Opinion All ministries matter
One needs to understand that ministry portfolios are all about public service....
•One needs to understand that ministry portfolios are all about public service. No portfolio is more significant than any other. Farooq Abdullah can make his ministry important by working hard. Theres a lot of related things that the renewable energy ministry can focus on,other than electricity generation from non-conventional sources. For instance,in the US,policymakers are toying with the idea of painting all buildings white so that heat is reflected back,installing windmills/ solar modules on top of sky-scrapers,and such other activities to mitigate climate change factors and use available energy productively. Such innovative activities can also be overseen by Abdullahs ministry. This is his chance.
Raghu Seshadri
Whos accountable?
•Your ongoing investigation into the Mumbai attack of November 2008 is revealing and saddening. So many innocent lives could indeed have been saved had there been greater efficiency and decisiveness. For instance,four terrorists were holed up in one room of the Taj Mahal Hotel for nearly two hours,when they could have been easily overpowered by the police,who instead waited for the NSG to arrive,who of course didnt know the ground the way the local police did. Blunders and precious time lost cost many lives,and yet nobody is held accountable.
Roda D. Hakim
Baroda
Right proposals
•The Gujarat state Election Commissions proposals are a step in the right direction (Just proposals?,IE,June 4). Your editorial raises pertinent questions of democratic principles,but six decades of democracy have revealed defects of delivery. Qualified and untainted representatives seem better equipped to honour democratic principles. Moreover,the right to recall will increase voter participation in governance,which in turn would become more transparent. Finally,not only should voting be compulsory but the voter also should have the right to reject all candidates.
Anil S. Kapoor
Mehsana
Paks shoddy job
•The release of Jamat-ud-Dawas Hafiz Saeed on technical grounds raises serious doubts about the Pakistani governments commitment to fight terrorism. Surely those responsible for gathering evidence against Saeed deliberately did a shoddy job? We know how sympathetic elements in the Pakistani army and intelligence really are towards the jihadists. The Pakistani government is at the mercy of these forces that ensure the safety of their strategic assets.
R.J. Khurana
Chinese progress
•The brutal military suppression of the Tiananmen protests of 1989 was the legacy of Maos Cultural Revolution and the 40 years of the communist regime in China till then (Square one,IE,June 5). China is not likely to do the same again,nor will it need to,the country having come a long,long way since Tiananmen,1989. It is propping up the US through the current global recession,and its youth are proud nationalists,partly because of their prosperity,partly because of their state-controlled media. In any case,India had better start knowing China seriously to beat it.
Nishant Bhaiji
New Delhi
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