, the country could be forced to abandon the single currency. And there were indeed a range of views on euro across the political spectrum in Greece. The parties had starkly different views about what to do about the $300 billion in bailout loans that Greece has been given by international lenders, and the harsh austerity measures that previous Greek governments had to accept to get the funds. While the radical-left Syriza and other smaller parties have opposed the bailout, New Democracy and Pasok said they would keep it in a renegotiated form. The election results have finally provided some certainty to the global economy even as the central banks across the world stood ready to intervene in case of financial turmoil post-elections. In more ways than one, the fate of Europe - and the global economy - was in the balance as Greece went to the polls. A Greece exit from the euro zone would have been accompanied by a collapse of the domestic banking sector and steep inflation. Perhaps more significant, a Greek exit could have accelerated bank runs in other troubled euro countries, such as Spain and Italy, as investors and depositors got nervous that those countries were next. A total collapse of the currency union would have looked like a real possibility. Now a measure of certainty would return to the euro zone. Germany's Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, said he viewed the election result as a decision by the Greek people “to forge ahead with the implementation of far-reaching economic and fiscal reforms in the country.” But Greece’s election results will provide some respite only on one front. Other problems remain especially as major European economies like Spain and Italy continue to suffer. The dilemma of how to give a push to economic growth in the euro zone at a time when all economies on an austerity drive remains unresolved. The new Greek Prime Minister has already asked to slow the pace of budget cuts required under the bailout plan, which currently demands another $11 billion in spending reductions over the next two years. To reconcile some of these problems the focus of euro zone leaders is now on some of the larger questions, such as creating a banking union that puts the full weight of the 17-nation currency zone behind an integrated financial system, rather than leaving each nation to stand or fall alongside its own banks. These problems that euro zone is facing underline the precarious nature of the European project itself. The achievement of Europe at regional integration and its interesting trajectory has raised theoretical issues and important practical conundrums as to whether the experience of the EU holds important lessons for other regions of the world. When the economic integration in Europe was in its nascent stages in the 1960s, neo-functionalists had argued that regional economic integration would create its own momentum leading to the devolution of authority to a central institution. Transnational elites and interest groups would lead the way and external actors then would start treating the unit as a single entity. Realists responded that people might get linked with economic integration. States would find it difficult to carry through their promises because of domestic political constraints. Integration would then move at the pace of the slower countries. This largely theoretical debate continues till date. There are practical issues that still spark interesting parallels with other attempts at regional integration in the world. Despite its achievements in maintaining peace and prosperity in Europe, the problems in the EU have been clear for a while now as it started becoming a two-tier zone of highly performing economies and the laggards on the periphery. The real nature of the euro zone is clear: from the start, its dominant economy was inevitably Germany. In the years preceding the credit crunch, euro zone interest rates were set low to suit the German economy which created a disastrous housing bubble in states like Ireland. Now, to balance strong German growth, the European Central Bank is raising interest rates, at the time when small, indebted economies need them low. The basic problem is simple. The institutional arrangement of the EU had been formed in different circumstances: that model needs to be brought up to date. But no one seems interested in that broader reform. The European project is in crisis and unlike in the past when the response to crises usually used to be an attempt towards greater integration, this time few will be buying this suggestion. Instead, a backlash might emerge leading many to question the very utility of the EU. India and the rest of South Asia would do well to learn from this crisis the dangers of regional economic integration in the face of massive economic differentials among member-states. Until such time as other regional economies in South Asia have emerged from their economic sloth, New Delhi should not push for greater economic integration in South Asia. Otherwise, India will be left to manage the euro zone-like crises in the region, should they emerge and that won’t be a very comfortable place to be in as Germany is finding out these days.n The writer teaches at King’s College, London.
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Of liquid gold
Recently
I happened to visit Rajasthan. Rather its farthest end. All desert, sand, hot winds and the blazing sun till the eye stretched. Surprisingly, I came across something soothing and reinvigorating to the eye and the soul as well. A wave of cheerfulness ran within me on seeing a big red pitcher covered with a jute rug to keep water cool. Above it stood a thatched roof. Oops! A ‘pauu’. Felt a whiff of fresh and fragrant air around me. Cool and refreshing water in scorching summer. What else does one ask for? Instantly, I came out of the jeep and had the nectar of life to my fill. Got saturated all over with tranquillity. I let its coolness sink within me. An enviable and blissful moment that uplifted my whole being. In fact, it was as good as an oasis in the legendary Arabian lands lending a peculiar euphoria to the surroundings. Aerated drinks stand nowhere when we compare these with this pure cool water of the pitcher. I was delighted and thrilled. I felt like a child having found his favourite toy lost long ago. Anon sweet nostalgia transported me to the good old days. Unforgettable sweet memories associated with childhood swam before my eyes. Thermos and water bottles kids carry to school these days were unknown to us. We had to trudge a long way to school in Farruka (near Sargodha, now in Pakistan). Father would provide us the luxury of tonga only in the rainy season. There stood a ‘pauu’ under a shady tree on the way. How we would run ahead of each other to take the elixir of life is still etched on the retina of my mind. Very vividly do I remember the old man with a crisscrossed face pouring water with a brass tumbler. We sipped fast seeing it didn’t spill our hands joined together. Moving one’s head was a signal for him to stop pouring water. An instinctive, silent and speechless communication. There prevailed rare peace and equanimity on the old man’s face. Taking water like that always made me feel as if heavens themselves had descended on the earth. Rejuvenated, we would resume our journey. I must have water at the ‘pauu’ outside the school too even if the bell had gone. What if getting late invited stringent punishment. When I grew up, my granny told me that quenching somebody’s thirst was a highly pious deed. In my hearts of heart I bow before all those who were engaged in this sacred deed. Sans any discrimination of cast, colour and creed. Though found in plenty, wasting liquid gold never struck anyone. Alas! ‘pauus’ have vanished and plastic bottles and pouches are in. Really painful to watch half-consumed water bottles and pouches forming bulk of garbage. With the disappearance of the ‘pauus’, an era has come to an end and so has a noble tradition. I yearn for the old times that upheld values which sustained our culture and
civilization.
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Personnel policies: Army shoots itself in the foot
Humans
are alike. Wearing a uniform may suppress, but not fully insulate them from corruption, greed, power-play et al, vices inherent to human race. But besides grit and courage, what sets military personnel apart from the others is the sharp ability to self-destruct and to invent self-defeatist masterstrokes as far as welfare, manpower and personnel policies are concerned. Whichever side one may be, what the Army Chief's age row has brought fore is that there is a belief doing the rounds, factual or fictional, that meticulous, surgically incisive processes are constantly at play where careers of those who may pose a future threat are played with crudely and ruthlessly and all this happens behind closed doors under a cloak of secrecy marked 'national security', which is not actually in consonance with the age of transparency we live in. The lucky few in key appointments have their way and others can only pull their hair in despair. The number of cases pending before Benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal and other Courts, and the kind of strictures passed on such matters bear testimony to the chaos at work. It is yet another matter that even in well-rounded verdicts, the system, out of egotism, tries its best to wear out its own personnel by litigating till the highest court.
Arbitrary attitude and policies
While military officers are quick to point fingers at the bureaucrat, it is their own arbitrary and parochial attitude and policies, without any basic understanding or training for administration, that are to be blamed. In the bargain, the military becomes the military's own greatest enemy. The examples are many. Recently the Supreme Court reportedly reprimanded the Army for creating artificial hurdles for its own officers when an appeal was filed against a lady officer of the Judge Advocate General's Department whose case had been allowed by the AFT granting her promotions and permanent commission. Till date, the Army, based on an internal artificial interpretation by the Military Secretary's Branch, is promoting Short Service Officers commissioned prior to 2006 as Captains in nine years of service while those commissioned after 2006 are being promoted to the same rank in two years. The impediment was not created by with the Ministry of Defence, but by the Army. When the Military's medical establishment was directed by Courts to grant medical facilities to its elderly retired Emergency Commissioned Officers based on an already existing Government Order, the Army itself was quick to challenge it before the Supreme Court. Imagine, the Army approaching the Supreme Court with a prayer that the same Army may be directed to withdraw medical facilities from its own officers, some of them in their 80s. When the Navy and Air Force vouched for implementation of the Non-Functional Upgradation for the defence services, as already applicable to civil services, which guarantees the pay of a Lieutenant General in a time-bound manner to superseded officers, the Army was the first to oppose putting across the banal argument that if implemented there would be 'no charm for higher ranks'. When all Doctors of the Central Government were granted a 'Dynamic Assured Progression Scheme', the Army itself tooth and nail opposed its implementation for its own doctors on the pretext that doctors would then start getting higher salaries than other officers.
Faulty interpretation of rules
While the civilian establishment is constantly blamed for degradation of status of military officers, the Army, in the Military Engineering Services (MES) itself places senior promotee military officers of the rank of Major and lady officers of similar rank as Assistant Garrison Engineers, an appointment tenable by Subedar-equivalent civilian officers, while directly commissioned officers of the rank of Major with much lesser length of service are posted on higher appointments such as Garrison Engineers, all again based on an artificial, faulty and forced interpretation of existing rules. Recently, based on a decision taken by the Prime Minister, young army officers, both Permanent and Short Service Commissioned, up to 35 years of age with 5 years of service and in fit medical category, were sought for lateral induction into the Indian Police Service through a statutory gazette notification. But rather than moving with the times, the Army Headquarters, based on an outdated policy promulgated in 1987, issued a circular pointing out that only those Permanent Commissioned Officers would be permitted to apply for the IPS who had only two years of service left (that is, who were 50 years old), or who were in low medical category, or who had completed 18 years of service but had not passed their promotion exams. Needless to say, it's a no-brainer that all such categories 'allowed' by the Army HQ were actually ineligible to be inducted into the IPS as per the notification. Whenever there is a welfare oriented proposal or proactive personnel policy under consideration of the Government which elements in the bureaucracy would not like to see implemented, they simply throw it in the court of the defence services for a consultative process for they know that first the Army, Navy and the Air Force would start struggling between themselves, and then the fight would shift inter-se between the fighting Arms, then it would be fighting arms versus support arms and finally arms versus services. The end product would be zilch resulting in sniggers from the ringside.
Shedding obstructive approach
So where does the fault lie? Is it because of the stiff competition and ACR oriented 'smile up - kick down' culture or is it because of plain lack of understanding of finer aspects of personnel management and lack of administrative acumen or downright foolhardiness? The answer is hard to find. It seems that in a nation with the psyche of public servants deriving power by imposing obstacles, red-tape and impediments in the ordinary life of a common citizen, officers holding key appointments in the military feel powerless when they compare themselves with their civilian counterparts. Hence the only way to feel powerful is by posing hindrances in areas of policy where the pen can be used as an authoritative instrument of damage, and that damage unfortunately is restricted to within the uniformed services. As a sequel, creation of restrictive clauses and provisos becomes a tool of ego empowerment through which the policy writer feels potent. Liberal construal is abandoned for sadism and a sub-culture emerges where cribbing is rampant and peer happiness is not tolerated. The Army has to wake up and smell the coffee. The obstructive, inward-looking conservative approach has to go, times are such. Camaraderie has been the hallmark of defence services but the same is not just meant for the battle field but for normal day to day life too which actually and practically affects personnel and their families. A recent positive example would be the strong efforts of the Army's Personnel Services Directorate in reducing litigation and convincing the Defence Ministry to withdraw appeals filed against its disabled soldiers bringing succour and kudos to the organisation. The positivity must spread and must spread fast to other spheres, otherwise the self-inflicted injury to the heretofore seemingly strong foundation would make the organisation a laughing stock leading to a spectacular derailment of the only institution every Indian has been unconditionally proud of.
Bare facts
The writer practises in the Punjab and Haryana High Court
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