More on the Election Commission

So we have an unfair Election Commission. Whoop dee doo! So many countries don't have an impartial Election Commission, not even our beloved United States of America. In the US, state governments regulate election laws, leading to confusing contradictions, and complicated ways to rig the election. Our ways of rigging elections pale in comparison (in finesse, not in effectiveness) to theirs - booth capturing, intimidation and killing opponents. Our democracy is an extremely fragile coalition of fundamentalists, Macchiavellians and common thugs, all of whom are ready to do anything for power. The Election Commission's job description is to keep these forces from hijacking our country. By selling out to a particular party, it sheds what little credibility it posessed. And that is exactly what the promotion of Navin Chawla would do.

NAVIN CHAWLA IS A DISGRACE TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION.

His past contacts with the Congress Party, especially his role in the 1975 Emergency should automatically disqualify him from the Election Commission. But it doesn't.

His embezzlement of MPLADS funds for his Chaman Lal Education Trust should lead to his removal from the IAS for corruption, as well as legal proceedings against him. But they don't.

When somebody speaks out against the man and the government's obvious shielding of the man, he is censured by the government and the corporate media for overreach.

In a democracy, no one should be above the law. Navin Chawla apparently is.

Here's a page that shares my views. Note that it spoke out two years ago.

http://www.newstodaynet.com/2006sud/06feb/0902ss1.htm

Again, I do NOT support the BJP. I will NOT vote for them in the General Elections. I believe it is a cancer to this country. However, I do not and can not support the appointment of an obvious partisan like Navin Chawla.

Damn, that felt good.

On the Election Commission

OK. A serious post, this. The airwaves and the press have been full of the news of CEC N Gopalaswamy's suo motu action against EC Navin Chawla. Most of this has been criticism by esteemed lawyers and jurists against this action, which they termed "overreach". The entire controversy pissed me off, especially as I am an election afficionado (some prefer the term fanatic), so I did what any conscientious Bong would do - I wrote a letter to the Hindu. Since they probably won't publish it, I decided to put it up on the blog as well. Here it is...

Like any other regular reader, I noticed your relentless efforts to give as much publicity as you could to the latest controversy in the Election Commission. Maybe it was an attempt to push an exclusive story, or righteous indignation at political involvement in the Election Commission, or (and I sincerely hope this is not the case) some undue pressure to give a struggling government a leg to stand on in an Election Year, the didactic headlines and endless articles about Gopalaswami's constitutional overreach gave a whiff of partiality. However, the articles were extremely well-written, and gave me an insight I always wanted into the Election Commission.
We claim to be the world's greatest democracy. The Election Commission is an integral part of that claim. After all, recently they have provided free and fair elections, be it in Bihar, West Bengal or Jammu and Kashmir. That does not, however, mean that the constitution of the Election Commission is perfect, and the current fracas underscores that reality. How can the Election Commission be truly impartial when it is appointed by the President, i.e. the government of the day? Yes, provisions exist that protect the EC from governmental action against them, but does the government not have full authority to appoint party loyalists to the post? Case in point: Navin Chawla. A man who the Justice Shah Commission denounced as "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others," he was a loyalist to the Gandhis, and one of the chief perpetrators of the constitutional excesses of the 1975 Emergency. Of course, the return of Indira Gandhi to the PM post was enough to bury the findings of the Shah Commission, and he went from strength to strength.
The petition against Navin Chawla cannot be acted upon unless it is sent to the EC via the President, i.e. the government. Without the consent of the government Chawla is supposed to be partial to, action can't be taken! Am I the only one who sees something wrong here? Yes, Gopalaswami's suo motu action dragged the EC into a controversy, but at least it was better than the alternative: do nothing and have a government loyalist in charge of the commission that regulates the elections. After all, the Chief Election Commissioner can't be removed from office before the natural end of his term. Now, I abhor the policies of the BJP, but I do love my country enough to speak out against injustice. And the Congress' Machiavellian attempt to hold on to power in the form of Navin Chawla is an injustice to the people of this nation.
Yours sincerely
Ajachi Chakrabarti

Room No. 150, AH6
BITS Pilani Goa Campus
Opp NH 17-B
Zuarinagar
Goa - 403726

More later...

Real Indigestion

So, just eight days left for my board exams, and I am getting the willies, whatever they are. It's really amazing how every year I manage to end up eight days before the exams, and find that I know absolutely nothing. It is a feeling to remember. Really amazing...

Fidel Castro resigned as president this week. Here is a man who is the perfect pain in the backside, which he proved to be for nine US Presidents. It is an indictment of the silencing of the voice of the poor in a country how an entire country could be subjected to the mass hysteria of the fear of Communism. I was born after the Cold War ended, so I cannot claim to be an expert, but I find it laughable that a country can fear an idea, which would basically equalise the economic status of all citizens. The only bad thing about Communist states, which I have found in history, is the creation of a totalitarian state. Is it impossible to create a state where everyone is created equal, and civil liberties are conserved? I guess not. But that's not because the idea is impossible. It's because the nature of man rejects it.

The other big story of the week is the declaration of independence in Kosovo. This wasn't as unexpected as Castro, but as big, if not bigger. It is a fascinating study in geopolitics, and how the leaders of the free world can pragmatically sign the death sentences of potentially hundreds of people in order to further their goal of world domination. For the moment, the US recognises the independence of Kosovo, the Serbian minority in the north, which basically gets cut off from their homeland, will fear retaliation for the heinous ethnic cleansing of Slobodan Milosevic. This will prompt them to go on the offensive. Also, elements within the Albanian majority will attack the minority in what the US will not term genocide. The move will also give impetus to other separatist movements in the Balkans - especially Serb movements in Bosnia, an impetus to fight for their own countries, an atmosphere which could lead to another 1992.

However the most fascinating story of the week is yet to unfold. Pakistan - well, a little less than half of Pakistan - finally came together to give the boot to all the king's men in possibly the feel-good story of a week full of turbulence. Yet their penchant for playing politics is coming to the fore with the PPP keeping its options open, which might just - and I have a sneaky feeling, that it will - save the dictator. This was probably the worst result that could have come out of the elections. A sympathy wave majority for the PPP would have meant a triumphant return to power and a definite boot for Pervez. A PML(Q) victory would have united the country under the banner of rigging accusations. But with the PPP not winning a majority, it opens a myriad of possibilities, which could involve a PPP government which does not impeach Musharraf. Or the ever growing threat of another Emergency. Mr Zardari isn't exactly the most trustworthy person around, and Nawaz Sharif will have to look behind his back for some shenanigans, which sink Pakistan even further.

And now for some domestic news. Raj Thackeray's antics set a dangerous precedent for out-of-luck politicians resorting to playing the xenophobic card to resurrect their political careers. It is the fundamental right of every citizen of India to travel and settle wherever he or she wants, and nobody has the right to target him for not having lived there for six generations. The most disturbing fact of this incident was the fact that nobody fro Mumbai's famed intelligentsia, or anyone from the political spectrum bothered to say this or speak out against this heinous crime. By keeping their silence they have sent the message that the act is condoned by them. In fact another twopenny politico in Bengal went and bashed the Meros in Bengal.

The IPL - the BCCI's attempt to make city loyalties appear from thin air was one thing that actually excited me this week. However, you cannot expect these franchisees to dish out huge moolah for a month every year. The BCCI should seriously consider replacing the worthless Ranji system with a yearlong professional league, which includes Twenty20, one-day and four-day matches. Of course their has to be the provision of a No-Objection Certificate for international players to play in the league. I believe that when you put the franchiser's money at stake, they will be forced to go and look for the exciting talents our team really needs.

Wow, a really long post, this. What a great way to release three weeks of pent-up tension!

On Dropouts and Cannibals

So it seems that both Giuliani and Edwards are dropping out of the US presidential race. A little tough to digest, as Giuliani looked like he had Super Tuesday wrapped up. His ouster puts another stamp on the 'Bandwagon Effect' and the importance of momentum in politics. Edwards on the other hand, lodst the 'Other America", and will now continue looking for some America that will actually vote for him. I believe he lost the election in Nevada, when, as he put it, he got his butt kicked.
A bit of trivia - did you know that Rudy Giuliani was the Attorney who brought down the Godfathers of the five families of New York?
For all those non-existent readers who were concerned about my fate after the Parent-Teacher Meeting - all zero of you - I survived sans the much-hyped beating. Can't say it wasn't a close thing, but survived nonetheless.
Bones had an episode on cannibalism last night. It got me thinking: judging by our size, human flesh must be pretty tender and juicy (emphasis on must be, no personal experience yet). The cannibal was about to make a case for cannibalism, when he was struck down and arrested. If it was India, there might have been a diktat issued against the arrest fearing repercussions in the cannibal vote bank.
In all seriousness (not that the last para was particularly funny), our politicos seriously need to undergo a crash course in psephology, and realise that you need the majority of people to vote for you to win any election. Maybe then they'll rethink some of their divisive vote-bank politics and work for sustainable development of the entire country.
Well, gotta go.
Ciao!