Nepal: Imagine There’s No Country. . .I Wonder If You Can. . .

Buddha in the battlefield: A Woman Sitting in the Lotus Position in 2006

The following is what I found in the Inbox asking for forwarding it to 20 people IF I WANTED PEACE IN NEPAL:

Ant & Grasshopper
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Modern Version
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant’s a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
Nepal TV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

YCL stages a demonstration in front of the Ant’s house.
Nagrik Samaj goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Nepalese Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Upendra Yadav call for “Nepal Bandh”. Maobadi in immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Baburam allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Nepali Buses aptly named as the ‘Grasshopper Rath’.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ‘Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act’ [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.
Madav Nepal makes ‘Special Reservation ‘ for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes; its home is confiscated by the YCL and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by Nepal TV.

Prachanda calls it ‘A Triumph of Justice’.
YCL calls it ‘Socialistic Justice’.
Maoists calls it the ‘Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden’.
UN Secretary General invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later…
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley.

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in Nepal.

Justice Denied: Are Indian Judges above Law?

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

In every society, secular, democratic, autocratic and totalitarian, some people are more important and more powerful than the rest and hence are not affected general rules and laws meant for common people. Ruling elite, rich business magnets, top officials, top politicians are among those who enjoy the confidence of the government and hence are kept out of frame legal structure and are free to do whatever they feel good for themselves. Since bribery is an accepted phenomenon in Indian life, rich traders class bribe the political class and government officials and also finance the legislators and parliamentarians during the poll campaign are also exempted from all legal problems as they are taken care of by the government. Although it is only the head of the state officially enjoys immunity from legal actions, many of these sections also claim and enjoy the same unofficially.

However it is the corpus of security personnel who are totally law-free citizens of the country and this “security’ offers them the right to kill or torture the people the state dislikes. Judiciary, generally, takes sides with the state agencies and endorses the state terrorist actions of the security forces.

Police and military personnel have an important place in every system, including liberal democratic, and their actions are above any legal jurisdiction. Military people are obviously placed higher than the police as the former serves the state government. There are instances when military personnel are detained by policy on wrongful actions, but they are relaxed by the military forces by getting the central government offices intervene on their behalf. The illegal or immoral actions of police are nullified by the central government.

Inefficiency

The rotten sate of affairs in India and other so-called democracies and secular setups got obtained because the system suffers from the judicial lacunae since they protect the state agencies as a priority matter. Judges generally enjoy respect in the society because they the ultimate lawmakers and, if they want, the law breakers of the society. They decide the fate of every individual in the country or province with their judgment delivery affecting the lives of people. Rampant corruption has become reality of every society because of corruption in every section including judiciary. While the judiciary at times finds fault with corruption and huge money “transfers”, but when it comes to their own cases, they protect themselves. This has happened quite openly in India.

There have been instances of lawyers bribing the judges and politicians “getting hold” of the judges, apart from the usual government interferences. The Judges at every level, as a result, try their best to help the corrupt politicians and the powerful; rare is a judicial officer who does not bow to the ruling class or the state rogues of India.

Unilateral
Claiming special status, the Judges in India refuse to declare their assets and want to hide their wealth and money making.. Terming the details of the judges’ wealth as “personal information” which cannot be made public, the Supreme Court recently informed the CIC, that there is no law, which makes the declaration of the Judges assets mandatory. Judges do not wish, to let the citizens know, how they increase their assets. It sounds illogical, if not anti-democratic.

Chief Justice of US Supreme Court John Marshall had once said: “Power of Judiciary lies not in deciding cases, nor in Imposing sentences nor in punishing for contempt, but in the trust, faith and confidence of the common man”. The RTI Act was introduced to check corruption, by opening up information to citizens. Unfortunately the Information Commissioners entrusted with the job of overseeing the proper implementation of the act, are trying to sabotage the act.

In this highly volatile and terrorized world, where the anti-Islamic forces and their originating nations torture or kill the defenceless Muslims by branding them as terrorists, the new revelations show the just opposite being the crude fact, in Indian case. That is radical Hindu terrorists and militants harbouring ill feelings and spreading hatred towards Muslims are involved in terrorist activities with aids from state and central government agencies, most importantly the military. Hindu fanatics have plated bombs in various Indian towns but the media in India with their wide investigative journalistic networkings have not detected anything about Hindu terrorism, they are mischievously harbouring fictitious news items and hurl “terrorist charges” against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kashmir as if they have complete water-proof evidence for that.

Deficiency
Judiciary goes by the “notes” they receive form the government agencies on cases they are dealing with and don’t exercise their real power independently to bring out the truth about a case, especially in “terror” related cases. In rare cases, truth is discovered quite late when the innocent convicts have suffered sufficiently under the boot of the terror security and intelligence forces. With the latest revelation about military promoting terrorist attacks in Indian towns and Indian media loyally toeing the lines reserved for them by the intelligence agencies, the conditions of Muslims generally and Kashmir Muslims in particular could be best imagined now. Not only the Indian terror forces occupying Jammu Kashmir have killed thousands of freedom seeking defenseless Kashmir Muslims, they have also meticulously planned the terror attacks by supplying the “materials” to Indian “spots”.

In modern days with the advent of advanced technology, judges are supposed to know the latest remote techniques for information sharing and troubling creating for the people, being employed by government and private agencies. One doubts if many judges know about the remote mode operations to make rains or move clouds by the government agencies, possibly by the defense personnel. Similarly there are so many remote machines available to ordinary people to do surveillance and watching activities.

In deciding a case on merits of the issue, the judges should know the remote gadgets that are operated in a hidden manner by state agencies violating, seriously, the basic rights of individuals. There are devilish remote machines to make noises, create dreams, and make terrorist actions on living beings and the like.

It is a matter of shame caste and, creed and religion plays crude role in selection and promotion of judges in democratic-secular India. Every step is ensured to see only Hindus become judges and only one of them becomes the chef justice of India. Corruption, nepotism and favoritism thus remain the hall mark of judiciary too. Under these circumstances one can visualize the justice part of the Indian judiciary and this explains why grand Babri Mosque tragedy destroyed by the militant Hindu terrorists in 1992 is yet not resolved by the judiciary. Judges are appointed by the ruling party and their government and these judges depend solely on the politicians and bureaucrats for their onward march in their profession.

Nepotism, Crime & Dominance: A case study
It is a known phenomenon the judges behave like authoritarian leaders who pursue their own agenda by being in high seats. They are corrupt and encourage rivalries and tensions in the society. A former chief justice of AP High court who also was an acting governor of Andhra Pradesh, belonging to the most powerful caste Reddy, got his own daughter in a federal government educational institute in Hyderabad (CIEFL) to become a professor in German with a flawed language and pronunciation. She is a militant like person who thrash teachers on the campus. Invariably, a Reddy becomes chief-minister of AP and Reddys are specially sent to USA and other Western nations to study and employment. Reddys occupy important positions in administration, judiciary, police and other important domains that control the entire state. In fact the Reddys occupy the chuck of Indians living in USA and West.

Andhra Reddys who constitute not even 4 % Telugu population, are the richest class having spread their poisonous tentacles every where in the province as well as country and control the entire AP state through all possible mechanisms. The fact that Reddys are the most powerful in Andhra Pradesh has been capitalized by her and other at the institute to influence the police and judiciary in AP. Today, the CIEFL, started to train school teachers of English has been controlled by extremists and people with criminal records. The current director, originally form Delhi University, had assaulted teachers and had cases in courts of sexual harassment by female teachers. The Manmohan government with Arjun Singh as Human resources minister has chosen him to direct the CIEFL. This small institute is known not for its academic excellence, with its almost zero output, but vicious circles and gangs that the director manipulates to keep himself safe. Any one who does not agree with the gangisms is kicked out physically and handed over to police for punitive measures by the courts. (This writer has been one among the victims at this horrid CIEFL who were forced to seek voluntary retirement and yet is denied their benefits after agreeing to for that).

The state criminals in CIEFL are protected by the police, court and the state and central government which is least bothered about the educational standards, except the reports about terrorism in India and abroad. One can visualize the standards of higher educational institutions in India. But the judges should have stayed away from influencing the offices for the selfish ends. Indian government seems to have supplied remote gadgets to some of the inmates of the residential campus of the CIEFL, who, in the name of security, are keen to watch what their neighbors are doing in their bedrooms.

With the falling standards of judiciary, the higher educational standards also fall significantly as they have become the certificate issuing agencies on prescribed (plus extra) charges. Indian government is eager to make this retched CIEFL a university now. If judiciary takes decision to promote wealth making efforts of the lawyers and judges, how can the universities and institutes be properly organized and effectively used by the public?

Post-script
Indian Apex court has ruled that judges need not declare their assets. Judiciary conversely states that judges can accept bribes and make wealth of their choice, but, unlike their counterparts in military, executive, legislature, intelligence, police and media, judges are above law and cannot be questioned about their hidden wealth made in profession or other wise. That being the judicial state of affairs, is Judiciary above law? Are judges above Law? Independent judiciary also means freedom to distort facts to protect the state terrorism?

Only an efficient judiciary can be productive and responsive to the changing mood of the society and guide the nation by its righteous rulings. Kashmir genocide has been going on for decades by Indian terror forces mainly because Indian government has taken the support of the judiciary for granted. Judiciary should shoulder the prime responsibility for the poor state of affairs in India and worsening the fate of Indian Muslims as well as Kashmiris. The active, though hidden from public view, nexus among the executive, security, intelligence and media have harmed the lives of Muslims in Kashmir and India, but when the judiciary joins the nexus, in order to protect their own “future”, the situation becomes quite torturous. That has indeed happened to Muslims around. They are under state siege and have no hopes whatsoever.

All these years judges also said Muslims are terrorists and hence they should be watched carefully and this converse suggestion emboldened the state agencies to torture the Muslims, more so the Kashmiris. The slow revelations about the Hindu priests abetting terrorism with the support of anti-Muslim Indian media has clearly exposed Indian mind-set pretty clear about its inhuman and terrorist intensions and terror activities. That is to say Indian state is engaged in terrorist activities and Muslims take the blame. Where is the UN? Where is UNSC? Where are the global Human Rights activists? And what the ICJ in The Hague and judiciaries of these democracies are doing? When will the Grand Babri Mosque be rebuilt in India at the original site where it stood before being pulled down by the Hindu terrorists? What is the fate of Afzal Kashmiri who was trapped on falsified charges and has requested the India government to kill him also like other thousands of Kashmiris, in stead of torturing him in Indian jails?

Development Teaches Poverty in Nepal: Face to Face With Inequities & Dilemmas of Consequences of Development

By Dr. Stephen Bezruchka

Recently I was hired by a trekking company to research & update its website. I’d call Dr. Stephen Berzruchka’s Trekking in Nepal – A Traveler’s Guide a cultural guide into the world of travel & trekking resulting from the author’s more than 40 years of extensive research & field work in Nepal. Dr. Bezruchka is not an economics pundit but a physician by profession. However, this physician’s economic diagnosis & cultural insight are worth taking into consideration. – ABC Blogger

Below is an excerpt from Dr. Berzhuchka’s Trekking in Nepal – A Traveler’s Guide

Major contributors of aid have been India, Japan, Germany, France, China, and the United States. Having observed this process over twenty-five years, I see development along Western European and North American lines as basically exploitive, but this is hidden by euphemisms. Most aid is tied; it requires purchasing products and services from the donor countries, and much funding pays expatriate salaries for work Nepalis could do themselves. Few projects benefit the disadvantaged. Only 10% of development assistance is said to reach the poor. Much of the funding leaks, finding its ways into the pockets of the nouveaux riches – it has been estimated that anywhere between 10 to over 50% of flows get lost. A look at the burgeoning wealth of the middle class in Kathmandu, where homes cost more than in U. S. cities, attest to this.

Thanks to structural adjustment policies carried out as a condition of receiving World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans, which resulted in devaluation of the rupee, foreigners receive excellent value for their hard currency in Nepal, while the poor there suffer more. One could remark that countries that have had modern “development” are worse off than countries that haven’t. Look at Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China as examples of Asian miracles. They escaped the development process.

Nepal’s greatest economic resource is said to be the hydroelectric potential of its vast rivers fed by the Himalaya. Attempts at massive international development of this treasure have been thwarted so far, but numerous small projects electrify parts of the country. Indian would like to control this asset and use it to power the billion people sitting south. An unrecognized major assent is the self-respect (ijat) of the hill peasant, who was never subjugated by an external power. He or she works hard and, if away from the development mainstream, does not dwell of being economically poor. Only near the imbroglio of progress do you find people monetarily much wealthier talking about how poor they are. “Development” teaches poverty.

From Trekking in Nepal – A Traveler’s Guide By Dr. Stephen Bezruchka. 7th edition. 1997. p.16-17

Bangladesh Polls 2008: Stage One Toward Democracy

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

It looks bright the land of Bangali language, Bangladesh, is beginning to breathe fresh air politically and the major political wings and the government are on compromise notes about the need to conduct the poll to put in place an elected government to run the country for the welfare of the people alone. The interim government in Bangladesh has called a parliamentary vote for Dec. 18 to end nearly two years of emergency rule, imposed after scheduled elections were delayed due to political violence. The interim government has announced that general elections will be held as planned on 18 December. It said it had decided to keep to the date after failing to persuade political parties to drop their differences over the schedule.

A total of 107 political parties had applied to the EC for registration. Meanwhile, the EC has declared 37 registered political parties eligible to contest the upcoming election. The number is significantly less than the previous elections because of the strict provision for political parties’ registering with the EC. Ninety-six parties took part in the 2001 parliamentary polls. 13 November would be the deadline for nominations. Since January 2007, Bangladesh has been run by a military-backed interim government, which promised to curb corruption and hold free elections.

Gesture of goodwill

To the credit of the caretaker government it should be said that the leaders political leaders have come together to wish each another well on the poll eve. Former Prime-ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, dubbed the “battling begums” for their long-running enmity, exchanged good wishes for the first time in 18 years at a military ceremony on 21 Nov Friday. Both Hasina and Khaleda last sat down together in 1990 while they jointly led a people’s revolt to oust military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad. They shook hands, smiled and spoke during Armed Forces Day at the Dhaka army barracks and were applauded by guests, including top officials of the army-backed interim government. Armed Forces Day marks the founding of the Bangladesh Army after Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Dilemma

Bangladesh Election Commission is mulling to put back the already delayed national elections by 10 days provided former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four-party alliance commits to participate. Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain is not averse for a compromise shifting the poll Dec 18 to Dec 28 if the four-parties decide to participate. The Election Commission sat with Zia to work out details of the poll date. Hasina said the poll body should work out the details with Zia and there was no need for a separate meting with her alliance. Awami League (AL) is in favor of polls. The interim government cancelled elections due to be held in January last year.

Rivals

Bangladesh‘s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has now announced that her BNP will take part in next month’s elections. She says her party will not boycott the 18 December vote as long as it is put back by 10 days. The government has already agreed to that in principle. Ms Zia had called on the caretaker government to delay elections by a month and lift its state of emergency, but it refused to do either.

Its main rival, the Awami League, has said it will take part in the vote. Hasina, who heads the Awami League, and Khaleda, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shape as the main candidates for the December vote, although Khaleda has called for a delay.

Legitimacy & Credible candidates

Earlier, the BNP had threatened to boycott the poll unless emergency rule is lifted. The government also refused to suspend the state of emergency which was imposed in January 2007 after months of unrest. A BNP boycott would be a serious blow to the government’s pledge that the elections will be the fairest in the country’s history. Without the participation of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s party, many would doubt its legitimacy. The BNP and its allies won a two-thirds majority in the last elections in 2001 and the party remains popular – but during the two-year rule of the caretaker government it has been seriously weakened.

Finding credible new candidates to fill their places is proving difficult. Khaleda and Hasina were both arrested last year for alleged corruption. They were released after a year in jail to persuade their parties to take part in the elections. Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina and BNP leader Khaleda Zia face rumblings of discontent against their leadership from within their respective parties. Now the two main parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the AL, have resumed political activities.

Many of its leaders, including Khaleda Zia and her two sons, were accused of corruption and jailed. She was then freed on bail, but about 50 others are still behind bars. Bangladesh’s other main party, the Awami League, was less affected by the anti-corruption drive, even though its leader Sheikh Hasina was also jailed for a while. It agreed to participate in the elections and has for some time been confident of winning.

Foreign Interference

Last week, Sam Gejdenson, a former U.S. Congressman and board member of the Washington-based watchdog National Democratic Institute, called for the military to “refrain from intervening in the political and electoral process”. The NDI suggested against deploying troops at polling centres. Bangladesh’s Election Commission has dismissed calls by a U.S.-based electoral watchdog for the military to refrain from intervening in the country’s political process. Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hossain responded saying: “NDI interfered in the country’s internal affairs directly giving their statement about the electoral process. They have no right to make any comment on our internal matters”. Army chief General Moeen U. Ahmed has said the military would help in the efforts to restore democracy.

One still fails to grasp the policy line of the USA with its double-standards in its approach and statements. When India conducted the poll in Jammu Kashmir under military occupation, the USA did not make any objections to that. Not even the UN objected officially to that, even when its chief visited India recently on the poll eve. India added more troops from India to its contingents in Kashmir and deployed them street by street and at all polling stations.

Bangladesh: Where heading for?

Bangladesh parliament currently has 345 members including 45 reserved seats for women, elected from single-member constituencies. The Prime Minister, as the head of government, forms the cabinet and runs the day-to-day affairs of state. While the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, he or she must be an MP who commands the confidence of the majority of parliament. The President is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament.

Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 as India wanted to split Pakistan into two and control the emergent Bangladesh and use it against Pakistan- both are Islamic republics. However, Bangladesh realizing the Indian hidden agenda for the region, began pursing independent polices that irritated India. The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly-formed Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 kilometers across India. Political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh, with the help of India. However, the new state had to endure famines, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative stability and economic progress.

Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world and has a high poverty rate. The government is a parliamentary democracy with Islam as the state religion; however, political rule has been suspended under emergency law since January 11, 2007. Bangladesh is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, SAARC, BIMSTEC, the OIC, and the D-8. As the World Bank notes in its July 2005 Country Brief, the country has made significant progress in human development in the areas of literacy, gender parity in schooling and reduction of population growth. In 1974 Bangladesh joined both the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations and has since been elected to serve two terms on the Security Council in 1978-1979 and 2000–2001. In the 1980s, Bangladesh played a lead role in founding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in order to expand relations with other South Asian states. Since the founding of SAARC 1985, a Bangladeshi has held the post of Secretary General on two occasions.

The country has a long-running reputation for political animosity and deep-seated corruption. The current caretaker administration, backed by the military, has pledged to eradicate corruption. Many analysts say the government is determined to destroy the political power of the two women as part of its drive for political reform. By the time the state of emergency was declared in January, the public had also become fed up with the constant bickering and street-fighting between the two main political parties.

The former prime ministers and leaders of the two main parties, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina are released now. Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have dominated Bangladeshi politics for many years. Both have alternated as prime minister since 1991. They are bitter rivals and barely speak to each other. Their mutual loathing is reflected among their respective sets of supporters. As a result, political life has been marked by, at best, ceaseless bickering. Released now from jails, they were in custody, charged with extorting money when they were in power.

Khaleda Zia has been charged with corruption in relation to the choice of who should run two state-run container depots during her second term in office as prime minister. Earlier this year she was charged with tax evasion. Sheikh Hasina faces a new charge of taking illegal payments of some $435,000 from an electricity company. She is already under investigation for extortion and murder. Both leaders deny any wrongdoing.

Post-script

The caretaker government had elections would be held only once it had rid the country of corruption, but it is under compulsion by the political wings to go for polls on account of rising prices, which is universal now. The government as well the EC has pledged that the elections will be the fairest in the country’s history. The new date of polling may well be Dec 28, after the date decided earlier, Dec 18, became a subject of bargaining between the caretaker government on one side and Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on the other. Awami League chief Hasina had insisted on the earlier date, but has now accepted a ten-day deferment to ensure an all-in poll exercise. Khaleda Zia’s decision to take part removes the last major obstacle to the polls being free, fair and credible, though the BNP is revving up for the parliamentary polls now that its chairperson has formally announced the four-party alliance would join the election if it is held on December 28. However since there is still time for poll preparations, either date should not the real issue now.

With major political hurdles – the poll date controversy and a meeting between two principal contenders for power, former Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia – removed from its path, as the first step towards the poll, Bangladesh appears to be well on its way to have its delayed ninth general election this year-end. Notwithstanding the poll date fixation, the poll is final. The BNP and its allies met Election Commission officials on Friday and reiterated Khaleda’s demand that the poll be delayed until Dec. 28.

Both parties have been preoccupied with preparation of lists of candidates to contest the elections. They are share seats with their allies. Zia has earmarked 50 seats for her allies, a conglomerate of Islamist parties led by the Jamaat-e-Islami. BNP high-command has already prepared a list of prospective candidates for around 200 constituencies.

Although it is advantageous for Awami League which has won the recent local polls, poll fortunes could shift depending on the course of the campaign. The BNP remains popular but has become weak and divided during the past two years. But if one takes into account the contributions made by these two leaders, both on foreign and domestic affairs, the BNP takes a front seat. Whether this means Khaleda Zia is more likely to be elected prime minister for a fourth time is doubtful. Recent Presidential poll Maldives clearly illustrates that election outcomes cannot be predicted perfectly even by the voters themselves. Both parties said it is imperative to lift the state of emergency to make the upcoming election credible. BNP said as a pro-election party it wants to contest in the poll, but an atmosphere conducive to holding a credible election has not yet been created as the military backed caretaker government has not yet met any of its seven demands.

Poll campaign as well as the polling would chart out the political struggle among the parties to capture power in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a tradition of the loser not accepting the poll verdict, taking to the streets and boycotting parliament. Hopefully, Bangladesh will go to polls in a free atmosphere without emergency rule. Also, hopefully, Bangladesh leaders would strive for a corruption free society for which the nation has undergone turmoil and even lost several lives. Bangladesh has to evolve itself as a model Islamic society. World is looking forward to seeing a strong, prosperous Bangladesh.

Crisis in UK Politics: Brown struggles to save Labour

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

Recently, at a concert put on at London’s Royal Opera House as part of his ‘ 60th birthday celebrations, Prince Charles said he wanted more children introduced to the arts. But UK premier Gordon Brown tries his art to stay on and continues to struggle to bring his limping Labour Party on to the rails. Recently in a way as to showcase emerging positive sings, Labour celebrated a surprise victory in the Glenrothes by-election in Scotland against SNP. In a result that seemed to take even party insiders by surprise, their candidate Lindsay Roy, a 59-year-old former head-teacher, coasted to victory with a huge majority. This was a remarkable result for Labour, against the odds, with a bigger majority than they dared to hope for. Just a few weeks ago it seemed likely Glenrothes would be the third safe seat Labour would lose under Brown’s leadership, with the poor performance sparking open calls for him to quit.

Up until the count began, the SNP were expressing confidence that they had achieved the 12.3% swing needed to overturn the 10,664 majority. The SNP bubble appears to have burst and this suggests that Labour’s recovery is gathering pace. It was then predicted that the SNP would capture the seat left vacant by the death of MP John McDougall but in end the result was not even close with Lindsay Roy winning by almost 7,000 votes. Roy said: “This is a triumph for the Labour Party in total. “It’s well recognized that we have had 10 years of unprecedented economic prosperity before the volatility in the markets and the voters recognize Gordon Brown is a man with Fife roots and he’s the man who has led us through some very difficult economic times.”

Labour’s terrible run prior to Glenrothes saw them thrashed in local elections and stripped of the London mayoralty, before losing a 7,000 majority at the hands of the Tories in Crewe and Nantwich in May. However, since then the Prime Minister has been boosted by his handling of the global financial crisis, slashing the Tories‘ poll lead and seemingly impressing voters in Glenrothes. The Tory and Liberal Democrat candidates both lost their £500 deposits having scored less than 5% of the vote. David Cameron said it was not a seat the Tories had hoped to win. It was a fight between Labour and the SNP – Gordon Brown threw everything at this seat and their majority still came down. The seat borders the PM’s Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency, and Brown staked political capital by visiting it twice during the campaign – breaking the precedent that premiers stay away from by-elections. Brown’s wife Sarah was also deployed to help bring in support. A campaign fought by Labour was a scaremongering and negative campaign but was successful.

Gordon Brown has hailed Labour’s victory in the Glenrothes by-election as a vote of confidence for the Government’s response to the economic downturn. It is a huge personal boost for Gordon Brown – the party’s share of the vote was actually higher than in 2005. The Prime Minister said that people are prepared to support governments that will help people through the downturn and offer real help to people, adding, “They are less willing to support people who have no idea about how to solve the problems we have got.”

Conference in Manchester: Turning Point?

Gordon Brown, 57, has been facing mounting challenges to his premiership. Four rebel MPs left junior government jobs this month and 12 have called for a leadership contest. The prime minister was under pressure to reassert his authority over the party and bury talk of a leadership challenge. With a view to reassure his party of another new Labour Era, Brown delivered one of the most important speeches of his political career at the Labour Party conference in Manchester. The prime minister talked of his commitment to create a fairer society and that it was Labor’s “duty” to focus on the challenges facing the country and not the party’s internal disagreements. The theme running through the speech was fairness and he pledged to create “a Britain of fair chances for all and fair rules applied to all”. He repeated his plan to extend free nursery places for all two-year-olds over the next 10 years – and he pledged to enshrine in law Labour’s promise to end child poverty. His speech was seen to be crucial in reasserting his authority over Labour against a backdrop of calls from some backbenchers for him to step down.

Brown highlighted a £300m plan to offer free computers and internet access for more than a million children from low income families to boost their chances in the jobs market. And he said that in addition to free prescriptions for people with cancer, charges would also be waived for anyone suffering from a long-term illness. Brown also hailed Labour’s latest crackdowns on benefit cheats and crime. In a surprise move, Brown was introduced to delegates by wife Sarah. In a more personal conference address than normal, Brown said he had been “stung” by criticism of his decision to scrap the 10p tax rate and vowed he would never again be accused of not being on the side of “hard working families”. He also took a swipe at politicians who use their families to gain media coverage and launched an attack on the Conservatives, saying they could not be trusted to run the economy.

Gordon Brown‘s relatively successful Labor conference appears to have helped him in the polls after the conference, as Labour cut the Conservatives‘ lead by seven points. A poll carried out by ComRes for the Independent put the Tories down three points on August’s rating at 41 per cent. Labour has gained four per cent to 29 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats are up one point to 18 per cent. This represents a cut in the Tory lead from 19 to 12 points, reinforcing the perception that Brown received a bounce. In particular the prime minister’s jibe that the current economic crisis is global and “no time for a novice” appears to have resonated with voters.

Brown, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer under his predecessor Tony Blair, hopes his experience will tell over the 41-year-old Tory moderniser David Cameron who hopes to unseat him at the next general election. Brown has staked his claim to be the only man to steer Britain through tough economic times. Brown told delegates to loud applause that the Tories could not be trusted to run the economy and vowed Labour would not stop fighting for a “fair society”. He also pledged to scrap prescription charges for people in England with cancer from next year. The Labour Party has closed the gap on the main opposition Conservatives to single digits in the wake of its annual party conference, according to the latest poll released on Sept 26. Cameron has just a two-point lead when it comes to who is most competent to be prime minister, on 40 per cent compared to Brown’s 38 per cent. The ICM survey, to be published in The Guardian newspaper, put backing for Labour on 32 percent, a rise of three percentage points, while the Conservatives fell three points to 41 percent. The poll will make heartening reading for Labour supporters as previous surveys put the party as many as 20 points behind the Conservatives with a general election due no later than May 2010.

His comments were also seen as an attack on Tory leader David Cameron – but it was also seen by some pundits as a coded warning to would-be supporters of David Miliband, who has been at the centre of leadership bid speculation. After the speech an opinion was gathered that Gordon Brown is the right man for these times and that we can win the next election,” he said. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Brown’s was an “excellent speech”. But shadow chancellor George Osborne -who was singled out for criticism in the speech – said Brown had retreated to the left “to save his job”.

Boosting economy?

Duly encouraged by a recent victory in a by-poll for his Labour party, Gordon Brown is up for new image of himself and Labour, and pushed ahead a reform package to provide sops for the people to consider the labour in the next general election. The PM is expected to push for action on five fronts: co-operative monetary and fiscal policy; reform of the international financial system; use of IMF funds to shore up struggling economies and prevent “contagion”; recapitalization of banks to revive lending; and progress on a world trade deal.

The ongoing financial crisis contributed to the misfortunes of an already weakened Brown and much shattered Labour party. Gordon Brown has given the strongest hint yet that tax cuts could be used to kick-start the economy. He says determined to get all countries around the world trying to get their economies moving again and one way you can do that is by putting more money into the economy by tax cuts or by public spending rises. Brown gave a high-profile speech in the City of London to say that Britain, the US and Europe should join together to provide leadership in the creation of a “stronger and more just international order”.

While US present Bush upholds capitalist economic system, Brown hits out at ‘unbridled’ capitalism. Brown said developments around the world were raising “quite fundamental questions” about the relationship between the government and the markets. “The first financial crisis of the global age has now laid bare the weaknesses of unbridled free markets,” he added. Prime Minister Gordon Brown established a National Economic Council to coordinate economic policies across government and help people cope with the fallout from the financial crisis. “Britain is facing a period of immense economic challenges,” Brown’s office said in a statement. The National Economic Council will work to help people and businesses to deal with the current economic uncertainties. The council, chaired by Brown with finance minister Alistair Darling as his deputy, will meet often and take advice from experts on issues ranging from financial markets, global commodity prices, sustainable energy and barriers to business.

The government also established a regional economic council and appointed a network of British business leaders to support the government overseas. While maintaining that he was pro-business, the Prime Minister said certain “key ethics” were essential for a stronger economy. Brown said financial systems must reflect the values of “fairness, stewardship and co-operation” cherished by families and communities. “I admire the market’s ability to release the dynamism and enterprise of people and so this new Labour Government is pro-business and pro-markets and always will be,” he said, “But I also know that we do not live by markets alone. I have long understood that markets rely on values that they cannot generate themselves. Values as important as treating people fairly, acting responsibly, co-operating for the benefit of all.”

The British premier wants to create close bonds with European nations and USA. Speaking at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels, the British prime minister said that there needed to be international co-ordination in response to the world’s economic crisis. And reform of the banking system would be based on the principles of “transparency, integrity, responsibility, sound banking and global cooperation”. The informal EU summit on 06 Nov was called by President Bush to discuss the global financial crisis. The informal EU summit was called by President Bush to discuss the global financial crisis. The PM pushed for action on five fronts: co-operative monetary and fiscal policy; reform of the international financial system; use of IMF funds to shore up struggling economies and prevent “contagion”; recapitalisation of banks to revive lending; and progress on a world trade deal.

Brown wanted the emergency summit of world leaders in Washington in November to reach consensus on a new framework for the international financial system, featuring a reformed IMF which will act as a global early-warning system for financial problems. He said the meeting is a “decisive moment for the world economy” Brown added that he would be putting a number of proposals forward to world leaders regarding monetary and fiscal policy. Brown says European leaders have agreed a series of measures aimed at easing the global financial crisis – and preventing future collapses. The British prime minister speaking at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels said that reform of the banking system would be based on the principles of “transparency, integrity, responsibility, sound banking and global cooperation”.

The Prime Minister said the alliance between Britain and the US – and more broadly between Europe and the US – can and must provide leadership, not in order to make the rules ourselves, but to lead the global effort to build a stronger and more just international order. He promised to work with US President-elect Barack Obama to build a new global society in which the markets are subjected to morality and ordinary people’s interests are put first. In his annual foreign policy speech to the Lord Mayor of London’s Guildhall banquet, Brown would say that the transatlantic relationship between Britain and Europe and the USA can be the driving force behind the creation of a new international order. The transatlantic relationship has been the engine of effective multilateralism for the past 50 years. As America stands at its own dawn of hope, so let that hope be fulfilled through a pact with the wider world to lead and shape the 21st century as the century of a truly global society. He believes the whole of Europe can work closely with America to meet the great challenges which will test our resolution and illuminate our convictions.

The Prime Minister said there needed to be international co-ordination in response to the world’s economic crisis. The Pre-Budget report is due in the coming weeks and Brown’s comments have raised speculation that Chancellor Alistair Darling will include tax cuts to ensure families have more cash in their pockets – and therefore more to spend. The Prime Minister’s remarks came as hostilities broke out between the Government and the Conservatives over the financial crisis. David Cameron’s Conservatives sought to lay the blame for the looming economic recession at the door of Brown. The Tory leader effectively ended what remained of the tentative political truce on the issue, arguing that the current financial crisis had exposed Brown’s policies as “a complete and utter failure”.

Opinion poll boost

Brown is quoted saying: “As you go into recession, you have got a choice: either you stand back, do nothing, let unemployment rise and let that unemployment benefit be spent, or in advance use that money to get companies to take on workers.” Earlier, Gordon’s handling of the financial crisis has failed to improve Labour‘s prospects at the next general election  People seem unwilling to change their voting intentions despite a majority of respondents expressing admiration for Brown’s actions, which included mounting the first extensive bank bailout plan of any major economy. The Conservatives have repeatedly led Labour in the polls for weeks, with a general election due to take place by 2010. On Oct 18 an ICM survey report suggested that Brown could not boost the image of his party about his steps for anti-financial crisis. While most believe the Prime Minister has handled the situation well, only 13 per cent said they were more likely to vote Labour as a result.

However, Gordon Brown’s handling of the economic downturn provided a boost to his Labour Party‘s fortunes with a latest opinion poll putting him only six points behind the opposition Conservatives. The Populus poll for The Times put Labour at 35 percent, up 5 points from the previous month, while David Cameron’s Conservatives were down 4 points at 41 percent and the Liberal Democrats up one point at 16 percent. It also showed that 52 percent of those polled felt Brown was best equipped to deal with an economy heading toward recession compared with 32 percent for Cameron. However, 42 percent of respondents felt Cameron was still the best man to lead Britain after the next general election — which must be called by 2010 — with Brown on 35 percent.

Post-script: Luck Smiles?

Although the by-poll margin was down a third on that achieved at the 2005 general election, the win would be personal boost for Brown and expand his influence over the party and government. A party that has lost almost every hope gradually has found positive relief in the recent by-poll verdict. Only two months ago, Brown’s leadership was being openly questioned by members of his own party as Labour lost a string of by-elections and polls showed Cameron heading for a landslide general election victory. This in deed sounded very awkward for the Labour.

The poll boost follows a surprising victory for Labour a by-election in Glenrothes in Scotland and comes amid increasing speculation that Brown and finance minister Alistair Darling are preparing a tax cut and spending package to stimulate the economy. But his handling of the global financial crisis as well as the Manchester Conference, Brown has lifted his standing within his party, and with voters, despite economists’ warnings that Britain is on the brink of recession. Of course, David Cameron’s Conservatives would present his own package of measures which are expected to focus on helping small business retain employees by diverting cash from the benefits system.

UK, a close ally of USA and a reliable partner of terror agencies, including India, global terror wars, is of late is seen developing a sort of an independent course of polices, but only time will tell if they are real or just tactical diversion. Tony Blair lost his chair on 10 Downing Street for reasons like corruption and participation in terror wars.His Labour party which Gordon Brown has inherited is trying to overcome the harsh turbulent days. Brown may have now won international praise for taking the lead in the financial crisis, but his performance has yet to make any wave to improve his prospects at home. But someone said sit very aptly: Brown had “put clear red water between Labour and the Conservatives” and had put the Tories “back in their box”. Is that enough? The measure Brown would embark upon from now on would decide the fate of his future and the Labour Party.

Prez Ram Baran & Chutiya Politicians of Nepal

Dr. Ram BaranYadav: who is sick in my country?

By Divas

Nepal’s Physician President Dr. Rambaran Yadav took everyone at the Kathamandu Bir Hospital by surprise when he visited the hospital as a commoner patient, reports Dharmendra Jha in The Himalayan Times daily. As far as I know, no “national dailies” bothered making any report on the president’s visit, except a brief news by Dharmendra in the inside page of THT – & I was never a great nationalist to go through the “government media”. President Yadav dropped by Nepal’s cheapest hospital for a thorough check-up of his dental problem. “President, you have a decay in the root and need to undergo root canal treatment” advised the president’s dentist Dr. Prabin Mishra. After his own check-up, President Yadav inspected the government hospital and directed the personnel to serve people efficiently.

During a time when the experts are stressing on the need for making a clear provision in the constitution regarding ceremonial & executive roles of the president & the prime-minister to avoid a possible power tussle, President Yadav seems to be increasing his sphere of influence positively. The president, despite himself being a Madhesi, has persistently stood against the idea of making the whole Terai a single state as demanded by the Madhesi parties. A Rai from the hills writing to a Nepali daily the Kantipur confessed that the president’s firm insistence on national integrity regardless of one’s ethnicity has addressed the concerns among some Pahadis when both the President & the VP were elected from the Madhesi community. On the other hand, regardless of their political belief, the president certainly is no less popular among the Madhesis than he was, when an underdog Rambaran from the Nepali Congress party replaced the invincible Nepali Monarch as the first president of republic Nepal.

Nepalis are increasingly expressing their frustrations at the power & benefit-mongering attitude of the politicians & bureaucrats in a country which ranks among the world’s least developed countries. PM Prachanda’s refusal of observing such nonsense & truly bourgeoisie traditions like ritual sacrifice of goats, or accepting garlands from the Panchakanyas (five virgin girls) were certainly in line with what he likes to call “discontinuity from the past”. But many charged Comrade Prachanda of nepotism for taking both his wife & son during the recent U.S. tour. Similarly, some Nepalis in Japan began raising funds, and one from Kathmandu even promised to donate a free bicycle to each Assembly member when India government donated vehicles for the transportation of newly elected CA members.

A prominent conservationist requested President Yadav to reduce the latter’s carbon footprint by adopting eco-friendly modes of transport & lifestyle, thus becoming a role model for all. A veteran doctor recalling his recent visit to Sweden & Netherlands expressed his admiration in yesterday’s article for the widespread use of bicycles by politicians, government officials, & commoners alike. Others wryly question the republic agenda when stuck in the traffic jams due to the Sawari (an eulogy or what Dor Bahadur calls a “chakri” word used for former royals & aristocrats’ visit to & from somewhere now used for President, PM & other “high-profile” officials of republic Nepal J).

Hence, President Yadav’s small sawari to a dilapidated government hospital(that too donated by India government) for his dental check-up certainly deserves commendations for giving a message to, in the words of another medico Dr. Ajaya Yadav, “the high-ranking officials, who go abroad even for the treatment of minor diseases and drain out the state coffers”. Ironically, one day after the president directed all hospital personnel to serve people efficiently, the staffers began their politically motivated indefinite strike disrupting all indoor/outdoor services. On the other hand, some “freedom fighters” put up an alliance on the other side of the Indo-Nepal border to intensify slaughtering their own brethren on this side of the border. And our revolutionaries & democrats are still busy in their dogfight over the bone of army integration.

If you really ask me how I’m feeling toward all politicians from right to left and from Pahadiya to Madhise, you’re putting me in real danger, for to be honest I must call them, “ Chor Bhate Chutiya. . . mamamu. . .Byancho. . . ”

Update on April 03, 09: I’ve to admit i could not aprreciate President Dr. Rambaran for suggesting his son Dr. Chandra Mohan as a candidate for the by-election to be held in Janakpur area. It appears that Dr. Ram Baran visited Bir Hospital not to show an example but because his son was also working there as a physician.

Father Gandhi vs. Mother India

Iswor Allah Tero Naam: Abdul Gaffar Khan & Gandhi

BY Dr.Abdul Ruff Colachal
Although denied the Nobel Prize for his freedom movement leadership, MK Gandhi is a historical phenomenon who led successfully the last part of Indian freedom struggle to regain independence from UK colonizers and is hailed as father of Indian nation. Although he championed the freedom cause and fought against UK oppression, Gandhi did not have a proper vision of future India except that the country should pursue a sort of “non-violent” course. However, he did not oppose to India becoming a weaponized nation, becoming another colonial hegemon in annexing its neighbor Jammu Kashmir and consequently, becoming a terrorist state in genocides, rapes, destructions, tortures and various other forms of state atrocities.

A British Favorite?
If the British rulers, who had killed many in groups, really wanted to make Gandhi “disappear”, as many Kashmiris and their leaders have been meted out thus far by an arrogant India, they could have done it in a matter of minutes. But they seemed to groom him for Indian cause. Similarly, the Britishers did care about MK Gandhi and, unlike what terror India has done to Kashmiri freedom leaders like Syed Geelani, the English men were quite considerate about the well-being of him. Look at the way the Indian government has done to Kashmiris. Over a lakh Kashmiris have been murdered by occupying India terror forces. Even Kashmiri women children are tortured and harassed on their own lands by foreign forces. Senior freedom leader Geelani has been ailing for quite some time due to harsh treatment meted out him for decades, arresting him on a regular basis and mentally torturing for sadistic pleasure of Indian strategists.

Not many Indians have either realized or recognized a crude fact that their “Bharat mata” (mother India), has been an anti-Muslim, invader, illegal militarizer, oppressor, a fraud and killer– all in one- in her neiborhood and its greed for Muslim blood, like its strategist partner USA, has been too much. Bharat mata has clearly and conveniently ignored Bharat pita (Father India), Gandhi and his non-violent advices. Bharat mata has buried deep in the nuclear arsenals the name of pita and pretends she has not done any thing wrong. On the one hand, the mata laments that Indian young political “children” have totally forgotten about rashtra pita (nation’s father), and on the other, it has systematically sidelined the principles of pita and values of his ‘ism’.

It is alarming that Gandhian India has occupied its neighbor Jammu Kashmir, built up its weapons arsenals, both nuclear and conventional, in a reckless spree threatening its neighbors. Bhatat mata’s double speak is exposed as it also talks about regional speak. Her dutiful “children” worship her perhaps not aware of its Doctrine to destabilize the regional nations. But they should tell their beloved mata not to kill the children of Kashmir and not to kill the innocent children there to quench her Islamic blood thirst.

Not many Indians know that behind the shield of mother India the terrorist instinct hides comfortably and gaily kills innocent Kashmiris is a sustained manner as a matter of routine matter. Can these children of Bharat still love blood thirsty mother India? Bharat Mata still pretends she is not aware of the whereabouts of Bharat pita, whom she had berried underneath the nuclear arsenals. She is even ashamed of him, because invocation of his name would jeopardise the new Indian nuclear goals.

An Effective Fascist Tool
Over decades of its existence even by fighting wars with Kashmiris and Pakistanis along with wars, terror India has used the slogan as an effective tool to terrorize Muslims. It is the military forces occupying Jammu Kashmir, killing innocent Kashmiri Muslims that accord greatest importance to Bharat mata on whose behalf they do these atrocities in that nation making Kashmiri blood bleed profusely.

Indian media harp on the theme of Islamic terrorism and try with the help of the secret service agencies to fabricate illusionary links with Muslims who are denied their due in national development and denied even payment for the their government services at times. As it is known, national and regional media are atrociously anti-Muslims. Recently a few Kerala Muslims were murdered by Indian terror forces in Jammu Kashmir, but the Kerala media and intelligence try to ink them with “terrorism” and ISI, “trained in Pakistan”, and etc…in order to justify the killing of Muslims by state Hindus far away. Bulk of Kerala media are run by Christian-Hindu lobbies and they, at par with their counterparts in other states, brand the Muslims as potential terrorists. When a Hindu is killed in JK, obviously the media would paint a different picture stating that Kashmiris terrorists have killed a Malyali Hindu, cleverly supported by fiction photos.

State Hindu fascism could be observed every where in the country. Bharat Mata is invoked more vigorously by military forces as they equate Bharat mata with themselves. It is a known fact not many would stick to military services if his salary is cut by a few rupees a or the facilities and privileges are removed, like free or duty-free liquors and that they are more bothered about their “power’ and status in the establishment. Any one who travels by Indian trains any where would testify the fact that military personnel would take the bogies to ransom and even beat and thrown passengers out of running trains. And they would go scot-free. They show their “power’ to the ordinary passengers and want them to salute them literally. The military personnel disregarding and discarding their place in society, drink heavily in compartments by sharing the “bottles’ with TTEs and other important passengers, because the liquors come cheap if not free. Once fully down under kick, they terrorize the passengers.

Recently, during the monsoon, I was travelling from New Delhi to Trivandrum by super fast train which was diverted to a different route due to some rail damage on the regular track. Since the train route was changed, not many reserved passengers boarded the train. In the night some military guys came to my side with bottles and started boozing. I requested them to go to another side that was also empty. But these “powerful” guys did not care and drank with a loud slogan of Bharat mata ki jai (great India …) etc., and started abusing Muslims and me. One of them broke a bottle and came to kill me with the bottle piece. But another civil passenger came to rescue and I was safe. No TTE was available in the entire train; I ran inside the bogies all around but located none). What exactly was the matter is not clear to me, but the military had chosen people form the South to terrorize me.

Eventually, the “Bhatrat mata” means state terrorism, military power, privileges, destruction and genocide. A state terrorist mother India can not do miracles for its own people, even if her children love her too much for her Muslim blood thirst.

Indian Double-mindset
India very systematically maintains double standards in every aspect of its affairs both at home and abroad. In foreign policy, it says it follows a peaceful one while it tries to destabilize its neighbours and terrorises its neighbour Kashmir by showcasing its weapons muscle, it threatens its neighbours in particular the Kashmiris. In economic front, it claims to be the “Asian giant” making its neighbours feel insecure and shaky. India has squeezed the economic power of common people to make a strong capitalist class. On the other hand, New Delhi goes on begging the Western powers in all possible ways.

Mother India has comfortably showcased its image in a dichotomy too. On the one hand, India claims to be an economic giant, and on the other, goes around the developed world with a begging bowl. It depends on Japan, USA and EU for the required boost of the Indian capitalist class under former reserve bank chief, Manmohan. One does not know why the cash rich India needs money form Japan, EU, USA and other developed nations, when it is also trying to find suitable avenues to invest its own money in Mideast, Central Asia, and Russia etc.?

Bharat mata is unable to arrest the upward inflation trends in the country. One striking phenomenon is that owing to the reckless spending on non-human needs, Indian Rupee value also has plunged downwards. Corruption has been rampant in every sector. The rupee last week reached its crucial 50-level against the greenback on sustained dollar purchases by foreign banks and stronger dollar overseas. The rupee tumbled to 50.05 levels after resuming weak at 50.00/01 a dollar ahead of Reserve Bank’s mid-term review of monetary policy later in the day. It is not quite clear as yet as to who all are effectively cornering the wealth in the country under the slogan of mother India, energy, anti-Pakistanis terrorism!

Post-script: Gandhian or Mother India.
One wonders as to why Gandhi failed to clinch the Nobel peace award and why India has remained anti-Muslim. In spite of strenuous efforts by Indian state and central governments to make the Nobel Peace prize Jury to favor “Mahatma” Gandhi with a prize, Gandhi could not get the Prize and more than once he was rejected after being short-listed under pressure from Indo-UK leaders. The obvious reason was Gandhi had nothing for universal truth as his actions were predominantly pro-Hindu and Hindutva. At one point, he even advocated a war against Pakistan. This explains why post-Gandhian “Bharat mata’ has become so arrogant, so manipulative and a state terrorist. It is atrocious how India has been managing to woo all the terrorist powers, including USA and Israel for securing a seat on the UNSC!

By insistently ignoring the ideas of the father India for a peaceful existence, mother India has made the country a nuclearized power that flirts around the capitalist nations for reasons known only to herself. By renouncing peaceful path and non-capitalist path of development India has also shed its Non-aligned mission quite conveniently. Indian leadership decides according to the dictates of the USA and its own military intelligence that has got its own hidden terror agenda in the region, not just in Jammu Kashmir.

Today, Gandhians are fond of extra cash, special privileges, foreign liquors and full non-vegetarianism. They also make a lot extra money too and one does not know how many of modern Gandhians have accounts in Swiss bank! Eventually, the “Bhatrat mata” means state terrorism, military power, privileges, fraud, destruction and genocide. A state terrorist mother India, therefore, can not do miracles for its own people.

India is indeed a fascist, terrorist state. When mother India has become synonymous with military power and genocide of Kashmiri Muslims, one can easily conclude that both mother India and father India have done enough damage to India, Muslims in India and Kashmiris. The awkwardly emotional slogan “Bharat mate ki jai” is being raised at many spots in the country, quite violently, for the sake of special privileges for a few persons. The pro-India Kashmiris leaders, who are playing in the bloody hands of Bharat mata in taking part in her mischievous polls in JK, are in fact betraying Kashmir cause. Indians would have boldly called them the traitors if they were Indians. The pro-Hindutva leaders in Kashmir are no less anti-Kashmiris as the plain pro-India elements trying to come to power to kill the innocent Kashmiris by getting more terror troops from New Delhi. Bolo Nuclear mata ki jai! Then one should also praise lavishly about Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, too?

Can Former Maoist Guerillas in Nepal Fight Against Corruption?

Fighting a war far easier for Maoists than fighting corruption

By Divas

Nepal’s Finance Minister & Maoist Party leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has claimed that the Maoist-led coalition government has identified certain sectors, one being the tourism industry, which would boost national economy despite severe market crisis in the “capitalist world”. Dr. Bhattarai also blamed the nexus of political leadership, bureaucracy, and taxpayers for the high level of revenue leakage in the country. Similarly, Dr. Bhattarai advised private school owners to divert their capital from school education sector to other areas of entrepreneurship.

Nobody in Nepal doubts Dr. Bhattarai’s sincerity for the upliftment of people in the margins. In fact, during the time when Dr. Bhattarai was fighting his guerilla war with government forces, many people used to say, “How can the Maoists be wrong when people like Dr. Bhattarai lead them?” Dr. Bhattarai’s popular base became evident when he got elected in Constituent Assembly election defeating his opponent with the greatest margin in country.

However, as one columnist said, after three months in power, the Maoists must have realized that fighting corruption within state bureaucracy is far more difficult than fighting a guerrilla war against the state. Moreover, how would the Maoists justify the alleged involvement of their youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL), in various abductions, tender-bid bargains, transport syndicate in western Nepal, and even in smuggling sand from Kathmandu valley rivers?

On the other hand, umbrella organization of the private schools has challenged Dr. Bhattarai to nationalize all private schools if he can. Similarly, members of Nepal’s Chamber of Commerce have accused Dr. Bhattarai of being “investment unfriendly” to meet the “ambitious” revenue target declared in his “ambitious” budget for 2008-2009. Despite all difficulties, the Maoists seem to enjoy popular support to carry out their socialist agenda, especially owing to increasing criticism against capitalism in the developed world themselves.

However, Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s denial before the Assembly of the media reports that he had met the prime suspect of the Kathmandu businessman Ramhari Thapa murder case has once again put the Maoist Party sincerity in question. Defence Minister Thapa, despite labeled as a Maoist hardliner, certainly commands respect from a significant section of society. But not only the opposition party Nepali Congress, but Nepal’s trusted media persons who were the eyewitness of Mr. Thapa’s meeting with the alleged suspect, have refuted his claim as “totally false & misleading”.

At a time, when they have the crucial responsibility of managing their former guerilla army, and reach a deal with Madhesi guerillas, the Maoists better resolve their ideological confusion and work toward what Comrade Prachanda prefers calling “public-private partnership”.

Anti-Incumbency sweeps New Zealand

By DR.ABDUL RUFF

New Zealand’s center-right wing opposition National Party has swept to power, ending PM Helen Clark’s nine-year center- left Labor government. Helen Clark, one of the world’s longest-serving elected female leaders, presided over years of strong growth and social reforms, but the economy has gone into recession this year, and she admitted defeat and said she would step down as leader. In the 120-seat parliament, the center-right opposition won 45% of the vote, against 34% for Labor, leaving it just short of an overall majority. Mrs Clark said she accepted responsibility for the result and her job as leader of the Labor Party was complete. Casting her vote in Auckland, Mrs. Clark felt “very, very positive” about her chances. “We have countless thousands of people mobilizing Labor supporters out to the polling booths today, and feeling very good about it,” she had said.

About three million people were registered to vote – a record number for the country – though the estimated turnout, at 78.69%, was slightly down on the previous election in 2005. Voting has ended in New Zealand’s general election on Nov 08, in which the ruling Labor party faced a strong challenge after nine years in power. The centre-right National Party was hoping to oust Prime Minister Helen Clark and her Green allies, probably with the backing of smaller parties. Some predicted a kingmaker role for the Maori Party, which has signaled it could work with either major party. According to official figures, National is set to win 59 seats, Labor 43 and their allies the Greens, with 6% of the vote, eight, in the 122-seat parliament. Election officials say a record number of people registered to vote, with 2,979,366 enrolled by 1600 on Friday, almost 95% of those eligible.

Both main parties are committed to free trade and multilateralism, and following the successful conclusion of a free trade agreement with China earlier this year, the new government is likely to continue the push for similar agreements with the United States, Australia and East Asian countries.

Seventeen small parties were contesting the election, and under New Zealand’s mixed-member proportional representation system (MMP), one or more of them may well end up holding the balance of power in parliament. The biggest players among the minor parties are the Greens, currently with six MPs, and the Maori Party, which has four MPs. A new entrant in the 2005 election, the Maori Party says it aims to give indigenous people an authentic voice in parliament and has indicated it will support the party that offers the best deal in return. The Maori Party wish-list includes retaining the seven existing Maori electoral seats (which National has indicated it would like to abolish) and better health and education provision for Maori, who make up nearly 15% of New Zealand’s population.

After the results, National leader John Key told supporters that hundreds and thousands of people across the country had “voted for change”, for a safer, more prosperous and ambitious New Zealand, but warned of tough times ahead. John Key said he hoped his government would be inclusive. “I want to run a centre-right government, a pragmatic and decisive government, but certainly one that reflects the views of all New Zealanders,” he said. National Party will be able to govern with the help of two smaller parties – the United Future and ACT parties – and will also look for support to the Maori Party.

New Zealand
New Zealand, a wealthy Pacific nation, is dominated by two cultural groups: New Zealanders of European descent, and the minority Maori, whose Polynesian ancestors arrived on the islands around 1,000 years ago. Agriculture is the economic mainstay, but manufacturing and tourism are important and there is a fledgling film industry.

New Zealand has diversified its export markets and has developed strong trade links with Australia, the US, and Japan. In April 2008 it became the first Western country to sign a free trade deal with China.

Since the country introduced proportional voting in 1996, neither of the big parties has won an outright majority and they have always relied on the support of minor parties. Clark had said she is willing to bargain with the Maori Party. Any deal, she added, would “come at a cost”. But the new government will seek the backing of the Maori Party, formed before the 2005 election to give an authentic voice to indigenous people. Among Maori demands are the repeal of a law preventing Maoris from claiming rights to the foreshore and seabed, and greater control over government spending on indigenous programs to prevent waste. However, Key said his party was “diametrically opposed” to some of its policies, and Maori leader Tatiana Turin said there would be hard bargaining involved in any deal. Among Maori demands are the repeal of a law preventing Maoris from claiming rights to the foreshore and seabed, and greater control over government spending on indigenous programs to prevent waste.

The country’s current recession has loomed large in the campaign. But few major policy shifts are expected, whoever wins. Both Labor and National have promised tax cuts and extra spending, amid fears that the global credit crisis will hurt New Zealand still further. National has also promised to take a tougher stand on law and order, slim down the bureaucracy and cut red tape, and raise standards in public education and health care.

Last time in 2005, the general election in New Zealand confirmed that the governing Labor Party was still the biggest in the outgoing parliament. Labour Party has 50 seats in the 121-member parliament, two more than the main opposition National Party. Ms Clark was the first Labour prime minister to win three successive terms. The National party had hoped to overturn Labor’s lead as the last votes were counted, but instead lost ground. This time around, NP has overturned the results in its favor.

Anti-Incumbency Factor?

Labour was seeking a fourth term in government, but polls indicated it was unlikely to win enough seats to ensure a workable majority with its allies among the smaller parties in the 120-seat single-chamber parliament. Veteran politician and former academic Ms Clark has campaigned on a platform of safe hands in uncertain times. While Labour has presided over a sustained period of economic growth and record low unemployment levels, the New Zealand economy has been steadily losing ground and is now officially in recession. Tax is usually a top issue for voters, but the financial crisis, coupled with this year’s food and fuel price hikes, also took the shine off Labour’s pre-election sweetener of personal tax cuts.

In addition, Ms Clark has been rocked by a political donation inquiry involving her government’s now-suspended foreign minister, Winston Peters of New Zealand First Party. Peters held the foreign affairs portfolio outside cabinet in return for his New Zealand First Party’s support in parliament, but a string of politically damaging allegations – including that he used a helicopter belonging to one of New Zealand’s richest businessmen for political campaigning – may force his exit from parliament.

The global financial crisis and strict new rules curtailing election spending have made this a relatively low-key election campaign for political parties and voters alike. Minor scuffles in two provincial towns between supporters of rival political parties as campaigning wound up were one of the few signs of voter enthusiasm for the three-yearly election process.

There no obvious reason for the defeat of the Labour Party, though economic ailment is said to be the key cause. However, the anti-incumbency factor has inflicted the damage to the long time ruling party. It may not rival the US presidential election for high drama, but New Zealand voters who went to the polls on Nov 08 to elect a new government seemed to see the choice they were making in much the same terms having realized time for a change. The difference is that New Zealand has had nine years of centre-left government led by Helen Clark’s Labour Party. She was challenged by a former market trader and self-made millionaire, John Key, who has rejuvenated the centre-right National Party and turned it into an election winner.

Post-script: Newcomer’s Long-held dream

After inflicting a crushing defeat on its main rival in the 2005 election, Labour faced a serious challenge from National under its new leader John Key. With just five years in parliament, Key is a mere newcomer compared to Ms Clark who entered parliament 27 years ago and has been prime minister since 1999. Despite efforts by Labour to portray him as untrustworthy, Key has been campaigning under the slogan “it’s time for a change”, and has made much of his business and financial credentials in his pledge to revive New Zealand’s economic fortunes.

National Party leader John Key, a multimillionaire former investment banker, has capitalized on the mood of change seen in the USA, with the election of Barack Obama as president this week. He also said he will be willing to strike a deal with the Maori Party, even though he said his party “diametrically opposed” some of its policies. John Key made a fortune as a currency trader before returning to New Zealand to pursue his political ambitions. Critics said that with only six years’ experience as an MP, he did not have the experience to successfully lead New Zealand as prime minister. But after rejuvenating the centre-right National Party, he has swept to power in an election dominated by change. “In their hundreds and thousands across the country they have voted for change,” he said after his victory.

John Key was born in Auckland and brought up by his mother after his father died when Key was only six years old. After training as an accountant, he became a currency trader in New Zealand, before moving to Singapore and then London.

During a successful, and highly-paid career, he earned the nickname “smiling assassin” for his ability to remain cheerful while making staff cuts. In returning home and running for political office he “fulfilled a long-held ambition”. He won the Helensville seat in 2002 – and again in 2005, having increased his majority eightfold.

Key, who is married with two children, was elected leader of the party in 2006. He has forced National into the political middle, accepting Labour policies such as the anti-nuclear law and the deployment of troops to Afghanistan. But his pledge to lower taxes and get tough on criminal gangs also appealed to voters.

Though the recession loomed large in the campaign, few major policy shifts are expected once the new government takes over. Both Labour and National had promised tax cuts and extra spending, amid fears that the global credit crisis will hit New Zealand hard.

There is likely to be little change in New Zealand’s trade or foreign policy with National heading the next government. John Key has already warned of difficult times. “We must make the most of our advantages because the state of the global economy and the global financial crisis means that the road ahead may well be a rocky one,” he said. However, the change of guard in Washington would demand corresponding shifts in policy contours in due time.

After Defaming Islam & Terrorizing Muslims, Now a Film on Prophet Muhammad of Isam?

By DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal, Independent Reseracher

Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (SAS) are the most revered in Islam, but the anti-Islamic world is working deadly against them in order to defame Islam. Anti-Islamic world has been dead against the Muslims and Islam and it has been causing one problem after another for the Muslims the world over. Veil problem, cartoons, stories, novels, etc, invented by the West to defame Islam, have done enough damage to Muslims and image of Islam as a peaceful religion. Terrorism plank has been utilized to the fullest possible extent to throw mud on the religion and kill and terrorize Muslims the world over.

America wants to reshape Islam and reform all Muslims. US-led West has been harping on new Middle East, freedom and democracy along with regime change in Arab world, in order to do any thing the anti-Islamic world wants to do with Muslims Islam, and Prophet (SAS). These nations have been making all out efforts defame Islam by promoting those Muslims who help the anti-Islamic world to slam Islam at low cost.

As a hidden policy against Islam, the Western rulers and media encourage cartoons and documentaries and films on Islam and Muslims. With a label of a “democracy’ the anti-Islamic world could do any thing they please with Muslims, while the Islamic world, especially the Arab world, to tow the line of the West by allowing nasty anti-Islamic projections.

Now the west is making efforts to produce films on Prophet (SAS) and generate endless controversies about religions and freedom _expression etc. A new film depicting the life and times of the Prophet Muhammad is to begin shooting soon, its producer has said. In keeping with Muslim tradition, however, the faces and voices of the Prophet and his companions will not be seen or heard on screen.

Focused only on pleasures and wealth, Islamic world seems to be sleeping over the anti-Islamic trends in the world affecting the Muslims all over the world. Visual media promoted terrorism and the West used this against Islam and Muslims. But Muslims are least bothered. Already the West has created documentaries, books and films defaming Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAS). The Messenger of Peace will be a remake of The Message, a 1977 film starring Anthony Quinn as Muhammad’s uncle. The events of the Prophet’s life took place primarily in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, now in Saudi Arabia. Producer Oscar Zoghbi said his team had “only the utmost respect” for the original film, directed by the late Moustapha Akkad. “But technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s and this latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film’s “core messages”. They argue that in the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam. Are they really for Islam?

The West keeps the world busy by creating senseless controversies. The mistaken belief that Quinn was portraying Muhammad himself in the 1977 film sparked riots in the US in which two people died. In the film, though, the Prophet was represented by gentle organ music and, in scenes where he was present, by subjective camerawork that depicted the action from his point of view. Portrayals of Muhammad have triggered protests in recent years, notably in 2006 when Muslims around the world reacted angrily to satirical cartoons of the Prophet published in Denmark. Earlier this year, the planned UK publication of a novel about the Prophet Muhammad’s child bride was postponed over fears it might incite violence.

A new trend has emerged on Internet where a few self-interested guys create illusions to fool the world in the name o Islam. By using Internet form, even Muslim soft engineers are creating magical illusions to show Islam is a religion of magic and magical effect is a part of Islam. They are awfully wrong to play such mischief on behalf of Islam. Even sending spam to Muslims is not a good practice though many Muslim editors do it for fun.

Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAS) does not have a figurative image as He Himself did not let his followers and true believers believe in human worships. Unlike prophets other religions and gods, Muslims pray to Almighty directly without using any photos or films. As such it is against the spirit of Islam to make a film about their prophet, crating illusions about Islamic prophet. One is free to film about anything except on Muhammad (SAS). The anti-Islamic forces not realizing the true nature o Islam and its tenets, are trying to create tensions in the world by focusing on what is not permitted in Islam. This will undoubtedly generate confusion in Islamic world, fuel tensions between Islam and Christianity.

But why should the West harp on themes that hurt the religious and spiritual sentiment of Muslims? Don’t these so-called filmy “scholars” have any thing else to do in the world? Indian libraries are infested with the anti-Islamic stuff and books of “terrorism” occupy the central place in any research library in the world, including India, known for its anti-Muslim credentials. Indian universities have churned out not only anti-Muslim stuff, but also gnerated a chunk of terrorism specialists who live on writing about anti-Islamism.

Islamic world, particularly the Arab nations, most importantly Saudi Arabia which is the custodian o Holy Mosques, must raise their strongest protest voices against these anti-Islamic trends in films.

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*Article Not Edited. Posted as Sent by the Author