Friends with benefits

Hello guys. On the occasion of friendship day 2011, I would like to write some thing about a certain kind of friendship- Friends with benefits. First of all, get your mind out of the gutter and think straight for once. I am not talking of the kinda "friendship" where you get extraneous benefits from a "friend", I am merely talking of a set of people who if turn into friends, will cause a lot of benefits for the rest of us. Lets call these friendships as "Friends with benefits" for our convenience.



USA-Muslim world: I cannot think of the last time the US has not screwed with a Muslim country. The US stand for democracy and universal human rights and yet they have very close associations with autocracries, theocracies, monarchies and dictatorships. The problem with the US is that its double faced foreign policy. World over, the US President makes public speeches about the need to conserve democracy and spread it. However, when it comes to spread of democracy, it chooses to unseat governments in small Muslim countries and place a "democratically" elected government who works for the US interests. There are major Arab countries with whom the US have oil interests and trade and most of these countries are Monarchies and yet the US don't seem to have trouble with them. China antagonises the US often and the US ignores these public dares by China because of trade interests. This screwing around with small countries in the Muslim world is not helping the US or the world. The double faced foreign policy is creating a lot of bad blood in the Muslim world against the US and its allies. Hence the attacks around the world on US citizen and embassies. If the US invests in friendship with the Muslim world and genuinely respects the sovereignty of these countries, maybe the entire world gets the benefits of this friendship and it stalls the bloody attacks that happen around the world by jihadi terrorists.


Government of India and Anna Hazare: There has been no serious governance business in India for almost a year now. The more the government is conceding, the more is being asked by it to concede. Sometimes the government is too obdurate and there are times when its too lax. All in all the grandstanding is not helping anyone. The Government is right in its place to rub in the fact that it holds the right to draft legislation and the civil society can lobby hard but must not force the hand of the Government. Social activists are right up to a point saying we have seen a lot of corruption and its time we act strongly. However, some foolish lawyers on the activist side are nudging them into taking unrealistic maximised approach. This "all or nothing" zero sum game is not helping the same people whose cause they are espousing. The Government needs to be more gracious and see the politics behind the fasts and acknowledge the fact that they this is not a suitable time for them to take on the activist. No one is conceding an inch and nothing is moving forward. Its time, the government shows some large hearted-ness and provides the activist with a long rope. If he remains obdurate, sooner or later he will hang himself using the rope provided. I still stand by my assessment that in collaboration both sides have to concede some ground, the Government can't afford to trounce all demands of civil society while the civil society cant appear to take joys by embarrassing the government into accepting their bill verbatim. Their friendship and collaboration would benefit the 1.2 billion Indians.

Government and the opposition: Time and again, we have seen the two national parties at each other's throats for silly political brownie points. We do not have a proper sensible political discourse as all the sane voices are drowned in silly political up manship. Even in important legislative business when the nation stands to gain, they oppose for the sake of opposing. Goods and service tax regime, Direct tax code, Lokpal bill, land acquisition bill, Women's reservation bill.... the list of pending legislation is long and yet everyday the Parliament is adjourned. Can't these parties be more responsible and keep their politicking to outside the Parliament and maintain strict professionalism inside. I think it can be done. You can debate and legislate inside the house and fight out political battles in the streets and news studios. Instead what we have today is political fights are fought on the floor of the house and legislative debates are held in news studios. India will benefit hugely if the main political parties of India maintain minimum friendship within the perimeter of the Parliament.

You get the drift... So long.....