Human rights matter

There was a time when the world listened to India with respect when Nehru declared our nation8217;s stand on critical issues like the Vietnam war and the Anglo-French invasion of the Suez.

There was a time when the world listened to India with respect when Nehru declared our nation8217;s stand on critical issues like the Vietnam war and the Anglo-French invasion of the Suez. Despite sulking by the Chinese, we rightly gave asylum to the Dalai Lama and permitted a Tibetan government in exile to function in India.

Of late our concern with violations of human rights in other parts of world 8211; except PoK and certain parts of Pakistan 8211; has diminished. There is no disapproval of the relentless religious prosecution of the Bahais in Iran. Unfortunately, when this issue was raised before international fora, India voted with Iran to bail it out when it could well have abstained. Apparently, oil matters more than the Bahais. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, while receiving the Gandhi Peace Prize, urged India to raise its voice in support of the Burmese people and also for the Tibetans. Archbishop Tutu is not a politician and perhaps his statement was not 8220;politically correct8221;. Promptly came the official disclaimer that Tutu8217;s statements represented his personal views.

Are we so concerned about Chinese sensibilities that we cannot take a proper moral stand? And why are we silent about the repressive military regime in Myanmar, where the indomitable Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for decades and democratic freedoms have been suppressed? Human rights do and should matter.

Unsung hero

At one stage, the idea of an European Union and European Unity appeared fanciful. It has now become a reality thanks largely to the heroic efforts of a Frenchman, Jean Monnet, in developing habits of co-operation among nations which hitherto had known only relationships based on power. Monnet is regarded as the Founding Father of Europe and was described by John F Kennedy as 8220;a statesman of the world8221;. Monnet drew his inspiration from another visionary, Victor Hugo, who had prophesised that 8220;a day will come when there will be no battlefields, but markets opening to commerce and minds opening to ideas, a day when there will be the establishment of a great supreme senate which will be to Europe what Parliament is to England, the Diet to Germany, and the Legislative Assembly to France.8221;

Few in India are aware of Monnet8217;s extraordinary life. He made the cover of Time in 1961 and was described as 8220;the practical apostle of European unityiquest; an ascetic, unobtrusive Frenchman who may ultimately succeed where others, from Charlemagne to Napoleon, ultimately failed8221;. We can imbibe useful lessons from Monnet8217;s work and achievements for strengthening SAARC and ASEAN. He should not remain an unsung hero in India.

Absurd theatricals

Of late we have been witnessing the Theatre of the Absurd. Jade Goody makes rude remarks with racial implications against Shilpa Shetty. The incident should have been dismissed with contempt. But we reacted as if statements by Goody, a nonentity, were an attack on our sovereignty. Union Minister Anand Sharma solemnly promised to take up the matter with his counterpart in UK who also made the right noises to salvage Indo-UK relations. Then, lo and behold, Goody is invited by another Indian minister to visit India, imbibe our culture and taste pappadam. Shilpa is in clover now. Thanks to Goody and the upsurge of Indian patriotism, she has received several lucrative offers and is tipped to make an estimated 10 million pounds. That is not all. Shilpa has been invited to a reception to mark Commonwealth Day on March 12 and she will meet the Queen. And she is also due to meet Tony Blair and other Ministers at the House of Commons on February 7. One wonders whether Goody, when she visits India, will, on the principle of reciprocity, also meet our President and the Prime Minister. If racist remarks can catapult you to fame and fortune, there is nothing wrong. But the way these two women hogged the electronic and print media is a symptom of our intellectual bankruptcy. Ours is indeed a mad, mad world.