Spirited Americans pose critical questions
Time was when America’s Fourth Estate was widely perceived as one of the guardian of the nation’s hallowed liberties, operating without fear or favours. Its record over the past few years, in particular, has given rise to deepening doubts about the veracity of the claim. The mainstream American media lined up without too much fuss and bother behind the George W Bush and Obama administrations, as their tanks and jackbooted hordes reduced Iraq and Libya to howling desolations, as their attempt to bring down the Assad regime in Syria left it a hell-hole – all this achieved with the cooperation of such doughty American allies as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, now in crisis.
John Swinton, once the doyen of the New York press corps, blew the lid open on these enduring sanctities, with a powerful speech upon his retirement: ‘There is no such thing at this stage of the world’s history as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dare write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with.
‘The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting of an independent press? We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes. I understand that you have to eat like all of us and therefore must keep your mouths shut…We can hide the truth with prison sentences, but the truth eventually will come through, and unfortunately for us we cannot plug the dykes any longer.’
The Pentagon’s take on unconventional warfare is to exploit ethnic and religious fissures within a country to bring about regime change. Former Republican presidential contender Patrick Buchanan said President Putin’s expulsion order to US NGOs in Russia was wise. India’s recent refusal to allow an officially sponsored US organization to enter the country and examine its record on religious freedom was eminently wise. This is how Yugoslavia was subverted and destroyed and Muslim Kosovo severed from Christian Serbia with the aid Arab jihadis paid and armed by Uncle Sam.
A secret conclave of the Republican party establishment and kindred groups in the corporate world at the Georgian resort of Sea Island, revealed by the Huffington Post, was an eye opener. What appears to have alarmed the faithful, is Donald Trump’s clarion call to cease American adventurism abroad, his denunciation of the Iraq invasion and its disastrous consequences including the birth of the murderous Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This is perceived to be a violation of holy writ, fit only for a private confession for over burdened souls.
Donald Trump’s statement of intent that he would reach out to President Vladimir Putin for wide-ranging talks on an enduring peace between their countries was a further provocation, a breach of sacred trust. Trump has indulged in the heresy of deploring publicly the billions of dollars wasted in the pursuit of false glory, money that could surely have been put to better use in infrastructure development, education and healthcare, areas where the United States of America has fallen behind its peers in the advanced industrialized world.
The demonstration of the black art of political match fixing recalls George W. Bush’s pick-pocketed election victory over Al Gore in 2000. The trick now is how best to deny Donald Trump the Republican party’s nomination despite his overwhelming victories in the primaries. But this could be a trick too many. Mr Trump’s vast following are no pansies; they look a feisty lot, able and willing, with lax gun laws in place, to slug it out if need be, with their opponents bent on nullifying a just and fair democratic choice. One must hope that America is spared the ignominy of civil disorder on its streets.
E. Sreedharan: Karma Yogi without peer
New Delhi, built in 1911, replaced Calcutta as the new capital of the Raj. It was peopled then by governmental officials, professionals and a sprinkling of businessmen and rural folk from neighboring areas in search of gainful employment as domestics and small shopkeepers. It exploded in all directions following India’s independence in August 1947. As the capital of the new India it became a magnet for the aspiring middle class, attracted by good educational institutions and the promise of a better life.
For a good half century the city expanded while the public transport system lagged well behind. Journey times on buses from the heart of the metropolis to its outskirts and suburbs were a forbidding experience. Then came the miracle of the Delhi metro ushering in the 21 st century to enthusiastic acclaim. It was financed by Japanese government loans and Japanese expertise in engineering and management skills.
But at the heart of its administrative structure was the remarkable E. Sreedharan, an outstanding railway engineer of proven experience who had helped construct the demanding Konkan rail network, stretching from Mumbai, the hub of the nation’s commerce and industry, piercing the Western Ghats along the coastal belt, and linking up with lines to the major population centres in India’s South.
Mr Sreedharan took charge of upcoming Delhi metro, guided it through its early teething period until emergence as a robust, high-tech urban transport system comparable with the best in the world. The metro was Delhi’s game changer, journey times fell exponentially as its reputation as business friendly centre of excellence spread at home and abroad. The metro has knitted far-flung suburbs and townships into a vast interlinked of high-tech industries and commerce. Coupled with Delhi’s spanking new airport the city is fit for 21 st century purpose.
Through these testing times, Mr Sreedharan shone his light on a major infrastructure project, the cynosure of all eyes, foreign and indigenous. Cynics marvelled at the spectacle, convinced at last that India and Indians were capable of performing at the most exacting level. Mr Sreedharan was tireless in pursuit of best practice. No politician was permitted to darken his doors with appeals for favours to kith and kin. He sustained a modest lifestyle from his salary, placing monies not required into a charitable foundation he’d set up. With Delhi’s metro up and running, he relinquished charge to a capable successor.
Back in his native Kerala, he oversaw the construction of the Kochi metro. A karma yogi is one who works selflessly in the service of others. Mr Sreedhran is one such person.
Whence comes another?
Tories in terminal turmoil
The sudden resignation of one of the seniormost Conservative Cabinet ministers, Iain Duncan Smith, appears to be devastating for Prime Minister David Cameron, ambitious Chancellor George Osborne and the Conservative Party itself.
The correspondence between Smith and Cameron illustrates the rift within the aspirations and reality of the Tory party in power. Cameron spoke of One Nation and Compassionate Conservatism. He may have meant it, but the reality is far from that. Osborne's initial steps to cut the deficit and to eliminate the wastage in the disbursement of the governmental budget of £700 billion was more or less understood and acceptable to the public at large.
Overspeed kills, over zealousness too. In the latest budget the Chancellor showed his ruthlessness or his least concern about 'have nots' by slashing the disability budget by some £1.4 billion. This drastic cut on the most vulnerable section of the society was furthermore painful when those earning more than above average income were rewarded almost the same amount as tax rebates. Not only for Smith and several other members of the government but even the most sympathetic pro-government media, this was the last straw.
Prime Minister Cameron defended his government's stand vehemently on Monday in Parliament. Frankly speaking it looks hollow and unpredictable. The government's pledge not to go for any more cuts in the benefits may prove to be impractical or could create other problems.
PM Cameron unnecessarily and unwisely opted for EU referendum to have peace within his party. His strategy has almost backfired. Within the Cameron government at least 5 Cabinet ministers are not taking his lien. June 23rd is some 3 months away. It will not be surprising if the “In or Out” campaign creates many more shocks and damage the Tory party future. Cameron will have great difficulty to survive his premiership, while Osborne faces rising challenge from Boris Johnson and such ambitious Conservatives.
It will be a pity if the good intention goes haywire by wrong tactics or dogmatic policies.
