Can Europe Save Euro?

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

Western finances have been in shambles. For too long, euro-zone politicians have been discussing an alternative for increasing the means available to the rescue fund without national governments being required to provide further money. The trick is to provide the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) with a banking license that would allow it, in practice, to borrow as much money as it needs from the European Central Bank. The ESM would simply buy up bonds from crisis countries and then provide these to the ECB as collateral for loans, just as normal banks do.

While governments and central banks want to preserve the euro, it looks certain that Greece and some more countires in EU may soon face bankruptcy. Most countries of Europe support the idea of a common European fiscal policy, and shared debt would be part of that. But a solution needs to be found that would ensure discipline in the individual states..

The Greek tragedy itself is merely a prelude to the real battle to save the euro. Experts see a risk that ailing countries will simply continue to borrow, unhindered, as soon as the bill is shared by the entire euro zone.

Euro bonds are meant to obscure the differences in creditworthiness among the individual euro-zone member states. Regardless whether the borrower is Italy, France or Germany, all euro-zone states would issue common bonds, Europe is eager to reduce the borrowing costs for crisis-plagued euro-zone countries.

As a result of debates, a permanent euro bailout fund is likely to be launched this year. The ESM will provide a common fund for the euro-zone countries for dealing with the debt crisis. The intention is also that the ESM would be capable of financing possible aid programs for troubled countries like Spain and Italy, though the ESM doesn’t have enough money in its coffers for that on a permanent basis.

The ESM wants to achieve an impossible lending capacity of €500 billion until mid-2014, and even that sum would be too little for fighting euro fires in the larger euro-zone countries.

The last resort in the crisis is obviously the European Central Bank. The ECB is currently debating a proposal based on the idea that the ECB could intervene and purchase bonds was enough in recent days to drive yields on Spanish government securities back under the critical level of 7 percent. The central bank would set a cap on the upper limit for interest rates on the government bonds of heavily indebted euro-zone countries. Right now, for example, it could be set at 6 percent. If yields on bonds threatened to exceed this limit, the ECB would intervene and purchase securities on the market. Given its unlimited resources, it would essentially have inexhaustible funds for these purchases.

The central bank is reliant on the trust of financial market participants. But if it began indirectly helping countries to print money, it could damage that trust in the longer term. With yield caps, the ECB would become a tool of the euro-zone member states — a development that would be extremely controversial for an institution that is supposed to be independent.

But the problem is the question of political control as the ECB isn’t answerable to any parliament, and setting fiscal policy is among the most important tasks parliaments are responsible for. So, who will monitor and control which bonds the ECB purchases and at which level a yield cap is to be imposed? Some economists argue that as a political institution the ESM, for example, should decide which countries receive bond aid and the conditions which they must fulfill in order to obtain it even as the ECB tackles the market.

India: Parties, People, Unions and Regime: The Game Interplay!

By DR. ABDUL RUFF

___________________

Strikes those days were organized for a better life of common people. These days, strikes in India are being muted by the regime by colluding with union leaders. As a result, strikes do not make any difference to the existing situations. Strikes make the life of people more miserable while the regime, power brokers and its agents continue to enjoy the fruit all by themselves. Strikers and people lose  most and achieve nothing. Prices are rising almost on a permanent basis and at an exorbitant rate and speed. None really bothers about sky rocketing of prices. During the last 5 years of Congress rule prices of essential commodities have  multiplied almost 300 percent.

Millions of workers took part in a nationwide general strike against price hikes, privatization and the contract work system. In May, there was a general shut down and protests by workers, youth, the rural poor and small businessmen against fuel price hikes.  But strikes produced no real results.

The strike at Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in the southern state of Tamil State (Nadu) was one of a series of bitter struggles by workers in India in recent years. The communist betrayal of the 44-day strike by 14,000 contract workers at the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, owned by the Indian central government, has vital political lessons for the workers movement throughout world. The left oriented AITUC on June 3 “closed” the strike, without meeting any of the workers’ demands, which included equal pay with permanent workers and “regularization” of their employment.

The striking workers defied the return call order by the union to work for several days. Hundreds protested outside the local AITUC office in Neyveli and on the following day ransacked the union premises. But lacking an alternative political perspective and leadership, they were unable to sustain their rebellion. The state and owners take advantage of this phenomenon.

NLC workers maintained their strike and challenged the contract system, which is employed in public and private enterprises throughout India for the extraction of super profits.  State political charade against the strickers has a tendency to win. Political alliances between the ruling parties and affiliating union parties have made things easy for the state to defeat the strikes. . .

The central and TN state governments are instrumental in defeating the demands of the strikers and they have used the union leaders as a key tool to defeat the strike. Union leaders deliberately blocked any political fight against the state and central governments. Trade unionists have sold the movement to the state perhaps son some “usual” return favors. The AITUC and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, did everything possible to isolate the strikers.

In India, that means above all drawing the necessary political conclusions from the long history of betrayals of the communists who play a role assigned by the regime. Earlier, the CPI and CPM falsely claimed to be communist and socialist and to represent the heritage of the October 1917 Russian Revolution to work for the welfare of poor and workers. They are now completely integrated into the Indian political establishment and openly defend bourgeois rule. As a result, people have rejected their premises of defending poor and the communist parties have lost the state governments it ruled for years, West Bengal and Kerala. West Bengal Bengalis have shown they have nothing to do with Indian brand communism and have opted for Mamata Banergi as their leader. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the communist to get back to reign there.

Communists, fearing aggressive nature of Hindutva BJP outfits, now promote Congress party interests and people in Kerala and West Bengal where the communists face Congress party see this as communist betrayal of popular faith.

 Communism is now part of Indian politics – nothing more for people.  Communist parties consider themselves as part of rung elite. As state rulers the CPM-led communists promoted pro-market restructuring and privatization, governments have implemented anti-working class policies for the benefit of foreign and local investors.

Leftists and communists now worry too much about India’s national interest for promoting corporatists, multinationals and the rich and their concern o fro people has been reduced to supporting the corrupt regime. The regime misuses both communists and communalists to promote its corruption ridden  reign.

Corruption, under the prevailing circumstances,  cannot be wiped out of India so long as the corrupt parties like congress continue to rule.  When judiciary is weak, one doubts if any party can help India, occupying neighboring Jammu Kashmir, becoming a really corruption-free nation to provide people’s welfare measures, by withstanding pressure tactics of the rich and multinationals that control Indian Parliament and assemblies by its paid lobbyists. . . .

With communist parties losing their importance in India now, there is a greater need for a pro-people party both at central and state levels to help people – the weak, deprived, injured and insulted. A new crop of selfless leaders is the need of the hour and Anna team could have expanded their mandate to help India become a real people’s democracy! But the problem is  each member has other affiliations with which the regime maintains the nexus and control. Nothing comes out!

When the union leaders strike secret deals with the regime, the not only people’s lives but even their hopes fall a helpless victim to such political manipulations. All parties coordinate their anti-people polices and  inflationary practices and jointly vitiate the  societal atmosphere.

A mischievous regime and hopeless people.  Polls after polls people continue to suffer, bearing the brunt of regime mischief.

Nepal: Will Former King Gyanendra Really Make a Comeback?

Gyanendra Laughs: My Time to Give a LOL

(Note: The opinion expressed here is entirely of the author himself, the blog editor may or may not agree with the author’s opinion. )

By DR. ABDUL RUFF

As a consequence of recent demonstrations in Kathmandu in support of the deposed king Gyanendra, King Gyanendra himself has expressed for the first time in about 4 years his desire, rather clam, to return to power in the Himalayan kingdom.

Nepal’s deposed king, Gyanendra, has said that he wants to return to the throne. Gyanendra said that he had made an agreement six years ago with his country’s political parties that he would be a constitutional monarch but the new regime did not let him so. His move comes at a time of political turmoil in Nepal. A constituent assembly was recently dissolved after failing to reach agreement on a new constitution. Fresh elections are planned for November, but in the meantime Nepal is in a political vacuum..

The new democratically elected red government abolished the monarchy in 2008. And the king Gyanendra, who lost power,  had retired into his palace in the thick forest when democratic forces replaced him. The former king said he did not want to be active in Nepal’s politics, but did want a largely ceremonial role.

In a rare interview, the former monarch, now known as Gyanendra Shah, told News 24 that he had been forced to make an agreement with opposition parties in 2006 after weeks of anti-government protests. “This included the reinstatement of the dissolved parliament, the appointment of a prime minister from among the parties, and restoration of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy,” he said. He said that the parties would have to answer for their behavior.

Many ordinary Nepalis are also frustrated with the failure of their politicians to make progress on key issues like unemployment. It is unclear how many would see the return of the king, even in a ceremonial role, as a welcome development.

Gyanendra’s return to power may not be that easy now, notwithstanding the popular demonstrations in his favor. The incumbent rulers are not going  to let him resume power either. However, if India and China come forward to promote  aristocracy that would be a different story all together. But India has already lost interest in Nepal with the communists taking over power. The Nepalese rulers do not even take  any advice even from Indian communists because the Indian regime uses them for its own advantage. As far as China is concerned it promotes red regime in Katmandu. Beijing has already established close political and military links with Nepal.

Nepal’s relations with China have been positive for decades now.  Nepal takes Chinese position on Tibet issue. China says Tibet was always part of its territory. Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the 20th Century. China launched a military assault in 1950. Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising which began on 10 March 1959. Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled days later and crossed into India on 31 March 1959. Nepal is hoping to attract more Chinese investment – and eventually create a trans-Asian highway that will cut through the Himalayas, linking China to India and opening up this secluded country.

A small stretch of road – just 17km (10.5 miles) long – from the border to the Nepalese town of Syabrubesi is costing the Beijing government almost $20m. But it’s an important investment because this mountain pass not only connects Tibet to Nepal – it’s also the most direct land route to India’s capital, Delhi. The road will make a huge difference to communities on both sides of the border. Traders still walk the old path that runs alongside the new road – an ancient thoroughfare across the roof of the world that connects Nepal to the historic Silk route.

Silk Route has been the major target of NATO terror gangs in attacking both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It looks China is either trying to overtake the NATO or aiding it.

Squeezed between the growing economies of China and India, the Nepalese government welcomes this sort of infrastructure project that it hopes will bring wealth to an impoverished nation. The Nepalese government is keen to maintain a good relationship with China, its giant neighbor to the north. Nepal is home to a sizeable Tibetan community, many descended from refugees who’ve been fleeing Chinese rule since Beijing occupied Tibet 60 years ago.

China is worried that opening up the border could enflame an already unstable Tibetan plateau. Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said he has reassured Beijing that his government will not allow Tibetan dissidents to operate in his country. “China has only one concern, that is the concern of Tibet,” he says. ”That is why our policy towards China has been consistent. We believe in the One China policy, Tibet is an integral part of China and the soil of Nepal will not be allowed to be used against Tibet and China.” Nepal will need to continue to reassure China even after this road is finished next year.

King Gyanendra still hopes he can return to power and city palace!

Euro 2012 Football & European Politics: Curtains Up!

By Dr. Abdul Ruff 

Against background of grim Euro crisis shattering all hopes of Europeans and even as thousands have protested in Greece against the far-right Golden Dawn party after one of its members assaulted a woman on live TV, shouting “Neo-Nazis out” in rallies called by left-wing and anti-racism groups in Athens, Euro 2012 Foot ball tournament has been kicked off with Poland kicking into the net its very first goal against Greece. The 2012 European Football Championship, , commonly referred to as Euro 2012, is the 14th European Championship for national football teams organized by UEFA, kicked off on Friday, the June 8 in both Kiev and Warsaw, the capital cities of co-hosts Ukraine and Poland. Qualification was contested by 51 nations between August 2010 and November 2011 to join the two host nations in the tournament.

The winner of the tournament gains automatic entry to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Brazil. The final tournament, featuring 16 nations, is being hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012. As the 2012 European Football Championship kicks off in Ukraine, all eyes are on the event’s co-hosts, Poland and Ukraine. It’s the first such event to take place in Eastern Europe, and young Poles and Ukrainians alike hope it will help improve perceptions of their countries.

Hardly any other country is, the visitors say, as Europe-friendly as Poland. Young people, in particular, understand that they have profited from joining the EU. They feel membership offers them big opportunities and huge profits, many of them professionally. And many even imagine spending a few years working abroad in Germany or Britain for more money.

Kiev, the backward world of the Ukrainian capital, with its corrupt apparatchiks, unscrupulous oligarchs and headline-making human rights abuses, is still dynamic. Some 760 kilometers west of Kiev is the Polish capital of Warsaw. In Warsaw, reminding the Cold War’s Socialistic military alliance led by Soviets, the idea of Europe has long since become ingrained in the minds of students.

People now did/do not experience communist Poland, having grown up after the 1989 transformation that took place in their country. The Polish youth seem like “modern” pragmatic and self-confident members of the anti-Islamic European Union. Their joint bid was announced successful by UEFA chief Michel Platini in Cardiff on 18th April 2007, winning out over more favored bids by Italy and Croatia/Hungary – and causing widespread jubilation throughout the two Eastern Europe countries. Winning Euro 2012 will result in a great deal of construction investments and enormous financial benefits to both Poland and the Ukraine, with some analysts putting the figures as high as 3 billion US Dollars worth of revenue.

The Euro tournament would also help shift the balance of power in football, and bring in resources and prestige to help boost the games of East European countries which have traditionally made little mark in international competitions. Euro 2012 will be the first major footballing event held by a country behind, or formerly behind, the Iron Curtain since Yugoslavia hosted the European Football Championships in 1976. It will be the first major sporting event of any kind hosted by an East European country since Moscow Olympics 1980. Great news then for this part of the world, and a fantastic chance for Poland and Ukraine to show the world what they’re capable of, both in terms of organizing the event and competing in it! The competition, however, seems to be very tough and it is tool early to predict or even speculate any particular team to take away the Euro2012 cup.

Each nation in Europe wants to showcase its footfall prowess. Let us wait and watch the tournament! One important word, meanwhile, is necessary here. In fact it does not make any difference to the world no matter which team wins the Euro cup. It makes no difference at all when this is not going to change the mindset of European states engaged in massacre operations under the NATO terror syndicates led by USA-UK English terror twins, targeting Muslims in occupied nations like Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nor will Euro 2012 make any difference to the rising prices globally or the advancement of imperialist wars, targeting global energy resources and energy energy routes.

Will the outcome of Euro 2012 in nay manner rampant corruption and state criminal operations world wide or arrest the rising number of pathetically poor people even in Europe or rotting food grains in Indian food storing fields?

Post-Arab-Spring Presidential Poll in Egypt

DR. ABDUL RUFF

 ONE

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia last year when weeks of protests forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power, inspiring pro-democracy activists across the Arab world. The 15 months since Mubarak was forced from power has been turbulent, with continued violent protests and a deteriorating economy. Foreign direct investment has reversed from $6.4bn (£4bn) flowing into the country in 2010 to $500m leaving it last year.

Egyptians voted on May 23-24 in an historic presidential election, 15 months after ousting Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring uprising, contested by Islamists and secularists promising different futures for the country after the overthrow of veteran “dictator” Hosni Mubarak. Field Marshall Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has been acting Head of State ever since.

Six months ago more than 70 percent of Egyptian voters cast ballots for Islamist parties.  Presidential polls for Egypt’s 50 million eligible voters went on smoothly. Three weeks of official campaigning, which included a US-style televised presidential debate, brought the Brotherhood to the fore. If none of the candidates wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two will have to compete in a run-off June 16-17. The election pitted Islamists against others like neo-secularists, and revolutionaries against Mubarak-era ministers. Thirteen people are vying for the top job but the frontrunners are:  Ahmed Shafiq, a former commander of the air force and briefly prime minister during February 2011 protests, Amr Moussa, who has served as foreign minister and head of the Arab League,  is accused of belonging to the old regime, the powerful Mohammed Mursi, who heads Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an independent Islamist candidate. The race is likely to come down to either Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a liberal Islamist who nevertheless has the backing of conservative Salafists, or Amr Moussa, an official from the Mubarak era.

None of the 12 candidates was expected to get more than half the votes and win outright in the first round on Wednesday and Thursday, and a run-off between the top two is likely in June. It is the first time that ordinary Egyptians, ruled down the centuries by pharaohs, sultans, kings and military officers, have a genuine chance to choose their leader.

However, the top candidates are Mohamed Mursi from the Muslim Brotherhood and Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander under Mubarak.

The election caps a rollercoaster transition, marked by political upheaval and bloodshed, but which also witnessed democratic parliamentary elections that saw Islamist groups score a crushing victory. Candidates have been campaigning across the country for weeks in an unprecedented democratic exercise made possible by the early 2011 revolt.

Mubarak, 84 and ailing, might watch the election from a military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo as he awaits the verdict of his murder trial on June 2. The former strongman is accused of involvement in the killing of some 850 protesters during the uprising and of corruption.  Mubarak, under pressure from Washington, his key ally and financial sponsor, to open up politics, staged Egypt’s first multi-candidate presidential race in 2005. But rules barred any realistic challenge to him. The army, whose senior ranks control extensive commercial interests, insists it does not want to hang onto power. “With these elections, we will have completed the last step in the transitional period,” General Mohamed el-Assar told a news conference on the eve of voting.

In a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who served under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak. The contest is a novelty for a nation where elections during the 30-year rule of a man some called “Pharaoh” were thinly attended rigmaroles in which the result was a foregone conclusion.

 .

TWO

Former  Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in power for three decades, resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of protests in Cairo and other cities. He is on trial for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters, and a verdict on 2 June  has placed him on life imprisonment but people are protesting  against the verdict saying the punishment is too little for his crimes.

The election is being hailed as a landmark for Egyptians, who have the opportunity to choose their leader for the first time in the country’s 5,000-year recorded history. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), worried about potential post-election unrest, has sought to reassure Egyptians that it will be the voters themselves who decide who will be the next president. “It is important that we all accept the election results, which will reflect the free choice of the Egyptian people, bearing in mind that Egypt’s democratic process is taking its first step and we all must contribute to its success,” it said.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for president in Egypt, Mohammed Morsi is the favorite leader as the top vote-getter. Shafiq is widely viewed as an extension and symbol of Mubarak’s rule and his run-off against Morsi is the most polarizing result possible.

Islamist candidates have promised an Islamic-based project that will meet the revolution’s goals, prompting fears among secularists and Egypt’s Coptic minority over personal freedoms and raising questions over the future of the country’s lucrative tourism industry. Shafiq and Mussa have vowed to maintain stability and restore law and order but their ties to the old regime sparked fears of renewed protests by those who will feel their revolution threatened.

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), in power since Mubarak’s ouster, urged Egyptians to turn out en masse to the polls, while warning against any “violation.” The SCAF has vowed to hand power to civilian rule by the end of June, after a president is elected, but many fear its retreat will be just an illusion. The army, with its vast and opaque economic power, wants to keep its budget a secret by remaining exempt from parliamentary scrutiny, maintain control of military-related legislation and secure immunity from prosecution.

Mursi was originally the Muslim Brotherhood’s reserve candidate, but he was thrust into the limelight after its first choice, Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified by the Higher Presidential Electoral Commission (HPEC) over an unresolved conviction. The Brotherhood has nevertheless likened Mursi, a US-educated engineer and MP, to an underrated football substitute.

Mursi has said he would include a wide range of political forces in any government. Mursi promised at a news conference to provide representation to women and children, and said the era of a “Superman” as president was over. The Freedom and Justice Party head said the presidency would no longer be about one person; it would be an institution. Mursi also promised that the new constitution would be written by a panel that truly represented the diversity of Egyptian society. The current 100-member drafting assembly was suspended following complaints that women, young people and minorities were under-represented.

For Mursi, the anti-Mubarak protest was a reminder their uprising has been hijacked. He was quick to come out with a response. At a news conference, he again struck a conciliatory tone and tried to reach out to wider Egyptian society, knowing he will need its support to win the presidency.  Obviously, under tremendous pressure from western terrocracies, Mursi said women have a right to freely choose the attire that suits them. The 60-year-old added that he would appoint Coptic Christians as presidential advisers and even one as vice-president “if possible”.

The Brotherhood’s Mursi, trying to allay such worries, pledged in a final rally that “we will not export our revolution to anyone”. Mursi was pitched into the race at the last minute after the Brotherhood’s first-choice candidate was ruled out. He may lack charisma, but he can rely on the Brotherhood’s vote machine. His rivals include Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, an Islamist who has drawn support ranging from liberals to hardline Salafi Muslims; Moussa, who was foreign minister before moving to the Arab League and has strong name recognition; and Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last prime minister, who like his former boss, once commanded the air force.

A late surge helped Hamdeen Sabahy, a leftist inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose “Free Officers” overthrew King Farouk in 1952 and set up the system that has put military men in the presidency for the past 60 years.

 Whoever wins faces a huge task to deliver changes that Egyptians expect to relieve a grim economic outlook. The military that was a pillar of Mubarak’s rule is likely to remain a powerful political force for years.

THREE  (Some Observations)

The poll outcome may have divided Egypt and deeply disappointed the activist movement that galvanized the nation’s 2011 revolt against Mubarak’s entrenched old guard. Thousands had taken to the streets of Cairo after the Higher Presidential Election Committee (HPEC) published the results of last week’s first round, which saw Mursi win 24.3% of the vote and Shafiq get 23.3%.  The presidential vote results were being contested even before they were released.

The new president will also have to reform the police to deal with the rash of crime that followed the uprising. As many as a third of voters are reported to be undecided about which candidate to choose. The next president will inherit a struggling economy, deteriorating security and the challenge of uniting a nation divided by the uprising and its sometimes deadly aftermath, but his powers are yet to be defined by a new constitution.

Tourism, a major revenue generator for the country, has also dropped by a third. The new Islamist government is not expected to  boost tourism for revenues by sacrificing Islamic values. There could be “adjustments” to begin with before the tourism operations are streamlined.

The election marks the final phase of a tumultuous transition overseen by the ruling military council after Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising last year. After decades of pre-determined results, for the first time, the outcome of the vote in the Arab world’s most populous nation — which also pits revolutionaries against old regime members — is wide open. According to pollsters, the large number of voters undecided between candidates reflecting radically different trends and the novelty of a free presidential vote make Wednesday’s election almost impossible to call.

The generals now ruling Egypt on an interim basis are due to formally hand over power by July 1. The military council which assumed presidential power in February 2011 has promised a fair vote and civilian rule. In the second city of Alexandria, says that for many people the election is not about religious dogma or party politics, but about who can put food on the table.

Until a new constitution is approved it is unclear what powers the president will have, prompting fears of friction with a military which seems determined to retain its powerful position. Everyone seems to recognize the extraordinary nature of the moment, the first chance in history Egyptians have had to choose a leader. There are supporters of all the main candidates, Islamists and ministers of the old regime, side by side in the queues. Everyone talks of the huge economic challenges ahead and of the two tests Egypt’s democracy now faces – first, to conduct a fair vote, then to persuade all Egyptians to accept the result, even if they don’t like it.

Many Gulf states are concerned about who will lead the regional heavyweight after their long-time ally Mubarak was ousted. Their conservative monarchies have so far emerged from a wave of Arab uprisings relatively unscathed.

The West, long wary of  rise of Islamism Islamists as consequence of post-sept-11, and Israel, worried about its 33-year-old peace treaty with Egypt, are watching to see if proponents of political Islam add to their gains after sweeping most seats in a parliamentary vote that ended in January. “Our vote will make Egypt’s voice in the Arab world ring loud and clear,” said Saad Abed Raboh, a civil servant in his mid-50s voting in Alexandria. “For 30 years Egypt’s vote was muted, but now it will be heard because Egyptians will choose their president.”

 Egyptians look forward to  a new era, new rules, new polices with Islamic persectives.

Wikileaks Censored: A Dying US Democracy

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

(Part-1)
[Behind the smiling faces of capitalist imperialists, there is the ugly truth about their hidden terror agendas. Recent history has proved without ambiguity that the US is a bloodthirsty rogue state run by its military-industrial-bureaucratic system guided not by democracy rules but by the Pentagon-CIA nuts bent upon imposing US hegemony over the heavily terrorized world. If the Muslim nations are unable to comprehend this simple fact, rather universal truth, it is their fault!

USA and its Western terror allies have demonstrated to the world that their democracy is just a gimmick, sheer crap and only a showpiece to hook other nations for their resources and that democracy every where is also dying. More so, the so-called American democracy occupying 3 Muslim nations, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, murdering innocent Muslims on fictitious pretexts is on the deathbed. USA has been threatening to invade Islamic Iran for its vast energy resources. It is extremely funny, therefore, that US leaders make it point to shamelessly declaring they are not fighting Islam or Muslims! The WikiLeaks has exposed the real face of US capitalist imperialism.

Posing to be the top most democratic nation existing only to help Islamic world to imbibe democratic or American values, USA has now become too panic, at least pretend to be so, so that the illegal terror wars the NATO GST rogue states wage are not disturbed. US Terror Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has generated false threat perceptions after the release of some 250,000 messages from US envoys around the world by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. The cables offer candid and sometimes unflattering views of world leaders and frank assessments of security threats.

The cables are a huge sampling of communications between the US State Department and its embassies and consulates around the world. The messages were sent between 1966 and 2010 but most are from this decade. Among the revelations is a report that my friend King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, among other Arab leaders, urged the US to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. European nations have roundly criticized the leaks, with France saying they represent a threat to democratic authority. US puppet Pakistan’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, condemned what it called “the irresponsible disclosure of sensitive official documents”.

In a statement, the White House said: “Such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world that come to the USA for assistance in promoting democracy and open government. US officials being instructed to spy on the UN leadership by Hillary Clinton; Corruption in Afghanistan with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $52m (£33m) in cash on a foreign trip; Germany being warned in 2007 not to enforce arrest warrants for CIA officers involved in an operation in which an innocent German citizen with the same name as a suspected militant was abducted and held in Afghanistan; Alleged links between the Russian government and organized crime, with intelligence agencies using underworld bosses to carry out operations, etc.

NATO rogues are together only to destabilize Arab world and control and loot their resources. As to diplomats’ portrayals of world leaders, Italian terror PM Silvio Berlusconi is said to have been described as feckless, vain and ineffective and sharing a close relationship with the “alpha dog”, Russian terror PM Vladimir Putin. Jewish N Sarkozy of France is said to be thin-skinned and authoritarian, while German boss Angela Merkel is described as risk-averse.

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, rightly said the US authorities were afraid of being held to account. Wikileaks argues the release of the documents has shed light on the wars, including allegations of torture and reports that suggest 15,000 additional civilian deaths happened in Iraq. The cables release is the third mass Wikileaks release of classified document; it published 77,000 secret US files on the Afghan conflict in July, and 400,000 documents about the Iraq war in October.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the leak as US propaganda which would not affect Tehran’s relations with its neighbors. USA takes special care in roping in all NATO rogues syndicate and their Eastern terror allies to face the fallout of the frank and bold disclosures against the US global energy interests. This disclosure is not just an attack on America’s foreign policy interests,” Mrs. Clinton said, adding, the expose of US hidden agendas is an attack on the international community: the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity.

Behind the smiling faces of capitalist imperialists, there is the ugly truth about their hidden terror agendas. Recent history has proved without ambiguity that the US is a bloodthirsty rogue state run by its military-industrial-bureaucratic system guided not by democracy rules but by the Pentagon-CIA nuts bent upon imposing US hegemony over the heavily terrorized world. If the Muslim nations are unable to comprehend this simple fact, rather universal truth, it is their fault!

(Part-2)
WikiLeaks expose has hit a deep nail on the US democracy- though not the final one as yet- and the Obama website boys and girls are now engaged in open dirty anti-democratic campaigns in blocking the release of documents obtained by WikiLeaks; worse, there is an escalating campaign, led by the US Obama government, to bring down the organization’s web site and continue the GST terror operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan with aids from the puppet regimes there, pretending to have faced no opposition to the illegal terror wars of “great” America.

Also, the NATO terror syndicates are also targeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This is what perhaps Obama had called “change”, which the innocent world misunderstood as change for peace. The nasty western networks are trying to block the funds for the WikiLeaks, thinking that would play the terror role and make the site pro-US and pro-NATO and anti-humanity like the bulks of hard-line global media. This is nothing but economic terrorism on media, just like US ploys against Islamic Iran.

WikiLeaks has released only a small fraction of these documents, since it has very limited resources available to process them. However, even this much of information is enough to expose the hidden agendas of democracies. Washington and other western capitals illegally occupying Islamic nations consider the WikiLeaks website posing a danger to all the hidden agendas of USA-UK terror combines.

Since a few days before the recent release of US State Department cables, WikiLeaks has been subject to an escalating Internet-based attack involving massive requests for data aimed at overloading and crippling the organization’s servers. The site has been coming under pressure from naughty US government officials as the usual tactics by all so-called democracies like India and Israel also to bully the media to get what they want by sheer fanaticism and pressure, if not by force. US is spearheading a dirty threat campaign to isolate WikiLeaks from other media and target it at will. The Obama government has taken a number of mis-steps aimed at strengthening its ability to shut down many web sites has already seized the domain names of 82 organizations. Is not US democracy dying slowly?

US foreign terror minister has asked the democratic intelligence to be still more secretive and outsourcing I in intelligence and said it is now essential that the diplomatic community be able to conduct private communications on terror wars. The work of our diplomats doesn’t just benefit Americans but also billions of others around the globe. She cautions that every country, including the USA, must be able to have candid conversations about the people and nations with whom they deal.

There has been increasing tension between the fascist US and its Afghan terror allies. US terror strategists claim USA-UK and its nasty allies have every right to invade nay nation on fictitious pretexts, kill innocent people, loot their resource and destroy the nations at will, but the WikiLeaks does not have the legal right to publish the leaked documents. Are these guys mere jokers to do and say whatever they feel like to justify their illegal and immoral operations in the name of democracies?

Meanwhile, during an unannounced visit to Bagram air base near Kabul, US top criminal of the day US Obama has told the paid US terror troops in Afghanistan they are making crucial “progress” against Afghans, indirectly praising GST terrorism and genocides in NATO occupied Afghanistan. Obama’s trip to Afghanistan comes about one year after he announced at West Point Military Academy the US would strengthen combat troops in Afghanistan with 30,000 reinforcements as part of his bull “change” policy only to continue the Bushdom state roguism. Obama maybe right when he said “the land of the brave” but rogues.

Yes, the NATO terror syndicate led by the US-UK terror twins cannot escape from hereon and they all will have to be brought to justice from severest punishment for all their illegal massacres and destruction in Afghanistan, Ira, Pakistan and the hidden agenda for the Islamic world led by Islamic Iran. Washington and the hard-line media it leads create all sorts of illusions, gimmicks and fake threat perceptions to advance its illegal interests around the globe by immoral means. When USA wanted to attack Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan Pakistan, it generated false alarms about “fundamentalist threat to “democratic world” and now as the WikiLeaks make headlines, for whatever reasons, Washington has denounced the release of classified diplomatic cables meant to destabilize the occupied Islamic nations as an “attack on the international community”. GST media know how to fool and terrorize the world.
د. عبد راف

India Votes 2009: Billionaires’ Polls: Hindutva, Islam, & Democracy

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

I

Essentially the billionaire’ poll going on in India to make way officially for the rich people among others to enter Parliament as people’s representatives is indeed a mockery of democracy. On the one hand the poll is being imposed on unwilling Kashmiris as the freedom leaders have announced a boycott of the Indian poll in an alien Jammu Kashmir now under hegemonic and brutal Indian occupation.. One other, the crucial issues of Babri Mosque reconstruction and surredering of Kashmir soverignty have not been raised in the campign, but the nation has to resolve the issues at the earliest.

Biggest joke is Indian polls being “free & fair”, while the opposite is true. Power of money and muscle as well as blackmail politics is the hall mark of Indian poll and politics and Muslims are the sufferes. India is being literally ruled by the billionaires and other varieties of multinational industrialists by keeping a regime of its liking. They finance national and regional politics, polls, cricketism, nuclearism, terrorism and many other activities both openly and hidden. Earlier these “special” category of “democrats” used to employ politicians as candidates for polls both for the Parliaments and state legislatures, but now many of them have popped up themselves as the prospective Parliamentarians for the next Parliament. Many of the today’s candidates for Parliament to make law for the Indian nation have criminal records, some of them alarmingly serious ones.

Indian billionaires and multi-nationals and other big industrialists are holding a poll to reelect a regime to pursue their global interests with the help of political outfits in the country through a properly constituted election commission to support their cause. Major issues like Kashmir and reconstruction of grand Babri Mosque destroyed during the Congress regime in 1992 are not at all raised in the poll in consensus efforts by all politicians-bureaucrats-intelligence with a view not to appeasing the Muslims in any way but only use them just as the usual vote banks. It means, the Hindus consider Muslims as fools of the worst category and Muslims also seem to admit that.

II

Both Hindu Congress and Hindutva BJP have same or similar agenda in India and one uses the other to stay in politics while the Hindutva elements control both these national parties. Destruction of Grand Babri Mosque was indeed a joint agenda of both and the operation was meticulously engineered by entrusting the Congress premier Narasimha Rao to “do the job” and he did by using the Hindu terrorists, military and polices forces to pull down the historic Mosque in Uttar Pradesh. No party, right, centre or Left, now talks about the Hindu agenda of Babri Mosque and Indian Hindus think the matter is closed for now. Indian premier pledged before Indian nation that the Mosque would be reconstructed at the very site where it stood, but till date Indian government has not done it. Congress is using BJP & co to save its skin. They only threat to pull down some more Mosques.

Israel is used by the USA and Europe as a regional weapons depot to transfer arms to the needy customers in the Third world. India has emerged as one of heaviest purchasers of Israeli arms. In order to track Muslims in India and Kashmir Indian leaders, both Congress and BJP, entered into military contract with Zionist Israel for weapons worth thousands of crores of rupees in which many party bigwigs get lucrative commissions. The BJP regime went for a 5,000 crores for “Barak missiles” and when the Congress came to power a CBI enquiry was instituted on the contract and bribery, but the congress recently signed a contract with Israel for 10,000 crores of weapons, obviously to kill Muslims in the region, and asked the CBI to get out of sight. That is Congress and BJP and their Hindutva links against Muslims and Islam.

As it was expected when offered the premiership to him, Manmohan and the likes have been serving the multinationals in the country and west. A recent report highlights the fact that now many of the aspiring Parliamentarians are billionaires themselves, but the political outfits who float them now rather boldly as the best stuff for the Parliament also claim they want people to elect them to serve the ordinary people. An old Joke? Can mafias, criminals, terrorism financiers, frauds and the likes offer any better governance? Indian Muslims are least bothered about all this, they just want their “favorite party” to win by all “means” and they are satisfied with a few coins offered by the Hindu leaders for their “services”. They don’t mind if the Congress-BJP combines pulls down some mosques and keep the Muslims fully terrorized.

III

A vote for Congress party by a Muslim in India is a vote against Mosque and, hence, against their religion Islam and fellow Muslims. Both Congress (and BJP), the Hindu parties, are using some Muslim agents to use internet to mischievously make them vote for Congress automatically just by opening their dirty emails. If one opens the dubious email your vote is automatically cast for UPA- Congress. Though it is only a joke and does not mean anything in reality, still such dubious means being employed by Congress and BJP and other Hindu parties without even raising the issue of Babri Mosque and Kashmir problem is illegal and immoral. It is shameful that Muslims, unable to make Congress recommit itself for the reconstruction of Grand Babri Mosque still, shamelessly canvas for the Hindu forces that destroyed the Babri Mosque on false notions and annexed Jammu Kashmir and killed thousands of innocent Muslims in Kashmir as well as in India.

Congress is a party with hidden agendas against Muslims in India and around and the BJP which s a byproduct of Congress, just support them. Destruction of Babri Mosque and other historic mosques in India has been the target of Congress party but it uses BJP to achieve that object. Muslims cannot deceive themselves and their religion or insult their beliefs by voting the Congress or BJP. It is not to suggest that others parties are better, they all are one and same rotten stuff but they are not directly involved in the ghastly destruction of Babri Mosque and invasion of Jammu Kashmir, however, they also don’t demand the reconstruction of Babri Mosque and vacating the Jammu Kashmir converted by terrorist India as a terror zone.

In projecting BJP as the big threat to Islam and Muslims, Congress has taken Muslim support for granted. Similarly, the Communists and other Third front parties have ensured the bulk of votes of the Muslims sandwiched between Congress and BJP extremist dramas. Congress, a covert Hindutva party, is using, by usual secret arrangement, the Hindutva BJP as a threat to woo the Muslims to vote for Congress which in fact is also a terrific threat to Islam. By just ignoring the calls for vote to these anti-Islamic political outfits, Muslims would in fact honor their religion, their God ALLAH and dignity of Muslims, without fear of backlash form these Hindu outfits, because worst has already been done to Indian Muslims all spheres.

IV

Most Muslims feel they have no proper choices and India has created all possibilities to elect only those the Indian regime offer to them. Muslims have, thus, have a choice among those who destroyed the Grand Babri Mosque, those who created the opportunity for the ghastly demolition by the Hindu terrorists and those who indirectly support tit and never opposed it or asked Indian regime to rebuild the Mosque as promised. The power-cum-benefits sharing tactics of Muslim League and other similar outfits have indeed harmed the Muslims genuine interests and emboldened the Indian state to honor the commit to the nation and world on Babri Mosque.

Grand Babri Mosque was pulled down in 1992 (on the false information supplied by the former Indian rulers from UK) by Indian Hindu terrorists with the backup of state and security forces. Politicians, essentially anti-Muslim, rule India on behalf of industrialists who finance their campaigns. After this poll, many industrialists would become ministers and occupy important positions. Can a poll meant to retain the billionaires in power through a government help the common people, especially the hapless Muslims in a basically Hindu India? Hindu parties and their governments have been fooling the Muslims for decades now. Muslims have to get away from their pressure tactics and ponder over their pathetic existence as well as threat plight in India at least while voting, if at all they choose to vote. Once Muslims begin to think one can expect a basic shift in Indian politics, for, Grand Babri Mosque would be back at its original site; Kashmiris will obtain their sovereignty back from an arrogant and hegemonic India. Muslims will get their legitimate dues in national development, hitherto denied by “secular & democratic” India.

V

As a strategic partner, India is like Israel and USA with hidden agendas to reduce the population of global Muslims and defame Islam by projecting it as a religion of terrorists and killing Muslims by branding them as terrorists, including suspected ones. India, basically ruled by Congress party and its allies, is employing all tricks to marginalize and terrorize the hapless Muslim population in the country. Indian industrialists once elected, don’t require the political MPs for advancing their interests around the world and now even get their own representatives as ambassadors and high-commissioners and other high officials abroad and indoors. Now elections are due shortly and many billionaires, private terrorists, criminals, national pick-pockets, liquor & other mafias and international frauds would reach the Parliament to make laws for “secular & democratic” India. They would use terrorism plank to loot the nation.

In fact, it does not matter who will be the next premier in India which has not so far produced any normal premier- let alone good or great with a vision- who is fare-minded and would take decisions independent of Hindu pressure groups and other capitalist lobbies, and capable of tracking Hindu terrorists and other trouble-shooters for minorities firmly.

The moot issue, therefore, is not which party or alliance would secure more seats and who would be the next premier. In fact, it does not actually matter whether a soft Hindutva regime led by Congress or an extremist Hindutva alliance led by BJP or even a third or fourth front without any program would form the government. But the real issue would be whether the Indian leadership would at all shed its anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim mindset first and then think about the genuine interest of Muslims including the Babri Mosque! Indian façade of democracy and secularism is fake is used to fool the world, but the leaders keep confusing the world with these concepts.

(PS. This is not my personal issue, but an issue concerning Islam and the Muslims across the globe)

European Scene: Poll & Crisis in Moldova

European Scene: Poll & Crisis in Moldova – By Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

I

Moldova or Moldavia, a former Republic of the Soviet Union and now a part of “democratic” Europe, however, remains, like the Central Asian states that also once formed the parts of the USSR, one of the pro-communist dispensations. Moldavians went to the polls on April 05 to vote for a new parliament that will in course choose a replacement for President Vladimir Voronin, the only Communist leader in Europe and the former Soviet Union. Voronin, in office since 2001, cannot stand for a third consecutive term but has made it plain that he wants to remain close to power by taking another senior post in the manner of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Russia.

The final election results released on April 08 showed the Communist Party with 49.5% of the vote, winning 60 parliamentary seats. That is one seat less than the number required for the party to control the presidential election. Three other parties are more amenable to working with the Communists, and they may pass the 6 percent of support needed to gain a seat in the parliament. The Communists need 61 seats if they want to vote through their candidate for the presidency. No candidate has been named so far. The Communists gain much of their support from the older generations and civil servants.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has already congratulated Voronin on his party’s election win, and the Foreign Ministry said Russia was deeply concerned by the events in Moldova.  The Moldova parliament elects the president, and the Communists appeared very close to securing the 61 seats they need in the 101-seat assembly to secure victory for their chosen candidate.  Voronin’s Communists, who held 56 of the 101 seats in the outgoing parliament, are far ahead in a field of 15 parties, with support of 36 percent. Three opposition parties, broadly favoring closer ties with Romania and the European Union, lie far behind. Voronin did not rule out forming a coalition in the parliament, saying, “It would be good for as many parties to get in … then there’ll be someone with whom to create a coalition.”

Opposition leaders said the election result was fraudulent. Moldova‘s president has since called for a full recount of disputed elections won by the ruling Communist Party, bowing to a key demand of protesters who stormed the parliament. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin said in an official statement: “I am convinced that a complete recount of votes will become a major argument for maintaining political stability, peace and mutual trust in Moldova“.

Meanwhile, about 10,000 demonstrators massed for a second day in the capital of Europe‘s poorest country to denounce the vote as rigged. The opposition called for ballots to be recounted or the vote to be re-held. Most of the protesters are students who see no future if Communists keep their hold on the former Soviet republic of 4 million people — located on the European Union’s border but within what Russia sees as its sphere of influence. They hurled computers into the street while police took cover behind riot shields. Moldovan protesters ransacked the president’s offices and the parliament on April 07in violent protests over parliamentary elections that President Vladimir Voronin said amounted to a “coup d’etat, referring to opposition leaders.” RIA-Novosti reported that the authorities and opposition leaders agreed to a recount of votes cast in Sunday’s parliamentary election, which was easily won by Voronin’s Communist Party. Voronin said in a television address that opposition leaders had embarked on a “path to the violent seizure of power.” He said the authorities “would resolutely defend the state against the leaders of the pogrom.”

Some of the protesters had carried Romanian flags and called for the unification of Moldova with Romania, its bigger neighbour and even shouted “We are Romanians”.  Protesters overwhelmed riot police protecting both the president’s office and the parliament — located opposite each other on the capital Chisinau’s main boulevard — and poured into both buildings through smashed windows. They heaped tables, chairs and papers onto a bonfire outside parliament, and fires could also be seen in some of the building’s windows. Some people gathered to demand the release of the 193 people reportedly arrested. Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, called the demonstrations “a spontaneous action by protesting young people”. He said the opposition had tried to prevent excesses.

II

Protestors indirectly sought to end communist regime and also seek better ties with neighboring Rumania. They however did not demand the resignation of Voronin. The leaders of three opposition parties that won seats in parliament spoke to reporters after emerging from talks with Moldova‘s president and prime minister in the aftermath of protests that caused serious damage to government buildings. They sought to stop violence. “We must stop this violence, secure the right to a recount of all the votes. And we demanded the right to stage peaceful protests “Dorin Chirtoaca, leader of the Liberal Party and mayor of Chisinau, said. Vlad Filat of the Liberal Democrats said the opposition, which stands broadly for closer ties with neighboring Romania, was demanding the right to check all electoral lists.. “As a result of this, I can assure you that the elections were rigged and we will organize a new election.”

Opposition leaders called for a halt to the protests and said they were pressing for a recount of all votes cast. Moldovan state television said one young woman choked to death from carbon monoxide poisoning in the parliament building. It cited a senior doctor at Chisinau emergency hospital as saying 34 other protesters had been injured, including two in a serious condition in hospital. Some 80 police officers also received treatment for injuries, it said. Some demonstrators were seen chasing police away after seizing truncheons and riot shields

Officials in Moldova and Russia accused Romania of fomenting the riots, but witnesses said they were spontaneous. Moldova‘s president has accused neighboring Romania of stoking the protests that erupted into violence in the capital Chisinau. Romania has rejected the accusation as a “provocation”. Vladimir Voronin, a communist, was quoted by Russian agency Interfax saying: “We know that certain political forces in Romania are behind this unrest. The Romanian flags fixed on the government buildings in Chisinau attest to this.” He ordered that Romania‘s ambassador be expelled, recalled the Moldovan envoy from Bucharest, and said Romanians would in future need visas to cross into Moldova. But Romania‘s foreign ministry said: “This accusation is a provocation aimed at the Romanian state.” It is “unacceptable that the Communists in power in Chisinau shift the blame for internal problems in Moldova onto Romania and the Romanian people”, the statement added.

III

International observers said the vote appeared to have been fair. The EU sent an envoy to Moldova to mediate in the dispute between President Voronin’s Communist Party and the three centre-right opposition parties. Observers from the European security body, the OSCE, concluded that the vote had been generally fair, but opposition parties and many students accused the authorities of fraud. A report by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s vote gave a mostly positive assessment of the poll. But the BBC in Moscow says that any Romanian connection with the uprising is to do with economics, rather than politics. EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana called on all sides to show restraint and to refrain from violence and provocation..

Moldova is one of six former Soviet states with which the EU is due to launch a new program of enhanced ties at a summit in Prague next month. Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, is the poorest country in Europe, where the average wage is just under $250 (£168) a month. The people speak Romanian and the country shares many cultural links with Romania. However it was annexed by the Soviet Union in World War II and gained independence in 1991. There remains an unresolved conflict with the breakaway region of Trans-Dniester, which has run its own affairs, with Moscow‘s support, since the end of hostilities in a brief war in 1992.

President Voronin, in power since 2001, is governing a country where poverty has pushed a quarter of adults to work abroad. Voronin has overseen stability and economic growth since 2001 but has been unable to solve the rebellion in its Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transdnestr, where Russia has had troops since Soviet times. The region, like in previous elections, boycotted Sunday’s vote. With little mineral resources, Moldova‘s economy depends on agriculture, including wine production, and remittances from the hundreds of thousands who left the country to work in EU states. The global economic crisis threatens to aggravate Moldova‘s poverty as workers’ remittances dry up.

As it stands now, Moldova’s liberal, pro-Western opposition on April 14 dismissed as a “trick” a planned recount of the recent disputed election won by the ruling Communist Party and said it would take no part in the process. Opposition parties demand a new election and say they expect no new results. They say their concern is fraud with voters’ lists, which they allege contain the names of dead voters and Moldovans working abroad.

Word of the demonstrations was spread by text message, via the internet, and on social networking tools. Moldovans can see the success that Romania has enjoyed since throwing off communism and joining the EU. On average, Romanians earn five times as much as their Moldovan neighbours. The conclusion that many young Moldovans have come to is that a return to communist government and close friendship with Moscow has brought them nothing. Needless to state that the Western powers are instrumental in the post-poll troubles in Moldova but their merits or otherwise cannot be diagnosed here. Voronin is due to step down, having served the maximum of two consecutive terms.

Breaking Sports Hegemony: South Africa – The Cricket Champions

ICC Icon & the South African Team

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

I

Yes, South African is the masters of world cricket in ODI now and soon they would be overtaking Australians as the world’s topmost cricketers in both versions. Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, JP Duminy, and AB de Villiers, among others, have greatly contributed to the making of South African top cricket ranking today. That South Africa sealed one-day triumph crushing the world champions Australia after the Test series win is still the major news in cricket world. South Africa is now the ODI world leader overtaking Australia as the world’s top most cricketers in this form by convincingly winning both the third, fourth and final fifth ODIs in Australia against the hosts and now the world champions. As it stands now, South Africans have completed a magnificent Test and one-day double over Australia with an eight-wicket win in Adelaide January 26, 2009 at Adelaide Oval, sealing the series win. The fourth in Adelaide match went on remarkably well, leaving the fifth only to take over from Australia. What is more important is they won an ODI in the capital Sydney (3rd ODI) on January 23, 2009 where as they could not win there in the Tests, failing to overtake the Aussies in the longer cricket version as well. Fourth one-day international in Adelaide sealed victory for Australia. (South Africa 223-2 (38.1 overs) beat Australia 222 in 48 overs) by eight wkts). Even before completing the series, a rebuilding South Africa sealed a series victory over an Australian outfit struggling with the same phase during a dominating performance in Adelaide that earned a 3-1 lead.

In the fourth ODI, The key masters of stroke, Hashim Amla (80) and AB de Villiers (82) and shared an unbroken stand of 144 as the tourists took a 3-1 lead in the one-day series, with one match to play. After losing the toss in Adelaide, the tourists ripped through the Australia batting line-up with Makhaya Ntini (3-52) and Dale Steyn (3-49) on song. Amla and de Villiers stitched together an unseparated 144 runs for the third wicket in 25.5 overs to seal the matter. Amla’s crucial unbeaten 80 came off 103 balls with seven fours in it. de Villiers was the more aggressive of the duo and his unbeaten 82 came off 85 balls with six fours and a flat-batted six off David Hussey which also brought up his fifty.

On completing the fifth ODI, SA reached the top rankers of this version. There was no Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher or Dale Steyn, and the bowling attack comprised two left-arm debutants, Tsotsobe and 19-year-old Wayne Parnell. Yet, the South Africans crushed the Aussies by eight wickets in what turned out to be a lopsided floodlit contest to take an invincible 4-1 lead in the five-match series. Opting to bat first, Australia put up yet another sordid batting display and folded up for 222 in 48 overs with only Ricky Ponting (63), James Hopes (42) and Cameron White (30) salvaging some individual reputation with the bat. South Africa’s pace colleagues Makhaya Ntini (3/52) and Dale Steyn (3/49) did an excellent job with the new ball wrecking Australia’s top and middle order.

II

South Africa’s near-perfect tour began with a Test win in Perth and fittingly it finished with a one-day triumph at the same venue as Australia conceded the No. 1 ranking to Johan Botha’s men. JP Duminy, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, all of whom contributed to the Test successes, finished the trip strongly and the debutant Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked up four wickets to give the tourists one more happy story to recount on the flight home.

Indeed, it has been a great achievement by the South African team who now have won both the Test and ODI series. A tremendous feat indeed! It has been a great achievement by the South African team who now has won both the Test and ODI series. Another yet more striking character of emerging South African cricket is that even after keeping away their captain & the inspirer Smith, the South Africans could derive the same inspiration and win down the match series both the Test and ODIs.

South Africa followed their Test series win over Australia by replacing them at the top of the one-day rankings, taking the series 4-1 with a 39-run triumph. The chose to bat in Perth and were anchored by a calm 97 from 117 balls by Hashim Amla, who shared 118 in 23 overs with AB de Villers, who made 60 off 71. JP Duminy hit an unbeaten 60 from 42 with three sixes to take them to 288-6. Amla picked up six with a deft upper cut off Ben Hilfenhaus, but Neil McKenzie fell in the first over from James Hopes, also trying to advance down the pitch. It was another resilient performance from the South Africans, and achieved with one of their most inexperienced line-ups.

III

When South Africa arrived in Australia in December, they fancied their chances in the Tests but felt they still had a lot of improving to do in the shorter format. It’s not unusual for holidaymakers to head back to their own country with a fresh perception of the world and that’s exactly what South Africa will take home thanks to their 4-1 result and new No. 1 status. South Africa completed a magnificent Test and one-day double over Australia and it would be difficult for Australia to retain the world’s first slot unless it plays better in the next matches. This has been as comprehensive a victory as one could imagine. The South African innings was kickstarted by Gibbs and the work was completed by de Villiers and Amla. Australia looked flat out there with no visible energy on the field.

The visitors have conquered much bigger totals than that this month and there was little to worry about once Gibbs determined to hit as many boundaries as possible. Hashim Amla was stylish as usual in a controlled 80 off 103 balls while AB de Villiers, who had stood in behind the stumps for Mark Boucher, sped towards 82 from 85 after starting calmly. The result came with 71 balls remaining and South Africa hadn’t even called for the batting Powerplay. While South Africa’s order has gained confidence, from Herschelle Gibbs at the top to Albie Morkel and Johan Botha towards the bottom, the Australians are in worse shape than when they began. Throughout the series their batting has struggled to build on strong platforms and they wasted another chance on Monday as they dropped from the comfort of 2 for 110 in the 20th over to 222 in the 48th.

South Africa showed how good the pitch was and how bad Australia’s total was as the home side’s bowlers suffered as well. At times it looked like a tour game and the international batsmen were trying to out-do each other. Gibbs eased eight boundaries in his 29-ball 38 and Amla maintained a lively pace while finding gaps on both sides of the wicket from the fast men. De Villiers, who swept to a half-century with a four and a six from David Hussey, joined in after Jacques Kallis (13) flicked James Hopes to midwicket and they were 100 in 15 overs.

IV

The tourists arrived last month hoping for some success against the world champions in the Test and one-day formats, but they will leave with commanding victories in each arena after wrapping up this five-match contest before Friday’s final fixture in Perth. Australia remained the number one team in both forms of the game followed closely by South Africa and India, both of whom have beaten the Kangaroos in Test series in recent months. In One-dayers, Australia led the table with 126 points, followed by South Africa (123).

Another, the more striking character of South African cricket is that even after keeping their captain the inspirer Smith, the South Africans could derive the same inspiration and win down the match series both the Test and ODIs. The valuable contribution made by Hashim Amla is astounding and note worthy here. Although the Australian bowlers focus on him, Amla managed to score the maximum number of runs. Even n the final ODI at Perth, Hashim Amla scored 97 the maximum.

The cricket matches in Australia has also brought out the best from Hashim Amla. The valuable contribution made by Hashim Amla is astounding and note worthy here. Although the Australian bowlers focus on him, Amla managed to score the maximum number of runs. Even n the final ODI at Perth, Hashim Amla scored 97 the maximum. Amla should be the happiest man of cricket world today. South Africa capped a dream tour of Australia by winning the ODI series in addition to the Test series earlier but the hosts still retained their top spot in both forms of the game despite unmistakable signs that they are on the downslide.

After losing to South Africa, now Australia has already lost the first ODI to New Zealand as well and here the process of fall that started with negative play with India, has already reached a culminating point. Generally, the South Africans have outsmarted the world champions who of late play a sort of “joint cricket exercises” with India and help a few select Indians to score points, including the bowlers, enabling them for national awards and personal benefits. In the third ODI South Africa in Sydney on 23 January outclassed Australia with performances of HH Gibbs 64 from 52 balls and JH Kallis 60 from 72 runs. Perhaps the cricket punished Australia for their callous attitude. The commanding victory, on Australia Day at the picturesque Adelaide Oval, has heaped further problems on Ponting and he is yet to come over them.

V

South Africa is officially now the team to beat Australia. The final result meant that, should South Africa win the Test series that begins in Johannesburg, South Africa on February 26, they will be the world’s No. 1-ranked one-day and Test teams. The positives for Australia in the lead-up to that series are few. All they can take comfort in is that they will enter the contest as the underdogs, with modest expectations. They should play quite seriously and honestly.

The most worried part of cricket world now is not Australia, however but India. India keeps mum when India loses a match and does not even report it in sports columns, but when by chance India manages to win a match or series then the news appears not on the sports pages alone as the top item with funny photos of their cricketers, but even as he major news on the front page that is the ethics Indian has fostered over decades not just in sport, but in politics and other basics too.

When Pakistan and South Africa played India got disillusioned and did not even mention about Pakistan victory. Similarly when Sri Lanka went to Pakistan and played here against Pakistan, initially India did not take notice of that. But as Pakistan was losing Indians got fresh leas of life and their media came to life and reported as the biggest sport event that Sri Lanka won. But India is now facing Sri Lanka and India media portray the Sri Lankan players in shabby manners with ugly photos.

In the same dirty fashion, India always wanted Australia to lose matches and it is known act Australia was bullied by India by making use of latest terror status Indo-US-Australia joint military exercises and made them to underplay and help India cricketer to become eligible for national awards. And finally India even managed to defeat Australia and the India media celebrated that in a “big brandy” way. Indian media’s nefarious designs in the just concluded matches in Australia by South Africa are revealing indeed. Indian media slammed South Africa for trying to defeat Australia and when Australia was finally defeated by the guests form South Africa with Hashim Amla playing a lead role, Indian media could not just digest that at all. That is the Indian sport taste and democratic and “secular mindset” of “great” India and its atrocious media.

These days in the ongoing ODIs between India and Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka have clearly shown that no player could score runs significantly if the bowlers so decide and this fact has been once again proven with the so-called blaster Tendulkar, who made enough wealth and fame and got plenty of awards for excellence from Indian governments, having been removed cheaply three times consecutively in ODIs in Sri Lanka. There was a division of opinion among the top decision makers on the question of bestowing upon him the highest civilian award also on him. Loot at the pathetic quality of excellence in India! It is really poverty of Indian thought process and hidden agendas.

Surely, South Africa must be making all out efforts to become the top order cricket team of the world and would also try to retain that glory for some time, obvioulsy in a dignified manner.

Democracy & the West: Iran marks Islamic revolution

Last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and his wife, Empress Farah

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

I

Islamic Revolution in Iran is still being criticized by the Western powers led by the “democratic leader” USA, though it was purely an internal politico-religious matter of Iran. Even as being under constant threat from anti-Islamic nations led by USA and Israel which is supported by countries like India, Iran has launched 10 days of celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution that overthrew the US-backed former ruler, the Shah. As a bully policy, the USA rapes Iran by slamming the lack of Western democracy in the country and insists that many in Iran would like more “democracy” and personal freedoms. But a recent study has revealed US aversion to any criticism of its government’s destructive role in Mideast and Afghanistan. But Iranians are also receptive to US President Barack Obama’s invitation to heal relations with Washington.

Most Iranians are still proud of the independence from foreign domination they won in 1979. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said speaking at a ceremony in the capital, Tehran, at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini – the father of the revolution that the revolution is “lively and alive”. “We are still at the beginning of the path and greater changes are ahead,” Ahmadinejad was quoted by AFP news agency as saying, “Although the Islamic revolution happened in Iran it is not limited to Iranian borders”.

The US broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, after students stormed the US embassy in Tehran after the Islamist revolution overthrew the US-backed Shah. Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile in Paris on 1 February 1979. It took only 10 days before the Shah’s regime collapsed. Iranians are as usual united and stand behind their leader. The chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” on Jan 31 reminded the long standing animosity between the super power and the nuclear aspiring Islamic state. May be there was no longer the fervour of those early days of the revolution, as the western reports suggest.

In an unprecedented move, President Ahmadinejad congratulated US president-elect Barack Obama on his election win. Barack Obama has offered to open unconditional dialogue with Iran about its nuclear program. US President Obama has used his first formal TV interview since taking office to reach out to the Muslim world – saying Americans are not its enemy. Obama reiterated that the US would extend the hand of friendship to Iran if it “unclenched its fist”.

Iran‘s president has responded to an overture by the new US president by demanding an apology for past US “crimes” committed against Iran. The US “stood against the Iranian people in the past 60 years”, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during an address in the western region of Khermenshah. “Those who speak of change must apologize to the Iranian people and try to repair their past crimes,” he said.

The presidential poll is approaching and the chances of Ahmadinejad getting reelected are greater than projected by the USA. Iran’s rhetoric war has united the Iranian as never before and Iran is on its way to have nukes, if not already have them, as the president once even claimed having got some last year at the height of “Iran-US nerve war. Nowadays, however, Iranian governments get judged on much more mundane issues like the state of the economy or the ever worsening Tehran traffic.

II

Relations between Washington and Tehran reached new lows in recent years over attempts by the US and its allies in the United Nations to curtail Iran’s nuclear programme over fears it is trying to build nuclear weapons. Tehran says its programme is to develop civilian nuclear power only. The new US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said that she was looking forward to “vigorous diplomacy that includes direct diplomacy with Iran “. Iran has called the US bluff all along ad blamed it for pursing the Jewish policy to appease the fascists..

Ahmadinejad also attacked US support for Israeli fascism and also its own wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He called on Obama to withdraw US troops from their bases around the world and for America to “stop interfering in other people’s affairs”. Referring to Obama’s predecessor, George W Bush, he said he trusted that he had “gone to hell”. Last year, while in Iraq, Ahmadinejad called the occupying foreign terror forces led by the USA to quit Iraq and Afghanistan.

The remarks are the first Iranian comment on the US since Obama took office eight days ago on 20 Jan. In Tehran the BBC’s Jon Leyne who opposes Iran and other Islamic nations describes it as one of Ahmadinejad’s strongest tirades against the US. The new US president Barack Obama has offered to extend a hand if Iran “unclenched its fist”. President Obama discussed the possibility of a softening of US policy towards Iran in his first interview recorded with a Saudi-owned Arabic TV network. Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama after his election in November but the message was criticized in Iran and received a cool response from Obama.

USA believes in threats and tactics to bully the weak nations, while keep applying diplomatic rules with strong nations like Russia, China and others. America’s crimes against Iran, the Iranian leader said in his televised speech, included support for the Iranian coup of 1953 and backing for Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. The Iranian president welcomed the possibility of US change, but said it should be “fundamental and effective” rather than just a change of tactics.

III

It is a very sad commentary on Islam today that there is not even one Muslim country that truly practices Islamic tenets in true spirits, although there are over 57 declared Muslim nations, both big and small in size and population, strong and weak economic politically and security wise; both nuclear and non-nuclear and aspiring nuclear powers; both terrorist and anti-terrorist nations depending on their equations with USA and other anti-Islamic nations controlling the world. All that the Muslim leaders seek is wealth for themselves and their kith and kin and they promote nepotism and rampant corruption inflicting a serious blow to Islam at their levels, anti-Islamic tenet like inequality and drunkardness.

The US-led anti-Islamic world does not allow any real Islam to flourish any where in the world and after the destruction of Afghanistan that tried to establish a true Islamic society, no Islamic nation takes any risk of establishing an Islamic nation based on Sharia’. All anti-Islamic nations now led by US-India-Israel are ganged up to “defeat Islam and kill the Muslims under fictitious pretexts like terrorism that are created by themselves to uproot Islam. They cleverly use the services of some of Muslim organizations promoted by CIA-Mossad-RAW globally and regionally.

That Iran even after an Islamic revolution could not make any real progress in implementing Islam in true spirits is another story now. Ahmadinejad will, as expected, stand for re-election in June, Aliakbar Javanfekr, a close aide of Iranian president asserted. World may see twists and turns out of Iran as its leaders work out whether Obama is offering real change and what they may offer in return. While he was playing to the crowd, he could also be staking out his position ahead of Iran’s presidential election in June.

III

A brief calendar of events concerning Iran’s problems with USA and UNSC and IAEA: Iran waged a long war with its neighbor Iraq with American weapons. But USA wants to disarm Iran after it destroyed Iraq. Iran’s nuclear path is being used by the USA and Israel to invade Tehran, but Iran has challenged them to do that. The US-led anti-Islamic West is using Iran against the Arab nations.

Rise of Anti-Americanism

2002 January – US President George Bush describes Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an “axis of evil”, warning of the proliferation of long-range missiles being developed in these countries. The speech causes outrage in Iran and is condemned by reformists and conservatives alike. 2002 September – Russian technicians begin construction of Iran’s first nuclear reactor at Blusher despite strong objections from US. 2003 June – Thousands attend student-led protests in Tehran against clerical establishment. 2003 September – UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, gives Tehran weeks to prove it is not pursuing an atomic weapons programme. 2005 June – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran’s ultra-conservative mayor, wins a run-off vote in presidential elections, defeating cleric and former president Amber Hashemite Rafsanjani.

Nuclear crisis

2005 August-September – Tehran said it had resumed uranium conversion at its Isaac plant and insists the programme is for peaceful purposes. IAEA finds Iran in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 2006 February – IAEA votes to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities. Iran resumes uranium enrichment at Nathan. 2006 April – Iran says it has succeeded in enriching uranium at its Nathan facility. 2006 31 August – UN Security Council deadline for Iran to halt its work on nuclear fuel passes. IAEA says Tehran has failed to suspend the programme.

Holocaust denial

2006 December – Iran hosts a controversial conference on the Holocaust; delegates include Holocaust deniers. UN Security Council votes to impose sanctions on Iran’s trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology. Iran condemns the resolution and vows to speed up uranium enrichment work. 2007 April – President Ahmadinejad says Iran can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale.

IAEA says Iran has begun making nuclear fuel in its underground uranium enrichment plant. It also says that Iran has started up more than 1,300 centrifuge machines. 2007 May – IAEA says Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in three to eight years if it so chooses. 2007 July – Iran announces plans to stop making cars that only run on petrol and switch to dual-fuel vehicles, which also run on gas.

Iran agrees to allow inspectors to visit the Ark nuclear plant following talks with the IAEA. 2007 December – A new US intelligence report plays down the perceived nuclear threat posed by Iran. 2008 February – Iran launches a research rocket to inaugurate a newly built space centre. Washington describes the launch as “unfortunate”. 2008 March – President Ahmadinejad makes unprecedented official visit to Iraq, where he calls on foreign troops to leave. He also stresses his government’s desire to help rebuild Iraq and signs a number of cooperation agreements. UN Security Council tightens economic and trade sanctions on Tehran. 2008 June – EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presents an offer of trade benefits, which Tehran says it will look at, but will reject if it demands suspension of uranium enrichment. 2008 July – Iran test-fires a new version of the Shahab-3, a long-range missile it says is capable of hitting targets in Israel. Iran says it has successfully launched a test rocket capable of carrying a satellite into space. 2008 September – UN Security Council passes unanimously a new resolution reaffirming demands that Iran stop enriching uranium, but imposes no new sanctions.

(End)