The virtues of new found citizen activism

In many earlier posts, i have mentioned this new movement in the educated citizenry across the country, which i choose to call Citizen Activism. It is not a new phenomenon and has been around for a while. Hindi movies have churned scores and hundreds of movies based on citizen activism essentailly, the efforts of one man/group of people to awaken a nation. The movie that immediately comes to my mind is Rang De Basanti. Not that Media and new reporters and columnists have never been a part of "awakening". In their distinct capacities all these agents of change have justified their role in a citizen awakening. It could be against injustice, corruption, reservations, red tapism, Goonda-ism, economic in-equality, so on and so forth... individuals in their might and right have taken a stand at times for the greater good of their communities, their futures, their families, states or the nation as a whole.


However the trauma post 26/11 served as a tipping out for a country neglected, a country besieged, as people publicly started lashing out at establishments and influential leaders in the country for having under delivered on all counts. 26/11 massified the movement. It wasn't as if one had not seen public outrages before, but the audience was limited and the action was specific to an institution/individual.

1. It started with the anti Mandal commission protests in 1990s, where students challenged the ministry and V P Singh led coalition on the execution of the reservation of seats for SC/STs and OBCs in professional courses. There after the AIIMS -
2. Jessica Lal's murder was the first instance of public outrage and media pressure leading to high court ruling out the judgement of a lower court.(acquiting the murderer, Manu Sharma, the son of a wealthy and influential politician). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Lal

The candle marches and other peaceful protests established this movement towards a more awakened and educated India. The tone was sorrowful and yet definitive. Just how many terrorist strikes were needed and how many innocent killed before the government and the bureaucracy would wake up to fulfill their duty of protecting the nations and citizens. The movement cost the Maharashtra CM and Home Ministers their seats. It was the first time, Citizen activism and media were getting their act together and the partnership effected the rise of this new phenomenon Citizen Activism.

Even as India goes to vote this time around, the activist media is proving its worth by educating the citizens about their voting rights and priviledges and the political drama unfolding and the criminal antecedents of a lot of the Lok Sabha candidates fielded by popular political parties.

1.I appreciate the attempts made by TATA TEA JAAGO RE campaigns in national media. http://www.jaagore.com/
2.Times of India's "No Criminals" LEAD INDIA' 09 campaign also focusses on much of the same message. http://www.lead.timesofindia.com/. Every other publication house is stoking the nationalist ideals within the citizens in its own way.
3.There are forums like National election Watch, a google based group that is actively disseminating information regarding criminals who are in the fray of seats for this years Lok Sabha elections. http://groups.google.com/group/national-election-watch?hl=en.
4.An Ahmedabad based NGO, http://www.adrindia.org/home/index.asp is actively educating the citizenry on elections, manifestos, candidates and criminals in politics.

5.On the humorous and sarcastic bit , there is this campaign from Radio Mirchi, called Bleed India, which is a satiric take on the virtues(or bane) of not voting!

But that is not just it, in terms of Citizen activism. Sample These:
1. Aamir Khan is actively advertising for Switch off, a volutary movement of switching of all electrical appliances for an hour on a given day, 28th March, 2009. http://www.earthhour.in/
2. Sachin Tendulkar dedicated his test century at Hamilton against new Zealand to tiger preservation.
3. Perizaad Zorabian, is a part of "Save the Glaciers" group educating people about Global warming and the likes.
4. Preity Zinta, adopted 34 orphans on her birthday.

The good thing about any person (forget Aamir, Sachin or Preity's status) voluntaring for a cause is that he raises interest and awakening in the vicinity around him. As is said, a single candle cannot light up the whole room, but does it own little bit in fighting darkness. Citizen Activism is passing that light, that beacon of hope and awareness from one person to another and presisting till the stated goals are achieved.

Delhi's Commonwealth Tamasha

There are less than 18 months to October 2010, when Delhi will be hosting the Commonwealth games. It will be a world stage where India will exhibit its own progress and panache much like China did it in the 2008 Olympics and Sydney did it in 2006 Commonwealth. However, the road to Commonwealth has been bumpy, patchy and with a reason, non existant. In an earlier post, i had covered the state of (un)readiness of Delhi to host an event so large in magnitude and scale. http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2009/03/delhi-running-out-of-time-on.html

Lately, Australian Commonwealth Games Association, has issued a threat to pull out of the Delhi CWG if its security concerns are not met. The security assessment a month before the games would be critical in terms of Australian contingent proceeding with their participation. It comes on the back of the attack on Sri Lankan Team in Pakistan. Earlier, the centre government had sanctioned Rs.78.26 crore for security arrangements (after the Sri Lankan team episode in Pakistan).

While security is the top most in the list of priorities, Infrastructure addition to the city has also been a concern. A few interesting notes about the same:

1. The longest flyover in Delhi, which will connect the 5 kms stretch from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to the Games Village bypassing Sarai Kale Khan and Nizamuddin West will be built at a cost of Rs.5 billion! This will facilitate movement of 10000 atheletes from the games village to the main stadium. This project is expected to be finished in 24 months!
Please note, the 24 month project starting date (March 2009) onwards would mean that the fly over will not be fully available ort may be partially available for the task it is being built for!

2. Earlier this flyover was supposed to be a tunnel road which was rebuffed by the Archeological Survey of India fearing danger to Humayun's tomb!
So much for town planning and preparation for Games

3. While MCD tries to expedite the projects at hand, it is now eating some of its own medicine as it faces resistenace from the environment department of Delhi Government. The widening of the the road to Karni Singh Shooting range has hit the breaker (after being stuck for 6 months anyway) because widening of the road would require felling 400 trees, which is not permitted.
So a "one- way" solution is being thought about.
Did the MCD involve other stake holders in the goverment when they had first envisaged the locations of the games? The answer seems to be no!

4. In a report to the chief justice K.G.Balakrishnan, town planner and former chairman of Delhi Urban Arts Commission, Charles Correa has advocated that the badminton and the squash stadiums be moved away from Siri Fort Indoor Stadium to elsewhere for the purpose of preserving the the green in the area. MCD is now looking at other options with a Rs.1.5 billion kitty for Squash and Badminton stadiums!
Alternate options had never been prepared. Old Sites were being counted upon. With the development tactic backfiring on issues such as environment it will be interesting to see how MCD generates options for the CWG

Pakistan on edge

The power struggle between Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz sharif threatens to paralyze the government in Islamabad and distract the army from its fight against Taliban militants operating along the Afghan border. (Pakistani army has always fancied distractions that reduce its Focus from US aided war on Taliban. Earlier, the distraction was a belligerent India and now the distractions are the polticial forces within.)

So then, it was Zardari who started it all by dismissing Shahbaz Sharif's Punjab government (Shahbaz being Nawaz's brother) over convictions dating back to an earlier chapter in Pakistan's political history. Coupled with a mess of reinstatement of (Musharraf Sacked) chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhury, which has piqued lawyers and judicial authorities and a no show at being able to keep Taliban at bay, Zaradari's inconsistency and inability has been attacked by Nawaz Sharif. Not only has he violated the state imposed house arrest, he also has a few brownies from the Long march to Islamabad. Ceeding to pressures all around him Asif Zaradari has now thrown the towel in.Iftikhar Chowdhury restoration to the chief justice position has re-instated Nawaz Sharif's stature as a viable alternative to Asif Ali Zardari. This also has de-escalated a political flashpoint that was looming large on Islamabad.

With no control of Army and Intelligence, Asif Ali Zardarai seems to have now lost the high moral grounds of presidency after he had to reinstate Iftikhar Chowdhury. The public sentiment for him is worse than that of Musharraf in his time. The US is clearly according the army chief Gen Ashfaq Kiyani more importance than Zaradri and his PM, Gilani.

For everything after all, it seems that Asif Ali Zardari's step down time is near.

The disarray in Pakistani Leadership

Pakistan's Men of Power: Top Left Gen Ashfaq Kiyani (holds the key to Army and ISI); Top Right Yusuf Gilani ( Prime Minister); Bottom Left Asif Ali Zardari (The president) and Bottom Right Nawaz Sharif (Former PM and eminent Leader)

The formation of a democratic government led by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, was seen as the beginning of better times after 9 years of dictatorial rule by Musharraf. The move to Democracy appears to have become one of regression. The state of Pakistan has markedly deteriorated in the last year or so. On hind sight, the choice of Zardari to represent Pakistan has been a wrong one.

Zardari's inabilities have been manifold.
1. Surrendering a large swathe of federal provinces to Taliban and Sharia law is his biggest undoing.

2. Inabilities to cope up with Terrorist attacks in Pakistan, India and elsewhere (featuring the attack on Sri Lankan Cricket team) have earned condemnation in all international forums.

3.The charges of promoting followers, family and friends in government contracts and deals will probably attract investigations in the next regime.

4.The world has also taken note of the removal of charges on nuclear proliferator and renegade scientist Abdul Qadir Khan.

5.Banning former Prime minister Nawaz Sharrif and his brother Shahbaz Sharrif from contesting in elections and holding office will in hind might prove to be the undoing of Zardari.

6.As the political leader of his state, Zardari has not given an impression of control on internal matters and has often vacillated under pressure from various stake holders.

7.The failure to reinstate chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhury has seen outbursts from the members in the judiciary.

8.The move to censor Geo TV from certain parts of Pakistan implies subversion of free speech. Geo TV has been extensively covering anti government protests.

In the face of so many problems and a loose intent to address them, US has initiated a move towards addressing issues through army chief Ashfaq Kiyani is a significant one. US is now trying to engage and influence one who has some control over the army and intelligence. The all powerful Jack of cards (Kiyani) is more handy than the inept King and Ace ( Zardari and Gilani). The jack has now started triumphing the king and the ace. Kiyani has asked Zardari to clean up the 'Mess'. Well, it looks as he some one atleast has a measure of control in Pakistan.

Article Chronology:

http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-pakistan-dividing-again.html

http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-wont-pakistan-make-it-as-nation_17.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2009/02/did-obama-force-zardaris-hand.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-wont-pakistan-make-it-as-nation.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-wont-pakistan-make-it-as-nation_20.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-wont-pakistan-make-it-as-nation_18.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-wont-pakistan-make-it-as-nation.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2008/12/next-terror-attack-on-us-will-originate.html
http://newspaper-posts.blogspot.com/2008/11/us-suspects-kashmir-based-group-behind.html

Elections and the Populist Gravy train

Barrack Obama may not find supporters of his "stimulus act" to the American economy. But he has serious serious competition in India. Sample the populist measures unvieled by different state governments for the people of their states:

1. Uttar Pradesh: After Dalit reservation, it is time for Upper caste and Muslim quota by Mayawati. Then there are one time settlements of power bill arrears in villages and a relaxation of stamp duty on property registrations from 10% to 7%. Most of the properties bought will be by mayawati anyways.
No one talks of the death of a hard working PWD engineer who was lynched by Mayawati's henchmen.
2. Tamil Nadu: Free health insurance to poor, Rice at 1kg/kilo, free colour TV sets to all households.
3. Maharashtra: More floor space for religious temples, special grants for education institutions of minorities. Mandatory employement of sons of soil (marathi manus) in industries of the state.
4. Andhra: Rs.1 lkah loan waiver for SC/ST/BC and minorities. 9 communities to BCs list.
5. Madhya Pradesh: Wheat @ Rs.2 Kg/Kilo. Farm loans @3%. Rs. 50000 loan waiver for farmers.
6. Rajasthan: 6% DA to state employees, an annual outlay of Rs.17322 crores for development.
7. West Bengal: Rice at Rs.2 Kg/Kilo, 20% pay hike for teachers, Rs.5106 crore fiscal stimulus package.
8. Bihar: Rs.16300 crore for development of 36,500 kms roads, Rs.236 crore steel plant at Bettiah, Schemes worth Rs. 10000 crores in 20 districts
9. Karnataka: Rs.130 crores for Mutts and temples.

In an earlier post, i had mentioned the cost of elections to exchequer and party spends to be around Rs.6000 crores. The figures announced in populist policies is an estimable one. All this a cost to the exchequer and to the taxes that the citizens pay for 543 corrupt / illiterate / inefficient/ unrelentingly shameless representative of the state. ALl this is a bribe to the electorate for which the electorate foots the bill. What recession, Mr. Obama?