Editorial, DISTRESS SUICIDES, in Vol.4: Part 2, 15 October 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

DISTRESS SUICIDES

seem to have spread from the ranks of farmers to those of artisans also in Andhra Pradesh. Eminent social scientists underscore that this phenomenon of large scale farmers suicides is something entirely new and link it to the last decade of globalization and trade liberalizaton under a corporate-driven economy. Some blame the modern ‘neo-coloinalist’ collaboration setup as directly responsible for all this mess. They point out that prior to the British occupation Indian peasant used to earn significantly more than the English farmer, and it is the colonial system of plunder and iniquitous land use that led to the collapse of the flourishing agriculture and handicrafts. After Independence, Indian farmer again rose up and was always able to feed the ever increasing population of the country with his skills and toils but again the LPG processes have reversed the trend. “Agrarian distress and consequent mass suicide since 1997 once again started when India again exposed its agriculture to foreign companies in 1991.” The same is true for the fate of handicrafts... And all this a part of the worldwide globalized ‘free trade’ cannibalism. See this severe indictment: “The transformation of life into commodities kills, but nowhere is this more deadly than in the extreme market conditions of contemporary China. Red capitalists use anything … for runaway overproduction. The Chinese commodities inundating the earth stem from a pitiless market of low-paid laborers, including children and prisoners, who put in long hours... With massive unemployment in rural areas and a huge migration to cities … life for many unfortunate Chinese is a constant struggle of one against all in which stolen children are sold for profit...” And that is exactly what is ailing us too. So in the final analysis it is an acute human rights crisis created by cruel capitalist greed but our human rights commissions and superior courts seem to be ‘blissfully ignorant’ and the State, giving up the welfare state ideal, aids and abets the monstrous capitalization spree. And ‘we the people’ are baffled, unable to fight concertedly to defeat such dehumanizing processes and forces §§§

Editorial: COMBATING TERRORISM, of Law Animated World, Vol. 4: Part 2, 30 September 2008 issue

COMBATING TERRORISM

is not easy, indeed it is one of the most difficult tasks, not only for the different governments at the helm, but also for the progressive people at large. It involves basic questions of theory and practice. And terrorism is not a uniform monolith either; it consists of various varieties in different circumstances. The world today is convulsed by Islamic terrorism but that too has different strands. Even Bin Laden’s tirades against the American tyrants are not just religio-fanatic but curiously advert to several ‘secular’ causes. As one serious researcher puts it: “The vast majority of Bin Laden’s public statements provide secular, not religious, rationales for 9/11. The principal purpose of the attack was to punish the ‘unjust and tyrannical America’. The casus belli he invokes over and over again is injustice not impiety. … Bin Laden almost never justifies terrorism against the West as a means for subordinating Western unbelievers to the true faith. Instead, he almost always justifies terrorism against the West as a form of legitimate self-defence.” And we know terror was and is used in legitimate self-defence or even in counter-offensives against oppressive/imperialist regimes. However, we unequivocally condemn terrorism of the type which indiscriminately kills and maims non-combatant innocents on whatever ‘noble principles’ or ‘high ideals’ advocated in support. The recent bomb blasts by Islamic terrorists in various cities of our country belong to this category. Long back Marx had so analytically stated, “Terror consists mostly of useless cruelties perpetrated by frightened people in order to reassure themselves. … the blame for the Reign of Terror in 1793 lies almost exclusively with the over-nervous bourgeois, demeaning himself as a patriot, the small petty bourgeois beside themselves with fright and the mob of riff-raff who know how to profit from the terror.” Today’s terrorists also belong to similar social groups, though here surcharged with religious frenzy. To combat it needs not just tough police and military measures but also mass awareness and education programs not only to isolate terrorists but also to fight against the glaring injustices in the socio-economic systems which give fillip to such outbursts §§§

Editorial - "Right to Live v. Right to Know" in the 15 September 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD, Vol. 4, Part 2, No. 17

RIGHT TO LIVE V. RIGHT TO KNOW

That the entire biomass in this static-dynamic cosmos (akhila charaachara viswam loni samasta praanikoti) is to be viewed with due care and respect is our ancient wisdom, occasionally noted but often flouted. We humans acted with impunity and cruelty to cause extinction of innumerable biospecies. Our superiority complex as also the arrogance about the uniqueness of our intelligence leading to novel scientific, techonological advances and tamperings with nature are some main causes; and the same now drive us toward a perhaps inevitable danger of annihilation. In our thirst for knowledge and greed for power we have split the atom, generated vast energies, committed genocides as also created dangers of a nuclear holocaust. Now we are on the brink of creating black holes, which Dr. Otto E. Rössler fears may eat up our entire earth in a matter of years if we are unable to cope with them – all this in the name of the biggest scientific experiment in world history to know the secrets of the universe. Are we unwittingly behaving like ‘Bhasmaasuras’? Doubts crop up though the spirit of enquiry tends to belittle all that as mere gibberish. Dr. Rössler and others have even approached the European Court of Human Rights, saying: “CERN itself has admitted that mini black holes could be created when the particles collide, but they don't consider this a risk. [But] … it is quite plausible that these little black holes survive and will grow exponentially and eat the planet from the inside. … We submitted this application to the ECHR as we do not believe the scientists at CERN are taking all the precautions they should be in order to protect human life." Not only the human but the entire earth should be protected. Hitherto, we are accustomed to respect the right to know as an integral part of the right to life, but now comes the juncture of a calamitous conflict between it and the very right to live. Let us hope the time has not completely run out and human wisdom prevails in the end to thwart any possible dangers to our geo-bio §§§

Edtorial 31 August 2008 typing mistake regretted

In the editorial of 31 August 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD, posted on this blog [as also in the printed version of the newspaper), a material mistake occurred: It was typed: WOLD, instead of WORLD. We very much regret the mistake and request the readers to read it as WORLD. The title of the Editorial is: 'ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM'. - I.M. Sharma.

Editorial, 'One World, One Dream', in 31 August 2008 issue of LAW

LAW ANIMATED WORLD
A world law fortnightly published from Hyderabad, India.
Editor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma
ADVISORS: Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal (INA Colonel), V.R. Krishna Iyer, O. Chinnappa Reddy, B.P. Jeevan Reddy (Former Judges, SC), P.A. Choudary (Former Judge, APHC), Surendra Mohan (Ex-MP), Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao (Politics), Umesh Chandra (Senior Advocate, Lucknow), Ravi Kiran Jain (Senior Advocate, Allahabad), Colin Gonsalves (Senior Advocate, Delhi), K. Subba Rao (Senior Advocate, Bangalore), K.G. Kannabiran (Senior Advocate & National President, PUCL), Ms. Chandan Ramamurthi (Advocate, S.C., Delhi).
Volume 4: Part 2 31 August 2008 No. 16

‘ONE WOLD, ONE DREAM’

The world’s gala sports feast of peace, harmony and progress came to a joyous end amidst great pomp and ceremony on 24 August 2008 with Liu Peng, President of the Chinese Olympics Committee, declaring that this 23-day sports festival conducted in the spirit of ‘One World, One Dream’ has achieved the objectives of unity, friendship and progress. Truly, China with the successful organization of this mega event has come of age as a leading power of the world, and has done entire Asia proud by topping the list of gold medals, the first since many decades for any country other than the USA. In contrast, we, the second most populous country in the world, could bag just three medals in all, and have much to learn and imbibe from our efficient neighbour in this regard. The Olympics were memorable for the spirit of friendship and amity displayed by the competing teams from >200 countries all over the world, and happily not marred by any terrorist attacks or ugly demonstrations. The IOC President Jacques Rogge congratulated China for ably conducting the Games and lauded the participants: “You have shown us the unifying power of sport. The Olympic spirit lives in the warm embrace of competitive rivals from nations in conflict. Keep that spirit alive when you return home.” That was in obvious reference to the unforgettable hugging by Natalia Paderina of Russia, the Silver medalist, of Nino Salukvadze, the Georgian bronze medalist, in 10 meter air pistol shooting, despite then raging war between Russia and Georgia, with Natalia remarking that ‘sports is not politics’ and Nino responding saying ‘politicians should straiten out the situation’. We too hope and wish this friendly spirit prevails over the undesirable enmities raging in the world today, and the belligerent powers realize the futility of, and give up, the old imperialist or aggressive policies and strive for One World of peace, unity and human welfare instead §§§

Editorial 'Whither this downslide?' in LAW, 15 August 2008 issue

WHITHER THIS DOWNSLIDE?

Sri Sri, the great poet of Telugu literature, had long back lamented in these terms the tragic plight facing our countrymen. Even after 60 years of independence, the evils he deplored – corruption, nepotism and black-marketing and greedy selfishness – are growing by leaps and bounds. Inflation and unemployment are racing uncontrollably. There may be considerable development on capitalist lines but the fruits are largely gulped by tiny sections of the people. The great majority are leading uncertain lives, to say the least, and the downmost ten percent are on the verge of starvation and in danger of extinction. Socialism has become a mere catchword and the Constitution is being undermined by its own supposed protectors. Concentration of wealth is touching new peaks, scorning Article 39, and the commons are thrown to destitution saying the inefficient and unlucky deserve such fate in a competitive society. Market economy is assuming ominous dimensions and new sort of East India Companies are being invited. Basic amenities are lacking for common people. Welfare society is becoming a dream of the past. One Abhinav Bhindra no doubt deserves all congratulations, but the basic fact that ninety percent of schools and colleges do not have minimum sports facilities tells the reason for our stark failure at Olympics or elsewhere. With participatory management always held as a laughing stock ideal, the workers have no future or even present. Honest and hardworking peasants are being driven to suicides. Only the rich and the elite are cosy. This is nothing but an oligarchy parading as democracy in an age when even developed capitalist countries are striving for high humanitarian, libertarian and social welfarist principles at least in their domestic arenas. The only remedy seems to be a grassroots revolution, but can ‘we the people’ do that? §§§

Editorial 'Speaker's Saddest Day' of 31 July 2008 issue of LAW

SPEAKER’S SADDEST DAY

It is unfortunate that the high office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha has been tarnished and Mr. Somnath Chatterjee has been expelled by his own party for not abiding by its dictate. We are not following the American model where the Speaker is also a leader of a parlimentary party and could even act as a leader of the Opposition, but the Westminster model where he is considered to be non-partisan from the moment of his election to that august post. Whatever be his defaults and blunders as a mere member of the parliament and as chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Finance Corporation and holder of other offices, it is generally accepted that Mr. Chatterjee acted ably and fairly in discharge of his office of the Speaker and won the plaudits from the parliament and of the nation too. Especially during the stormy sessions of the House on 21-22 July on the Confidence Motion moved by the Prime Minister, his impartial way in conducting the House amidst great stress and strain - and what touched my heart, the avuncular affection with which he treated even his political opponents, like Shah Nawaz of the BJP – drew deserving praise from all parties in the country. If anything, he brought laurels to his own party by his sterling conduct of the House as the Speaker and it is incomprehensible how a bunch of inexperienced leaders of that party could decide that ‘he seriously compromised the position of the party’ and that too in such a summary fashion on the very next day after the trust vote. This is but a kind of fascist organizational anarchy, and certainly not a marxian democratic manner. Somnath Chatterjee lamented it as the ‘saddest day’ in his life. It is truly sad also for all those who believe in democratic norms that can alone guide any parliament or political parties successfully towards the construction of a really democratic welfarist society * * *