Issue 53 Vol III, December 15, 2007

E D I T O R I A L

Unending turmoil and tribulations of South Asia

AS leadership grows bankrupt, depraved and shortsighted by the day in South Asian countries, the peoples’ suffering finds no end. Several political and economic models are being experimented in each country. Democracy and poverty elevation are the catch words. These sculpt that totally ignore structural formations and basic causation, end up increasing poverty, making suffering intolerable and spawning violence. As far democracy, it has not moved beyond the ritual of periodic exercise of elections.

Look around and pause. India is the largest of these eight countries. We have had regular ceremony of elections where money, and muscle power play havoc with the electoral system. Caste and communal divisions have been sharpened and violence has taken deeper roots. Demagogues are rated as skilled orators, experienced leaders and crowd pullers. Mavericks take the cake and eat it too. Those leaders who are adept at making tall promises, raising communal and caste passions and pitch for violence rule the roost. Election is big business; no candidate who is reckoned in the race by the media loses any money. He or she ends up making money even if the election is lost and if it’s won, money flows for the next five years endlessly and effortlessly.

Currently India is witnessing the dance of democracy in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The flow of money to the coffers of the candidates has surprised even the hardened campaigners. Democracy is equal to money power, muscle flexing and the manipulation. Yet India is shining in many respects as the poor suffer more and more. One fourth of India is currently in the grip of different kind of political violence.

Next big country is Pakistan. It has lived with dictators supported by the United States of America, the world’s policeman and the saviour of democracy world wide. Currently it is implementing its band of democracy in Pakistan besides in Iraq. Its next target is Iran. Pakistan has had a long list of depraved dictators for 35 years of its 60 years of post independent existence. Currently its president Pervez Musharraf who has shed his uniform, imposed martial law, sacked and jailed judges and manipulated judicial process to get himself imposed as civilian president after shedding his second skin, the army uniform. He still rules with the help of the army and the police forces as the country is sucked in by the religious extremists and political charlatans. The politicians who came to rule were equally ruthless in looting the country and stage-managing the show of democracy. Pakistan would have elections whose results have been designed before hand. The president would have a handpicked prime minister, a puny judiciary and a manipulative and greedy military top brass and the bloody thirsty militants to queer the pitch for everyone. Only silver lining is the hard struggle being waged by lawyers, students, teachers and the media persons besides the public.

Afghans are sucked in a pincer, between a ruthless NATO and dehumanized Talibans. Dozens of innocent lives are lost every week. Grinding poverty, lack of basic amenities like food, water and electricity make them vulnerable to all kinds of manipulation and exploitation. A government of minions makes huge money as the suffering grows. Afghanistan is surely being pushed back to Stone Age.

In Sri Lanka, the 20 year old violent conflict between the minority Tamil Tigers [LTTE] and Sinhalese army has snuffed out over 20,000 lives. This has severally impeded the economic development and social transformation that the Srilankan society was undergoing in a big way. India, China and other western countries continue to play their little games as do the mainstream political parties, ruining any chance of settlement and peace in the blood soaked island.

Nepal presents little hope with elections to the constituent assembly postponed nearly indefinitely. Maoists that shunned the violent path to change the regime are insisting on declaring the country as republic and having elections on proportionate representation basis. While other left parties now support them, but Nepal Congress and some other groups want elections first and declarations later. The impasse provides India a chance either to mediate for peaceful transition or play a mischief.

Bangladesh, the poor country cousin knows not when its woes would end. Since its 1971, it attainted freedom from Pakistan with the active help of India, it has moved from one trouble to another. Elections, some doze of democracy and then military juntas. Only ray of hope for the poor is the Gramin Bank of Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus that is fighting poverty and woes to continue till poverty is put in museum. Good luck to him. India also needs many such efforts and do other countries.

Bhutan and Maldives have their own kind of problems. The island nation of Maldives, exploited to the last drop is in the grip of uncertainty and no one knows when elections would take place and offer a new hope for the poor people. The present rulers have, meanwhile, enriched themselves to the level of Londoners or New Yorkers.

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