Twenty Five years have passed since the disaster stuck Bhopal where thousands of innocent people perished in their sleep when the lethal gas, Methyl Isocyanine, used in the manufacture of pesticides leaked out of the factory owned by the American chemical giant Union Carbide. There was hardly any time to run for cover and the leakage had claimed thousands of lives besides damaging the lungs and eyes of those who survived.
Warren Anderson, the Union Carbide CEO at that time, did not feel even apologetic about the incident, leave alone the megre compensation paid to the families of the dead and the injured. The issue has dragged on for years and those who suffered have not been rehabilitated in a decent way. Dow Chemicals, in the meantime, bought Union Carbide which then ceased to exist, and this effectively blocked the compensation issue. Further, Dow Chemicals distanced itself from the disaster claiming it was not the owner when the accident took place. What a convenient answer?
At the time of the disaster, US was the dominant economy in the world dictating terms to others and the American chemical giant even used the diplomatic circle to threaten the Indian government of adverse economic consequences if it pressed harder on compensation issues. The global economic scenario has changed since then and we are no more on the receiving end. India is now a global economic power to be reckoned with and it is high time we stared telling the US multinationals, “Look here, if you can’t fulfill your social responsibility, we will not be mere spectators and may have to show you the door apart from holding you legally responsible for any damage.”
The US administration has been dishing out billions of dollarsto save the cash crunched and mismanaged business houses to support its overpaid and non performing executives and it will be only proper and fitting if the Indian govt., at this juncture, take up the issue with Obama administration and negotiate a reasonable deal for the victims of the disaster. Better be late than never.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Is the UN a "Dead" body?
In the aftermath of the First World War, leaders of all nations came together and formed “The League of Nations” in 1919 aimed at preventing similar catastrophe in future. But it miserably failed to stop the Second World War when Adolph Hitler and his axis forces ran riot bringing unspeakable misery to the people. This made the world leaders stick their heads together once again that marked the birth of the United Nations in 1945.
The military conflict we witness today the world over bears vivid testimony to the fact that even the new found formula has been ineffective in persuading warring factions to lay down arms and get back to the negotiating table. There has been blood shed in Bosnia, Chechnya, Russia, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Ireland apart from so many tiny nations in Africa where genocides have become the order of the day and the UN has just been a silent spectator unable to play any role in resolving the crisis.
The war in Afghanistan was the end result of Al Qaeda strike in US cities, popularly known as 9/11 and one can justify the instant US reaction as there was no time for seeking a UN mandate. The decision to defend Kuwait from Iraq’s invasion can also justified in that the gulf state deserved international protection from the evil designs of dictator, Sadam Hussein.
But what is totally unjustifiable is the war against Iraq unleashed by US and its allies under the assumption that the country possessed weapons of mass destruction without adequate evidence, and above all, without UN sanction. If a senior member state of the UN which wields veto power can unilaterally carry out strikes against a member nation, it questions the very legitimacy of its existence.
Death and destruction have become an every day affair and membership in the UN has ceased to have any meaning. With five countries invested with veto power, Security Council resolutions are regularly hijacked or modified to suit the wealthy and influential. The UN has been reduced to the status of a toothless tiger and its function is no more democratic.
The UN has to shed its role of a watchdog and need to be given the mandate to draw troops from member nations and deploy in troubled areas if it has to make an impact in the world order, as otherwise, the day is not far when it will meet with same fate of League of Nations.
The military conflict we witness today the world over bears vivid testimony to the fact that even the new found formula has been ineffective in persuading warring factions to lay down arms and get back to the negotiating table. There has been blood shed in Bosnia, Chechnya, Russia, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Ireland apart from so many tiny nations in Africa where genocides have become the order of the day and the UN has just been a silent spectator unable to play any role in resolving the crisis.
The war in Afghanistan was the end result of Al Qaeda strike in US cities, popularly known as 9/11 and one can justify the instant US reaction as there was no time for seeking a UN mandate. The decision to defend Kuwait from Iraq’s invasion can also justified in that the gulf state deserved international protection from the evil designs of dictator, Sadam Hussein.
But what is totally unjustifiable is the war against Iraq unleashed by US and its allies under the assumption that the country possessed weapons of mass destruction without adequate evidence, and above all, without UN sanction. If a senior member state of the UN which wields veto power can unilaterally carry out strikes against a member nation, it questions the very legitimacy of its existence.
Death and destruction have become an every day affair and membership in the UN has ceased to have any meaning. With five countries invested with veto power, Security Council resolutions are regularly hijacked or modified to suit the wealthy and influential. The UN has been reduced to the status of a toothless tiger and its function is no more democratic.
The UN has to shed its role of a watchdog and need to be given the mandate to draw troops from member nations and deploy in troubled areas if it has to make an impact in the world order, as otherwise, the day is not far when it will meet with same fate of League of Nations.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Swiss Banks Encouraging Corruption
If the criminal is punishable under law, the same law should be applicable to his accomplice abetting the crime.
In the pretext of assuring total privacy and secrecy to its customers, the Swiss banks have been attracting all the illicit money from the corrupt politicians and businessmen all over the world. The recent demand from the IRS (USA) that sought details of accounts of 52,000 US citizens is not surprising at all.
Asia, especially India, is one of the most corrupt nations in the world. Politicians and influential business tycoons are able to beat the system effectively with the clouts they wield in the corridors of power. All their ill-gotten money is siphoned off and parked in the safe hands of Swiss banks that assure total secrecy of their accounts regardless of the source of funds.
Another continent is Africa. Rich in natural resources like diamond, gold and other minerals, the corrupt leaders of small nations are plundering their own land and pumping gold into the Swiss banking system. Again the drug cartels of Latin America and the international arms dealers inject funds liberally into these banking channels. Swiss economy has been flourishing because of this inflow of cheap, but illicit money. There is no one to raise the voice for transparency of the transactions. Even the terrorist organizations shop around the world for arms and ammunition uses this tested route.
If UN can impose sanctions against Iran and North Korea for trying to achieve nuclear capability, why not impose similar sanctions against Switzerland for abetting corruption all over the planet?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
THE PARADOX OF INDIAN MIGRANT IN US
“They gulp some packed food calling it a breakfast, eat no lunch and the only time they cook is for dinner when they are totally exhausted after the days work. This is really pathetic” lamented the old man whom I met during my morning walk in the bay area of California. “Why do they come here and toil like this if they cannot eat two square meals a day when they can afford to live like a prince in India.” continued the old man, tears literally running down his cheeks. True, the migrant Desi is a confused lot and is being caught between devil and deep sea. They are being forced into a new culture and lifestyle in their new found home and retuning to their origin is not that easy.
The acronym “DCBA’ (Desi Confused By America), refers to Indian workers who migrated to the US since the 1970s in pursuit of the “Great American Dream” when everything was going well. Born, brought up and studied in India, they still retain some of their original culture and values imbibed on them when they were young or have at least made a sincere attempt to retain their identity. Another serious challenge faced by this community is taking care of their ageing parents in India. They cannot return to India as many are in the peak of their career and, even if they return, they cannot easily adapt to Indian work culture. They would very much like to take their parents with them, but the parents find it difficult to adjust to the new environment in their advanced age.
The children born to them (delivered in America, obviously a tested method to obtain American passport without hurdles) who are referred to as ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) know little of India and the only link between them and their erstwhile motherland is the occasional trip they make to their land of origin accompanying their parents during their visits. Torn between two different cultures, they are fast losing their original identity. Many of them marry outside their community into different cultures and the consequential cultural mismatch. Some marriages survive and some not.
Thanks to globalization in that it is fast producing a new Indian breed alien to their own culture. This is here to stay and is happening with change the world over. The older generation feels they have lost their sons and daughters to an alien culture and are depressed about it. But reality is different and we need to accept it gracefully.
The acronym “DCBA’ (Desi Confused By America), refers to Indian workers who migrated to the US since the 1970s in pursuit of the “Great American Dream” when everything was going well. Born, brought up and studied in India, they still retain some of their original culture and values imbibed on them when they were young or have at least made a sincere attempt to retain their identity. Another serious challenge faced by this community is taking care of their ageing parents in India. They cannot return to India as many are in the peak of their career and, even if they return, they cannot easily adapt to Indian work culture. They would very much like to take their parents with them, but the parents find it difficult to adjust to the new environment in their advanced age.
The children born to them (delivered in America, obviously a tested method to obtain American passport without hurdles) who are referred to as ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) know little of India and the only link between them and their erstwhile motherland is the occasional trip they make to their land of origin accompanying their parents during their visits. Torn between two different cultures, they are fast losing their original identity. Many of them marry outside their community into different cultures and the consequential cultural mismatch. Some marriages survive and some not.
Thanks to globalization in that it is fast producing a new Indian breed alien to their own culture. This is here to stay and is happening with change the world over. The older generation feels they have lost their sons and daughters to an alien culture and are depressed about it. But reality is different and we need to accept it gracefully.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Learning from Ants!
Have you observed the ants? During summer they work very hard building ant hills and storing enough food grain for the rainy season. The ancient Indian economists followed this ant philosophy and taught us to save a portion of our earnings for the rainy days. In addition, we were told to maintain a sustainable standard of living so that we don’t have the misfortune to reduce the standard of living during the days of recession. We were also advised to save enough to invest in the education of the next generation because those wise men knew that empowering the young through education holds the key in ensuring the future security of the society.
In sharp contrast, look at the American economists? They want people to spend, spend and spend regardless of their financial capacity. If you have no money, use credit cards, buy today and pay later so that manufacturing industry will survive and so their employees. Then when they reach the saturation point, people don’t buy anymore, manufacturers produce less, jobs are cut, those already bought up to their credit limits cannot pay up and the whole system collapses. Luxurious living became more important than safeguarding the interest of the next generation.
Irresponsible over-consumption and artificial credit creation are responsible for today’s economic disaster. Long ago, Abraham Lincoln, one of the first Presidents of the USA said, “You cannot build a strong economy on borrowed funds” and he was absolutely right!
In sharp contrast, look at the American economists? They want people to spend, spend and spend regardless of their financial capacity. If you have no money, use credit cards, buy today and pay later so that manufacturing industry will survive and so their employees. Then when they reach the saturation point, people don’t buy anymore, manufacturers produce less, jobs are cut, those already bought up to their credit limits cannot pay up and the whole system collapses. Luxurious living became more important than safeguarding the interest of the next generation.
Irresponsible over-consumption and artificial credit creation are responsible for today’s economic disaster. Long ago, Abraham Lincoln, one of the first Presidents of the USA said, “You cannot build a strong economy on borrowed funds” and he was absolutely right!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
DEMOCRACRY FOR THE RICH AND INFLUENTIAL
Is India being reduced to a democracy for the rich and influential?
You can mount an attack on the highest democratic institution of the country, The Parliament House, caught in the process, tried and convicted by a court of law and still get away with, you can mow down the people sleeping in the pavement with your luxury car and escape conviction, you can poach, at will, an endangered specie like Chinkara or a black buck and hush up the case, you can pass through the green channel at the airport on your return from an international trip with dutiable items and plead ignorance when caught and scot free, you can shoot a bar attendant point blank and still get a bail if you have the right connections, you can import an aircraft under the guise of commercial use and keep it for personal use and evade import duty until some news channel blows the whistle, you can be involved in any number of bomb blasts killing innocent people and be a free man if you have political patronage, you can be an MP with murder charges against you and your party leaders will back you up, you, as a minister, can be prosecuted by CBI for financial scandal after a long awaited Governor’s permission, who, in turn, gets threatening calls from abroad for doing his duty and so on and so on. The list is endless.
The police are unwilling to register if you lodge a complaint and, if registered, the complainant is treated as the accused. You are unwilling to render help to the hapless bleeding victim of a road accident, even if you are a medical professional, because you are afraid of the consequences of your involvement. The judges are influenced and the poor victim who was gang raped is made to witness the sad spectacle of her assailants being set free for want of evidence adding new threats to her personal security, leave alone the inconvenient questions hurled at her by the so called “defense” lawyers. The employers, if they belong to a multinational, flex their muscle and financial power to ensure that the legal proceedings don’t tarnish their local image regardless of the anguish and trauma inflicted upon the victim and her family. These have become routine and even the intelligentsia have learned to live with it resigning to their fate.
Are we fast emerging as the largest, but the most irresponsible democracy of the 21st century where the powerful, wealthy and influential can hijack the whole system to suit their personal agenda? The British, no doubt, looted the country, but they had something in place to protect the interest of the law abiding citizen. This is the sad irony of Mr. Bharat that has completed 60 glorious years after independence. The politicians plunder the country’s wealth and the multinationals join the bandwagon in that our elected representatives and ministers have become salable commodities who can be bought and sold in the open market to make policies and enact laws to increase the bottom line of industrial giants and power houses. Factories are being put up in agricultural lands affecting the livelihood of scores of farmers because the small car is more important to the nation than the basic subsistence of the peasant. Soft drink manufacturers are locating their factories in rural areas draining the ground water resources creating artificial scarcity of drinking water and when the villagers resist, police force are sent to silence them and booked under discriminatory laws. Even in the extreme cases where the rural population is relocated for a right cause, the promised compensation does not reach them and is eaten away by the babus en route.
If this is the independent India’s state of affairs today, what have we in store for the future generations? In the last sixty years, we have not managed to produce a single leader with commitment to a national agenda. On the contrary, our system has produced more dealers than leaders. Enacting a law that imposes life ban for tainted men from holding public office will alone revamp our democratic values.
You can mount an attack on the highest democratic institution of the country, The Parliament House, caught in the process, tried and convicted by a court of law and still get away with, you can mow down the people sleeping in the pavement with your luxury car and escape conviction, you can poach, at will, an endangered specie like Chinkara or a black buck and hush up the case, you can pass through the green channel at the airport on your return from an international trip with dutiable items and plead ignorance when caught and scot free, you can shoot a bar attendant point blank and still get a bail if you have the right connections, you can import an aircraft under the guise of commercial use and keep it for personal use and evade import duty until some news channel blows the whistle, you can be involved in any number of bomb blasts killing innocent people and be a free man if you have political patronage, you can be an MP with murder charges against you and your party leaders will back you up, you, as a minister, can be prosecuted by CBI for financial scandal after a long awaited Governor’s permission, who, in turn, gets threatening calls from abroad for doing his duty and so on and so on. The list is endless.
The police are unwilling to register if you lodge a complaint and, if registered, the complainant is treated as the accused. You are unwilling to render help to the hapless bleeding victim of a road accident, even if you are a medical professional, because you are afraid of the consequences of your involvement. The judges are influenced and the poor victim who was gang raped is made to witness the sad spectacle of her assailants being set free for want of evidence adding new threats to her personal security, leave alone the inconvenient questions hurled at her by the so called “defense” lawyers. The employers, if they belong to a multinational, flex their muscle and financial power to ensure that the legal proceedings don’t tarnish their local image regardless of the anguish and trauma inflicted upon the victim and her family. These have become routine and even the intelligentsia have learned to live with it resigning to their fate.
Are we fast emerging as the largest, but the most irresponsible democracy of the 21st century where the powerful, wealthy and influential can hijack the whole system to suit their personal agenda? The British, no doubt, looted the country, but they had something in place to protect the interest of the law abiding citizen. This is the sad irony of Mr. Bharat that has completed 60 glorious years after independence. The politicians plunder the country’s wealth and the multinationals join the bandwagon in that our elected representatives and ministers have become salable commodities who can be bought and sold in the open market to make policies and enact laws to increase the bottom line of industrial giants and power houses. Factories are being put up in agricultural lands affecting the livelihood of scores of farmers because the small car is more important to the nation than the basic subsistence of the peasant. Soft drink manufacturers are locating their factories in rural areas draining the ground water resources creating artificial scarcity of drinking water and when the villagers resist, police force are sent to silence them and booked under discriminatory laws. Even in the extreme cases where the rural population is relocated for a right cause, the promised compensation does not reach them and is eaten away by the babus en route.
If this is the independent India’s state of affairs today, what have we in store for the future generations? In the last sixty years, we have not managed to produce a single leader with commitment to a national agenda. On the contrary, our system has produced more dealers than leaders. Enacting a law that imposes life ban for tainted men from holding public office will alone revamp our democratic values.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
WEST RESPONSIBLE FOR SRI LANKAN SCENARIO
With the exception of Taliban who wants to propagate Islamic tenets and enforce Sharia law all over the world, terrorism is a product of deprivation. Tamils, forming almost 15% of the Sri Lankan population, have been, in the past, targeted and discriminated by the majority Sinhalese community and were always treated as second class citizens. Successive governments abetted in the crime.
What started as a small movement called TNT led by a group of young men under the leadership of Prabhakaran, it grew into LTTE, a powerful force to be reckoned with. As a ruthless terror group, they organized their own army with naval and air wings and had excellent logistical support, leave alone the dedicated suicide squads willing to strike in the name of their cause.. It took the government more than decade to dismantle the outfit.
The USA and UK are now calling for measures to combat the humanitarian crisis. Where were they for the last 30 years when the LTTE was fighting the Sri Lankan govt., when the Tamils were fighting for a legitimate cause? Where were they when the genocide was going on in Burundi and Rwanda where Tutsis and Hutus were slaughtering each other? Where were they when the Black Africans in the erstwhile Rhodesia and South Africa were mercilessly butchered and mutilated?
I find the western attitude very difficult to understand. You religiously watch as things happen and cry foul when all is over. If the healthy, wealthy, developed and influential nations of the world cannot take initiative in arresting an impending humanitarian crisis, what kind of legacy we are leaving behind. When a 9/11 strikes USA or terrorists bomb London, they call upon world nations to fight terror, but turn a blind eye to the problems elsewhere.
When a child wielding a toy gun makes a mock threat, we ignore him. Now that the child has grown up and the toy gun has been replaced by AK-47, we all panic in that we have been caught off guard. This is what has happened in Sri Lanka. The UN, of course, has been reduced to a non-entity.
What started as a small movement called TNT led by a group of young men under the leadership of Prabhakaran, it grew into LTTE, a powerful force to be reckoned with. As a ruthless terror group, they organized their own army with naval and air wings and had excellent logistical support, leave alone the dedicated suicide squads willing to strike in the name of their cause.. It took the government more than decade to dismantle the outfit.
The USA and UK are now calling for measures to combat the humanitarian crisis. Where were they for the last 30 years when the LTTE was fighting the Sri Lankan govt., when the Tamils were fighting for a legitimate cause? Where were they when the genocide was going on in Burundi and Rwanda where Tutsis and Hutus were slaughtering each other? Where were they when the Black Africans in the erstwhile Rhodesia and South Africa were mercilessly butchered and mutilated?
I find the western attitude very difficult to understand. You religiously watch as things happen and cry foul when all is over. If the healthy, wealthy, developed and influential nations of the world cannot take initiative in arresting an impending humanitarian crisis, what kind of legacy we are leaving behind. When a 9/11 strikes USA or terrorists bomb London, they call upon world nations to fight terror, but turn a blind eye to the problems elsewhere.
When a child wielding a toy gun makes a mock threat, we ignore him. Now that the child has grown up and the toy gun has been replaced by AK-47, we all panic in that we have been caught off guard. This is what has happened in Sri Lanka. The UN, of course, has been reduced to a non-entity.
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