By Wanshan.B.Khardewsaw
A grand, blessed, prosperous and many more wishes come with every New Year. Unsatisfied and almost devastated with every passing year, ennui in the tedium, however we all still happily and gracefully accept every coming year with high expectations. A very interesting addition however comes with 2012, just like it used to be every four years around. 2012 is a leap year, bringing an extra 24 hours to all of us with it, but how many of us actually realize the importance and significance that these 24 hours can be, be it to our lives or more so the society, and the state as a whole!
Kaleidoscope 2011 is enough for all of us to imagine what 2012 will bring about. Events of the last year speak a lot about our (in)ability and vulnerability. Revolts and revolutions round the globe, movements and expressions around the country all speak of the powers of our judiciary, vigilance of our media, the vocals of our intelligentsia and the strength of our governments and institutions. Sad but true, we in the state simply observe and stare silently and unwittingly at all these events, unready or unwilling to participate, contribute or be touched by all them.
Compared to many other countries or states in India, we definitely have to work hard to make our democracy a way of life for every citizen, high or low, urban or rural, educated or uneducated, where every citizen will feel that he or she is getting justice and also in time. We still don’t have leaders whom everyone can feel proud of, even as we hope and pray that 2013 will bring an emancipator to us. There is still lack of accountability in our system, which saw the increasing dominance and influence of muscle and monetary power, marginalizing the depleting population of honest few and un-wealthier lot.
I had earlier written about the more applicable meaning of the abbreviation VIP to the public as “very ignorant person” and “very irritating person”, which was further added by Kong Patricia as “very insensitive person”, or even “very irresponsible person” as added by another friend. The “Telegraph”, however revealed another very interesting facet of this abbreviation, when VIP was interpreted as “Very Imprisoned Persons”, on its Sunday 1 January, 2012 edition. The year 2011 saw the most wanted parade of our so called VIPs to prison, starting with the former telecom minister, A Raja, former telecom Secretary, S Behura, private secretary to A Raja, R K Chandolia, India’s youngest billionaire Shahid Usman Balwa, sacked Commonwealth Games organizing committee chief and Congress MP, Suresh.Kalmadi, DMK MP and daughter of the party chief, Kanimozhi, film producer, Karim Morani, Samajwadi Party Secretary and MP Amar Singh, and almost a house full of corporate executives. The trend seems to be followed even in this state of ours, even as only a few low ranking government officials were being caught and given the minimum punishment possible.
The year 2011 also saw one of the darkest hours for the world’s dictator and autocrats. The fall of Ben Ali of Tunisia, Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and the death of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Kim Jong-il of North Korea, also the assassination of the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden at his Pakistan hideout. These are some of events that people around the world will find hard to forget, considering the fact that they bring some hope and positive expectations amongst the common masses, even as corruption and terror still rules the people of this silent, ignorant, indifferent and servitude state of ours.
Few things are good and bright no doubt, but it does not mean that everything is fine and well. 2011 has its own share of horror and terror, the most notorious of course being the 9.0 monster earthquake that hit Japan in March 11/11, which rattled Tokyo and literally shook this small island country, unleashing the ferocious tsunami of 30 feet high waves. This most powerful earthquake left Japan, the third largest economy in the world totally devastated, turning everything into ruins, in less than 24 hours. The economic fall-out of this earthquake was estimated at more than $300 billion. Japan being the world’s biggest public debt load, was forced to sell its 1 trillion dollars invested in the US Treasury bonds to pay for reconstructions. This has further pushed the already fragile US economy closer to the brink.
The global economic meltdown and the exploding financial crisis which has threatened the dominion and supremacy of the Dollar and the US economy, shaken the survival and existence of the mighty Greeks and made doubtful the sustenance of the much promised European Union is another catastrophic bequeath that we inherit from 2011. The year was marked by upheavals all over the EU with financial crisis, riots and protests, resulting in a lot of resistance in the EU to the idea of a “United States of Europe”, as there is too much variation between economies in the North and South of Europe, making people believe that it is the beginning of the end for Europe.
The US Stock market has tanked, leaving more than 14 millions Americans being thrown out of work. The National debt of the US is set to reach $17 trillion, with borrowings over reaching 100% of their Gross Domestic Product. Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister has even accused the US of living beyond its means and becoming a parasite to the Global Economy. Because of this huge European and US financial debt, the Global Economy is now threatened by a new crisis. A more severe crash than the one triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers could be on the way, according to alarm signals in the credit market.
The question that we should all ask ourselves is where do we actually stand as people of the state? Do the figures indicated here even trigger anything in our minds? Or more so, if mighty States like the US and the EU have to literally kneel down to the ongoing financial crisis, can we as a state and country be immune to the impacts? Taking the Central Government out of the picture, are our policy makers equipped enough to face these kind of challenges, or are we even aware that whatever happened in the US all these past few years is affecting the Global Economy? The EU, and particularly Greece have been badly hit because of the irresponsible tax evasion and tax avoidance strategy adopted by the Greeks, which might ultimately be a result of weak tax laws and strategies adopted by their government.
Having said all these, the question is how efficient and how accountable are we in this state or even in India compared to the Greek Government and their people. There is no doubt that we in India and particularly in Meghalaya, are only good in making good laws, but are least bothered in implementing them. Even if an efficient and sincere official is dedicated enough to implement any laws we all know that there are too many loopholes in the system through which any one can easily find an exit, if they are caught. Gandhiji has once said that, “My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest”, which is without doubt still a very long way for a state and country like ours to practically achieve, if at all we are bound to, or ever dreamed of.
I wish every reader a “more promising” and a ” more public participative” year ahead, a year that the wise, the honest and the real intelligentsia will not keep quiet, utilizing the extra 24 hours wisely and positively, making 2012 “the year of Solutions and Good Results”.
(The author is a Research Scholar & Faculty, Department of Economics, Sankardev College & Academic Counsellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University)