Independence Day Celebration

August 15, 2016

By Padmini Arhant

Nations celebrating independence day – Singapore, Pakistan and India  reflecting on milestones reached since the respective nations declaration of independence from foreign rule.

The achievements or the lack thereof are best evaluated in society beginning at the bottom with the poorest of the poor, the lower income struggling to make ends meet and the categories above comprising the labor force in the economy. The business sector survival is directly linked with consumer base affecting the retail industry, the supply chain and ultimately the manufacturing source.

The affordability amongst the lower income group representing majority diminish due to lower wages, underemployment and unemployment amid soaring inflation. The middle class generally bear the burden of the economy in many aspects. They are not only dealing with price rise but also in compliance on various taxes unlike the wealthy opting tax evasion.

The competitive economic environment plateau wages boosting profitability for corporations not necessarily shared from the top all the way down widening gap between the rich and the poor with the middle class barely comfortable in the status quo.

In social equality – besides economic standards creating hierarchy, the diversity in society is not without barriers with gender bias, racial, religion and ethnic divide usually ignore the minority groups and inherent discriminatory practice continues in all respects in the modern age. Then there are the disenfranchised and others targeted for political mileage. In certain parts the population are deprived of basic needs and rights leading to communal isolation. These characteristics exemplify the extreme.

On security – terrorism and territorial disputes causing constant cross border tensions within boundary spreading across the region. The skirmishes become the reason to increase defense budget spending at the expense of other critical investments like health, education, housing and infrastructure stalling global economy.

Citizens safety in the country with crimes such as rape against women not even sparing female infants threatens free mobility for women in emergency and normal conditions in addition to inhibiting economic opportunity in tourism. The strange verdicts exonerating the offenders and faulting the victims in these incidents reverse the trend in national progress.

In other nations, innocent people are hostage to violence from explosions, drone attacks and hostile situations with little or no relief to residents facing persistent threats to their life on daily basis.

Active nuclear proliferation amongst key nuclear powers with nuclear testing on land and under water intensify nuclear upgrade facilitated in nuclear energy worsening global security.

On the environment front, any efforts to optimize clean energy production and use replacing fossil fuel especially coal and oil would reduce carbon emission with deforestation depleting rainforests and ozone. Nuclear power plants are vigorously run and operated in defiance to public legitimate concern in the wake of Fukushima disaster.

Regarding civil liberty – the controlled setting maintained via print, visual and audio media i.e. all possible mass communication to curb basic rights on expression considered anti-government and anti-establishment is a serious setback on democracy. The free speech subversion further confirms zero tolerance to alternative perspective.

Above all, the free nation would apply the law of the land across the spectrum holding none above the law unlike the prevalent system granting immunity to VVIP and VIP’s on crimes ranging from corruption scandals to misuse of power and celebrity status at various level.

The developments otherwise in the economic sense is a welcome change and striving for collective benefits would strengthen national goals.

Greetings to nations commemorating independence day!

Peace to all!

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

 

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, World Events 

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