China's aggressive policy towards South East Asia

This issue becomes imp primarily coz of the outcomes of ASEAN nd EAS(East Asia Summit) Summits in Oct 2013 and absence of President Obama in these summits and also coz of softness shown by China lately towards ASEAN countries over South China Sea Dispute.

                           China claim almost the entire oil rich and gas rich South China Sea that has overlapping with the claims of Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei. And China is aggressively perusing its claim primarily because  of the increase in economic power and consequently military power. Objective is to use this power to settle maritime issues in its favour. Besides China is the largest trade partner of ASEAN. This also increases dependence of ASEAN on China. However  the geo political dynamics in the region have changed lately primarily after entry of US.

                          Until 2010, the ASEAN meeting were waste of time for USA but in 2010  H.Clinton injected America into the South China Sea tensions btw China and its South East Asian neighbours. And since then USA is using the ASEAN and EAS to influence the power balance in the region.Also since 2010, USA has proactively strengthened its engagement  militarily as well as economically with ASEAN nations. It outlined plans to shift its forces from Atlantic and the Middle East to the Pacific facing China. USA has also normalized its relations with Myanmar and urged India to beef up its Look East Policy.

  

                                         China found itself isolated on South China Sea dispute coz of USA’s activism and has repeatedly since 2010 in subsequent summits voiced its displeasure in discussing South China Sea dispute on multilateral platforms. China wants to deal with it individual claimants and thus giving itself a much stronger position in any negotiations.These developments made ASEAN use US to balance the power dynamics in the region and thus put pressure on China.

                       The US Security of State John Kerry has restated the position took by H. Clinton. In EAS held in Brunei in Oct 2013 USA and Japan pressurized China to discuss the dispute on a multilateral platform and urged that it is a matter of concern for the whole region. However, China was reluctant to address the issue despite growing international pressure.The US crisis made President Obama call off his visit to South East Asia and the two regional summits(ASEAN and EAS); Kerry seemed more focused on Middle East; and recent US defence budget cuts have raised questions on the sustainability of its pivot to Asia. Seizing the opportunity, President Xi on his visits to the claimants Nations strengthened economic ties and pledged to find solutions to the dispute through negotiations and consultations.

      

                                               Premier Li praised the “Golden Decade” of relations between China and ASEAN, and also promoted the Chinese government’s new so-called "2+7 Cooperation Framework," which is focused on economic development, notably the negotiations to expand the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Chinese Head's visits to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burei and Vietnam before and after these summits reinforces the fact that China is going a bit soft and focusing more on economic ties to lessen the US influence over ASEAN Nations.

                     On the face of it China might have softened its aggressive policy but it is just a diplomatic rhetoric. Claims in South China Sea by both nations are like fire and water. China has long –term expansion goal and it will not give up its claim on South China Sea unless it is weekend. China is willing to wait for an opportunity and it will hit back strongly at the South East Asian nations. China has temporarily put off its aggressive policy and it should not be considered by ASEAN Nations as goodwill gesture.

Does India need Small States !!!!

Well guys here i am back with a topic which is hot fav coz 29th State of India Telangana will become reality in coming months. Well ofcourse that is what Congress has promised....Ya ya i know it will be a reality provided Mr. Boss doesn't come out say it is a piece of shit...tear it. Anyway i am not gono talk about Telangana.....whether it is legistimate or not or the political mileage behind it (May be sum other day ;-)).
                                           What i am interested is whether Small States are desirable or NOT and what should be the basis of formation of a New State?????

Since ancient times, be it the Kings or the Britishers all divided the country into smaller units to have a better administration. Also our Constitution talks about India ie. Bharat is " Union of States"(Article 1) and Article3 gives power to Parliament to create New States.So even our Constitutional makers believed that in future if required for administrative convenience and for the benefits of people new states may be carved out of the existing States.

                            In 2000, three states were created ie. Chhasttisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. Growth of these states have increased comparatively but new issues have also emerged due to division of water, oil and other mineral resources. Also Telangana state creation has reignited the demands for other smaller states like Bodoland, Gorkhland,Harit Pradesh,Bundelkhand, Vidarbha etc.  
             

                     Lets first analyse small states from three perspectives: administrative, economical and developmental implications.

Administrative: yes easy to administer both by political nd bureaucratic bosses nd also convenient fr ppl to visit govt offices nd courts from villages fr day to day dealings, compared to large states lyk UP where nearly 500kms one has to travel to reach the state capital....so it saves both tym nd money....plus delay in administration will lead to corruption nd bribery practises.On the negative side, enormous increase in infrastructural nd human power for a new state.....also small state doesn't guarantee good governance....e.g. Gujarat despite being big state is better governed than Goa.So political will, quality of bureaucracy nd level of education in society also plays an imp factor.

Economically: yes it ll lead to bettr utilisation of available resources ie. Maximising the advantages for the better of states e.g. Green Revolution has turned small states lyk Punjab nd Haryana into most prosperous states.Also funds reaching the beneficiaries wid less leakages......Parts of state can be developed into service sector hubs like Gurgoan and Industrial hubs like Faridabad in Haryana. On the negative side, lack of adequate resources in small states will discourage private investment.Large states lyk Maharastra nd Gujarat attract investors as possibility of hubs creation is more as multiple resources are available....forward-backward linkages r easily formed ie. setting up of SEZ are more economically viable in large states.

Developmental: yes bettr implementation of govt. Policies- health, education, sanitation etc. Also better monitoring of these policies....plus tendency of out migration also reduces considerably.Thus reducing pressures on urban centres. HDI ranking of small states like Kerela, Haryana,Punjab is better than Big states. But we also have examples of North East States which despite small size don't hv development. States lyk Tamil Nadu despite its shear size is having very good development track record.

                                                       So implications are both positive and negative.It is not the mere size of state that contributes towards both economic nd social development of a state. THUS govt should consider all equally ie. administrative convenience, economic development prospects, aspirations of the people on case to case basis while deciding for creation of a New State and not the political gain or linguistic basis if they want to see India Shining. Otherwise it could be disastrous for the country.

What Unity In Diversity actually mean in India context ????

First of all i would like to thank my friend Robin, as it is his latest article on WHAT IS INDIA?? that inspired me to write this article......below is the link to Robin's article.

http://robinsingh16.blogspot.in/2013/09/what-is-india-i-have-to-admit-it-was.html?showComment=1379620536068#c5659596084779155515

Basically everyone of us must have heard that India has Unity in Diversity. So what does it actually mean??? And HOW is it possible for India, the largest Democracy, that has so many diversities- race, caste, religion, linguistic etc to sail through strongly for the last 67 years?????Given that in Europe we have numerous Nations divided on linguistic lines and other democracies of the world such as USA is intact coz of single language and single religion. I will try to answer these ques in subsequent paras.

                                  Geographically the diversity in India is in terms of relief variations Mountains, Plateaus nd Plains; variation in temperature nd rainfall; variations in natural vegetation nd soil(which will in turn impact the cultivation pattern in the country). However, it is also the geography of India that brings unity as well. Geographical Unity is provided by the comparative isolation of India from rest of the World. Himalayas in the North and long coast in the South ensured, since the ancient times, that majority interactions happened within the country.

                                India is also a country of diverse Religions. Majority share by Hindus, followed  by Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains etc. Then how is possible for India to sustain itself. One of the reason is that Constitution of India stated India is a SECULAR STATE, but another major reason is that the concept of unity is inherit to Hinduism. In Hinduism there is tradition of accommodations nd tolerance. And this tolerance is primarily coz of diversity of faiths (Gods).So among so many faiths it doesn't matter if faith of another religion is added. Also Culture of Pilgrimage that makes sure that people of different backgrounds, states interact nd hence infuse unity among themselves.

                               Even in the 21st century, in India there are more than 3000 castes nd it is indeed one of the diversities.Since nearly 70% of population is rural, caste diversities can't be neglected. However, unity factor among various castes is brought by Jajmani System- interdependence between different caste groups for daily basis (eg. higher caste person needs lower caste barber). Also laws on Untouchability nd upliftment of lower castes played a part. Plus industrialization nd urbanization has diluted the caste divides  nd class system is emerging now.

                                       Racial diversity that existed such as negritos, proto- australoids, mongaloids, mediterraneans etc in the past no more exists. India has become Melting Pot of Races, except for few parts like ladakh nd north east it is impossible to differentiate people on the basis of race.

Thus the above mentioned aspects truely define the meaning of Unity in Diversity. Also answers to the amazed western scholars who fail to understand the stability of India despite so many diversities. I wud like to end it with a statement by Pandit Nehru,
     " India is having unity in diversity nd hence best political system is Federal State."

Tobacco - free society can offer much more !!!

On the eve of independence day i sit down to write on an issue which is very common but Indian govt is not  bothered to seriously tackle or curb it. WHO reported that 100 million people lost their life due to tobacco in 20th century [more than the two world wars....i guess now we understand the gravity of the situation !!! ]. It is going to increase in the coming century, with India expected to have the largest share of it .

                             We all know the list of diseases linked to tobacco ranging from cancer, heart attack,lung related, impotency, still births etc. However, it is not merely a health hazard. It also affects environment. Curing of raw tobacco leaf requires burning of wood fuel, leading to deforestation. Tobacco cultivation is water intensive, lots of pesticide is required and causes soil erosion. Now with millions of poor starving , do we really need to grow tobacco instead of food crops on those lands (given that land is a scarce material now) ??? It also diverts a lot of household savings which is supposed to be invested in health, education, food and other needs. Many argue that it is a source of employment in industry & agriculture and also raises revenue for government,but the costs the society has to bear exceeds these economic returns.

                               So what is to be done.At present there is no other alternative as a product for tobacco for human consumption. So the only way is effective regulatory measure to curb tobacco consumption. It is no big a task, we have countries like Australia, Brazil, Thailand, Bhutan as examples.India needs to take a leaf out of these successful stories. In 2003 WHO adopted a treaty known as FCTC (Framework Convention for Tobacco Control ). Along with India many countries have ratified it. Regulatory measure prescribed under it includes public ban of smoking, prohibition of advertisement and promotion of tobacco products, pictorial warning on the packs etc.

                                    The recent ban on 'gutka' and commercials in movie theaters are a welcome step but much more needs to be done by the Indian govt.Other steps India needs to take to curb tobacco consumption are heavy taxing of tobacco products and using the revenue generated in developmental activities including providing alternative livelihood to the persons engaged in tobacco farming and manufacturing. Also sustained campaigning should be done on the lines of Polio eradication by involving celebrities as role models both through electronic and social media. The benefits of quitting tobacco must be spread through these role models.

                                             Whether we are concerned about health, food security, water security or environment, there is no other option but to work towards tobacco - free society. Otherwise it will frustrate all the prospects of sustainable development.

The One Country Indian Citizens trust " a great deal " is BANGLADESH !!!

Yes my friend it is true. In a recent survey by Hindu and CNN-IBN, Bangladesh is voted as the most trusted nation by citizens of the country ( even over Russia). However, the irony is that UPA govt has failed to keep two of the most important promises on issues vital to Bangladesh.
                     
                                                 First, the accord on Teesta water sharing which PM Manmohan Singh was supposed to conclude in 2011, had the West Bengal govt. didn't intervene at the last minute. Now it still remains uncertain. Second, Land Boundary Agreement which was signed by two countries and ratified by Bangladesh Parliament but Indian Parliament still sitting over it. It is so because  the Opposition is projecting the exchange of enclaves located on each other's territory as territorial loss for India. However, on the contrary it would ease off the tensions along the border and help the people live peacefully in these enclaves.

                          At present what Indian govt is trying to do is to give lolly pops to hide its failure. India invited Bangladesh to have a stake in yet to begin Tipiamukh hydel project in Manipur. Similarly, Bangladesh will soon receive 500MW of electricity from India. Now these are not the returns that Sheikh Hasina govt would want, given the proactive response it has shown to Indian concerns. Thanks to Dhaka, the Unified Progressive Alliance in Assam has been neutralized, and there was clamp-down on other anti-insurgencies & islamist extremist groups. The landmark treaty to extradite the criminals & terrorists is also laudable on part of Bangladesh govt.

                                               In Bangladesh, the opposition is not leaving any opportunity to accuse the Sheikh Hasina govt as 'Pro- Indian'. Bangladesh PM is ready to fight the accusation by hoping to get something substantial in return. With Bangladesh preparing for elections in 2014, in addition to these accusations, it is also facing the turmoil of the trails. This has left the govt in lot of troubles for the upcoming election. Now it is left to UPA govt to pull its act together and respond in time. Otherwise it will lose an opportunity to help a friend. (Although i know what Bangladesh does by reaching out to China and always keeps India on its toes !!! :P) But on a serious note it is very important for Indian govt to respond in time, otherwise the consequences could to disastrous given that neighbourhood countries like China are ready to offer its shoulder for Bangladesh to cry upon. :D                    
  

"Hysterectomies - excision of uterus" often forced on Disabled Women !!!

This is my third article in two days......writing too much these days aah...Woow....well it helps me to ease off. So today i am writing on a sensitive issue. Most of us really don't bother about disabled people around us, leave alone the problems faced by them. I will talk about a common practice known as Hysterectomies or sterilization performed on mentally challenged  girls, both by their parents and by the state agencies.

                                          It is basically to avoid pregnancy. Mostly disabled girls are victims of abuse- sexual exploitation & violence. Generally it is the mothers who choose to remain silent. Yes it is the parents & the society who instead of raising voices against the abuse choose to prefer the process of hysterectomies, so that girl doesn't get pregnant. However, since decades this is a common practice by many state govt.They give an excuse that it helps to maintain women's hygiene during menstruation. It is better to remove their uterus at a young age as the special needs to these girls don't allow them to manage their periods. This is a lame excuse coz the real purpose behind it is cruel. Ideally it is denial of women's basic right to have child. Although it is also a fact that a poor family will not think of all these aspects. So what to do then???

                  India being a signatory to UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability 2007, which guarantees all disabled women " the right to full bodily integrity, it is time it brings strong legislations on subject of violence towards disabled women & girls. It is only then one can expect the poor people to come out and raise their voice against the abuse. The good news is that the new draft on Disability Bill is strongly advocating these issues such as protection against all kinds of sexual abuse & violence; protection in all settings including schools,homes, care-homes, workplaces; safe & accessible complaint mechanism to report abuses and full support for the survivors of the abuse.

                                                  Now the only fear is that govt doesn't dilute the bill and implement the provisions in the right spirit. However, the positive aspect is that these sensitive issues are being talked  and awareness is increasing. Hopefully one day disabled people esp disabled women (as they are doubly prone to exploitation) become empowered enough that their parents don't get forced to go on this path of Hysterectomy.  

Political Parties under the ambit of RTI Act or do we have any other Alternative ????

So what is this fuss about RTI (Right to Information) Act and Political parties doing the rounds???? Why the hell is Political parties so scared of it that all have joined hands(strange in politics...but the saying goes " jarurat padne pe ghade ko bhi baap banana padta hai " :P). Mind you guys in these times of rampant corruption in the country RTI has indeed become a very important instrument to bring accountability. I would request all of you to file atleast one RTI- you can ask for any info from the govt. (obv within the ambit of the law :P).anyways lets get back to the context.
               
                              Recently Central Information Commission(CIC) has ruled that Political parties come under the ambit of section 2(h) of RTI Act as they are substantially financed by Union govt. Basically it means that Political parties have to share their financial details, who funded how much. It will bring to light the nexus between the industrial houses and the political parties and the corrupt exchanges. Obviously Political parties can't afford to let that happen.At present parties are required to declare donations excess of Rs 20,000. However, non - reporting and under reporting is common and Election Commission(EC) doesn't have the power to verify the declarations. So opening up of accounts of political parties to public scrutiny could be the first step towards accountability.

                                            Now here is the twist. Political parties argue that RTI Act can be used by opposition parities to extract information related to internal deliberations within the party and also the criteria for selection of candidates for election.Although, it is a justified argument and indeed CIC clearly exceeds its jurisdiction but it is no reason for Political parities to not bring Transparency in Political Finance. So what is the solutions??????
                     It is time for India to bring a law at par with other progressive countries. The law should empower Election Commission (similar to Federal Election Commission of USA) to supervise all financial transactions by political parities. It will scrutinize all the reports submitted to it that will provide more clarity on the political funds - its sources & utilization. EC will also disclose the same  to media & public.This way political parties will no longer be required to come under the ambit of RTI but at the same time we can have transparency & accountability in Political System.
                    So instead of finding a solution to the issue, Union Cabinet is seeking to amend the Act to nullify the order without even waiting for legally challenging it. It is not the right way to go about it.When the Model code for election could be evolved by consensus so successfully then WHY not Model Code for Political Finanace?????? Its time Political Parties show some maturity!!!(although i know it is too much to ask for :D)

Friends your inputs and comments are always welcome. :-)

Sri Lanka - 13th Amendment & related controversy

When it comes to our dear (or not so dear may be) neighbour Sri Lanka, these days 13th amendment is what doing rounds. With elections doing around the corner for the Northern Provisional Council (NPC), a Select Committee has been formed to study & suggest to the 13th Amendment. It is believed that India is putting pressure on Sri Lanka to not touch it. However Sri Lankan govt has played "China card" (you see why i said not so dear neighbour :P) to lessen the pressure. New Delhi has always shown who is the Boss, first in march 2012 & now in march 2013 by supporting the US- backed UN resolutions on Human Rights violations.(well it is common in diplomacy first to hit on the face & then going back " bhai kya hua sab theak hai na.....")

           First lets talk about this famous 13th Amendment. It is a direct result of 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord(Yes it is the same accord coz of which some people believe our Ex-Prime Minsiter Rajiv Gandhi got killed). This treaty acknowledges that Sri Lanka is country of multi ethnic & multi lingual society. It seeks greater autonomy & provisions for self governance for the tamil speaking North & East provinces of Sri Lanka.New Delhi is for obvious reasons endorsing 13th Amendment.India is propagating that it is a good starting point to political solution. However, Sri Lankan govt. is arguing that it devolves police & land powers to the provisions and hence need to be diluted.

                                           Now all of a sudden there is this new view point that 13th Amendment is no starting point and this debate of 13th amendment is nonsensical & misleading. People supporting this thought believes that this amendment doesn't provide any betterment to the people of North & East Provinces.It gives no breathing space in the highly Unitary state of framework. Now this is a new direction to this controversy but for the time being when it comes to diplomatic circles, the ques is whether to dilute the 13th amendment or not ???? Whether New Delhi can safe its own interest or the Sri Lankan govt succeeds in diluting it. Given that state of judiciary is no good sign following the impeachment of Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Also Rajapaksa enjoys two-third majority in Parliament. Hence there doesnot seem to be any opposition for the dilution of the amendment post election!!!

  To all my friends.....your opnions nd comments are welcome.....to add more to this issue or related to it.