SECULAR ORGY

In the next 24 hours the fate of the recently concluded (13th May) National elections captured in the Electronic Voting Machines will be announced by the Election Commission for the formation of the next Government of India, which involved organizing facilities for 714 million registered voters of which 405 million exercised their duty - rightly or wrongly influenced by political parties and politicians.
The tragedy of this massive and unique DEMOCRATIC show is that Indians have once again failed to make game changing contribution to cleanse the rubbish, which is obvious from the shameless back room maneuvers and open immoral tactics being resorted to by candidates and their parties.
The most abused word in the dictionary behind which every politician is taking refuge is ‘SECULAR’. (In India it means bagging the Muslim Vote Bank and playing the religion card.)
There are no national issues which bother any of this peculiar breed of existing and aspiring leaders who want to control the fate of a Billion plus Indians.
‘SEX-(C)-ULAR ORGY’ more aptly describes the politician’s party-hopping and jumping onto any bedfellow as seducer and/or seducee!!
The players in this big farcical drama are making statements to justify their tricks based on negative logic of “I/We are against/for Secular forces” to oppose/support the two National Parties in the hope of sharing the spoils of power for the next 5 years.
Repulsive behavior and absolute lack of respect for moral values in this time’s orgy is worse than in the past. Participants are involved in playing ‘Musical Chairs’ with the next friend/foe with benefits and making/breaking alliances at the drop of their hats (Pants will be more appropriate!!).
If any one is red-faced in all this, it is the common citizen who is stuck with the prospect of debauched politicians making vows as unorthodox alliances are negotiated to rape our country in the name of Secular Democracy.
THAT THE SYSTEM HAS FINALLY FAILED IS MORE THAN OBVIOUS BECAUSE EVEN PARTIES WITH SINGLE DIGIT MEMBERS (OF PARLIAMENT) WILL BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THE MAJORITY TO STRIKE UNHOLY BARGAINS DETRIMENTAL TO THE POLITICAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING OF INDIA?

STARTERS @ INDIAN POLITICAL EATERY

Some headlines in today’s papers reflect the lowest of low levels that our politicians are capable of achieving.
The saddest dilemma is that the common citizens are forced to endure such debauched individuals as leaders of political outfits who hold positions of power charting the future of India. God save the country!!
Highlights of the items that will rile you:
1) Mulayam Singh Yadav – founder and Head of SP (a.k.a. Samajwadi Party) based out of UP (sadly some high profile celebrities are part of this party) has the audacity to state that he and his party MPs will support the formation of any Government in New Delhi that promises to dismiss the Constitutionally elected State Government headed by his political opponent. In any other decent society governed by law, such a demand will be treated as treason and punished severely.
The story does not end here. Our ‘Mr. Leader’ went to exercise his right to vote and displayed abusive behavior at the polling station by demanding removal of security personnel guarding the venue so that he could enter the designated booth along with his Z-Class (Tax payer paid) commandos deputed for protecting this National treasure, and in the process insulting an IAS Officer on Election Duty.
2) The Octogenarian Chief Minister of Tamilnadu who is bedridden, senile and presumably incapable of seeing because his eyes are always hidden behind dark glasses decides to tickle Tamil sentiment to garner votes in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections by stating that he will ensure that a Tamil Nation is carved out of Sri Lankan territory for the Terrorists known as LTTE (whose Leader was earlier called a personal friend by the same old bufoon for similar ulterior motives during election season) whom the Sri Lankan Government as nearly managed to eliminate in a highly successful mission after suffering two decades of killings and destruction. Meddling in the internal affairs of another sovereign country is universally condemned, but our Mr. Chief Minister (Head of a Regional Party) has no qualms about ignoring such decorum, as long as it can get votes used as bargaining chips for participating in government.
3) Lalu Prasad Yadav – another Head of a Regional Political Party and the one time infamous Chief Minister of Bihar for installing his home maker spouse as Bihar’s Chief Minister when sent to jail for a massive scam, man handles news men at the polling booth where he went to cast his vote without any provocation – because he fears that adequate numbers will not become available to strike bargains for positions of power in the forthcoming government after having ditched the coalition in a pre-poll turn coat calculation that trusted him as Cabinet Minister for five years. He was merely displaying a "foul mood swing" in public!!
4) Prakash Karat – Head of CPM (last bastion of universally failed dogmatic Leftist ideology) a party famous for perfecting an unique model of enjoying all the powers of Governance without any responsibly and duties, loudly declares of not supporting any Congress/BJP Government formation in a pre-poll moral high ground stance, makes soft noises through his deputy about a change of heart for a possible Congress led government, triggered by 75% voter turnout in the First Phase of elections in West Bengal which is likely to topple the Party's apple cart.
5) Raj Thackeray – Leader of a rag tag new born Regional Party formed out of spite for an uncle and cousin, infamous for rowdies and goons beating up/killing North Indian citizens of the country, calls the Prime Minister names (in not printable abusive disrespectful words) in public forums to obtain votes from more goons in the hope of becoming part of any coalition that forms a government after the polls. He proclaims himself to be a 'king maker' hence such uncivilized behavior which we have to accept as silent spectators.
The above are the Starters on the Menu of Political Immorality. Wait for the Post Poll Main Course items with murkier recipes to be served on the 16th of May 2009.
All the Regional Parties are essentially ONE MAN road shows that manage to dictate terms with a few MPs in their kitty to cobble up a grouping that governs the billion plus Indian population. No wonder we are seeing such stray dogs mentality in our politics.

BANGLORED

Once more - Politics triumphs over commerce, economics and business sense, and we can safely draw some comfort from the fact that it is not restricted to our brand of Politicians but shamelessly played by others around the world including the US.
The U. S. President Barack ( CHANGE? ) Obama’s recent ranting at a White House event to announce tax reforms by lashing out at U.S. multinationals who indulged in ‘tax avoidance’ by setting up business activities around the world, which is a perfectly legitimate tax planning route exercised by intelligent managements, as opposed to ‘tax evasion’ appears to be misguided and untimely.
To indulge in misplaced rhetoric and bash Bangalore as a metaphor to describe all things from job loss to globalization, merely to score political points for a protectionist agenda is a leadership failure based on half truths not expected from USA.
The warped logic of the Obama argument wherein he states that “American Corporations under the current tax regime pay lower taxes by creating jobs in Bangalore than in Buffalo, New York” has nothing to do with the outsourcing phenomenon which the ‘Politician’ in the President has wrongly targeted at his and US of A’s peril.
That the tax code has got nothing to do with outsourcing and off shoring should be more than obvious to any rational mind with common sense. Private enterprise and business without boundaries is all about globalization and adding wealth for humanity based upon best use of economic resources.
Whether Obama and his limited mission for USA and other world leaders like it or not, India is an attractive wealth creation destination by virtue of its English speaking educated human resources and other economic inputs which attracts commerce to generate profits and wealth. Knowledge available at attractive costs cannot be ignored, hence corporate America and business houses will have to remain engaged with Indians and accept to be Banglored rather than remain Buffaloed (pun intended). Incidentally, if Mr. President succeeds in this stupid policy, it is good news for Indian multinationals for obvious reasons, and may be, India will run past the current global economic slowdown flag post faster than expected. Thanks Mr. Obama!!
Politics and economics don’t mix and it is hoped that Americans do not attempt to achieve it. Bush disturbed the world by unjustified wars on terror in search of fictitious WMD now Obama seems to get involved in another type of fight chasing imaginary shadows based on conjectures and confused thinking.

BANGALORE DISSAPOINTS

The post poll statistics released by the Election Commission cuts a sorry picture of the Indian citizen forming the electorate from Bangalore.
The overall turnout is less than 50% - meaning that people have voted for status-quo (of minority ruling the majority) instead of the much needed change. Lethargy and apathy appears to be much more deep rooted than the initiators of various aggressive and innovative ‘awareness campaigns’ had assumed. Failure to inspire voters to turnout in larger numbers is obviously a serious malaise. Turnout is lower than the previous election in spite of serious attempts to spread the message to “GO VOTE”.
In depth analysis is required to be undertaken to draw meaningful conclusions for the persistent failure of the ordinary citizen to get involved in the only process which is within his/her private control to make a difference.
This state of affairs is a distressing indicator of the ‘REAL’ failure of the much touted “largest democracy” that we pride ourselves to be. May be it is time to consider alternative forms of electoral process starting with rejecting the “First past the post” principle with “50% + 1” concept.
Part of the blame for the poor performance can be attributed to the Election Commission and the legal frame work under which it operates. Relying on archaic systems and Stone Age tools in the midst of IT/ITES environment possibly highlights the fact that our political leaders want to perpetuate existing failures as their strongest weapon against change to protect their turf with the help of the proverbial bureaucrat.
It is only to be hoped that the tentacles of corruption has not infiltrated the Election Commission whereby ‘names disappear’ from the electoral list instigated by party cadres and goons.
Who will bell the cat? You & Me or the EXISTING SYSTEM CONTINUES WHILE WE REMAIN IN SLUMBER AND LEAVE THE FIELD WIDE OPEN FOR THE CORRUPT MINORITY TO CONTROL OUR LIVES?

INVERTED DEMOCRACY

The RIGHT TO VOTE (I proudly enjoyed today) enshrined in the INDIAN CONSTITUTION has unfortunately been reduced to a farcical exercise riding on tall claims made by the political leadership and the ‘Babus’ of a flawed system.
The glaring failures exposed in the role of the Election Commission are disappointing. Optimum voter turnout cannot be achieved to change things through the ballot box unless the EC becomes more efficient along with strictly upholding its mandate to conduct free and fair elections. An institution which is not in order cannot conduct an orderly activity.
The myth of a “SECURE” Electronic Voting Machine gets exposed by total inept handling of the strangely completely manual procedure which precedes the Voter’s access to the machine. Untrained, uninspiring and ‘forced to work’ human resources pressed into “Election Duty” are a weak link in the system.
The vicinity of the polling stations are a cesspool of dubious party workers openly doling out inducements in the form of ‘tokens’ for breakfast/lunch and other cash/non-cash incentives to vote for their candidates. Police and other security agencies turn a blind eye to this day light corruption in the open under their relaxed nose.
The fact that the voting procedure is full of blatant corrupt practices is indicative of the end result that it generates. The ‘campaigning to voting cycle’ of the system is heavily tilted towards electing dishonest immoral candidates who then spread their dirty nets across the landscape to recover ‘investments’ within the shortest possible time to prepare for the next election, which may happen earlier than prescribed five years depending upon the level to which ‘neta’ stoops on the ‘corruption scale’. This perpetuates the corruption loop - spreading like galloping cancer in our society.
The demand for reforms in systems and need to clean the existing rubbish is of paramount importance if India is to progress and achieve its full potential as the largest democracy and economically strong country capable of fulfilling the aspirations of its citizens.
The revelations in the polling phase is a clear pointer to the murkier post poll scenario (on 16th May) when results throw up shameless winners who will then participate in the race to be part of the government indulging in choosing strange bed fellows and stranger policies performing the ultimate "Corruption Dance" in the name of ‘inverted’ democracy where “MINORITY” rules the silent helpless “MAJORITY”.

RACE BEGINS

The first phase of Elections '09 for the Fifteenth Lok Sabha begins today. The statistics of this massive exercise is mind boggling and a logistical nightmare.
124 of the 543 seats spread across 17 States and Union Territories will be up for grabs today. Incidentally, phase one of two simultaneous Assembly Elections involving 154 of the 297 seats of Andhra Pardesh and 70 of the 147 seats of Orissa assemblies will also be conducted.
It is interesting to know that Indian Elections are the largest democratic activity conducted any where in the world to form a government.
Hats off to the Election Commission to be able to undertake this massive task with a fairly independent and strict monitoring using the electronics voting machine which in itself is another world record!!
The back end of our democracy is convincing and worth being proud of. We now need to put the front end of this process in order to remove the corruption that is all pervading amongst majority of the politicians who slip through to form the government.
Hopefully this election appears to have made a tentative beginning towards a clean up operation considering awareness campaigns and new levels of involvement from citizens who were considered to be full of apathy towards the election process.

PROTECTING ABUNDANCE

Back from a short holiday with nature in its breath taking awesome splendor.
Makes me wonder why we humans remain stuck in petty matters involved with low end of existence in the midst of such abundance!!
A three and half hours drive to our destination (Thekkady is only accessible by road) from the rail head after an over night journey from Bangalore gave an instant sense of liberation as we alighted at the resort in the midst of blue skies full of oxygen rich greenery and pleasant sound of birds.
Kerala is famous for back waters but Thekkady is a different jewel tucked away on the high ranges of the Western Ghats offering unique taste of beautiful landscape amidst fascinating natural wildlife with the man made Periyar Lake created by the British in 1895 from the Mullapperiyar River depicting a harmonious blend with nature.
Can we resolve to ensure that EARTH remains protected from the catastrophic abuse we hurl at it disrespecting the unconditional abundance we receive?