His Holiness Dalai Lama in Spotlight

February 23, 2010

By Padmini Arhant

His Holiness Dalai Lama was a guest at the CNNs Larry King Live show on Monday, February 22, 2010.

During the interview, the host Larry King stated,

“Most Americans do not want the United States relationship strained with China over Tibet’s independence.” 

Interestingly, Mr. Larry King did not provide any specifics like who exactly these Americans are, the pollster name and details for authenticity.

Such position could not be from the mainstream population given the fact that by and large American people are samaritans and strong believers of democracy including human rights for them and others.

That being the case, it makes one wonder –

Like everything else is Made in China, if the questionnaire for this interview was possibly,

Prepared by China or Beijing’s representatives in the United States due to the provocative and insensitive questions posed in the interview.

Should a major international network like CNN compromise on substance to boost rating?

As for the alleged statement cited by the CNN talk show host, the anonymous individuals prioritizing economic opportunities over Tibetan people’s freedom cannot be living in the,

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

More likely, they belong to the – Land of the Narcissists, Home of the Hypocrites.

The people of the oppressed nation, Tibet may not necessarily be the strongest ally of the United States for whom the latter poised as the leader of the free world would not undertake risks against the invader and persecutor, the Communist China, like it did in 1991 –

When the U.S and allies waged war against Iraq in retaliation to Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of a comparatively small kingdom, the oil rich Kuwait,

Or for that matter,

Threatening to wipe out (Obliterate with nuclear weapons- the rhetoric during Presidential campaign) anyone harassing the nuclear armed Israel, the United States surrogate partner in the middle east despite Israel prominently established as the Neo-Imperialist in the region.

Is freedom a natural right and an entitlement for the privileged while remaining a fantasy for the weak and defenseless?

What would be the twenty first century like in the absence of the following events?

The women’s suffrage movement leading to the women’s vote in the United States of America.

If, President Abraham Lincoln had not ended slavery.

A young civil rights leader DR. Martin Luther King daring to dream a world without prejudice.

If, a resilient leader Mahatma Gandhi had failed in the non-violence principle to free his nation from two hundred years of colonialism.

Creating the state of Israel in OId Palestine amid Arab disagreement in the aftermath of holocaust.

The fall of Berlin wall and Eastern Bloc nations set free from the former Soviet Union.

Liberation of South Africa from the brutal apartheid.

Likewise, Independence for the small island nation East Timor -after prolonged tyranny and massacre.

Emancipation of human beings is not up to free individuals or the oppressive authority to decide whether the enslaved are eligible for liberty or not.

Reiterating the earlier message – All living beings are created equal and born to be free.

The people in Tibet, Palestine, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Afghanistan and the nations in Africa, Middle East, and Latin America are no exception to this natural rule of law.

No military might and economic power can continue to suppress the freedom of the population for their false sense of political superiority.

His Holiness Dalai Lama for diplomacy sake could seek autonomy rather than independence for the persecuted and tortured six million Tibetans on account of Tibet’s economic dependency on China.

China’s communist politburo decline political freedom and economic opportunities for long oppressed Tibetans in the Buddhist land.

However, India and South Africa would not be independent had they been abandoned under similar notion that the fate of the several millions are better off as the oppressed minority in their domicile.

Every tribe, community and society has leadership potential to guide and govern the people irrespective of the economic and educational status.

It’s an innate quality provided by nature and commonly seen throughout the animal kingdom.

Because of human greed to amass wealth and territories poignantly,

China – In spite of being third largest nation by total area and the second largest in land area, Beijing authorities insist on retaining Tibet, Xinjiang province, annexing Taiwan and currently eying on neighbor India.

Furthermore, the Chinese Communist rule conspicuously reining in on the most powerful nation, the United States transformed into a subservient economic debtor through unfair trade practices.

Not barring the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status, WTO membership and veto power in the UN Security Council consistently abused by the Communist nation at any given time.

Again, the United States and allies biased treatment of other communist nations is noteworthy.

Cuba and North Korea are incessantly subject to economic sanctions for a variety of reasons ranging from human rights violation to the nuclear standoff.

On the other hand, China, the ultimate communist authority with gross human rights violation and utter disregard for international rule of law is granted immunity based on the emerging economic power status by the democratic nations.

United States lacking in political will and corporations with investments in China are pressuring media to evade democracy depriving the people of Tibet the political freedom.

Then the real power – the people as consumers from all walks of life across the world should prove that the political and economic stakeholders can no longer determine the destiny of human beings.

Worldwide boycott of Made in China goods along with investments withdrawal from the state controlled Chinese holdings by humanitarians, democracy and peace seekers for all contrary to the selective few could lead to the beginning of the end of the communist rule in China and elsewhere.

Not long ago, in the latter part of the twentieth century i.e. during the cold war, the former Soviet Union was formidable opponent of the United States.

Lo and behold, the iron curtain dropped astonishing the rest of the world in marking the end of the repressive rule.

History is testimony to the fact that the rise and fall of empire and emperors not attributed to honorable surrendering of power or the oligarchs’ magnanimity but instead the voice for democracy within and outside oppressed nations have enabled the political transition.

With an inevitable freedom for the people of Tibet, Palestine, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and others, the optimism will prevail over the lingering insecurity among the authorities and their proxies in the political and economic domain.

Caring, compassionate and peace activists from around the world must stage a non-violent protest and display solidarity in the freedom movement for Tibet, Palestine…the only hope and a guaranteed victory towards democracy for these nations.

Finally, the consumer power always succeeds against any economic and political power.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Ethics, Featured, International Politics, Politics | 1 Comment 

Honduran Election Jeopardy

November 17, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

The political situation in Honduras has evolved into a constitutional crisis with the upcoming national elections scheduled on November 29, 2009. President Manuel Zelaya, a democratically elected head of the state was ousted through a military coup approved by the Honduran Congress on the premise that the deposed leader allegedly attempted to subvert the constitution to remain in power.

Meanwhile, the self-appointed interim President Roberto Micheletti has not wasted any time in demonstrating the monstrosity of a typical military coup since seizing power in June, 2009. In a bizarre twist to the political fiasco, the Congress and the military regime are in breach of the constitution they were proposing to defend against the Zelaya government. Hondurans plight has worsened with the political unrest and contrarily solidified the support for the legitimate Zelaya leadership.

To add insult to injury, the U.S. State Department intervened in a manner to broker the open-end ‘Tegucigalpa San Jose Accord’ on October 29, 2009 without any stipulations or deadline.

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According to the Associated Press release on date – Martha Mendoza in Mexico City

“The accord calls for the formation of a national unity government, but does not require Zelaya’s restoration to office, leaving that decision up to Congress. It set no deadline for lawmakers to vote.
Honduran lawmakers will not decide whether to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya until after upcoming presidential elections, the congressional leader said Tuesday, a decision that could undermine international support for the vote.

The administration of President Barack Obama has repeatedly said that recognition of the election is not linked to any one action, said State Department spokesman Charles Luoma-Overstreet.

Several Latin American countries have warned they will not recognize the outcome of the election unless Zelaya is restored beforehand.

But the United States has not ruled out restoring diplomatic ties with a newly elected Honduran government even if Zelaya remains out of power through the vote.

Zelaya declared the pact a failure two weeks ago when Micheletti announced the formation of a unity government before Congress had voted, accusing the interim leader of maneuvering to stay in power.”
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Analysis – By Padmini Arhant

It’s apparent to any reasonable mind that the U.S. State department’s haphazard mediation has exacerbated the turmoil in the absence of specificity and clarity not to mention the weakening of the United States status to resolve international issues.

In perspective, the precise solutions to the Honduran political climax is for the interim coup leader Roberto Micheletti to acknowledge the reality and gracefully step aside by allowing the democratically preferred President Manuel Zelaya to resume office until the end of his elected term – January 2010.

As for the Honduran Congress, the actions or the lack thereof strongly suggest their undermining of the constitution they were elected to protect and honor in a democracy. Therefore, it’s incumbent on the Congress as elected representatives to comply with the popular demand and reinstate the Zelaya Presidency that would ensure the political stability right now. Furthermore, within the constitutional framework President Manuel Zelaya should be able to seek re-election provided there is a populace support for the process.

Nevertheless, the military coup under Roberto Micheletti and the Honduran Congress has violated the constitution more than the purported effort by President Manuel Zelaya.

Restoring democracy in Honduras is paramount for political security in the Western hemisphere, considering the precarious economic conditions affecting the majority in the region. The Latin American nations’ decision to denounce the Congress vote and the electoral result is appropriate due to the prevalent undemocratic events thus far.

President Manuel Zelaya is the democratically elected leader and constitutionally justified to govern the nation effective immediately and the forces in defiant of the democratic values are worthy of condemnation notwithstanding their removal from office.

The people of Honduras have displayed tremendous fortitude in rejecting the military takeover and the regional solidarity has been instrumental in containing the unaffordable calamity.

I convey my best wishes to the people of Honduras and encourage them to remain unified in preserving freedom and democracy.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, International Politics, Politics | Leave a Comment 

Corporate Role in the Environmental Crisis

October 1, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Tragedy strikes once again in the earthquake prone Indonesia causing a chain of events in other coastal territories viz. the Western Samoa hit with Tsunami, The Philippines embracing the worst casualties in the poorest region from the Typhoon, Japan and Hawaii remaining on alert due to the warnings issued by the U.S. Geological Survey.

When calamities of this magnitude happen, it predominantly takes toll on the poorest population unwillingly surrendering themselves to premature death or scrambling to survive the wrath of the environmental force. It’s no longer the natural disasters as once declared but instead the insatiable appetite to satisfy the ‘wants’ is forcing the entities to use the means for their material status at the habitat’s peril.

Unfortunately, rescue, evacuations and rehabilitation are costly even to the rich nations, evidenced in the Katrina victims still in the process of reorganizing their lives. Thankfully, the generous investment of time, money and resources by the private philanthropists like the actor Brad Pitt, organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and volunteers from all walks of life is easing the burden on the natives in rebuilding their homes.

For the poor nations, recurring crisis of this nature cause tremendous economic and social challenges leaving them in poverty, hunger and disease that leads to the political turmoil common in the island nations of The Philippines and Indonesia. The people in these parts of the world deserve a decent existence prevalent elsewhere.

Global summits like G-20, Earth Day, Peace Forum, etc., are crucial to evaluate the international goals and achievements on important issues pertaining to life. However, these summits become ‘elite and exclusive’ if the tree bearing the fruits fails to provide for the entire inhabitants on earth.

The rich and the developing nations can do more on their part in alleviating global poverty and disease through the democratic process by defining the ethical standards for the corporations, the defense forces, and the mass media, the dominant forces in the evolutionary process.

Environmental abuse by the domestic and foreign corporations of the industrialized and emerging economies worsening at the expense of the people… particularly the middle, the lower and the poorest groups in the economic strata. The irony being these neglected demography constitute a significant part of the consumer chain and yet receiving little or no respect and value from the free market beneficiaries.

In the global economy, when the mighty corporations venture into the continents rich in natural resources but lacking in technical know-how and basic tools for self-sustenance, the local population involuntarily mortgage their precious agricultural lands and lives including the freedom to the foreign investment power.

The foreign investors’ role not limited to short-term profit oriented schemes;
In fact, it’s often expansive with a long-term strategy infiltrating into the political infrastructure of those nations as proven in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East leaving those regions in eternal political instability, civil wars and environmental catastrophes.

The ‘so-called’ investors successfully subvert any horrific industrial accidents and deliberate environmental pollutions by influencing the political powers in the respective domains. Thus, the ‘corruption’ stigma assigned specifically to the exploited regions. Meanwhile, the responsible sources honored as the ‘noble,’ wealth distributors dedicated to liberating the poorest nations from the misery.

In the absence of any international indictments against the culprits, the systemic ethical erosion has contributed to the obliteration of the once solid socio-economic structure yielding the status quo.

Not all is lost as the people in every part the world have the power to create a cornerstone for the collective benefit rather than the individual interest. It may not happen instantaneously, nevertheless the foundation required to build the monument that would accommodate the needs of all.

Human values appreciated through genuine care and support to the victims of such disasters. Crisis is indiscriminate to color, race or religion and the human concern or the lack thereof immensely impact the recovery.

Please reach out to the victims by offering any affordable donations through international organizations like the Red Cross and others engaged in the humanitarian relief.

I share the grief and sorrow with the victims’ families in this tragedy.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

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