Racist..Who?

...the legend of early days America goes as saying that "America will have a black President only when pigs can fly"! Pigs flying indeed!

To say that Racism doesn't exist would probably be synonymous to "pigs can fly"!
But I really see no pigs flying! Meaning Racism is very much here and will remain!

Marginalizing Native Americans and Afro Americans, and slavery are those pages in their history, which the Americans do not want to read. To say that they have evolved would be politically correct, however so, they needed stricter laws to actually allow the Blacks into mainstream life and resource sharing.

Germans of the past would boast that they took more Jew Refugess than the EU State Members combined, and so how they can be called Racist? However the state of Refugee camps was once quoted as "..one where even animals would be unhappy..". This tells a story in itself of utmost disregard and poor treatment.

That my very own society has Biharis, Bhaiyyas, Southies, and Ghattis being called so in very poor light. I learned history chapters with Harijans, Dalits and Brahmins.

Why, we always had specific kids at school and selected college-goers to pick at?

Was'nt this done only because they were either weak personalities, soft targets, just different, a dull guy or simply not good looking?!

My argument:
The racism what we see today is an outcome of we Humans who harbor a feeling of "superiority over fellow beings".

Society was always divided and shall remain so, because we humans politically enjoy this at the very deep sub-conscious level. Even though most of us are compassionate and respectful of everyone , we inadvertently want to remain elite in some way or the other!
And if divisions and layers are formed, naturally there is hierarchy that is originated.
With Hierarchy comes an instinct of domination over the "lower layers" or let us just call it as "lower groups".

Isn't this purely a human tendency even within ones own companies, large families, even organizations? Isn't the "power of domination" in whatever way it comes a subtle boost to ones ego, if not the obvious one?

Well Racism is an off-shoot of this phenomenon.

When similar individuals come together, the individual ego now transforms to a "collective ego". Within the same group, they would have their sub-divisions however, collectively they seem coherent and wrest a larger power. A larger control. A larger superiority over the others.

A very popular College or School Gang by virtue of being rich kids or "academically brilliant kids" or just "jazzy ones" would always appear arrogant and disregard the others!

Racism is a form of "disregard" when it comes to communities and Nations at large.
The disregard unfortunately manifests itself in violence or in form of slavery historically or in any other way of expressing hatred. It is an amplified expression of hate by a select few.

Even if most of us come to terms with coexistence, and in true sense accommodate "various groups" there remain a handful which shall engage in the act of racism against those.

I touch a tricky subject here.
India as a society within itself has the maximum "disregard" for one another purely on the variety of diversity we inherit.
That a common cause and conditions that still keep us united, that is in noway makes us lesser racists.
We are a nation whose history is full of slavery and harijans and "higher caste" and "lower caste".
We are absolutely in love with an obsession of proving one's own self as the "absolute" and not accommodate another's opinion as well!
We accommodate by force rather by good heart.
We are on one hand excellent hosts who go beyond to perform "atithi-devo-bhav", while even refuse to greet our neighbor should in case he come along!

Racist attacks on Indians in Australia past month and a half have to be condemned, but also it is an opportunity to introspect within.
Is it a boomerang of sorts of what we really are?

Just why Bhenji won’t make it National…

I was in disbelief when the Left Parties tried pulling the plug from the Congress Govt by withdrawing support and proposed a Third Front with Mayawati as the PM candidate! I was momentarily saddened with a possibility of it coming true.

On some introspection, the feeling was thankfully short-lived.

If Mayawati has any qualities of being a leader of this nation,

· It’s the decisiveness with which she usually achieves what she wants. Always a pre-requisite.

· It’s also a portrayal of Mayawati being a force rather than her party. Usually successful leaders across the ages of mankind need that later quality.

I can only come up with these two and nothing else! That’s it? Only two. And that too these are “mediums” of achieving the “intentions”, and not qualities of intentions itself.

But God’s sake, I cannot but see Mayawati as a politician who wants power at all odds, and the worst she openly admits to it. Her’s is not a determined or an audacious effort in the Indian politics, but rather it’s very close to being a “shameless” stake to power which reflects from the way she is conducting herself!

She promised she would have UP get rid of Mafia Raj, and in turn hands over the State Alcohol Trades to some Ponty Chaddha (Gurpreet Singh), and fields the most preposterous gangsters of Uttar Pradesh in the General Elections. Imagine we have some 40 odd Members of Parliament with “many” charges of Serious Crimes enjoying the guests houses and foreign trips on our tax-money!

And should one of them be a Union Minister with a Serious Portfolio, it would be an apologetic scene seeing a Mafia shaking hands with foreign Investors and diplomats! Kudos to our Democracy.

I am sure she would continue to do well in the UP this election, as Mafias of that land have been doing well to satisfy their deep penchant for politics. And it is also true that gives her the leverage as well at Delhi.

As one newspaper quoted, Abu Salem’s village Azamgarh heralds him as a hero and it thrives on imported goods smuggled into the country. Azamgarh is so prosperous by selling Smuggled Electronics that you would find the latest top of line fancy gadgets before they ever reach the Malls! For the fact of the matter, Abu Salem even publicly said that he would love to contest Elections from Azamgarh!

It is this caricature of UP as a state of “thugs and goondas” and BSP further bolstering their political ambitions by awarding them tickets, which will fall in the face of the party.

It is sad but true that you need the “muscle” to create a strong Political party. However, it is disastrous if your party in itself is the party of only “muscle”.

It is rather unfortunate, that a movement by Kanshi Ram to uplift the Dalits, which in itself is a noble cause in our society, has been hijacked by Mayawati with a prime motive of getting to Delhi on all odds!

Start to read between the lines.

BJP last had majority in UP during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. BJP as a matter of fact was sweeping through the Constituencies of Uttar Pradesh throughout the 1990s. Absence of any big UP leader post Vajpayee, has seen the party's downside.

Ever since being snubbed by the Yadavs in 1991 UP Elections, Congress struggles in the UP. While Rai Bareily and Amethi are the only safe seats which are “reserved” for the Gandhi family, there is nothing more than pulling crowds that they can do elsewhere. All cacophony with no substantial impact.

Enter the “Goondagiri” as I call it. Yadavs and the Mayawati!

I the lack of Leaders in the National parties as the only reason Uttar Pradesh has become the “heartland of Criminal Politics”

Look elsewhere and I can think of only Bihar.

I am a big fan of Nitish Kumar, in the way he presents and conducts himself. We all know his exploits in reducing Lalu’s fiefdom in Bihar.

Point I am driving here: Nitish’s rise in Bihar is as much in governance as in his Clean image. A politician is as good as the people think of him to be. Clean / non-Corrupt / Hard Worker!

Not a “goon” by any means.End of Lalu’s Reign proves that even if Oratory and rhetoric can get you votes and power, it doesn’t keep you there!

Even Sharad Pawar has not done “tones” of being in “Parallel Power” in Maharashtra for over 2 decades now. But never has been ever seen as thief or in bad light by public at large. Sharad Pawar as a PM is acceptable to any Indian Citizen than Mayawati as even a Tourism Minister!

It is this skill of these Statesmen Politicians that despite being in the “muddy game” of politics, still stick their neck out and are seen as clean.

Mayawati can campaign all years along, but won’t go places outside the UP too far to ever stake a claim of her’s being a truly National Party.

For that,

· she needs to actually give tickets to prominent Dalit leaders, if she is REALLY fighting their cause.Re-live Kanshi Ram.

· She needs to stop publicly celebrating her birthday’s with extravagance with the money we all know from where it comes. You can celebrate it privately. There are other issues to be done in Official Duty Hours bhenji.

· She has to shed Social Engineering as a tool to manipulate the electorate. There is no other state like UP, Bihar or even Orissa for that matter where “goondagiri” has any takers.

I could be mistaken to be a case of a High-Society citizen by virtue of birth who is opposing for a Dalit leader to be given a top job. However, I beg to differ that it is not Mayawati’s Dalit-ness that has a problem, but it is approach she has undertaken to reach Delhi, which is simply unacceptable to me.

Yes, Mayawati is the fantasy of every Dalit in this nation, because we are a “representative society” and connect with leaders who are of our own clan. But it is fallacy to believe she is the Obama of India as CNN-IBN calls her regularly!

Please, I cannot see Mukhtar Ansari sitting in Ghazipur Jail, and courts continue to reject his bail as I write, be the one standing alongside Pratibha Patil and taking the oath to be Minister of Human Resource Development, held by Murli Manoher Joshi in the previous Govt! Atleast Joshi is a Ph.D from Allahabad University.

World War - III

I recall, way back in mid 1990’s when I was still a school-going one, the predictions of one Clairvoyant called Nostradamus! His well publicized predictions were often the talks in the lunch breaks over the benches in the classroom.
The most popular being course about the “3rd Edition” of the World War!
Redundant to say, it continues to be speculated when…

To follow it up years later, I came across a wonderful caption;
“…far away from what the seers could ever see, Religion has emerged over centuries not just as a way of life, but perhaps the ONLY reason to fight…”

Indeed nothing else, but religious fanatics’ would eventually lead us to that imminent WW-3!

However, there seems to be a few factors which could delay the manifestation of Nostradamus’s Prophecy by another decade by a minimum!

--Economically weak Pakistan.
Pakistan to me, like many others, would be the epicenter of the next major violent catastrophe. A safe haven for extremists, neighbor “enemy” states, excessive Taliban influence and historic jehadi movement are few major factors amongst many others.

However, Pakistan knows for sure that in any eventuality they would be bombarded back to Stone-age like Afghanistan is. Else why Pakistan would be only sponsoring a “non-state” terrorism and not a full scale war with India?

Also, Pakistan’s crumbling economy. All their “unofficial” money today comes from
• Possible Arrangement with Opium traders from Afghanistan through the ISI.
• Probable Backend support from sympathetic Arab world.
• Well established network of the under-world.

The official money being dependent on Foreign aid from US/IMF/World Bank. Trade and commerce were never heard of, while the economy more or less remains self-contained and cross-border trade is nothing to boast about.

The pressure remains on Pakistani administration (sometimes democratic but largely military) to avoid a full scale confrontation as they WERE NEVER and WILL NEVER be ready for it economically. The rhetoric will continue, but to the point of never really wanting to go to war.
No matter how much the Pakistan administration openly romances China, theirs is only a “courtship” and not a “marriage”. China needs to take a stance in Asia contrary to the Indo-American Status quo and hence the “affair”.
I doubt with all my intellect that China would EVER sponsor a terrorist State!

--Crisis ridden US.
I read a wonderful reference in article;
“…Few months before the 9/11 tragedy, China was awarded the 2008 Olympics. In the next 7 years, China transformed from being an Asian Dragon to being a World Power in terms of superior infrastructure, manufacturing and phenomenal economic growth. While the US engaged in the bloody battlefields of Afghanistan and then Iraq…”
Interestingly its China who is the single largest American Govt Securities holder! In other words, China has more Foreign Exchange Reserves in US$ than the US itself!

America went on spending in Wars, China in development. Almost a decade later, US is facing its deepest recession, while China is still just about holding up in the current times.

The adventures which were infamously dubbed as the “shock and awe” approach to the enemy have in the EXACT same way to their exchequer! “Shock and Awe” on the US Treasury!
Even though the Bush administration has managed to secure the “Oil of Iraq”, the scale to which the billions were drained, there is little cheer.

The United States has completely shifted its focus "internally". Jobs, Economy, Homes, Wall Street!
When your house isn’t in order, you cannot really fly down seven seas to mess into enemies home.
Also, geographically, USA is away from the epic-centre. The American population, at least hitherto is immune to large scale damage.

Obama administration also could be the perfect opportunity for the American Foreign Policy to deviate from its for past. Under the guise of failed republicans and using the Charm of their new Mr. President, I am pretty much certain the US would rush into burying many a failed policies. Read: Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, China, Tibet, and Russia and Pakistan! The Arabs!

US has NO TIME and resources engage into war at least till the recession is truly over. And you bet, they would overtly turn down any hostile attempt by the Taliban or Chinese or even Russian mischiefs to pumping Pakistan!

--Emergence of Asian Powers to World Affairs.
With the advent of India and China not just as Asian Giants, but as World Pillars in economic growth the Global Politics is about to go through a sea-change!
BRIC countries will increasing their say on major World issues like the Global Warming, War on Terror, Protectionist Regime, and Capital Market Accountability.
Dalal Street and Shanghai would probably be next to Nasdaq as indicators of World Economy.

Europe has scars too deep from the first 2 wars. UK probably is the only country hit by terrorism largely, apart from mild attacks in Spain and other places.
They would by an large tip-toe the US on foreign policy on Military decisions.

Also the Arab World wouldn’t want to engage itself and are largely neutral to Indo-Pak confrontation.

Russia is no longer a major economic or a political power, and will need time to recover from lost glory. The recent Oil drop and successive Record Currency corrections don't help its case either.

All of these adds to the Stability!

---Indian Democracy.
There isn’t a single Indian leader I see who really has it to bite the bullet of war, should in case the proxy war of Pakistan really push India to the limits. At best what our leadership has shown us, that they run to the International Community, complain and create a huge hue and cry and use what they now call "Coercive Diplomacy". I wouldn't it is just only the Congress, but even the BJP dared not cross the LOC, while the Kargil infiltration to seek that so called "International Accolades". Just look at Israel, and for that matter Sri-Lanka!

Use a thorn to remove a thorn!

The realistic Prime Ministerial Candidates for the next elections: Man Mohan Singh, L.K.Advani & Mayawati. None of them would ever press hard for full scale military operation. Advani himself won’t ever commit to attack first, leave alone our Finance PM or Maywati, if she pulls off a mother of all surprises by become the PM.

The year 2014 Elections would be the year of Rahul Gandhi Vs Narendra Modi!

If there is anybody in the world, Pakistan should fear, it is the BJP’s Gujrat King and not Uncle Sam! But a Coalition Govt is really like a tied down bull! Only grunt and snort, but little action.

The year 2019 to my view, would be the year when India would return to Single Party rule. We would have been absolutely "FED-UP" with regional goondas and hooligans and vote one of the National Parties to power. Probably then, there is an outside chance of the Indian Govt deciding to "Attack First" and route out terrorism and initiate a full-scale war! Even that to me is VERY far-fetched!

For another 10years, you probably would see conflicts, hopefully not to the scale of 26/11. But you WONT see an Iraq or an Afghanistan.

Untold "Sense" of Pakistan?

Lets just for a moment look into Pakistani Angle.

Pakistan as a Nation was formed of, on a principle of “walking out” with a section of society into a separate state based on being a Muslim.

Apart from the British Rule Legacy of Divide-Rule policy, birth of Pakistan also has roots in the “Political Ambitions” of Muslim Leaders.

These leaders who well knew that even in a Secular India; they would always be second-rung politicians.

Of course the reason being, Independent India also had as much scars of the Moghul rule as of the English! Sad testimony to the fact remains that we never had till date a non-Hindu Prime Minister!

Formation of Pakistan emerged from Bloodshed and massacre. It was formed out of hatred, out of animosity from fellow beings and next door neighbors. In comparison, “Free” India was formed out of hatred towards the “ruler”. Pakistan desired a separate state only to be recognized differently from Hindus, since the then politicians believed India would be a Hindu state.

While India wanted to free from “invaders” and “traders”! India went on to become a Secular Democracy.

No, I am not trying to say formation of Pakistan was illegitimate. My point here being, the formation was attached with more intense emotion being bred by wrong "propaganda" of Anti-Hindu. The British in my mind orchestrated this to perfection!

And as many borders disputes around the World, was born the Kashmir issue.

Well when we can’t have Ambani brothers of 21^st century India amicably settle a partition, how on earth do you expect 2 Nations to settle borders so easily!

There are enough instances in World History that border disputes are intrinsic nature of Human Civilization.

Since inception Pakistan has always seen India guided by a Democratic Government and leaders of high repute to quickly bury the “fate of being ruled” to the one of progress.

The political situation in India was the one of “taking care of too many”. Princely states, few hundred cultures, a few thousand dialects, a few million Gods! Secularism WAS the only way to accommodate every fraction of this magnanimous society!

While Pakistan went on to become as it was intended to be, a Muslim State.

In comparison of the two, secularism in India has empowered every State member and thereby bringing true progress and freedom.

While a “Hardliner” State of Affairs backed by excessive interference of its self-styled Islamist “preachers” has brought about an obvious dictator like governance in Pakistan.

Religion must and must be left to society as a conduct to choose from, rather than influencing Foreign Policies of Nations.

Day one of Independence, was also born Pakistan’s Insecurity.

Pakistan has a Giant neighbor in India with whom it just de-merged out of, a neighbor who is politically more correct, diplomatically stronger, and more resourceful in terms of administration, leadership and People who want to progress! This is not what India has come to be, rather what India was envisaged to be by our Democracy.

This is the point in history, where those “ambitious” leaders of Pakistan were exposed.

It was easy to create a state, but there wasn’t any leadership to guide Pakistan to modernism. Pakistanis wanted a State of Progress which couldn’t be given by their leadership. Those “ambitious” ones lacked vision of the future. Lacked administration, lacked governance.

Hence the Leaders kept strong the “artificially” created “insecurities”. They "prophesied" that survival of Pakistan is under threat from its neighbor.

Instead of taking the country over the "hangover" of independence to the one of prosperity, the then Pakistani Leadership continued with “sentimentally” and “emotionally” rhetoric against India.

They have stayed in the Hangover over protecting the border TILL DATE.

All this has contributed to the born an Ideology in Pakistan, that India is their “Enemy”, while in reality India only protected herself from this notorious neighbor Government and continued to progress. An obvious reality that Pakistan has NOW finally realized.

Pakistan like India was depending on Foreign aid to progress. Aid wouldn’t come for war. But how to keep fueling the “war” and the “real reason” of “Independent Pakistan” justified to the people of Pakistan?

Hence was born the extremists! They needed a Government backing, else who would fund them? And this role was taken up by ISI!

The Madrassas whose real purpose was to educate beautiful Islam began to get infiltrated by jehadis and found a strong root in the country. Matters were made worse, by “close ties” with the neighboring Taliban.

All Armies and Intelligence Agencies thrive being “Actively” involved in confrontation rather than being “passively” present. That is the purpose they are for! You cannot blame a soldier to “relish” being part of the “real Government”! That is Human Nature to say!

How on earth would you justify the HUGE proportion of Pakistani budget going into their Defense System?! Read “offense” and not defense!

It’s easy isn’t it; you call the jehadis as Freedom Fighters, justify their cause, classify them as independent “actors” and win over an average Pakistani’s heart and his “undocumented” vote to keep the jehad going. The average Pakistani never knew what is being transpired!

Once in a while, Pakistan elects Democratic Government which is called for by the “real People of Pakistan”, since they so much wanted the CHANGE!

They wanted to move ahead!

They wanted to move on!

Under all such Democratic set-ups the Political view of Pakistan slightly deviates from the original “ambition” and begins to reflect the mindset of the MODERN Pakistanis.

The Government pushes harder for development, trade and commerce.

All of a sudden the “original ambition” seems fading.

In comes the ISI and the Army reminding the country of the same, by staging those coups and the routinely sabotaging successive Governments. Always being backed by the Extremists calling for every Democratic Head of State's "soul" in the name of “National Security”

By now, the “originators” of Pakistan have long gone and the “Ambition” had now transferred from the Political Leaders to the Pakistani Army!

“People of Pakistan” don’t approve of this set-up, however, understandably so, they are sympathetic towards the Army, the ISI and of course the jehadis.

Pakistan today has more complex nature than 1947.

They are paying the price of their Original Creators and their illicit and wayward political egos. Had peace been declared on 15^th August 1947 and no “artificial insecurities” and “boundary expanding ambition” harbored, the Sub-Continent would have had 2 strong economies rather than 1!

Today’s Pakistan Government indeed wants to rid itself from the “baggage” it carries.

People of Pakistan want to live a life the rest of the World does.

They want to educate themselves and go about their lives with an absolute sense of freedom.

The Government though, is in a situation of “sea on one side, cliff on the other”. It cannot get rid of Extremism which are the creation of the Political Situation, and also have to keep feeding the Extremists for its own survival.

My prediction:

Violent jehad which is not the true character of Islam. It is a manipulated theory fantasized by those handful elements of the Pakistani Society for their vested egos and those shortsighted clerics and self-styled protectors of Islam. It has been taken forward from years to its current dangerous forms purely because illiterate and ignorant youth is inspired by misinterpretation of History.

BUT Yes, Terrorism will end!

It shall either be Pakistani Government or by World War-III.

I say the Pakistani Government, because they are on the brink of not only diplomatic isolation, but also Social and Cultural isolation. An average Pakistani is looked at by the World much differently. Even more than a Palestine or LTTE Tiger is.

If not, I have no doubts; India will engage itself into bombing Pakistan after a few more terrorists’ attacks.

That is sad, but Indian Government won’t act till a few more bizarre incidents.

That will be the saddest day in Human history.

A Disturbing Encounter - Ramesh Ramanathan in MINT

(Ramesh Ramanathan is co-founder of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy)

My wife Swati and I were in Dubai last week, attending a conference. This piece isn’t about the conference; it’s about a disturbing conversation that we had with a taxi driver in Dubai.

    He was a short, slim, nondescript man wearing a white shirt and a loosely knotted tie. I asked him his name, and he replied, “Shakeel.”

If the system lets you remain bad, actually makes things worse and forces you onto the wrong path, where’s the hope?

    “Where are you from, Shakeel?” Swati asked, and continued, “Pakistan?” Most of the help in Dubaiare South Asian-mainly Indians and Pakistanis.

“No, India.”

    “Kahan se, India mein?” I asked, switching to Hindi. He relaxed visibly, and the rest of the conversation was in Hindi.

“Hyderabad, sir.”

“Do you like Dubai?” Swati asked.

    “Haan, madam. It’s a good place. Very safe. You can walk around with a lakh of dirhams in your pocket and nothing will happen. If you leave something in a taxi, you need to make just one call and the item will be returned in 15 minutes.”

    “So why did you leave Hyderabad?” I asked. He was non-committal, saying he had family problems. “Do you like the life here, or are you here to make money and return to India?” we asked, given that many others had expressed this sentiment.

    “I am happy here. I will keep working here, no problems.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror at us, to emphasize his commitment to the city.

    We pushed him on why he liked to stay in Dubai when many of those doing the manual and service-level jobs had said they didn’t really like the quality of life.

    “What is not to like here? Things work very well. There is no crime, everyone is subject to the same laws, you can even go up to the Sheikh and shake hands with him. Can you do this in India?”

    “But what about democracy?” we asked, “Don’t you feel...daba hua, oppressed...that the city has someone called a ruler, or that you can’t criticize him?”—the standard argument about places that “work” better than India, but compromise on civil liberties and free speech. We were cruising down one of Dubai’s modern highways, with manicured green belts ribboning the sides.

    “Kya democracy, saab? What is the purpose of democracy if people don’t feel safe?”

    As we pushed him on his arguments, he suddenly fixed his eyes on us and said, “Dekhiye, main aap ko batata hoon, main India mein khoon karke aaya hoon. I have killed a man, stabbed him to death.”

    I felt the air rush out of me. Sitting in the back of the quiet taxi, it seemed unreal that this unassuming driver could really be a killer. I didn’t turn to see Swati, but I could sense that she was also in shock. Breaking what was becoming an awkward silence, I asked, “How? Why? Whom did you kill?”

    “It was a family feud, there was some disagreement, so I killed him,” he said somewhat matter-of-factly.

“But why would you kill him, wasn’t there some other way out?”

    He shook his head, as though mulling some thoughts, and after a few moments, said, “OK, let me tell you, I was a goonda in my area. We would commit all kinds of crimes, we were part of a bigger gang. I was in charge of my neighbourhood. At election time, we were the ones who took care of the voting issues as well. I can admit it now, I was a rowdy-sheeter with the police.

    “After I killed the man, I was in trouble. I needed to leave the country, but I couldn’t get a passport and visa. But India mein, paise se sab chalta hai. I paid money, bribed people in various departments, got my papers and came away to Dubai. Now, I go back to India every year—I can stand in front of the same police people, and they can’t lift a finger to touch me. They just look the other way. What democracy! When you can bribe for everything, when you can get away with anything?”

    “But this is strange, are you blaming India’s democracy for you being a criminal? You are the one who committed the crime. So they should have caught you and put you behind bars, is that your complaint?”

    “Yes! How can people get away? Here, if I had done anything similar, I would have lost my life. Maybe if they had caught me when I was doing petty crimes, I wouldn’t have slid down this path.Dekhiye, we all want to live good lives, but majboori hai. We need to know that the system works.Bura insaan bhi sudharna chahta hai. Everyone wants to reform and live a clean life. But if the system allows you to remain bad and actually makes things worse and forces you to take the wrong path, where is the hope? Here, I live an honest life, drive the taxi, get my wages and tips, and I am happy. No crime around me, no crime for me. Tell me, if democracy can’t guarantee that, what’s the point of having it?”

    Of all the debates we have had about the challenges of democracy, few have been as disquieting as the one we had with this Indian taxi driver in Dubai.

------------------------

Niliesh-

Lets accept that if Democracy is giving you the various rights as we learnt in Civics at school, it is also at the same time empowering social evils with those very same rights at the same time.

Democracy unfortunately cannot distinguish between good and bad, because it gives en equal status to all. It is right in doing so. So then do we really cry foul of its inefficiancies?

Repeated adjournements, several hearing dates, lack of concrete evidences, statements and anti-statements, rather in a gist trying to accomodate every "tom dick and harry" clauses within itself, isnt even our Democratic Juduciary tied down securely with conviction coming ABSOLUTELY ONLY WHEN you present before the Court of Law "MOther of all" types of evidences?

I wonder if this will change and law EVER will be stricter to prevent more Shakeels.