S(t)inking Nations

A few drops of powerful venom are more than enough to turn a vast reservoir of drinking water that sustains life to become a life threatening hazard. And if the poison is long lasting it can be fatal for generations of people living nearby. The case of venomous people and nations is no different. People whose basic instincts are criminal in nature can bring about devastation to their friends, foes and even to the unknown. The effect is same even if it is good individuals brought up in a closed system of constricted knowledge about the non-existent God or under the wrong notion that money can justify anything and everything. People make up nations and the after effect of nations born out of hatred and narrow mentalities are also undesirable. The immediate effect is more on others who preach peace for everyone. Evil nations degenerate and disintegrate in the long run, but their short term contributions to humanity can be devastating.

In the vast array of 200 odd nations that make up today’s world, there are a couple of them that stand out in their threat for others. The contributions of these toxic nations to the development of humanity are minimal but the damages they do continue to be enormous. Pakistan and Switzerland are two such nations that continue to emit and promote negativity even in this 21st century. We claim progress in civilization and culture, but the continued presence of nations like Pakistan and Switzerland in our midst makes our claim doubtful. How can we tolerate nations whose official policy is not the welfare of its own people but making life miserable for its neighbors? How can we claim to be more developed than in previous centuries when millions are still in poverty and millions of dollars looted from them are locked up in a safe haven in our midst? These two nations are an open challenge to the civility and sensibility of modern Man.

Pakistan

The nation was born out of a misunderstanding between two religious communities. And having bid goodbye to each other, the approach should have been one of mutual respect or at least an indifferent neighborhood of each taking care of their own problems. But Pakistan has continued to maintain hatred for Indian nation for the sixty odd years of its existence and the situation is turning worse every day. There were many who thought that the mutual hatred which peaked in mid 1950s would vanish when new generations come on the scene. But Pakistan’s hatred for India has only compounded in the past two decades. As stated by the renowned Indian journalist M.J. Akbar, many Pakistanis may be good but the DNA of Pakistani nation can only breed contempt and hatred for India. The ruling elite in a poor country like Pakistan is spending billions to keep its citizens backward and unliberated.

The recent killing of Osama Binladen in Pakistani soil shows the extent of threat that this nation pose to the entire humanity. Another cunning nation China has armed Pakistan to unbelievable levels, based on their own grandiose design, and the real threat to a peaceful world by a nuclear armed Pakistan can be ignored only at our own peril. Almost all the hardcore terrorists in the entire world are living in a single territory. Like the heavy duty wild animals, even casual skirmishes among them can kill thousands of innocent people living in this unfortunate land. Theory and practical classes for terrorism aimed at killing innocent Indian citizens are going on unabated with the active participation of visiting ‘professors’ like Binladens, Dawoods and Zawahiris from various parts of the world. What is the final achievement of all this destruction is the question that remains unanswered for ever.

Switzerland

The contribution of Switzerland to humanity is also negative, but for a different set of reasons. In criminal jurisprudence those who abet criminals are equally culpable. By inviting, attracting and facilitating safe custody of ill-gotten wealth from all parts of the world and making money for themselves by the unique method of negative interest, the notorious Swiss banks are aiding and abetting crimes all over the world. One of the main pre-requisites for any crime or criminal is to have a way out, and Swiss banks are providing exactly that to those who are stealing money. The so-called safe havens for investing black money are indeed the real hells on earth. Black money in any form smells of illegitimacy and those who volunteer to keep it secure are committing one of the worst forms of criminal banking.

Bulk of the black money hoarded in Swiss banks belong to politicians from poor developing countries and that makes their crime even more abhorrent. In a democracy, politicians represent their followers and the black money they gather is on account of the breach of faith they commit. In poor countries like India, this represents the blood and sweat of toiling millions who struggle everyday without rest. By cheating them and siphoning their money to Swiss banks is like stealing from the begging bowl of a blind beggar. No law under the sun can justify such acts of these politicians and the Swiss banks which provide cover for their theft. In fact, the name of a beautiful country like Switzerland is getting unnecessarily tarnished by a few of their banks for short term benefits. Swiss citizens must realize such degenerative tendencies and rise upto their duties as citizens of this universe where a majority are still poor and downtrodden.

In the midst of all these unjust and unfair activities, the silence of a world body like United Nations is simply deplorable. How can a world body like the UN keep quiet when they know for sure the safe havens for terrorism and black money? Each day of their silence on these two vital matters will cost us years of loss in the future. Both the maladies are affecting ordinary innocent citizens and their faceless existence is providing the strength for arrogant anti-social elements to act. If the world body cannot provide face and strength for the overwhelming many against the atrocities committed by a few terrorists and black money hoarders, what is the very purpose such an organization? If the formidable few spread over the world can unite against these twin evils over the Facebook, we can bring about many Jasmine revolutions to reform Pakistans and Switzerlands.

Opportunities in Spectrum & Black Money

The on-going tussle in spectrum and black money may be turning murkier everyday, but the two ‘resources’ present a golden opportunity in India today. The history of black money is almost as old as mankind and in India too it dates back to ages. But spectrum is relatively new and the recently unearthed spectrum allocation scam has inducted more black money into the Indian economy than any other single exercise in the past. The yet to be constituted JPC may or may not succeed in unlocking the secrets of spectrum allocation and its related scam, but there are immense opportunities for some good offshoots latent in the present confusion. If only our politicians and law makers are imaginative enough, some novel ideas and institutions can be setup for the betterment of Indian nation and society. Let me present just two of them.

Spectrum for Religions

India is a secular nation and as envisaged by its founding fathers, all religions shall be accorded equal respect. Yet we find appeasement of the so-called minority religions and its rights crossing the limits many times. One of the most irritating practices indulged by all factions is the amount of noise pollution generated in the name of religion. Another one is the number of TV channels that have come up in recent times for propagation of religions. Under the guise of so-called comparative studies a major part of time by each religious channel is spent on finding out the demerits and weaknesses of other religions, rather than criticizing and denouncing the evil practices within one’s own religion. All this can be changed by a few reforms.

In the revised allocation of spectrum that is imminent, I would suggest a few MHz to be reserved for the various religions. With a mobile penetration of about 80% in India, all the call for prayers and religious announcements can be easily made over the mobile phones rather than creating noise pollution for the entire society. Each one can setup his or her mobile phone to receive the religious calls depending upon his or her religious preference. And the various mobile operators may also offer it free or at negligible charges. Similarly, the religious TV channels can also be allotted spectrum to operate within a certain range, perhaps at a much lower cost, with the strict conditions to deal with only their own religion. Comparative study of religions is purely an academic exercise and must be limited to the four walls of academic institutions.

National Conscience Fund

Black money of Indians in various foreign banks is estimated to be more than 25 lakh crores of rupees. Most of these accounts have been created by the swindlers themselves, but there are many which are inherited. Even worse is the case of inheritance with out even the beneficiaries being aware of it. Staunch denial by many celebrities is based on this simple fact or by using this as a convenient excuse. The entire civilized world is turning against the Swiss style banking systems and days are not far off when all nations will be willing to share the details of foreign accounts. Indian government will get the longest and most shocking list of illegal account holders in foreign countries. Investigations into the source of such funds must definitely follow, but a simple step before that can prove highly productive.

Indian government must immediately set up an Indian National Conscience Fund (INCF) for various reasons. All swindlers must be given a few months time to transfer their ill-gotten money into INCF if they so desire. And once the swindlers’ list is available from the various foreign countries, all the inherited wealth must also be transferred to INCF under intimation to those who inherited it knowingly or unknowingly. A simple legislation may be necessary to setup INCF and operate it without any unwanted judicial interference. Such a permanent INCF can also go a long way in channelizing a good portion of our black money into nation building activities. But our legislature and legislation must make it double sure that Rajas and Kalmadis do not hijack such an INCF also.

Indian nation would have literally become the world leader and a model democracy for all nations by now if we had erudite and imaginative legislators. The bane of Indian democracy is the growing number of career politicians with no knowledge other than petty politics and conducive family backgrounds. A few revolutionary legislations and innovative administrative steps can bring about unimaginable changes and strengthen our secular democracy beyond all our imagination.