IS COMMONWEALTH A BIG JOKE ??

While applauding the decision of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh of boycotting the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka as a protest over the genocide committed against the Tamilians in Sri Lanka in 2009 by the same current Sri Lankan government, I strongly condemn the attitude of Indian government under the same Premiership of Dr. Singh to remain silent over the said genocide when it was committed by the same Sri Lankan government.

The current boycott by the Indian Premier is just an eyewash to please his would be Tamilian opponents in the coming general election.  This boycott is not out of firm conviction but only a lip service and to please Tamilians in South India  to get their votes in the coming election in 2014. Dr. Manmohan Singh is a doll in the hands of Sonia Gandhi of Congress Party, he got no proper strategy to direct India in the right direction as a Premier.  He is a very weak Premier of the mighty country India and because of this the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is gaining upper hand in the Hindi Belt. 

If in the coming election BJP comes to power and Modi becomes the premier of India, it will be only because of the weakness of Dr. Manmohan Singh. In the election campaign oratory currently going on, Mr. Modi inspite of having so many defects easily out beat Dr. Singh.

Is Commonwealth relevant anymore to play its constructive role in the member nations conflicts and in their conflicting happenings?  Is Mother country Britain enjoying real allegiance from the member countries? Or this organisation is become like a Jaycee  Club for exchanging pleasantries?  As a Mother country Britain should have been very forceful to stop Sri Lanka from committing genocide on Sri Lankan Tamils who were asking their democratic and fundamental rights for freedom. Britain remained silent, India remained silent and other member nations too remained silent to the rapes and other atrocities committed on innocent Sri Lankan Tamilians.

Just because Sri Lankan government enjoyed the benefits of independence and sovereignty over Sri Lanka that does not mean Sri Lankan government must allow its military and Police Force to treat Sri Lankan Tamilians so brutally in an inhuman manner. Where was the conscience of the World, Britain and India gone during that time? India should be ashamed to call itself  the country of Sages and Mahatmas who would never remain silent to the cruelties committed on its door steps.  

During his hey days in eighties Col. Muhammad Gadhafi as the head of his country Libya while attending the Non-Align Summit in a strongly worded statement said, “Non Align Organisation is become a big joke” because it cannot solve any problem of any member country.

In the same manner, I feel in the context of above mentioned one incident of Sri Lankan genocide, Commonwealth is also become a big joke .and as such it should come to an end.

 
A. Veronica Fernandes, 
Kuwait.

INDIA IS AFFLICTED WITH THE NEW DESEASE CALLED "SATELLITIS".

In his masterpiece essay "Satellitis" John Priestly Boynton a British writer of name and fame deplored the race to go to the Moon by the main victorious powers in the World War II, namely the Soviet Russia, USA and Britain. This essay he wrote after the end of WWII by hard hitting the British of thinking to join the other two WWII partners in this mad race of sending Satellites into outer space. He termed this as desease called "SATELLITIS" coined on the pattern of Appendicitis and Bronchitis.

John Priestley Boynton warned British government not to embark on Moon mission as US and Soviets were doing because in the WWII Britain suffered too much of losses in men and material.  To recover these losses it is very difficult and when this is the case Britain cannot afford to spend more money in this useless venture. 

Sending Satellites into the Orbit is wasting country's resources and instead Britain should invest the same amount in the development of its people living on their soil and who require more attention than anything else.

Britain paying heed to this advice and realising the uselessness of getting afflicted with the desease called Satellitis, diverted its attention and resources on its development in the country and managed to reach where it is today. Blinded by the fake honour of competing with US and Soviets, Britain wanted to enter into this useless race but saner counsel prevailed and this made Britain to put an end to this desease called Satellitis.

In this context I would like to comment on the recent Indian Mars mission of sending a Rocket into the Planet Mars.  India is a vastly developed country scientifically and because of this development this achievement of sending Rocket into the Mars is realised. Scientifically it is a great achievement.  But, is it worth in embarking on this costly mission for a poor country India?  This mission cost India Billions of Rupees which could have been better utilised for the development of poor Indians who are still struggling to lead a decent life.

Though scientifically it is a big achievement but economically it is not.  India is craving for honour to outpace China in this field but by doing so what economic benefits poor Indian masses will get in the success of this mission? Gaining access to Mars and neglecting its own people’s development on this Planet is not only foolish but also a major sin Indian government is committing against its own poor masses. 

China is taking good care of its people and because of this Chinese people are happy there while our people are begging on the roads and when we have such beggars, is it right on our part to spend crores of Rupees in the Mars mission from where we will have no benefits?

Soviet Russia under its leader Nikita Khrushchev acquired this desease of “Satellitis” and thru this desease sent its spacecraft “Sputnik” under the command of Astronaut Yuri Gagarin into the outer space thinking this mission will pave the way for Soviet Russia to control USA and other World powers from outer planet.   

Then came USA under President John F. Kennedy who in his inaugural speech prophetically told the American people that "United States of America will land its men into the Moon before the end of this decade (Seventies)".  USA also had the same type of ambition as that of Soviets.    

Both the World Powers succeeded in their initial goals but failed in their ultimate aims.  Realising their folly of dreaming empty dreams, Soviets put an end for their empty dreams and US accepted the fact that there is no gains in further pursuing this goal because it is a useless goal. The greatest achievement for USA in the Moon mission was to keep the Holy Cross and Holy Bible on the surface of the Moon along with American Flag and bring from the Moon  as Souvenirs some pieces of Rocks.

Will India realise the folly of Russia and USA and wisdom of Britain and put an end to this costly affairs and spend the same amount of money on the development of its begging people?  I have all the rights to say this because as a tax payer I don’t want India to fritter away my money for reckless and useless expenditures. The Mars mission of India will be nothing but just an empty show of its scientific advancement and may be a booster for the Congress Party in the coming election.

A. Veronica Fernandes, 
Kuwait.

GOANS V/S NIGERIANS IN GOA.

In his beautiful song, Taxi Driver, the late ace comedian of Konkani Stage Anthony Mendes in one verse sings thus in Konkani “Handle mojem bhair kaddun, Xit Koddiecho maka fors evun, bhair kaddli tanchi Bakri Dhau”. 

The story of the song tells that while Mendes as a Taxi Driver when threatened with physical attack on him by the non-Goans in Bombay thinking that Goans are nothing, Mendes used the car Handle to show his power of Goan "Xit - Koddi" against his opponents’ power of “Bakri - Dall” from Bombay.  In this context Mendes said that verse in his song in order to stop the "Dadageri" of the non-Goans against him as a Goan.  

This was exactly Goans in Porvorim showed to the rowdy Nigerians who went too far in showing their brute might. It was not these Nigerians only but everybody coming from outside Goa is showing his brute might to Goans and when Goans react to this brute might then they blame Goans.  If it was not for the retaliation of Goans at Porvorimg, the Nigerian goons would hijack Goa as a whole and take Goans as hostages demanding huge ransom. 

They ought to be taught a very good lesson so that they or for that matter any foreigner does not take liberty of our kindness and softness  They are coming in our land and acting with arrogance with Goans?   Not acceptable. Would they tolerate such rowdism and “goondaism” created by outsiders in Nigeria?  I am sure they would burn alive outsiders doing such rowdism in Nigeria.

In Nigeria our people working there are all disciplined people and majority of them are professionals and as such they live and work there peacefully with due respect for the local laws and tradition. The overwhelming majority of Nigerians living in Goa and who were involved in creating chaos at Parra and Porvorim are illegals and Drug addicts.  They are cheats in Goa staying even without proper legal documents as per the available information.

The threats issued by the Nigerian diplomats in India are just empty and fake threats and I am sure they are issued without proper knowledge of Nigerian Foreign Office in Nigeria. I know the quality of Nigerian diplomats because many of them were my colleagues in Kuwait in the Writers Guild Forum. 

Up to now there is no authentic threatening statement released by the Nigerian government from Nigeria because for the government in Nigeria this Goa episode is not a big issue that merit serious action from Nigerian government. I am sure Nigerian government knows the real quality of its nationals residing in Goa and who are a shame on Nigeria.

The attitude of Nigerians to take law into their own hands at Parra itself was wrong when they prevented the Police to conduct the Panchanama and take the dead body for Post-mortem.  Worst still was the sinful act of displaying the dead body openly on the road at Porvorim in defiance of legal, moral and religious codes. Such defiance deserves highest punishment from the law enforcing authority – human and devine as well.

Meantime, we are eagerly waiting for Parrikar to disclose openly the identities of the former MLA’s from Calangute constituency and others who were involved in collaborating with the Nigerians to carry on with their illicit trade.

A.Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.