As news of the horrendous terrorist strikes upon Mumbai comes in, bloggers are also working overtime: Amit Varma at India Uncut gives us an eye-witness account; and Manuwant at Indiavikalp has a series of posts.
All I can offer is our tourism minister Ambika Soni’s statement yesterday saying that, with the financial crash worldwide, tourists would come to India to “find peace.” I wonder if there is any peace left anywhere in India. In the meanwhile, the minister should note that in Goa, where tourists typically rent scooters, there is on average one death on the roads every day. Peace, minister?
One wonders how we can deal with this phenomenon of rampant terrorism. Tougher laws and better policing are not enough. And it is doubtful whether a stronger State – which will be more high-handed too – is the answer.
Perhaps a politics that encourages all our people to earn honest money in completely free markets will gradually wean misguided people away from terrorism. Further, co-operation between the people and the law will also increase. People will have faith in a government that leaves all peaceful trades alone.
Note that our politicos are only making political capital out of this.
Theirs is not a politics that seeks to establish a moral consensus among a people.
So let this not be an event that results in a stronger State.
Rather, let there be a call for a new politics: a politics of morality, of Liberty, of peace and prosperity.
And do read my old article: The Purpose of Politics.
When the power of love will overcome the love for power,
ReplyDeletethe world will know true peace.
-------------------- Jimi Hendrix
How can terrorism be eradicated when the State itself is the biggest terrorist organisation of them all? Just look at what Israel is doing in Gaza, or the tragedy in the Congo, the madness in Burma, just to name a few.
ReplyDeleteIt has been estimated that wars alone killed more 200 million people in the 20th. century. And who starts wars? Why, the State, of course!
What we need is a moral ground to confirm my belief that we alone are capable of saving our souls, and if a gun is required on our shoulders to do so, then be it.
ReplyDeletewe buy fancy and small cars to improve our speed on the ground, as the govts. fail to provide public transport.
they fail to provide security, we handle it our selves..?
Rajesh: Read my earlier post on the right to bear arms here: http://sauvik-antidote.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete2008/03/on-right-to-bear-arms.html
Of course we must have our own guns, as righteous law-abiding citizens. We cannot survive if we don't have guns and abdicate our rights to an agency of our The State whose men are armed while we are not. The anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, in which Congress mobs butchered thousands of innocent Sikhs, is an example of what political control over a "monopolist" police force can mean to the citizens.
Such an armed monopolist gang associated with our The State is bound to exploit its monopoly power - to our disadvantage.
So we must earn our own keep, defend ourselves and ours, and stand up as an honest and righteous as well as brave and courageous people. Only then will we be safe.
NOTE: If merchant ships are allowed to carry guns on board (this is not allowed today) they could deal with pirates on their own, and much better too.