Editor,
The recent record-breaking 3.7 million public protest rally in France which witnessed Heads of States from around the world join the people’s march in solidarity against the terrorists attacks on the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists failed to arouse the conscience of our Prime Minister as India did not send any high-ranking Govt. Minister to represent our nation. It was disgraceful to watch the news on CNN/BBC broadcast repeatedly that the Pakistan flag was visible among the many nations’ expressing solidarity in France’s day of grief, but India was not among them. Narendra Modi as PM has been advocating to the world that all nations should ensure serious laws to tackle the menace of terrorism and the world should join hands and unite to win the battle against terror. The failure to send a representative to France will be viewed by the world as India’s selfish concern. So does Narendra Modi still feel it appropriate that the world should respond to India’s plea for global support in the fight against home-grown or cross-border terrorism plaguing our nation? No wonder Pakistan keeps up their terror attacks on India while the world looks the other side, especially when India keeps harping on bilateral talks and chat up sessions with our hot-headed western neighbour.
Yours etc.,
Lewis Sooting,
Via email
Easy come Easy Go: Militant politics
Editor,
Reading the news report “Ex-militants want to run GHADC” (ST Jan 17, 2015) depicts the state of affairs in Garo Hills which have reached the bed-rock of ludicrous, obnoxious political drama. I pity the common people who have no say on this issue and I hate and detest our self -serving political masters who drag the State to turmoil. Even though these militant group(s) have surrendered with great pomp and grandeur managed by our State government to welcome them to a normal life they are yet to shed their ‘militant mentality.’ I bet (with the exception of about 0 .1%) that they can’t shed this mentality and will not be able to do so; easy money and power is still their objective.
In this entire episode of ‘militants’ surrender ceremony’ one that affects me most emotionally is for all the unemployed youths (who are growing day by day) in our State who took the straight and narrow paths to gain employment, but yet are in peril and distress. Is this the right approach to social and distributive justice? Will the Government arrange a ceremony with pomp and grandeur with incentives (political or economic) for all those right-minded unemployed youths seeking employment through the MPSC or other venues? If they can, this letter of mine is defeated and I will shut my scorched winter mouth on this issue.
Secondly, after rampaging in the forest, terrorising and disturbing communities and civil society, is it still viable to bring more ex-militant(s) to run our State Government Machinery be it at any level? Militants are not babies; they don’t need to be spoon fed by the Government. If they can survive in the jungle, they can still do well in the urban jungles like everyone else. The viable options for ex-militant group(s) or individuals who are really born again with a ‘humane conscience and civic sense’ are to start life afresh doing social or community service to regain the respect from the community at large. Start from scratch like everybody else, of course, with some reasonable incentives from the Government and have some sensibility for others who suffer for taking the right path and bearing the brunt of many failures and insults in their daily lives. Real leaders, movers and shakers always work, walk and talk with people.
Yours etc.,
U.D.Tmar
Shillong-6