The Man Who Will Be King

............ and lift US from the dumps.

Barack Hussein Obama is now to take on the mantle of 'The Most Difficult Job' in the world and deliver the goods for the millions who see him as their talismanic messiah, their knight in shining armour. He faces the herculean task of resurrecting the global image of the United States which reached new lows during the war-mongering Bush regime. But before that he needs to put his house in order. That means a bail-out plan for the economy that is unprecedented in history, going by its sheer bulk and consequence.

But if he is half as effective as his oratory suggests he is our man for the job.

And he is already a legend.

"Hurray!" to that "Change".






photo: googleimages

Oil Turmoil Hits India

With oil prices set to rise by 5 Rupees per litre from today we are in for another round of passionate hand-wringing and cries of exasperation from the general public. The signs are already there. The fireworks will promptly ensue. Political parties from across every perceivable political divide will join their hands in protesting this grotesque injustice. "How will the poorer sections survive? How will the middle-class fare? " will be their moot-points. The Left will stage street protests in Delhi lead by the likes of Mr & Mrs Karat in tow with the Boses and Bhattacharjees from Bengal. A single LPG cylinder costing 20 Rupees more will make them froth at their mouths with righteous anger and hurt at having had to support such a worthless government at the Centre for so long. But then, what could they have done otherwise. Support the 'communal forces' to form a Govt. ? Never!


The moderates will dub it as the proverbial 'unfortunate' and 'anti-poor' policy. The Congress will be quaking at their knees. With 12 consecutive defeats in State elections the nation over it is in a political coma, in serious need of a quick resuscitation it hopes it will find in Rajasthan( Gujjar uprising) and Madhya Pradesh ( anti-incumbency) in the coming elections. A vehement opposition at this crucial juncture, less than a year away from the General Elections, which might decisively turn the tide against them is singularly terrifying a proposition. And that has considerably cushioned the rod for the aam aadmi this time around. Otherwise a 10 Rupee hike per litre of petrol and a 50 rupees more for a LPG cylinder would have been the biting reality tomorrow morning. With the nationalized Oil Corporations running into huge losses by accommodating for heavy subsidies this hike had become inevitable for some time.


Crisis, be it food or oil, has become a global phenomena. Nothing can insulate the Indian masses from its effects and its better if we realize this reality fast and brace ourselves for some tough times ahead.The remedy to this global malaise is in planning ahead. The much touted vision of 'Energy Security' seems to have taken a permanent backseat with the Left having effectively steamrolled the Indo-US Nuclear Deal for the sake of hanging onto its logic defying 'Anti-America' stand. The Iran-Pakistan-India Oil pipeline also seems mired in diplomatic tangles with the pendulous nature of Indo-Pak relations. If our political visionaries ( now don't you start counting, you may not even end up with one) do not show resolve in tackling the situation and make a strategy for the future India's juggernaut might come to a most inglorious halt. And all in want of oil.

Sample this. China has already secured oil-mining rights throughout Africa, leaving hardly any profitable pocket for India to nudge, push or fit in. The race for oil is but over in Africa and its all China written across that continent. That leaves India to explore its possibilities in the Sakhalin belt and other Central Asian countries, which given its snailish pace of proceedings might never be substantiated. By all means, the energy situation for India seems grim in the future as oil-starvation will effectively peg back its growth rate to the pre-1990 4% figure, rendering the manufacturing industry vulnerable and infirm. So, assessing the situation in the light of the impending global crisis this hike is but a mild tremor. The real shocks might follow soon.

Until then, all hail Subhash Chakrabarty and hope that our bus fares don't go through the roof.

Adios.

Murder of a Hope - The Light of Larkhana goes out

Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in cold blood.

In one of the most shocking events ever in the history of the sub-continent the former Prime Minister of Pakistan was shot in the neck a few hours back while attending an election rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.

As violence erupts in the streets of Karachi and Peshawar following the news of her death the future of democracy in Pakistan gets bleaker by the hour. General Musharraf, who faces probing questions as to why the security of such a high-profile politician like Benazir was not taken up with utmost priority, having already survived a suicide-attack and repeated threats being made to her life by various Islamic militant organizations, will be hard-pressed to provide acceptable answers if any. With the suspension of the January 8^th elections looking imminent the ‘road to restoration of order’ in Pakistan seems beset with more unfortunate cataclysms than one had initially accounted for.

While Sindh mourns the death of a dear daughter, political analysts the world over see the attack as a consequence of the threat perception she embodied to the thriving ‘terror industry’ in provincial Punjab. She in her recent political rallies declared in no uncertain terms how she would do everything in her power to reign in terrorists operating from Pakistani soil. Given her charismatic persona and undeniable charm, coupled with the paucity of choice that an average Pakistani has while going to vote she seemed set to ensure a sizable number of seats for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the coming elections. Popular sentiment could have worked in swaying the scale either in her favor or Nawaz Sharif’s. Her tragic death has unjustly precluded such an electoral eventuality. The pre-emption of her premiership in such ghastly a manner must ring alarm bells in far-off Capitol Hill right now. If the global community (read USA) is in any measure earnest in wanting to tackle the scum of Islamic extremism it needs to answer the call of the hour with immediate effect. Mere issue of official condolences will not suffice in stemming the rot that USA’s major ally in its ‘War against Terror’ is reeling under at this moment. Benazir’s shocking assassination is a macabre indicator of how desperate the militant forces are in resisting the revival of people’s rule in Pakistan. The International community must ensure the installation of a democratic government instead of a Musharraf stooge climbing to power by rigging polls only to serve his high-handed master. If a call is not taken now it might be too late for Pakistan to recover and repair for her loses. Not only will that be a colossal tragedy for the 60 million Pakistanis but a turn for the worse for the future of South-Asia and the prospects of World Peace in general.


Peace be to her soul.


photos: google images

The Urge for an Emergency

The imposition of Emergency in Pakistan on the pretext of removing judicial interference in state matters and curbing the brewing terrorism menace is primarily ludicrous and secondarily grave.

Pervez Musharraf, in his statement to the nation has pointedly asked the judiciary to abstain from intervening in the administration and policing of the state. Chief Justice Iftikar Mohammad Chaudhary has been asked to step down and make way for the General’s stooge. The Right to Expression has been indefinitely withdrawn as private newspapers and news-channels lurk under the shadow of the gun. In short, the military has taken charge of the proceedings in Pakistan. And no one knows for how long.

‘Military Coup’ and ‘Martial Law’ are words that an average Pakistani child learns before he/she can spell ‘MISOGYNIST’ going by the tradition of anarchy in that country. But, standing in the 21^st century, when South Asia can only look forward by adopting liberal measures, both political and economic, the move to stall democracy in a country of 160 million is but unforgivably retrograde. It is understandable that Musharraf had no other option but to clamp strictures by force to bring his house to order. The historically restive North-Western Frontiers were going out of control, the Taliban raising its hood of defiance to its old master in collusion with Al-Qaida, making it difficult for the General to save face. The Lal-Masjid incident incited extremists into action resulting in fidayeen attacks on a fortnightly basis in major cities. Whereas on the other hand civil society of Pakistan was also up in arms against the heavy handed approach to curb the Judiciary and narrow its dominion. With the comeback of Benazir Bhutto to homeland and the recall of Nawaz Sharif looking imminent he surely must have run out of choices. One shudders to imagine himself in Musharraf’s shoes right now. He is perhaps in the ‘Worst Political Soup’ of the century. Even his worst detractors must admit that he has the courage to take the bull by his horns, and tame it too.

The PCO (Provisional Constitutional Order) issued by the General can suspend the Constitution for one month, which can be later extended to three months if necessary. The measures that would now seem probable from the General’s part would be:

1. Stopping Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan. That would mean a bipolar contest with only the PPP( Pakistan Peoples Party)if and when general elections are held( which surely wouldn’t be meeting its January date due to the Emergency).

2. Cornering lawyers and judges who were in vehement opposition to his re-election. Appointing Yes-men at key posts would ensue. Blocked bills would be promulgated with urgency and made into Acts that would expedite the General’s cause.

3. Triggering a massive military offensive in the North-Western Provinces where the army is now on the back foot owing to resilient tribal forces mounting severe guerrilla attacks. Aided and abated by the Taliban and Al-Qaida they pose a serious threat to the unquestioned supremacy of the army.

4. A military offensive would also mean buying time from the U.S.A which is snapping at his heels to let the Marines cleanse the place off insurgents. Action would also show solidarity with the world community on the issue of Terrorism which is priceless coming at a time when he needs the much needed approval of the Big Brother to legitimize the Emergency and subsequent crackdown.

Another alternative would be to let loose the extremist hounds who have been baying for his blood owing to the clampdown on terrorist training camps and funding machineries nourishing them. That would call for a vigilant India to remain on its guard and foil any attempt at escalating tension, especially with the Gujrat elections not too far away in the National Political horizon.

As an avid observer of events I can only hope that sanity returns to a country which deserves its place under the Sun after a harrowing six decades of bitter rivalry and political unrest. Progress for the country and dividends for its countrymen can only ensue once there is lasting peace in its premises. If not the General, then somebody else must ensure that Pakistan doesn’t miss the train this time around.

Lest it be too late this time.

Peace.

Photo: Courtesy: Rediff.com