Editorial in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 28 February 2009 issue: FIGHT TO THE FINISH?

FIGHT TO THE FINISH?

It is really sad that the UN Security Council also refused to actively intervene in Sri Lanka but, on the contrary, the SC members appealed to the LTTE to release the civilians virtually taken hostage by them and also to lay down their arms and abandon the use of violence to pursue their political aims. Of course, they have also appealed to the Sri Lankan Government to exercise maximum restraint but nobody questioned the declared Sri Lankan position of fighting the civil war to the finish and soon eliminating the LTTE. Actually none of the Security Council members was prepared even to propose a request for a ceasefire. Even the briefing by John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, on the shocking humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka was at first opposed by Russia, which was afraid that if she agrees to a sovereign State of the UN being questioned in its campaign to suppress an internal insurgency, then tomorrow she herself may be dragged to the international forum on the Chechnya problem, which is no less alarming. Unfortunately for Prabakaran and the LTTE, they have ‘overstretched’ themselves and earned a bad name in international circles, being branded as a terrorist organization even by the European Union, doubtless a very liberal democratic entity. However, Sri Lanka led by Mahinda Rajapaksa should also realize that the Bush doctrine of ‘fight to an end’ is not that easy, given the LTTE’s tenacity and daring to mount surprise suicidal attacks. Further, even if the lions win and tigers vanquished, the guerilla war may not stop. It seems there are saner elements in the LTTE circles also, some of them speaking highly of the now-opposition leader, former Premier, Ranil Wickremasinghe, and so we feel Sri Lankan Government should be magnanimous in victory and, instead of pushing for fight to the finish, declare immediate ceasefire and negotiate with the LTTE and other Tamil forces to work out a peaceful federal solution in Sri Lanka §§§

Editorial in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 15 February 2009 issue: TAMILS IN TURMOIL

TAMILS IN TURMOIL

now all over the world, but especially in Sri Lanka and also in Tamil Nadu, over the gory plight of the Tamils there bearing the brunt of the military offensive launched by the Sri Lankan Army to totally decimate the dreaded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils. Sri Lankan forces seem to have gained a clear upper hand and captured all the important LTTE bases including their bastion Mullaittivu and are now poised for the final strike against their last stronghold Puthukkuduyiruppu. From November 2006 onwards the SL military operations with terrific airstrikes and intensive shelling have not only devastated the LTTE ranks but also resulted in thousands of civilian casualties; even school children and hospital patients were and are not spared and the Tamils all over the world are furious that it is but a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Large protest demonstrations have taken place and are being held worldwide by the Tamil diaspora but especially Tamil Nadu is in intense agitation. At least three fanatic admirers of LTTE, and votaries of Tamil Eelam, beginning with Muthukumar, immolated themselves castigating not only SL chauvinists but also ‘Indian Imperialism’ and now LTTE flags and portraits of the iconic leader Prabakaran are being displayed openly in defiance of all anti-terrorist law. One can understand the intense anguish behind such protests since there have been and are close relations between Tamils across the sea, and Tamil Nadu has seen the origin of an ‘independent Dravid Nadu’ campaign as far back as in the 1950s even before any Eelam agitation was conceived in Sri Lanka. Truly the human tragedy in Sri Lanka is of staggering proportions and there is urgent need for the international community to immediately cause a cease fire and also restart of peaceful negotiations to solve the Sri Lankan ethnic problem. India should also actively intervene in the matter lest in not distant future our own South starts burning too §§§

Editorial 'Our Republic in Peril' in 31 January 2009 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

OUR REPUBLIC IN PERIL

now not significantly due to any external invasions or threats but mainly because of our own internal problems and squabbles. And these are largely due to lack of federal democratic governance, more notably local self-government, on the political level, and unabashed pursuit of the free market dreams in the economic sphere. It is the capitalist economy which now masquerades under the supposedly neutral ‘free market economy’ but the biggest myth is to claim that it is really free. Actually it is the other people’s moneys – more so the public properties and moneys – that greedy and rapacious corporate capitalists (mis)use in their enterprises and the tom-tom about ‘consumer sovereignty’ is also another discredited myth. Above all, boasting on the one hand that we are a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic to zealously support and promote corporate crooks in the name of ‘new economic policy’ is the biggest hypocricy damaging the basic fabric of the nation. Similarly, shouting secular has become just a fashion but the policies-n-programmes are all communal – of the very many ruling and would-be ruling parties of the country. So much so that they have even packed the modernist revolutionary Bhagat Singh in a hidebound costume which he rarely wore in his militant and mature years, and the lip service paid to him, without even showing his statue fully in the presidential website (extreme left above), just disgusts. When already the existing States have hardly any important powers, their say is being further diluted by raking up or supporting fissiparous tendencies. As for local self-government, well, the less said the better. The Panchayats hardly have any developmental powers or finances. Poverty, ill-health, corruption and unemployment are rampant and growing day by day. Even the Apex Court is frequently humming corporate tunes and the common man is left in the lurch. Not surprising if he falls victim to or is attracted by terrorism or other undesirable outbursts §§§

Editorial 'CORPORATE CROOKS AND COMMON MAN' in 15 January 2009 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

Read below the Editorial: 'Corporate Crooks and Common Man' in 15 January 2009 issue of LAW:

CORPORATE CROOKS AND COMMON MAN

New Year has not augured well for the world economy, with what two major global economic frauds coming to light shocking the world populace out of their fascination for greedy capitalism. Called by some the biggest fraud in corporate history, the Madoff Scam in America has with one lightning stroke wiped out billions of dollars of accumulated savings of several big trusts and also other wealthy, greedy money-savers. If it is the good old Ponzi wine in a new bottle that played havoc in the Wall Street, it is our Andhra industrial icon Raju’s obsessive greed for realty and quick buck that upset our Sensex and the perhaps up to now biggest 7000 crore rupees corporate fraud in our history is quaking the entire nation. In either case, SoS shrieks are out for State intervention to save these now ‘helpless, well-meaning, honest but somehow bungling’ tycoons in the guise of protecting the livelihoods of comfortably placed software professionals or savings of the neo-rich upstarts. In our case the hand of the corrupt politicians in power is quite patent with what thousands of crores of public moneys so liberally and hastily channelled to Satyams - straight and reversed both, but more to the latter - obviously for huge kickbacks. At this juncture the only right course would be to let Satyam declare itself bankrupt and face all the penal consequences of law instead of trying to bail it out with thousands of crores of public moneys and further damaging the economy and conditions of the vast masses by staggering inflation and financial crises. There is no need to create any state-run zombie, called Shivam or Sundaram. We do not want any socialism for the rich but genuine social welfare and development measures for the poor and needy common man. The corporate criminals and corrupt politicians should not be let walk away lightly – ‘mere few weeks or months in jail due to wealthy criminals’ would not do. We may not shoot our scamsters here but ought not to spare them in the least either §§§

Happy New Year and Nava Sankranthi!

Wish you all a Happy New Year and Nava Sankranti 2009!

Editorial "Say 'No' to War!" in the 31 December 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR!

More than a month after India’s nine-eleven (Bombay’s 26/11), it is almost clear that this terrorist mayhem has been engineered and planned in Pakistan, under the guidance of the Pakistan Army, especially the notorious Inter Services Intelligence. Their main objective seems to be something like hittng two birds with one blow – to wriggle out of their commitments to the US and NATO about fighting Taliban terrorism in their northwest frontier and tribal areas and at the same time stoke up the Kashmir cauldron once more by creating a warlike situation with India. The reports that top Taliban leaders declared to fight a jihad against India in support of the Pakistan Army in case of any such war breaking out is a sufficient indicator of the close nexus between Islamic terrorists and the Pakistan military. But whether the masses of Pakistan who have just recently come out of the iron grip of the military and are trying to breathe democracy and liberty once again will blindly support their nefarious designs, swept away by fundamentalism and jingoism, is a big question. On our side also there is no dearth of chauvinists crying for blood and obliteration of Pakistan by fighting a final war. However, all sane elements shun such warmongering and are certain that war cannot be an option, particularly at this point, since it would be nothing but falling into the trap set by the Pakistan Army and the Islamic terrorists. Apart from the certainty of immense human tragedies and genocidal excesses happening, the very thought of a communal madcap with a nuclear stone in hand across the border should deter us in this regard. Wisdom lies in keeping low for the present, strengthen our intelligence and security, forge solid alliances with world powers – not only US but also Russia and China, try our best for peaceful resolution of disputes and, failing that, at an apt moment in future, take stern retaliatory action to wipe out or disable not only the terrorist camps but also the military nucelar installations in Pakistan §§§