It was a heart-warming experience for me to be invited to talk to the members of the Indo-Danish Business Association (IDBA) at Chennai on September 14 on the present and future of Indian economy. It was also an eye-opener.
The small country of Denmark, with a population of a little over five million, is the 32nd largest economy in the world with a GDP of more than $330 billion. It is said to be an acknowledged leader in harnessing biomass, solid waste and the winds as major sources of renewable energy.
More to the point, it has 80 companies already operating in India, with 20 or more in Tamil Nadu alone, although Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are the preferred destinations.
They cover mostly medicinal and pharmaceutical products, energy related equipment and clean and green technology fields. The IDBA helps investors and companies set up new businesses, as well as expand the existing ones, in India. Commendably, Denmark’s focus in forging its business partnerships is on small and medium-size enterprises.
As per official figures, Denmark ranks 19th among foreign investors in India, with a direct investment during 2010 of $231 million. India’s own commodity exports to Denmark totalled $992 million in 2011. The inflow of investments has largely been in sectors such as harbour/port modernisation and expansion, beer breweries, wind turbine/rotor blade manufacturing, agro-intermediates/insecticides, and engineering.
FREEZING CHILL
A little known fact is that Denmark has been adjudged to be the “Happiest Country in The World” in the World Happiness Report commissioned for a United Nations conference and brought out by The Earth Institute at Columbia University.
On going a little deeper into it, I learnt that the ranking is based on a “life evaluation score”, taking into account factors such as wealth, governance, integrity, political freedom, social equality and job security.
A shadow has fallen on that happiness by the freezing chill in diplomatic relations between India and Denmark, caused by India’s directive to senior officials of Ministries and Departments not to meet or entertain Danish diplomats and other officials posted in India, and not to go ahead with projects and agreements with Denmark without prior clearance from the External Affairs Ministry.
India has sought to justify this drastic action as a retaliation for the “cussedness” shown by the Danish Government in not doing enough to extradite Kim Davy, a Danish citizen, and accused in the case involving the air-dropping of a huge cache of lethal arms and ammunition at dead of night on December 17, 1995 on a pre-arranged spot in the Purulia district of West Bengal.
The application for his extradition having been rejected by the City Court, and making no headway in the High Court in Denmark, India had been insisting that it should be taken to the Danish Supreme Court.
Apparently the top Prosecutor of the country is not for it, despite advice of three reputed Danish law firms being made available favouring appeal.
The Danish Government, on its part, has been pleading helplessness on the ground that the country’s Prosecutor is independent of the Government and takes his own decisions according to his best lights.
HALLMARKS
In a news item of July 13, a high Indian government official has been reported as lambasting Denmark for indulging in conduct “against all civilised norms”, being “racist” and “protecting a terrorist”. Clearly, this is odd coming from a country which has been showing unbounded patience in dealing with humiliating rebuffs from countries such as Pakistan and the US, without retaliating.
If India can be large-hearted with them, it can certainly afford to be so towards Denmark, giving due consideration to its plea of helplessness.
India must also remember that there have been any number of published accounts by respected security analysts suggesting that its own hands are not clean in the matter and that even though the Indian intelligence agencies were tipped off in time about the air-drop of arms and ammunition in Purulia, they failed to avert the egregious security breach. The people of India are still waiting to know the reasons why.
For all these reasons, picking on Denmark to vent its frustrations does not befit a great nation such as India aspiring to be a super power of which the hallmarks are dignity and restraint.
Keywords: Indo-Danish Business Association (IDBA), Danish Government not doing enough to extradite Kim Davy, accused in the case of air-dropping lethal arms, pre-arranged spot in Purulia
Comments:
While we cannot generalize for all Danes, my experiences in Denmark
leads me to believe that they are indeed racist. Small European nations
have this habit (Austria is another) and East Europeans take racism to
another extreme. I cannot speak for the Indian govt. but the reference
to Pakistan and the US in comparison is strange indeed.
It is incorrect to say that India is being large hearted with Pakistan and US. Chanakya Neeti requires friendship and alliances where force will not work. It obvious with the US and necessary with Pakistan due its supporters (current as well as erstwhile). What's the downside of bullying the Danes? If it works, it should bring other errant European nations (Norway, Sweden) to heel. Else, India can continue fine tuning its approach towards these nations.
India is the world's most racist country. The North Indian language known as Hindi is imposed on virtually all schools across the country, while speakers of this esteemed tongue are not required to learn any other Indian official language - Indian tax money is wasted on this one language alone while others are neglected. India has the caste system written in the legal system. The reservation system found in India where the caste system will go on perpetually has no equivalent of this scale anywhere in the world. India has no moral right to pick on Denmark or any other country. First thing to do is to fix India's own legal system - have a solid criminal justice system, decentralize power to states, treat all languages equally, abolish caste system all together in favour of a uniform penal and civil code - but these are anyway "pipe dreams that can never happen.
I was travelling via Copenhagen in Sept end of 2001 through SAS, and I was ill treated by Danes as being Indian , they thought I am Arab and therefore have to take their nonsense. SAS did apologise later, but it was too late. I have stopped travelling via Copenhagen. Danes and Nordic countries have to realise soon that the world is changing , and either they come around, or they would be pushed to margins. I fail to understand why a terrorist who planned to kill and maim Indians is being given shelter in Denmark? Is this not a human right violation of billions of India and the learned Danish court is citing that India have no Human rights? I think this is nonsensical statement. I am ashamed that India is not taking stern action and still trading with them? Frankly Danes need Indian market to sustain their standard of living more than Indians need Danish market. However, Indians have their own problems and against third person they are too soft. Imagine what China would have done?
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