Tag Archives: covid-19

The Sinister Art of Covert Warfare

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John Adams, the second US President, had prophetically said, “The two ways to conquer and enslave a country is by the sword, the other way through debt.”

The USA, the undisputed super-power after WW2, suffered humiliating military defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan after many years of occupation. But for decades their geo-political strategy, as supposed leaders of the Free World, was to install puppet rulers to do their bidding. They rolled out 800+ military bases across the globe in a show of sheer power. US controlled institutions like the IMF and the World Bank doled out loans to the developing and poor countries. As they got sucked into the quicksand of debt, the Americans took over their natural resources and cheap labour. Arms sales further pushed these nations into US subservience. Colonization- without the burden of actual occupation.  Please read ‘The Confessions of an Economic Hitman’ by John Perkins to get the real picture.

Xi Jinping, the Chinese strongman, has delusions of being the Emperor of China. In 2013, ‘The One Belt One Road’ (now Belt & Road) initiative was launched with grand fanfare. To supposedly promote trade, commerce and development in partnership with over 100 countries across the world. What happened? The $ 300 million power plant in Tajikistan has made the country a China vassal state. Default has led to take-over of the gold and silver mines. A debt-ridden Angola is now supplying cheap oil to its benefactor. The Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is’ a white elephant’, adding no value to the local economy. The corrupt ‘Gotta Go’ Rajapaksa family perfectly fits into the profile of leaders the Chinese government wants to deal with. The Chinese research vessel which docked at the port for a few days is a naval warship used to track down satellites and missiles. China has already established a naval facility at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. It’s said that the Sri Lankans are reeling under a $12 billion debt from China.  In fact much more. The Chinese banks, monitored by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) have also loaned big.

Pakistan has become a willing pawn to the Dragon’s scheme of things. Govt to Govt debt of $ 26 billion has made it a basket case. The majestic African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia has been built by Chinese loan money, Chinese contractors and workers and even their food sent over from mainland China. As the African countries cope with the debt, the Chinese have already cashed in. Also Huawei cameras have been installed to spy on their African brethren leaders.

The factory to the world plans to rule the world.  Markets + Natural Resources + humongous geo-political influence. Many of these countries are being coerced to vote for & support China on critical issues like Taiwan and human atrocities in the Xin Jiang province.

Vladimir Putin was a middle level KGB operative in East Berlin when the Berlin wall fell in 1989. Followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. This trauma has dictated his world view and it helps that millions of Russians think the same. The Ukraine invasion was triggered by the NATO overreach. But control and supply of oil and gas to Europe is what the news headlines are now all about. Europe and especially Germany are in for a harsh and long winter. Putin has turned off the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The Continent is now reeling with the heat-wave and high inflation and is bracing for the inevitable recession. If you add the fact that Russia and Ukraine are amongst the world’s major wheat exporters, the consequences are even more alarming.

Trump has always been Putin’s puppet. The Tsar probably has the dirt on him-peeing on the bed occupied by President Obama during his Moscow visit or doing something more in keeping with the Donald’s playboy image. Russian oligarchs also got together to secretly bail out the distressed Trump Org through a major European Bank. Likewise, the Saudis sent $2billion to Jared Kushner’s (Trump son-in-law) dwindling account to control the fall-out of the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi reportedly at the behest of MBS.

The army of hackers in St Petersburg have attained cult status. They delivered Brexit to Putin with the Ayes at 51.9%. Social media was flooded with images of hordes of immigrants from the Middle East & Asia. In 2016, the same ploy had helped to get Trump into the White House. Only, then the hordes were from Mexico and South America. Indian economic institutions, corporates and infrastructure utilities are major targets of hacking, mainly from China and North Korea. A hack attempt on JNPT port was thwarted a few months ago. Imagine if the ATC (Air Traffic Control) of a major airport like Dubai or Heathrow is hacked- with flights grounded for days the financial losses will be huge. A few years’ back 60 trusts of UK’s NHS (National Health Service) bore the brunt of a cyber- attack with ransomware demands. 20% of the UK Health Service was crippled. It has still not been established whether the Russian State or a criminal group from the US were behind the attacks.

In this age of frenzied social media, misinformation by hostile powers is the name of the game.  Take for example the controlled propaganda narrative about the prolonged Farmers’ Agitation in India. Public protests and rallies are an integral part of any democracy. Yes, the genuine grievances of the farmer community deserves to be heard and addressed with sensitivity and respect.  But it soon became obvious that a very grim picture was being created, hyped and funded by controllers in Canada, USA and UK. As if the entire country had come to a stand-still. The underlying objective was to create chaos and malign and embarrass the Government of the day. Even PM Trudeau jumped on to the bandwagon to satisfy a segment of his vote-base as did some western celebrities for the lure of Mammon. But Karma hit back. The transporters strike in Canada against some Covid-19 regulations saw Trudeau hiding from the public eye for days and then emerging to declare a national emergency. Hence, spreading toxicity, stoking social unrest and fanning law and order problems is the subversive agenda of such ‘warriors.’

The proxy war through radicalised terrorists has been going on for more than 30 years. Major outfits like the Ku Klux Klan (now morphed into Proud Boys), Red Army, Black September, ISIS, Boko Haram have done their work and spread their message . Young men, brainwashed on-line, are now weaponizing motor vehicles to kill and maim and to spread terror as they did in London and Spain in 2017. Interestingly, after 9/11 an unknown assailant sent weaponised anthrax through US mail in an unsuccessful attempt to kill members of the US Congress. Disruption, fear, instability and more free lancers recruitment ensues.

Insidious infiltration of the political parties, journalists and academia has been the game-plan of the CIA & KGB from the 1950’s onwards. ‘The Mitrokhin Papers’ (KGB archivist who fled to the UK) reveals how top Indian leaders and bureaucrats were compromised by the KGB in the 60’s. The Comrade ideology was soon embraced by journalists, writers, poets, professors and even some in the film industry. Vodka, honey-traps and money did the trick where Ideology did not deliver. Now the Chinese are up to the same tricks. Besides India, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Eastern Europe and South America are on their radar. In India, we have heard some netas screaming that the People’s Liberation Army has occupied over 2500 square km of Indian land over the last 2 years. Debunked by international intelligence agencies of standing and repute. The Lab leak of the Wuhan virus and gross negligence by China has been downplayed by some of our top TV channels and newspapers. Moreover some human rights activists and NGO’s have kept eerily silent on the brutal pogrom run by the CCP against the 1 million Uyghur Muslims in the Xin Jiang province of China. Surely, the Comrade-rie is growing.

The Wuhan Lab leak happened when a ‘Gain of Function’ research was on.” This refers ‘to serial passaging of micro-organisms to increase their transmissibility, virulence, immunogenicity and host tropins by applying selective pressure to the culture.’’ A Red Flag alert to the scary scenario of bio-chemical warfare. The USA sprayed Agent Orange and napalm bombed Vietnam with brutality. They weaponised and stockpiled 7 bio-agents by the time they shamefully exited Vietnam. Saddam Hussein’s stockpile of chemical weapons was unleashed on the Kurds and during the Iraq-Iran war. Russia used Novichock nerve agents to murder political opponents in Salisbury, England in 2018.

The other intriguing facet enabling the Art of the unconventional power-scramble is the undermining of independent international institutions. The IMF & the World Bank were run by the US for decades. The WHO played tango with China to cover-up the country’s responsibility in the origin and spread of the pandemic which cruelly enveloped the world for 2 years. The UN and the Security Council are clearly impotent in dealing with tragic crises like Yemen, Syria or the Ukraine war. This has led to an unstable and untrusted world order. India as the largest democracy, the most populated nation and the 5th biggest economy in the world does not have a seat as a Permanent Member of the Security Council. This tells the whole story of the power struggles in the elite, self-serving club and the overwhelming desire for control.

Conventional war-fare is no longer the preferred option for the big powers. If wealthy Europe can be brought to its knees by shutting down the Nord Stream gas line, why not?! Hacking and disrupting the Pentagon or a financial powerhouse sends an incredibly strong message. A much wanted terrorist in Kabul can be taken out by a drone attack. Planted news articles and relentless social media propaganda can diminish a country, manoeuvre an election there or even topple a legitimate government. Sinister disinformation and conspiracy theories can lead to riots and even civil wars. The Remote, covert way of warfare is now the espoused strategy by both States and fanatical groups. The world may not be on the brink of WW3 despite all the noise and posturing but the world is certainly a very troubled and uncertain place.

The Origins of Covid 19??

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I have no desire to go down a rabbit hole only to dig out some far- fetched conspiracy theory. Having said that, the murkiness surrounding the origins of this global pandemic has to be thoroughly cleared. Did nature or humans open the Pandora’s box in Wuhan? After all, the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is Asia’s largest virus bank.

The first inklings came out in a South China Morning Post news video. 44 persons have been infected by a mysterious illness in Wuhan, China. All have been quarantined. 11 of them in a serious condition.  No medical personnel infected. Most patients worked in the seafood market where birds and rabbits were also sold. Unlike 2002 SARS outbreak, China has quickly shared all information with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Origins and nature of viral pneumonia spread unknown. Medical researchers across China on the job. The government in full control.

Now for some relevant context. As always, Xi Jinping and his CCP comrades muzzled all information about the early days of the virus. Indeed, China weighed in on the WHO and virtually decided on the Committee to first visit Ground Zero.  There was no mention of any lab escape whilst there was not a single shred of evidence of a natural escape from bats.

The Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom played perfect PR for the PR (People’s Republic) of China. In his Jan 2020 visit he expressed full solidarity with his hosts and complimented them on the way they had handled the outbreak. 2 months later WHO declared COVID 19 a global pandemic. The institution has morphed into a public-private partnership-a deviation from the UN Charter.  The USA is its largest contributor with $480 million or approx. 22% of the budget, compared to China’s $89 million. However assessment fees are based on population and wealth of the member nation.  The prospect of China becoming a major contributor is very alluring to the Agency.  It needs China on its side.

The drum beaters for ‘the lab leak’ theory were President Trump and his men.  His Secretary of State Mike Pompeo openly declared that Corona virus had escaped from the Wuhan lab. Trump and the Fox News anchors sneered at ‘the Chinese virus’. The liberal media termed this as a racial slur and immediately dismissed this hypothesis. A bio-science scenario snuffed out by political polarisation. Chinese propaganda had won the day. As for the scientists, only those with no conflict of interest spoke up but their versions had few takers. And with time there emerged a UK variant, A South African variant, a Brazilian mutant and an Indian mutant.

Why is ‘the lab leak origins’ plausible? First, the Chinese response. They delayed giving access to the Wuhan lab for months after the initial outbreak guaranteeing that the lab had been deep cleaned before any forensic analysis could be done. They did not share any raw data of the early Covid patients or any lab records or data logs that were critical to understanding the origins of SARS Cov2. A key avenue would have been to run a genetic sequencing on original samples that the lab was working on. The Chinese sign board at the entrance read- No Entry!!! Trespassing Prohibited!!!

18 months after the first cases on record there is not a single shred of evidence that it was transmitted from bats, pangolins, minks, rabbits or frozen meat. There was some buzz about a few young kids in Yunnan province coming down with fever and breathing problems after a visit to a bat cave. This was said to have some similarities to the corona virus symptoms. But Yunnan is 1800 kms from Wuhan and bats do not travel far. Also, these creatures start hibernating from the month of September leaving no possibility for a colony of bats acting as carriers. Reports also emerged that no trace of virus or its RNA molecule was found in the wet market in Wuhan.

Some more perspective on this Centre of Interest/Intrigue- the Wuhan Lab- will be in order. After the 2002 SARS epidemic, China had become obsessed with developing vaccines and cures for such viruses. The Wuhan Institute of Virology was set up in 2014 through French collaboration and US support. By 2017 both had been side-lined. The Chinese State took over all control and the military stepped in. Maj Gen Dr Chen Wei became a key figure. He had earlier been involved in the research for an Ebola vaccine in Africa. It is from here that rumours started that the lab was being used for bio-chemical warfare- to create weaponised viruses. It is also pertinent to note that it was the military which shut down the lab after alarm signals went out.  Another important player is Prof Shi Zhengli, a Director at WIV, famously known as ‘the Batwoman’. She and her team had performed hundreds of experiments on bats and mice. It was common knowledge in scientific circles that the lab researchers were creating new viruses by using reverse engineering on bat coronavirus. Also that humanised mice in the lab confines were very well adjusted to human cells. Juicing up Viruses is done in labs across the world. The novel corona virus has proved to be far more transmissible, virulent, mutant-prone and fatal than SARS 1 in 2002. This indisputably puts the WIV on the investigative radar. Consider this- SARS Cov1 had 8437 reported cases and 813 known deaths from 2002-2004. It was traced to horse-shoe bats in Guangdong province. The current pandemic has already logged 16.9 crore cases and till date more than 35 lakhs people have succumbed across the world. Merits some serious thought and action, right!

On the 24th May 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that 3 staff researchers at the Lab were taken acutely ill in Nov 2019 and had to be hospitalised. The official Chinese case of the first novel corona virus patient is the 8th Dec 2019. Over the years repeated concerns had been raised about the bio-safety of the Wuhan lab with the US embassy in Beijing officially communicating it in the fall of 2017. A major lab like WIV should have been rated at P-4 – complying with the highest bio- safety standards. BSL-4 or Bio-Safety Lab -4. But it was opened for international inspection only in the fall of 2019 and the first safety protocols declared.

The first WHO investigation report in Jan 2020 was co-authored by 17 Chinese scientists (??) many of whom worked with State institutions. An important member was Dr Peter Daszak, whose credentials will be discussed later. The lab-leak angle was barely discussed. A clean-chit? On the 31st Dec 2019, the Taiwan Central Epidemiology Command Centre has sent a red-flag message to WHO – warning about the possibility of human to human transmission by the virus. Taiwan? Who? Considered by China as its territory and not yet a nation member of the World Health Organisation. Yet again in late Dec 2019 and early Jan 2020, Chinese virologist Li- Meng Yan (Post- Doctoral fellow at Hong Kong University)  sounded the alarm bells. As part of the first medico-forensic team to land in Wuhan she refused to become part of the cover-up. She had to flee to New York and turned whistle-blower. Amongst her observations- China had deliberately suppressed the number of afflicted patients in Wuhan in the early days. Also that her WHO supervisor told her not to cross the red-line by talking about human to human contagion and the high mutation rates.

A sinister trail leads to Dr Ai Fen, Director Emergency Services at Wuhan Hospital, who went missing for many months. In a story which broke more than a year ago, she referred to an early patient ( early Dec 2019) with signs of flu and influenza who did not respond to the conventional treatment. She had broken into a cold sweat when she discovered symptoms of SARS Corona virus. But her seniors at the hospital muzzled her voice and her concerns about human to human transmissions. The Chinese Dragon ensured her disappearance in the critical months when the pandemic was declared. She reappeared later in strange circumstances with an eye surgery which has left her nearly blind in one eye..

Now to the core problem which may have resulted in the leak of a virulent SARS Cov2. The controversial ‘Gain of Function’ research. The underlying mantra- to get ahead of the virus instead of chasing them down. To protect people from viruses which jump from one species to another. They deliberately set out to create dangerous variants of viruses so that they can study and research them. It is a reverse genetic engineering process. Helping pathogens and micro-organisms to grow, reproduce itself and mutate freely into lethal viruses. A Jurassic Park scenario. Fraught with real dangers and risk. The WIV passionately embraced the Gain of Function Research with China’s ambitions to develop capabilities and be a world leader in this critical field also.

 The story gets curiouser and curiouser. The Wuhan lab was set up in 2014. President Obama banned Gain of Function research in Oct 2014 (except for National Security purposes). In May 2014 the National Institute of Health (NIH) and its affiliate National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID- headed by Dr Fauci) gave $ 3.4 million grant to the Eco Health Alliance (ECH) run by Peter Daszak (one of the first scientist investigators to reach Wuhan). ECH sent $600,000 to WIV between 2014 and 2019. The Alliance has 30 member countries. In a recent interview Dr Fauci has denied that these monies were meant or used for Gain of Function research in China. But both he and Dr Daszak remain champions of this risky method of research. In a 2011 co-authored opinion piece published in the Washington Post, Dr Fauci had said as much. So it’s not surprising that throughout 2020 both these top scientists vehemently rejected the lab-leak theory. Further, Global Viral Project has recently sanctioned $1.2 billion for such research projects. One of the important reasons as to why even the media has been blind-sided is deference to the Science experts. Donald McNeil, New York Times Science Reporter has admitted that he had debunked the virus leak possibility out of respect for Dr Fauci’s stand. The latter seems to have done a 180 degree turn in a 11th May 2021 interview to Politifact, “The leak hypothesis is legitimate and needs to be investigated.”

However, what has created a paradigm shift in the approach to the Wuhan intrigue is a 10,000 word article published on Medium on the 2nd May 2021. The writer is British scientist Nicholas Wade, earlier associated with the New York Times and The Science Journal. He has brought the lab-leak hypothesis both front and centre. The title is ‘Sustained Chinese Propaganda blocking Covid origin facts’. He says with simple clarity, “There are two possible scenarios. But if you look at all the evidence and ask yourself which scenario explained all the facts better, it seems to me at least, that the lab leak hypothesis explains it a lot better. In their labs they created viruses more dangerous than those which exist in nature. They argued that they could do so safely and that by getting ahead of nature they could predict and prevent natural ‘spillovers’- the cross-over of viruses from animal host to people. If SARS2 had indeed escaped from such a lab experiment a savage blow back could be expected and the storm of public indignation would affect virologists everywhere and not only in China.”

Another respected authority, Italian Professor Tritto has lent authority to this view-point in his book, ‘China Covid 19, The Chimera Which Changed the World’.  Let me bring in another significant voice Dr Ralph Baric of North Carolina University, an eminent virologist and a fervent supporter of Gain of Function research.  For years he has been a confidant and collaborator of Dr Shi Zhengli, (the Batwoman) Director, Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology. He is one of the 18 scientists who on the 13th May 2021 wrote an open letter to The Science Journal seeking a more rigorous investigation into the origins of the corona virus, saying that the theory of accidental release from the lab and a natural spill-over both remain viable. There are lab-leaks every year in some lab or the other but they are contained quickly. For instance at the Fort Detrick, a military lab in Maryland USA. In August 2019 its deadly germ research operation was abruptly shut down following serious safety violations- in particular relating to the disposal of dangerous material. 

So how are the 2 major actors performing in this long drawn drama? WHO has not quite lived up to its name.  After its massive endorsement of the Chinese Government in January 2020 itself, this institution has blundered its way along. After declaring the pandemic in March 2020, on the 4th May 2020, WHO categorically stated that Covid 19 was of natural origin and the lab-leak story was extremely unlikely. On the 19th May 2020, 137 member nations called for a thorough scrutiny and inquiry into the origins of the virus. The organisation suddenly fell into line. In a 30th Nov 2020 statement it said that it was committed to find out about the origins of the virus. Dr Tedros offered hypothesis and promises. Bats, frozen-meat, minks, pangolins, lab-leak were all on the table. What followed, bordered on the ridiculous. Transmission from frozen meat, bats, directly from animals to humans everything was deemed possible. Finally on the 5th January 2021, a WHO delegation of 10 specialist virologists landed in Wuhan.  The Chinese tactics of delay and defy had paid off. The WHO Chief issued a disclaimer, “The mission will not find all the answers.” This investigative sojourn turned out to be a charade. With TV cameras lined up- trips to the WIV and the wet meat and seafood market and the Centre of Disease Control, Wuhan. In this well staged event, China also got all the sound-bites it wanted.  So 18 months after SARS Cov 2 was detected, the world is still waiting for answers. A few days back WHO put out its latest status update-, “We must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned.”

China refuses to budge and indeed has dug its heels in as the call for an independent probe escalates. Dr Shi Zhengli’s latest report says that, “The novel coronavirus is closer to pangolins than bats.” On the 25th May 2021, China told the annual gathering of WHO’s decision making body that it considered the investigation in its country complete and attention should now turn to other countries. The Great Wall of China remains impregnable.

Of late, TV channels and media have started saying that ‘the lab leak theory’ has got a new lease of life. Investigation into the origins of the novel corona virus is both legitimate and imperative. If nothing else, to prevent the next pandemic. This can only happen if the Chinese State allows unfettered access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Wishful thinking, what?

Why Have We Set the Bar So Low for Our Politicians?

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Indian Parliament

India is hailed as the world’s largest democracy. The sheer scale and logistics of our elections have been celebrated in Discovery channel documentaries. Yet 70+ years after independence we have not evolved into a mature, functioning democracy. Indeed, in many, many ways we have lost our way. Hordes of politicians- precious few leaders and statesmen.  Political dynasties sprouting all over, endemic corruption, gross incompetence. Turncoats and floor crossers; Subsidies, freebies, quotas and reservations; vote banks and appeasement and divide and rule. Always in election mode with little time for good governance.  Hollowing out our nation.  Cheered on by a largely discredited Fourth Estate.  Navigated by a mostly pliant babudom of bureaucracy ( with some honorable exceptions).

Why do we give our Netas a free pass again and again? Why do we tolerate their BS? Why do we not hold them accountable as public representatives for their conduct and performance? Look at any other walk of life. A rash bus driver will be suspended- the passengers will ensure that he is not in the driving seat any longer. A construction worker will lose his /her livelihood if not reporting in time for the grind every day. An errant school teacher will be hounded and reported by irate parents. An underperformer at a corporate will likely get the pink slip. A soldier/officer who has breached military discipline will be court-martialled.

We, as a people, are largely to blame- beyond our apathy and indifference. We have this mongrel attitude of putting ourselves down. Plus the colonial/feudal hangover. The people in authority cannot be questioned. So we willingly play into their hands. Region, community, caste or creed. Or a once in a 5 year spread of booze and mutton. We have been manipulated to such an extent that even educated people gloat when their preferred venal leader has outsmarted the tainted leader from the other side. Grandmaster, Chanakya are the accolades. We have become accomplices in a very corrupt system.

It is laughable that the only criteria we have to monitor the performance of our elected representatives is the attendance sheet at the Assembly/House or the number of questions asked or debates participated in. The average attendance in the Lok Sabha is below 80% and the other parameter does not bear scrutiny. Even raising the hand and making a few inane observations count as participation. In no other self- respecting institution or organisation will such a person be invited again to join a meeting or a quorum.

Take the mismanagement of the second Covid surge. Yes, India has a huge population and some resource issues. Nobody knew the second wave would be so virulent. The fact is that the recurrence of the pandemic was entirely predictable after the outbreak in UK & Europe last December. The Central Government was lulled into a false sense of complacency after an effective handling of the first phase. Even the Sangh Chief has admitted as much. The dropping of guard happens when the powers that be are surrounded by Yes Men. No professional and non-political Task Force to tell it as it is. The tone deaf denial mode of the Union Government was highlighted by the prolonged elections in West Bengal, the rallies all over and the hosting of the Kumbh (thankfully, called off after a week.)  Super-spreader events. Any responsible government (including State Governments) would have focused on expanding the number of hospital beds, stocking Remdesvir and other drugs, ramping up of vaccination and planning the evacuation of migrants, if required. The oxygen and ventilator crises could have been averted through stocking up and imports. Supplies from industrial oxygen producers could easily have been diverted for public health use as was done much later in the day. How have Sikh Gurudwaras achieved the miracle of running both oxygen and food langars so effectively? The NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) and critical units of the Armed Forces could have been put on alert. Again in an established Company, heads would have rolled in the Boardroom. But our expectations from our political leadership is woefully low. Even as the human tragedy unfolds every day, the politicians and their media partners delight in taking pot-shots at their opponents.

And it is not that India does not know how to deal with catastrophes. When a cyclone is imminent and the landfall declared the NDMA swings into action. Evacuation exercises, shelters, food & provisions, medical help, rescue ops – all are conducted humanely and efficiently. With the collaboration of the State Administration, NGO’s and philanthropic trusts. The way Orissa cyclones have been dealt with in recent times should be a matter of pride for us. Far better relief and response than the Americans have experienced when hurricanes have battered their regions.

Good Economics is the best politics. But this seems to be lost on our timid and status-quoist Ministers. Our Hon FM brushed off the issue of fuel price as a ‘Dharamsankat’ (a very difficult decision to make) – a matter to be resolved between Centre and States. So why not do it? Fuel prices are nearly hitting Rs 100/- per litre with nearly 2/3rds going to Central and State Treasuries. Diesel & Petrol prices also fuel the inflationary trend. A reasonable reduction in taxes will help on the ground. If the hike in taxes is to cover-up revenue shortfalls during the pandemic or to create a Crises fund- be transparent about it with the public. Continuing with Covid 19, the NDA administration has not talked about measures to rejuvenate the economy once more normal times are around the corner.. No relief or rebates for the hard-hit industries, sectors or even retail commerce and trade. In India after agriculture the employment generation sectors are Construction, Trade, Transport & Storage, Education, Hotels & Restaurants’ and the retail markets. The economy has to be jump started into resurgence. In the second term of the BJP led government there has been only some noise about disinvestment and privatisation. Again, nobody is seeing the whole picture. For instance, the Japanese and the UAE are willing to invest billions$ into even home and apartment constructions if the law of the lands satisfy them and RERA ( Real Estate Regulatory Authority) is made effective and mandatory at State levels. Homes and flats will be cheaper for the average citizen. But there is a close nexus between politicians, real estate and the mafia. FINITO!!! The other reason for the lack of direction is the curious reluctance to seek expert advice from those who do not subscribe to the party’s political philosophy. For instance Gita Gopinath, Chief Economic Advisor to the International Monetary Fund can be roped in for structural and sector reforms; Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee should be the go to person for new ways to alleviate poverty.

On the political turf, we still seem to be stuck in the 70’s-90’s period when the Congress called the shots. Vote bank politics, reservations, engineering defections and horse-trading, imposing President’s rule and unleashing Central Investigative agencies on opponents; the winning formula of caste, creed, money and muscle; getting TV channels and media on board. The BJP and the regional parties have fully espoused the Congress playbook. The GOP may be in decline but their machinations endure. Verily, we may be caught up in ‘ the devil and the deep sea’ syndrome.

The only glaring difference is that the power game has become much polarised. With the deaths of Shri Arun Jaitely, Madam Sushma Swaraj and Shri Manohar Parrikar the BJP has lost the senior leaders who could reach across the aisle and have a dialogue with the other side. The ruling party has to realise that it governs the country and not just those who voted for it. The ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ slogan has to have a genuine ring about it.

Political and personal attacks have reached the nadir- across the political spectrum. Such language will not be tolerated in any other space. Our ministers & parliamentarians simply shrug it off and say that they have been misquoted or even dig in their heels. The regressive comments made about women, dress-sense or food habits do not fit in with India 2021. These motor-mouths are not even rapped on the knuckles let alone fired, suspended or disqualified.

The mishandling of part 2 of the pandemic has brought the Hon PM Modiji’s government to its lowest point since 2014. Of course, the opposition and their cheer leaders are gloating. But it is also a loud wake- up call which they can ignore only at their peril. If they don’t see the real picture, the road leads downhill. It will be a hat-trick of misses since the majority governments of Mrs Gandhi in 1972 and Mr Rajiv Gandhi in 1984. The power to achieve a Greater Good will be wasted again.

The NDA Government does have some bold decisions to its credit. Can it harness the same resolve and its majority strength in both houses to push through some vital reforms?  The expose of the rotten politician-police nexus in Mumbai underscores the imperative need for Police Reforms. Till now, all parties have ‘Copped Out’. What better than to have the Cops serve their venal interests and boost their power.  A Supreme Court Judgement of 2006 attempted to move the needle a bit. The Soli Sorabjee Commission (2015) made 7 recommendations to kick-start reform. Constituting a State Service Commission to set broad policy guidelines, ensure functional space for the police and to evaluate their performance. At least a 2 year tenure for DGP’s, SP’s, Station Heads. To separate the Investigative and Law & Order functions of the force. Set up a Police Est. Board to independently decide on the transfers, postings and promotions at least up to the DSP level with recommendatory authority above that.  Likewise a Police Complaint Authority to which the general public can have easy access to. At the Central level a National Security Commission would take up the responsibilities.

The working conditions also shout out for change. India has only 198 policemen for every lakh of population. Even the most conservative bench-mark is 275. Constables work 14-16 hour days with no over-time. Service and housing conditions are pathetic. There is little dignity in wearing the uniform at their level.  There is no career path to speak off. Operational budgets are so tight that petrol/diesel is often filled in police jeeps by some ‘business cronies’ or by heavy-handed tactics.  Even today in some States the force works at only 75% of the sanctioned strength.

A lot of lip-service has been paid to the cause of 1/3rd reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The UPA Government had tried to introduce the bill but threats of withdrawal of support from the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal made it a non-starter. In Jan 2019 women representatives from across parties in the Rajya Sabha appealed to PM Modiji to get the Bill passed with his majority force. The sooner this becomes a Law the better. Yes, some of the women candidates will be proxies for their political families. Some MP’s may turn out to be incompetent for the job at hand. But greater women representation will usher in more decorum and dignity in these Chambers and going forward more diligence and responsibility.

In 1970 the Wanchoo Committee report raised alarms as to how black money had permeated our politics. The Vohra Committee Report of 1993 was titled ‘ The Criminalisation Of Indian Politics.’ It is said to have even spelt out the politico-bureaucrat links with the D Company. It is not surprising that only 11 pages of the report were tabled in Aug 1995 in the Lok Sabha. The more than 100 page report was buried. Clearly, there is Honour Amongst Thieves. Politicians across the gamut know how to take care of each other, especially the Big Fish.

The Aam Aadmi Party was born out of an Anti-Corruption crusade. But in the Delhi Assembly elections of 2020, nearly half of their candidates had criminal cases against them. 116 BJP MP’s (39%) in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges on their records and with Congress sharing space with 29 tainted MP’s. In the recently conducted polls in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal 71%,60% and 49% of the winning coalitions boast of criminal charges and quite a few of a serious nature. ( As per media sources and electoral news reports gleaned on the internet). So whether it is the disciplined cadres of the BJP or the holier than thou Comrades, criminality is a common theme. It is the winnability factor which has sullied our electoral process. Adding Money and Muscle to the earlier caste and creed to intimidate, buy, and steal elections.

The response from the Hon Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been disappointing. A declaration is all that is needed, courtesy the political parties. They have to detail the criminal history of their candidates on their official web-site and justify why they have given them a seat. That’s It.!!!

The lust to get power and retain it takes all our political outfits over the red line-into gross criminality. We are told that we have some really tall leaders, even cult figures gracing our political landscape. With millions of die-hard followers. Why do these dominant personalities not use their charisma to enlist competent, sensible people as their candidates and ensure that the right people are voted in?  Why lug on the same old dirty bag of dirty tricks??

Black money is the other insidious influence on our democracy. The undisclosed wealth in India has been officially estimated at 15% of the GDP. That we are a cash economy helps. A rational mixture of reduced income and consumption tax will spread the tax net considerably. Per other researchers our parallel economy is closer to 25% of the GDP. Indian money parked in Swiss and other off-shore banks is said to be in the range of $1.5 to $ 2 trillion. Now our super-rich are actively looking at buying Residency and Citizenship in St Lucia, St Kitts, Antigua, Malta and Cyprus. Of course, the UK remains the haven for our fugitive financial criminals and the extradition of Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya will be an achievement, if and when it happens.

Although tricky to monitor, poll funding should constantly be under the scanner. It represents another bane of our electoral process and tells why the quality of the representatives is so low. In France, business is barred from political donations to avoid the mess of special interests or in Indian lingo, ‘crony capitalism’.  Individual contributions are limited to 7500 euros per year and if exceeding 1520 euros have to be made by cheque. Regular payments by the registered party members make up around 35% of their funds. In the Presidential elections the State reimburses 20% of the campaign expenses of all parties. This % age goes up with %age of votes and seats won. If India has to shake off the murky sources of election monies, the ECI+ SC+ lawmakers will have to roll out a viable model. The ECI observation that the average election spending per candidate is around Rs 40 lacs cannot be taken seriously.

The last of this wish-list pertains to re-structuring of our creaking judicial system. Inefficient and overwhelmed. Out of the 4 crore cases pending, the District and Subordinate Courts are submerged by 75% of them. Litigation by the Government Departments is high accounting for almost 50% of the cases and many Dept. vs Dept. Our country has only 21000 judges where there should at least be 40,000. The Indian Judicial Service does not attract the best talent and the competence of the judges in the lower courts is not up to the mark. At the HC and SC levels there is a ? on the transparency of the process of appointment of the Judges. The bottom-line is that neither the Centre nor the State is interested in increasing the spending on this vital pillar in our democracy. Budgetary allocation varies from a pathetic 0.17% to 0.40% of the budgets. Faith in our judiciary is at its lowest. We acutely need more Fast Track Courts and Tribunals, Lok Adalats and Gram Nyayalayas. It has also not sunk in that this dubious track-record adversely impacts the flow of foreign direct investment in India.

This lethargic machinery caters to the under-trials- a whopping 70% of the approx. 4.75 lakh prison population in India. The Prison Report in 2019 has said that 65% of them have already spent more than a year as inmates for petty and minor crimes. The poor and the illiterate can’t afford bail. Why a sweeping decision cannot be taken by the Law Ministry with the guidance of the Hon. Supreme Court to release those who have completed 85% or more of their maximum expected term of imprisonment. Let’s take a leaf from the recent Supreme Court order to release 568 prisoners held in Kerala jails on parole and another 350 on bail. The objective-immediate release of the prisoners to avoid overcrowding of jails in the wake of the unprecedented spread of the pandemic.

Indian democracy and its institutions require urgent overhaul. Request the Hon PM Modi’s Government to use their majority to push through these reforms. There will be a lot of resistance from within and without. No matter. They have another 3 years to go and what better and enduring legacy to leave behind or take forward.

You’re Fired, Mr Trump!

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Photo by Marco Zuppone on Unsplash

In 2004, a TV reality show called “The Apprentice” made Donald Trump a household name.  A reality business competition, it aired for 15 successful seasons and just under 200 hit episodes. It added to his aura of the savvy, tough billionaire tycoon with the Catch Phrase, ‘You’re Fired.’

Reality was different. By 2004, his companies were in the dumps. He had received around $ 40 million from his father in the mid 80’s and had started managing Fred Trump’s $ 250 million real-estate empire. Another bright spot was the co-authored book ‘The Art of the Deal’ which topped the best seller lists and made him a celebrity. Thus began this tale of myths, illusions and charades.

Between 1991-2006, Trump companies filed for bankruptcy 6 times. Starting with the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City and the Plaza Hotel in New York. An interesting aside is that some vendors for the casino project claimed that they had not been paid in full. This was a recurrent theme in some other projects also. By the mid 90’s major US banks had blacklisted the Trump Organisation for loans. So he re-worked on the valuation of his assets and Deutsche Bank was happy to oblige.

However, the real bailout in 2004 came from the Russian oligarchs looking to launder their ill-gotten wealth. Paying top prices for office spaces and apartments, mansions and cottages at exclusive resorts. A few years’ later the Saudi Sheikhs went on a buying spree shelling out exorbitant amounts for the properties. The Trump brand continued to grow and he diversified into licensing his name. The Trump name attached to prestigious projects globally for a 15% (??) equity stake it is said. President Trump continued to see US foreign relations through the prism of his own business deals. For instance, the $90 million dollars Saudi investment in Kushner’s companies, to pull them out of a deep hole. No wonder that the President and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were so protective of the Saudi prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) after the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Shady business deals. Unethical practices. The US President pushing his UK Ambassador to get the Open Championship (of  Golf) moved to his property in Scotland. Hosting Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. Business as usual!!

Citizen Trump did not pay any Income Tax for 11 of the last 18 years. President Trump paid $750 dollars as Income Tax in 2016 & 2017. Billionaire Trump did not file any tax returns for the last 10 years and more. Now having lost the White House, Citizen Trump will have to face the lenders at his door. For starters, $100 million in mortgages in 2022. Another $125 million two years later for the Florida golf course property. Deutsche Bank will also be jumping into the fray to recover $ 340 million in outstanding loans. The German Bank, tired of all the controversy and negative publicity, has tired of Trump and wants to end all ties. Even if there be an overlap in the figures above, the President is in deep shit.

Prominent Trump supporters shrug this off as this is how real estate business works. So let’s move on to Trump University, affiliated to the Trump Organisation. Running specialised classes and seminars on how to crack the best deals in the real estate domain. A great rip-off whilst it lasted from 2005-2010. In 2013, approx. 6000 duped students received a court settlement of $ 25 million.

In 1989 he had publicly shown his racist colours. The Central Park 5 (a young group of blacks and Latinos) had been convicted of rape and aggravated assault on a white woman despite contrary evidence. Trump took out full page ads in 4 New York newspapers screaming ‘Bring Back the Death Penalty’  The wrongfully convicted men were released in 2002 after the actual criminal had confessed. No remorse, no apology from the builder businessman even after the City had awarded a $41 million dollar settlement.

His womaniser reputation just added to his charisma. Hosting the Miss USA &Miss World pageants added to the glamour. The 2005 tapes boasting about his ‘conquests’ and objectifying of women to a TV host, his friendship with the disgraced sex trafficker the late Jeffrey Epstein and his pay-off to porn-stars to ensure their silence revealed a sleazy and sordid side of his personality.

In the 2016 elections, Trump was pitted against an unpopular Hillary Clinton. Just banking on the Clinton name she had little personal connect with the voters and a rather dubious reputation. Remember, ‘Crooked Hillary’ and the ‘Lock Her Up’ chants at the Trump rallies. Yet, she led in the popular vote count by more than 3 million votes. Donald Trump entered the White House through the Electoral College door. His trump card was the Outsider Image, the Anti Establishment guy who would get things done. He would’ drain the swamp’ in Washington – another effective rally cry. His business acumen would propel the economy to unheard of heights. Make America Great Again. Typical Trump speak- the greatest, the biggest, never before in history.’

His Russian friends and Putin were firmly in his corner. The Republican candidate openly called out to the Russian hackers to hack into the DNC server and also to out the Hillary e-mails. More sinister was their infiltration of Face-book and other social media platforms to scare off swing states and the undecided voters to support their Man.

Some hoped that the White House would make him more responsible.. The Oval office has never seen such a venal, corrupt, narcissistic, self-serving and incompetent President. The fault-lines of racism have re-surfaced because of his support to the White Supremacists and his dismissal of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. His support for white cops killing unarmed black men in cold blood and his deference to the slave owners/Southern Confederate generals.  African countries have been called ‘shit holes’. The Mexicans are thugs and rapists-so the need for a beautiful border wall which Mexico would pay for. Like most of Trump’s projects, the Wall remains incomplete. That Homeland Security has not yet re-united 545 separated children with their parents would be heart-rending to most- a top priority- but not to this Administration.

On foreign relations, his admiration for brutal dictators is there for all to see. MBS in Saudi Arabia, Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey. He is Putin’s puppet and the ex-KGB officer has some dirt on him. His photo-ops with Kim Jong Un of North Korea  achieved nothing except to raise the stock of this cruel despot. The tested allies in Europe, Canada and Japan played second fiddle at the cost of world order and balance of power. Yes, NATO countries have to pay their dues. A long over-due rap on the knuckles. But undermining the alliance played into the hands of Russia, China and Turkey. There are many who say that he is the only US President who has not led his country into war. But the US withdrawal from Syria was tantamount to surrender to Assad, Russia and Turkey and a death warrant for thousands of Kurds who had fought on the American side. Yemen has been left to the mercy of the Saudis and is being bombed out of existence. Trump’s bromance with the’ Rocket Man’ of North Korea was fuelled by a desire to get the Nobel Peace prize and played out by the hermit kingdom and its Big Brother China. His hated predecessor Obama had received the Nobel. For trying to make the world a better place- especially through constructive engagement with hostile nations like Iran and Cuba. Plus he had got Bin Laden.

His sneering comments calling fallen American soldiers as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ would have sunk any other Presidency. Not Mr Teflon-for nothing seems to stick to him. It has been said that ‘you can fool some of the people all the time’. We are now talking about 70 million plus Americans here.

Most appalling is the way Trump has undermined US democracy and institutions over the last 4 years. The Attorney General has become his personal lackey, the DOJ doing his personal bidding. The Republican led Senate has become a mute spectator and complicit in his autocratic actions. The GOP has mutated into the Trump party. The Democrats dominated Congress has been undermined, ignored and thwarted at every turn. The list of his associates indicted for crimes keeps growing from his personal lawyer to his campaign manager… The Conservatives are thrilled that he has packed the courts with judges of dubious track-records and regressive persuasions. In retrospect this may turn out to be his single biggest achievement . National Guards, Reserves, Prison Patrols without insignia or badges or identities were deployed in cities to intimidate non-violent BLM protestors.

Trumpers have hailed him for a robust economy before the pandemic struck. Fact check. It was Obama who inherited a recession crippled economy in 2008. Every year of his second term generated more employment than happened in the first 2 years of the current President. Trump is simply surfing off the economy that Obama had turned around after the initial gloomy years of his Presidency. ‘The Donald’ was simply overseeing and taking forward what he had inherited. His only major initiative was another tax-break for the very rich- for the first time in American history the 400 wealthiest Americans paid at a rate lower than any other group…  And the extraordinary $ 48 billion bailout for the agriculture sector reeling from the trade war and the Covid outbreak.  In 2016, soya bean exports alone to China had netted $ 11 billion. Of course, this record direct subsidy has kept his farmer base intact.

The gross mishandling and underplaying of COVID 19 has cost him the White House. More than 2,37,000 deaths and counting is a record which even the record-obsessed Trump shies away from. His disdain for the advice of his own scientists, derision for mask-wearers and for social distancing puts the onus of thousands of deaths on his conscience and his watch. Not wearing masks became a political statement for millions of his devout followers. Trump pledged that he would dismantle Obamacare and come out with his own grand plan. Zilch!!. Even die-hard Republicans have admitted to the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid which the GOP threatened to unravel in the midst of a pandemic. The withdrawal from the Paris Accord on climate change is one with this contempt for the scientific community.

His signature line from the TV show resonated across the Oval Office many times in these 4 years. ‘You’re Fired.’ 2 Chiefs of Staff, an Attorney General, the Defence Secretary, National Security Advisor, Labour Secretary, Director of National Intelligence, Homeland Secretary, EU Ambassador and the list goes on and on… Even after the election results he has fired the present Defence Secretary on twitter.

No President has been a more polarising figure. USA is a severely divided nation. More than 70 million Americans have voted for Trump even after a grossly decadent 4 year term. Biden has pulled in approx 5 million more popular votes. Trumpism has become a cult and is here to stay. A coarse ideology of white grievance and alienation, racism and bigotry, narcissism and superiority, disregard for science and facts, an alternative reality full of conspiracies.  Fox News huddles together with Breitbart (a far right news network) and QAnon (a crazily wierd conspiracy outfit). Shameless Senate leaders like Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham have become a part of the pack. Surprise, Shocker!! Trump’s solid vote base of 30% plus voters includes Evangelical leaders and their loyal followers. Driven by their anti-abortion, anti LGBTQ dogma.  

It is possible that all this divisiveness has lurked below the surface for some decades. It has taken a Trump to tap into it and bring it out into the open. The Statue of Liberty has shrunk. The USA is no longer the ‘land of the free and the brave.’  It can no longer take the condescending high ground and dismiss a third of the planets’ nations as banana republics. It has lost its credibility and stature on the world stage. Biden and Harris have a tough road ahead to heal and to get things back to normalcy.

Joe Biden does not cut an impressive figure. He is definitely not a President Bartlet from the iconic ‘West Wing’ TV series. COVID 19, the revulsion for Trump and the Obama factor have seen him through. In the early 70’s he was seen as a segregationist and his racial prejudices came through right till the mid 90’s. His son Hunter Biden’s dealings with Ukraine and China may be above board but the stink of political privilege and leverage will linger on.

Some Indian commentators have called the Biden/Harris win a setback for India. Some adverse comments in the past underpin these concerns. On the other hand, Trump has pushed back China and ignored Pakistan over these years. Betting on his support is fraught with risk. A fickle, all about himself person can be easily manipulated. A summit meeting invite by the Chinese strongman, a photo-op with elaborate pomp and ceremony on the Great Wall and he would be feasting on the popular Chinese dish Chow Mein instead of his favourite McDonald burger. Remember how the Saudis got him to dance with a royal sword at the palace. The President elect and his VP will have to grapple with realpolitik in a troubled world.  Mend fences with and rally their traditional allies again. In the current global scenario with an expansionist and aggressive China, India will get a seat at the table.

Over the last 4 years, only the Saturday Night Live hosts have called out President Trump for what he is and what he represents. Calling a spade a bloody shovel with spadesful of laughs thrown in. I distinctly recall 2 comments from a few months back. One that COVID 19 would magically beat Trump. Prediction realised. But the Don will sulk terribly and fire out tweets. He and his Mob will shout ‘fraud’ and seek to delegitimise Biden’s win. He will put his ‘Capo’ William Barr to probe into the electoral fraud. All from the Putin playbook.  

The other prediction from the SNL episode was that Trump would pardon himself before exiting the White House. Very much on the cards. After 3 months of sordid drama the curtain will finally fall on what has been a ridiculous, long drawn and very dark soap opera.

A Strange and Troubled World

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Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash

We live in disturbing times. Eerily reminiscent of a century back. The Spanish flu, the British and French colonies, the failure of the League of Nations, the rise of Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler and of course the Great Depression.

Take COVID 19 which has brought the world to its knees. The secrecy shrouding its origins and spread- the buck stops with China. Check-out the reckless social behaviour of millions- defying medical science and data. In the US, to wear or not wear a mask has become a political statement.

The anti-mask group belong to the Trump cult. A racist, divisive, incompetent, venal and corrupt President. Surely, the holy Evalengicals would deride and oppose him. No, they are his biggest supporters. A quid-pro-quo to get their agenda on anti-abortion, LGBTQIA+ and immigration passed or ruled into laws.

The most powerful man in the world is Putin’s puppet. The Russian mob-boss and his oligarchs do as they please- manipulate elections and poison their enemies. The former KGB agent has only one life purpose and that is to restore the glory of the former Soviet Union. He has high approval ratings in Russia.

Xi Jinping fancies himself as the Chinese Emperor. He covets lands in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan , Japan, Philippines and surprise, the city of Vladivostok in Russia. He wants to control the South China sea. His one-belt one road policy is not just the revival of an old trade route. Chinese footprints have reduced Pakistan, Sri Lanka, some African countries to debt-ridden vassal states.

After the collapse of the Soviet bloc, it was hoped that democracy would thrive. Instead, there is a plethora of strongmen across Brazil, Venezuela, Turkey, Hungary, Philippines, North Korea (is he alive?). These authoritarian leaders (some with elected credentials?) take their cue and inspiration from the master manipulator, Putin.

The fickleness and spinelessness of the political class has become obnoxious. In India, the Grand Old Party and their leftist comrades shed copious tears for the plight of the Rohingya Muslims. But there is deafening silence about the incarceration of a million Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province in China. It does not suit the narrative of these human rights activists. And the Islamic Republic of Pakistan remains subservient and loyal.

Even in the 1990’s the UN, NATO and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) played an effective role in ending the long-drawn genocide and hostilities in Eastern Europe. The Syrian and Yemen conflicts drag on and on. The world has become numb to the devastation and human suffering.

The United Nations is impotent. The US, Russia or China veto whatever does not suit their geopolitics. India should have a permanent seat at the Security Council. The largest democracy of 1.3 billion people and a growing economy does not get a seat at the table.

The WHO has disgraced itself with its mishandling of COVID 19. In the critical first months, it covered up for China and played PR in glowing terms. It called out the pandemic very late and its confusing directives on the spread and even measures like wearing the mask have been very disappointing.

Free media, the vaunted fourth pillar of free nations, is past tense.  Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known Saudi journalist in exile is dismembered in the Saudi embassy in Turkey- on the orders of Prince Salman. The outrage lasts for a few months. Then, it is back to business.

Fox News exemplifies the mockery of an independent, objective media. It has degenerated into a Trump channel. And the President gets his opinions, sound-bites and Twitter content from these TV anchors.

The Virus has dealt a body blow to the world economy. Manufacturing, IT and service sector, airlines, hospitality, tourism, local shopkeepers have all taken the brunt. Especially heartrending is the desperation of the down the line workers with no safety nets and the daily wagers and migrant laborers. Another nightmarish scenario lurks ahead-the eviction of millions of ordinary tenants who are unable to pay their rent.

In the movie “Wall Street” the Gordon Gekko character says the famous lines “Greed is Good”. Mark Zuckerberg of the $ 70 billion Facebook Empire could not agree more. He shrugs off hate content, misinformation and manipulation on his global social platform. It was used to undermine the 2016 US Presidential election and possibly even to swing the Brexit vote. Who cares!

Think Jeff Bezos at Amazon. He runs a boot camp where front-line workers do not have time to even take a leak. Show me the Money. Who Cares!

You can scratch your head on this. The great Warren Buffett has at times paid less Income tax as a percentage than his Secretary!!! With income disparities growing, the top 1% does not pay its fair share of the taxes.

Football is the most popular sport on the planet. Sports transcend borders. It should aspire to higher standards of human behaviour. The powerful apex body FIFA hands over the 2022 world cup to Qatar. Dubious, Controversial. A Disgrace!!! Meanwhile, poor migrant workers slog it out in inhuman conditions to build the grand infrastructure. Hundreds have died.  Deadly silence. When the kick-off happens, blood would have already seeped into the grounds. The players will be left to sweat it out in this hot Gulf country.

George Floyd whispers “I can’t breathe” in a chilling 9 min video as he is murdered by a racist white American cop. In 2020, ‘the land of the free and the brave’ and ‘the leader of the free world’ is a deeply divided and polarised country. Anti-Semitism is again rearing its head in Europe and the US. Fault-lines are developing all over on ethnic, religion or color basis.

Indians also have to wake up to how we treat our North Eastern brethren. Ostracising them for how they look or speak reflects poorly on us. We have a lot to learn from the cultures of this beautiful part of our land.

But there is reason for hope. The Black Lives Matter protests are resonating as never before. The protests in the US and Europe have been largely peaceful and have attracted world-wide attention. Thousands of whites, Asians and Hispanics have joined the cause and taken to the streets.

But as Angela Davies, a black activist, cautions- “It is no longer enough to be a non-racist. One has to be an anti-racist.”

Marquee corporates have started to move away from Facebook to advertise their products and services. The filthy rich billionaire is now being forced to discuss and review the toxic content on the platform.

In India also, many people are turning away from the negativity of their TV channels. These only spew propaganda, bias, hatred and sensationalism. Here’s hoping that we will be slowly moving to more mature and credible content.

Colin Kaepernick, the courageous NFL star, protested against racism a few years back by kneeling during the anthem. He was immediately kicked out of the league and vilified. He may now get a chance to play again this season. The powerful National Football League (host of the Super Bowl) has also publicly apologised for its denial of this serious issue over the years. NASCAR has withdrawn Confederate flags from its car-racing venues- the symbols of slave-owners. Even, statues of knighted and glorified slave traders are being taken down in the UK and Spain. Many players in the revived English Premier League took a knee to show their solidarity in the fight to end racial injustice.

The Indian State of Kerala was the first COVID 19 hotspot. With the Nipah success behind them, the public health officials acted efficiently to contain this new scourge. This southern state can also teach us about the laudable community model policing. With urgent need for police reforms in diverse lands like India, US, UK, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Egypt…… they can take a leaf out of this successful programme.

If the world has to become a better place, civic action and community participation are a must. The bar has been set very low for politicians, public departments, community leaders and business tycoons. It is time for a reckoning. Also time for truth and reconciliation forums. Time to tell the rich and influential that they cannot get away with everything. Take them off the pedestals and hold them accountable.  Only strong institutions and responsible governance can take us across the line. Then and only then can the common citizen- BREATHE.