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[1] PRESS STATEMENT Bangalore, 22nd September 2006 Let not Politics of Language ruin Education of a Generation of Children Catholic Union, Christian Council decry saffronisation In Karnataka, Gujarat Dr John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council of the Government of India, has decried the fresh wave of saffronisation sweeping Karnataka, Gujarat and some other states, and in particular, the effort made in Karnataka to communalise history and politicize education. In a statement issued in Bangalore on behalf of the All India Catholic Union, of which he is National president, and the All India Christian Council as its Secretary General, Dr Dayal focussed on the Education policy in Karnataka, the absolutely unnecessary attack on the freedom fighter Tipu Sultan by a state minister, and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s religious engineering which injures the identity of Jains and Buddhists apart from his threat to Christianity. Love for the mother tongue, or even for the State official language, is not chauvinism unless it is professed in a manner that disregards the fate of millions. Kannada is a rich and lovely language, and an integral part of the Indian cultural heritage. It should, of course, be taught in schools and could be the language of instruction wherever possible. But to evoke an old and controversial law suddenly and derecognize overnight thousands of schools teaching English smacks of fanaticism, and governance verging on the maverick. English is an important global language, and for the Dalits and poor of India, it is the only vehicle that can take them to growth and prosperity by qualifying them for the emerging markets. India, particularly the southern States have Human resource as the main asset, and nothing must e done which impoverishes this asset. The uncalled for attack on Tipu Sultan by Karnataka Higher education minister Shankaramurthy seems to smack of the same chauvinism, and under the tutelage of the Sang Parivar, makes no bones about targetting the minorities. At a time when indigenous kings and princelings, some of whose descendants are BJP chief ministers, were selfishly aligning themselves with the British imperial forces, Tipu had the courage and the skills to challenge the English military might. Even in the United Kingdom, he remains a symbol of Indian nationalism. In Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has carried out his saffronisation to its final limit. His new rules under the anti conversion act originally passed in March 2003 are anti-people, highly discriminatory and divisive. Under the rules, Buddhism and Jainism are regarded as 'denominations of Hinduism', despite fundamental differences in the basic tenets of each of these religions, and protests from the communities that they are being robbed of their identity. Our colleagues in Gujarat have pointed out that the clause permitting Christians and Protestants, and then again, Shias and Sunnis to convert from one to another and vice-versa, is ridiculous. There seems a sinister agenda to create mutual suspicion and therefore division among the denominations of particular religions. Mr Modi and his colleagues could do well to provide rehabilitation to the thousands of people who have been affected by the recent disasters caused by man-made floods and the widespread epidemics that are taking a severe toll all across the State. An, of course, Gujarat still thirsts for justice after the carnage of 2002. Released By Dr John Dayal for Publication in the Media ---------------------- [2] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Fri Sep 22, 2006 Subject: Swedish Poll Outcome: Comments from the Mainstream Sweden turns right Financial Times Published: September 19 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 19 2006 03:00 © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2006 http://www.ft. com/cms/s/ 006f9758- 477c-11db- 83df-0000779e234 0.html Sweden, it has been observed, is a very fine country if you like living off pocket money. That is because the country's government takes more than 50 per cent of gross domestic product in taxation to support one of the world's most generous welfare states. The election of Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's first centre-right prime minister in 12 years, suggests that some Swedes are now ready for a change. The challenge for Mr Reinfeldt and his new coalition is to deliver. Mr Reinfeldt's Alliance for Sweden, with 48.1 per cent of the vote and a seven-seat majority in parliament, campaigned on a platform of moderate free market reform. It plans to cut income tax on the low-paid and payroll tax on employers who hire long-term unemployed youths. Mr Reinfeldt wants to privatise some state-owned companies. One of his coalition partners has even proposed to cut unemployment benefit. These policies are aimed at some of the persistent problems with Sweden's economy. That economy has grown strongly under the outgoing Social Democratic government of Goran Persson. But it does not create enough jobs, leaving too many young Swedes stuck on government make-work programmes, and too many older Swedes stuck on sickness benefit. It imposes an extremely high tax burden, and depends overmuch on highly efficient multinationals - such as Scania, Electrolux and Ericsson - rather than enterprising small business. What should worry Mr Reinfeldt is that the centre-right has been here before. In 1991 Carl Bildt, like Mr Reinfeldt a young leader of the Moderate party in his early forties, became prime minister. Mr Bildt's coalition launched an ambitious programme of liberalising, privatising reform. But it struggled to manage the financial crisis that struck Sweden in the early 1990s and found, at the test, that the Swedish people preferred to raise taxes in a crisis rather than cut spending. Mr Reinfeldt's other problem is that, after 12 years out of office, the Alliance for Sweden is short of experience. The leaders of the coalition parties were not major players in the Bildt government. Like Britain's Labour party in 1997, and Japan's short-lived coalition government in 1993, they risk wasting time as they work out how to exploit the levers of power. European leaders whose grip on government is long-standing will find the election result unsettling. By European standards, Sweden's Social Democratic government was a success: it delivered growth, public service reform and relative peace on immigration. Yet Sweden still wanted a change. Voters, it seems, will let politicians rule for only so long. Sweden may have been tiring ofMr Persson, but Mr Reinfeldt has earned his chance. The Swedes, it seems, want a bit more than pocket money. Mr Reinfeldt and his coalition deserve a fair wind in their efforts to give it to them. The Financial Times Limited 2006 ----------------- [3] Hugo Chavez's New World Vision By Stephen Lendman http://www.countercurrents.org/lendman220906.htm ....let's unite in the South and we will have a future, we will have dignity, our people will have life....Let's unite to liberate ourselves, to exist, to self-construct the South. ---------------- [4] FDI in Bangladesh, People's Uprising In Phulbari And The Right Signal By Anu Muhammad http://www.countercurrents.org/bangla-anu220906.htm The Phulbari project is a project of mass destruction and genocide. The Phulbari people's verdict has sent the right signal to the government and global corporate entities, and made it clear that the people of Bangladesh will no longer tolerate plundering and impoverishment in the name of FDI and the contracts signed without their knowledge will not be accepted anymore ---------------- |
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