The Significance Of Barack Obama

So Barack Obama finally managed to become the first Black President of the United States. And convincingly so, thereby demonstrating the disillusionment of the American people with the muddle of aggression and complete lack of respect for justice that the George W Bush regime had come to represent. The fact is, more than a rejection of Mr. John Mccain, this was a vote for Obama, against the policies of the Republicans and against an unnecessary war in Iraq that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. As one correspondent wrote - it had almost become shameful for Americans to say where they belonged to, such was the loathing that greeted them in foreign shores. They have almost redeemed themselves and hope to regain their pride by this collective action.
However, the election campaign clearly brought out the fault lines in American society, in a world integrated by 24X7 Live TV. The questions of race, and whether Mr. Obama was a practising Christian or Muslim should not have been relevant in a society that holds all men to be equal. But that is an ideal---people, with their petty prejudices, are often less than perfect. Hence, there were worries that the 'Bradley effect' (where people are embarrassed to accept that they would rather vote for a white man purely for the reason that they are white, named apparently after a black Gubernatorial aspirant in the 1970s who led in opinion polls and ultimately lost in the hustings) would rob Mr. Obama of crucial votes on D-Day. Thankfully, that did not happen. America voted with its heart. It voted not for expedience, not for skin tone, not for experience, but for the man who stood for change. A change from fear, divisiveness and 'stuff happens' to hope and optimism.
The Bush years, were marked by Bushisms (which were funny) and by a shameful contempt for all norms of justice, international law and human rights---that was not-so-funny. Institutions like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay don't sit well with the Declaration of Indepedence and the Gettysburg Address. Martin Luther King's prophetic words " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" were drowned out by the aggressive rhetoric belted out by the Bush Administration. In an environment permeated by fear and insecurity in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration created further paranoia by citing the looming threat of 'Al-Qaeda' and linking them to the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) with the rogue military regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Whereas American intervention in Afghanistan against a regressive, fanatical and cruel regime is welcome, and perhaps even justified (even though it creates a dangerous precedent in international law and peacekeeping), the same cannot be said of its invasion of Iraq. Whether it was for oil contracts or to teach a dictator who thumbed his nose at America a lesson, it was an invasion launched on a foundation of falsehood.
Mr. Obama, hopefully, will take America away from this path by first, closing down the illegal and repressive Guantanamo Bay prison where foreigners are being held without trial and then either bringing them to justice or letting them go; and then concentrate on the really important issues like healthcare and the domestic economy.
People have been debating about whether Barrack Obama's election will be good for India in terms of his views on outsourcing (he has promised tax benefits for American companies which keep jobs in America), his ambivalent stand on Kashmir and the traditional Democratic leaning towards protectionism. However, these people are missing the significance of this event: Mr Obama represents---as his own book so succintly says---'The Audacity of Hope'. He represents the victory of a decent, educated man in politics----which often attracts, well, not exactly the kind of people you would like to marry your daughter to. And like Abraham Lincoln, his is an unlikely victory---as men of Finance like me would put it, a statistically 'tail event', an 'outlier'. The product of a brief union between a Kenyan student and a white young lady; abandoned by his natural father, Barack Obama Jr lived a fairly Bohemian and nomadic life that brought him to Asia for a considerable period of time. He then managed to educate himself in Columbia University and topped it off with a Masters in Law from Harvard. Even his political career started rather unremarkably---apparently he failed to even gain entry in to the Democrat convention in 2004.
But then, there he is---the first black President of the United States. I have heard him, and yes, he speaks well. After long years, here is a man in public life who seems to be saying more than rhetoric---whose earnesty seems to come through. Let us wish him well. He is an ideal for every voice of reason, every patriot who wants to, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "Dare mighty things" , anywhere in the world. Like a slightly odd-looking, tall, top hatted gentleman born about 200 years ago.

Defending those who defend India

The 6th Pay Commission, led by Justice Srikrishna, was appointed to review and revise the salaries of close to 4 million civilian central government employees and about 1.5 million members of the defence forces.
Whereas the government's decision to revise the salaries of government employees to ensure parity of standard of living in a regime of rising inflation and some kind of benchmarking to the market is commendable, it is unfortunate that it has done a great injustice to the members of the armed forces, the men and women who have promised to lay down their lives in the defence of India. It is perhaps another sign of the lack of vision both among our political masters and among the mandarins who would have assisted Justice Srikrishna, that in the same scale of service, a member of the defence forces, putting his or her life and limb on the line to defend the country, would get paid less than a Civilian Babu fattenening himself in some government department.

The whole issue was exacerbated because the Armed Forces were not given any representation in the 6th Pay Commission. It just shows the shameful manner in which a myopic, complacent and arrogant administration has treated its most powerful wing - which thankfully, has not given in to the temptation of seizing power from the Civilian Administration, a phenomenon fairly common in our neighbour, Pakistan. However, when the 6th Pay Commission recommendations came out, the top brass of the Armed Forces thankfully took a stand against the glaring anomalies and refused to implement the report's recommendations till these were resolved. They are not beggars; they are people who have promised to lay down their lives defending us, and are often called upon to do exactly that; if we treat them shabbily, it hits their morale and would weaken India's whole defence mechanism. One of these glaring anomalies: Lt-Colonel rank officers have been relatively lowered by retaining them in Pay Band-3 (Rs 15,600-39,100), while the civilians and paramilitary officers at the same level have been raised to level PB-4 (Rs 37,400-67,000).
Some nitwits in the print media have been calling this a mutiny of sorts. However, it is far from the truth. This was a very restrained, very just demand by the Armed forces. And the reason was not just money---it was, as Gen Deepak Kapoor, the Chief of Army Staff, rightly described it--- a question of honor. At a time when the Indian Army is some 13,000 short of offficers because young people, with 'Officer-like qualities' are going in for other career options, this could not have been more poorly timed.
The government thankfully, saw sense. A Committee of senior Ministers including the external affairs minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the Defence Minister Mr. AK Antony and Mr P Chidambaram, the Finance Minister, was formed to look into the grievances / anomalies. Hopefully, this august committee will do justice and help to stave off a bigger crisis in the Armed Forces, which are already cronically short of officers at the critical, operational levels.
In the end, soldiers and their families agree to make the 'supreme sacifice' not because they are paid x sum of money at the end of the month (it never really is enough to miss growing old with the man / woman you love and seeing your children grow up and go to college; or miss the thousand other little experiences that bring joy to our lives). It is because they think that it is honourable and glorious to do so. The least we can do, as a nation, is not to dishonour them.