Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, Jan 01, 2007
ePaper
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, Jan 01, 2007 ePaper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Opinion
-
Foreign Relations Government - Politics Columns - Offhand A dismal start
Having staged the farce of a trial, ending in a verdict widely held to have been preordained, the puppet Government of Iraq, under the influence of the US, the unabashed perpetrator of an illegal invasion and the dispenser of all that has been happening thereafter in that hapless country, has sent Saddam Hussein to the gallows, and that too, in an unseemly manner. As the sidekick of the US, the UK had right from the start chosen to brush aside the ringing postulate of its own war leader of yore, Winston Churchill: "In victory, magnanimity"! The US President, George W. Bush, has gloated that the noose round Saddam's neck represents "an important milestone" (Did he mean millstone?) in the road towards democracy for Iraq. Some milestone, some democracy!
Backlash
In brazenly carrying out what a large body of world opinion regards as a judicial murder, the puppet and puppeteer have revived the centuries-old blood-thirsty practice of public execution in the modern form of disseminating through the electronic media the chilling scenes depicting Saddam's last steps to the scaffold. They little realise that all they have succeeded in doing by this act of ghastliness is, on the one hand, to aggravate the sense of sheer horror felt by the millions of watchers round the globe at Saddam's execution and, on the other, to fuel further the hatred and hostility at the presumptuousness of the US to assert its hegemony by fair means or foul. One can only hope that the feared dire backlash will not come to pass and 2007 will be able to build upon the record of its predecessor in terms of a trouble-free world and economic growth. It will take years to regain the momentum lost on any account at this stage when all signs are propitious for benefiting from the synergies inherent in an integrated global economy. India too is poised for a resurgence on an impressive scale considering the rapid strides it is making in many sectors such as pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, services, exports, forex reserve, foreign direct investment and fiscal consolidation, to name a few. The third year of the UPA also promises a greater degree of mutual adjustment and understanding among coalition partners, resulting in greater manoeuvrability in the framing of policies suited to the situation. The power of public opinion compelling the reopening of Jessica Lall and Priyadarshini Mattoo murder cases, the many good results flowing out of judicial activism, and Shibu Soren's punishment are some of the healthy pointers to the self-correcting abilities of India's democratic polity.
Essence of democracy
From this perspective, there is no need to get alarmed at the apparently contentious nationwide debates on women's reservation, quotas for backward classes in education and employment or the nuclear deal, as they have the effect of promoting a fuller grasp of the issues involved on the part of the people, thereby facilitating their meaningful and informed participation in policy making — which is the real essence of democracy. All in all, provided the terrorism and internal security fronts are safeguarded by increased vigilance, 2007 holds out every hope of paving the way for a better and more prosperous world. Amen!
B. S. RAGHAVAN
More Stories on : Foreign Relations | Politics | Offhand
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2007, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|