|
>So, rather than me trying to explain the un-explainable, why don't YOU
tell us HOW those of you seeking reforms, seeking positive changes,will go about
>effecting them?
Do we really need to recreate the
wheel? To save time for sake of Assam, I would rather like to know from
people like you who tried reforms and failed and declared that it is not
possible to do any reforms under existing rule of GOI. All you need to do
is to tell us what are these GOI rules for which you could not do the reforms.
That way those who want to try again would know the pitfalls and would know what
not to do. This is a question I asked you before but you decided to remain
silent and act as devil's advocate instead.
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 11:46
AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Reforms - The
CONCLUSION
>So, now we shouldn't have a desire for reforms? I am perplexed
as usual. :)
*** I know Ram. I know! It is obviously confounding.
So, rather than me trying to explain the un-explainable, why don't YOU
tell us HOW those of you seeking reforms, seeking positive changes,will go
about effecting them? And how it might be different from how things are today.
Or how such reforms have not come about since the NEED for them translated
into the armed uprising a quarter century ago?
At 11:30 AM -0600 1/18/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
So, C'da
Whats your prescription to this whole
mess?
>That is why to assert a desire
for reforms, for positive change, therefore, is an untenable >notion.
And explains your observation:
So, now we shouldn't have a desire for
reforms? I am perplexed as usual. :)
--Ram
On 1/18/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>The trick is to
have a regional party in Assam (without any bosses in Delhi) whom people
of Assam can trust more >than national parties.
**** Thanks. Brilliant idea! Come to think of it, it was
staring at my face but never saw it. But that is me!
At 11:17 AM -0600 1/18/06, Rajen Barua wrote:
>It is further complicated by the
fact that the election system is rigged in such a way, that the
"National" party bosses rule how their stooges at the state level shall
>behave. The Assam legislators' election and existence is entirely
dependent on the discretion of their bosses and the money bags from
Dilli.
The trick is to
have a regional party in Assam (without any bosses in Delhi) whom people
of Assam can trust more than national parties.
RB
----- Original Message -----
From: Chan
Mahanta
To: Malabika Brahma ; Chan Mahanta ; [email protected] ; Roy, Santanu
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 11:01
AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Reforms - The
CONCLUSION
Utpal:
>That can be achieved only through an overground
political movement . But such changes are not possible without making
constitutional amendments
*** That is where the problem lies.
The Catch 22 is in Assam and the NE's clout, or more
precisely their lack of it, in Delhi, where it boils down to numbers.
It is further complicated by the fact that the election system is
rigged in such a way, that the "National" party bosses rule how their
stooges at the state level shall behave. The Assam legislators'
election and existence is entirely dependent on the discretion of
their bosses and the money bags from Dilli.
>But to force the Parliament pass a bill that makes the
first step towards >Federalism will take a lot of effort and ground
work at the National Level >(because of the Number game we need to
play)
*** That is why to accept the conditions imposed by the
Indian constitution is a non-starter . To accept its sanctity, is to
admit defeat even before one starts. That is why to assert a
desire for reforms, for positive change, therefore, is an
untenable notion. And explains your observation:
>But opposition from the intelligentsia for a
meaningful and substantive >government reforms is what is difficult
to fathom.
c-da
At 3:54 PM +0000 1/18/06, Malabika Brahma wrote:
Chandan
da,
>> Similarly on that segment of Assam's
establishment and intelligentsia, who is
>> opposed to meaningful and substantive
governmental reforms
>> and regaining of controls over its
resources, either willfully or unwittingly.
Opposition from Assam's establishment I can very well
understand. But opposition from the intelligentsia for a meaningful
and substantive government reforms is what is difficult to
fathom.
>> One such effort would be by offering ideas for
a reformed Assam governance,
>> based on real ( asc opposed to the desi kind)
democratic concepts and principles.
That can be achieved only through an overground
political movement . But such changes are not possible without
making constitutional amendments and consititutional amendments are
not possible until and unless we build up a national level
consensus. Such changes are possible only in a truly Federal India
(as opposed to the Federalism Desi kind).
But to force the Parliament pass a bill that makes the
first step towards Federalism will take a lot of effort and ground
work at the National Level (because of the Number game we need to
play) . Such ground work can only be accomplished by active
involvement of liberal, visionary and articulate citizens of North
East and that is where we need the likes of Prof Sanjiv Baruah,
Mamoni Roisom Goswami or journalist Sanjoy Hazarika. They understand
the problems faced by North East because of a GOI that is entirely
dominated by the Cow Belters and but neverthless they have earned
some respect and credibility amongst the Think Tankers at all India
level. That places them in a position from where they can influence
the liberal intelligentsia all over the country for the much needed
reforms to the so called Desi Demokrasy. And I think some of the
more liberal educational institutes like the JNU or Calcutta
University are good places to start the crusade for constitutional
reforms.
Unless we can win the Number Game, we can never force
GOI to make constitutional amendments to achive the kind of
federalism that will ensure an exploitation free North
East.
Utpal
Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Hi Santanu:
Of all the analyses, yours make the most sense, and I
agree with most of it. I also was not sure how Utpal's points
correlate with the ones you make. But be that as it may,
allow me to chime in here:
As I see it, the GOI thinks of
negotiations with ULFA as basically a process of waiting till
the latter is ready to surrender - the only talk it wants is to
check out if they are ready for that - and if that ever happens,
they have a stdandard face saving formula that they will
offer - bits of special powers for the state, maybe inner line
permit, lots of central funds (to fatten the leaders) and a
political process to return them to power in the state
elections.
>As I see it, the ULFA has no reason to accept such
an offer at this point.
**** I will have to agree with what you observe
above. I harbor similar concerns. The Naga non-negotiations
and the stand-still is an example of things to expect.
However what is unknown here is whether ULFA will submit itself to
a prolonged period of non-ability to put any pressure on GoI, by
resumption of violence again that is, if the talks do not
progress. That would be an unfortunate outcome, in which Assam
will be the loser. It therefore behooves the people of
Assam--at least those who want to see an end to the hostilities
with some essential and measurable gains for Assam, to put
political/public opinion pressures on GoI . Similarly on that
segment of Assam's establishment and intelligentsia, who is
opposed to meaningful and substantive governmental
reforms
and regaining of controls over its resources,
either willfully or unwittingly.
________________________________________________________________________________
*** I wrote the above on Monday, on my way back to
St.Louis. Since then, we have already seen things changing, like
ULFA's notice to OIL ( or was it ONGC? ), and an editorial in the
Sentinel of yesterday's, in which it criticizes ( rightly, for a
change) the ghee-belly-governor-general's 'bad-cop' talk,
contradicting Delhi's willingness to engage in talks with
ULFA for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. While it could
be given the benefit of the doubt that Dilli's right hand does not
know what its left is doing, a frequent phenomenon, I will be
loathe to accept it. It looks more and more like that ol'
"good-cop, bad-cop" routine. Does ULFA see the handwriting on the
wall? I will have to believe they do, very well.
And it does not bode well.
________________________________________________________________________________
Like we discussed earlier , here arises the importance
of a concerted political effort both on ULFA's part as well as
that segment of Assam which is sympathetic to ULFA's efforts on
behalf of Assam, as an essential concurrent
movement.
Reluctantly, I am resigned to the notion that the tiny
segment that is beholden to Delhi's interests should be ignored as
irrelevant and a complete waste of effort.
But those of us who do care, have an important role to
play: To help move the efforts for a negotiated along, by
mobilizing public support. One such effort would be by offering
ideas for a reformed Assam governance, based on real ( asc opposed
to the desi kind) democratic concepts and
principles.
c-da
At 10:18 PM -0600 1/13/06, Roy, Santanu wrote:
Utpal:
I agree with your
vision.
The way I see it - in the short run, there is almost
nothing substantive that one can get the GOI to accede to in
terms of effective decentralization of power or plebscite or any
other adjustment to the political relationship between Delhi and
Assam. The babus and polticians that run Delhi are under almost
no pressure at all.
Chandan-da suggested that the pressure
might come from the fact that New Delhi wants to look like a big
world power and carry international prestige & it can't do
that with an armed rebellion and suppression of liberty in one
part of its country. I actually don't think that India has any
such ambition. India want to be China in terms of international
leverage. China routinely suppresses even peaceful peasant
movements by brute force. International power follows from
aggregate economic and military might. It does not require
internal democracy or liberty. Countries like today's India,
China, current Russia, Iran, Turkey are not very civil (I know I
am going to be lynched for saying this)- they do not aim to
project their power through moral superiority of their internal
social
order.
The only way a rebellion in Assam would threaten
India's ascendency would be if it made India look unstable. But
like Chechnya or even the Kurdish border in Turkey, Assam is
almost a detached fringe of Indian society. It cannot
destabilize India as of now.
Therefore, I see no closure in
sight.
I also agree with you that hope lies in history. None
of us concievably imagine what the geopolitical map of the world
will look like 20 or 30 years from now. To take advantage of
historical opportunities (like your third world war), one needs
to have a strong civil movement at the grassroot level - a
cohesive nationality formation process. That is much harder than
armed
insurrection.
Santanu.
-----Original
Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
on behalf of Malabika Brahma
Sent: Sat 1/14/2006 10:57
AM
To: [email protected]
Subject:
Re: [Assam] Reforms - The CONCLUSION
Ram da asked
some very practical questions. We all know that the GOI is
controlled by politicians who gives a damn if Assam or NE bleeds
to death.
Here is the fact (as stressed
by Santanu )
Those who control GOI are
politicians who care less for the people of Assam and NE and
care less for the lives of soldiers that die in NE. So achieving
independence through an armed struggle is next to
impossible.
The only way independence
can be achieved are:
1. By making
constitutional amendment to include "instrument of secession" in
Indian constitution and influencing upon the GOI to hold a
plesbicite in Assam/NE and hope that majority of the people vote
for secession. But this can not be achieved unless there is move
to build a consensus in the National level.
2. By hoping that a 3rd world
war breaks out and GOI finds it impossible to manage the present
political India. Actually in my opinion 2nd world war is
what helped India win its independence from the British. It
became too expensive for Britain to maintain its colonies
because of its involvement in the war. This again is
highly unlikely.
May be Chandan da or Mike da
knows some other Practical Means of achieving independence that
we are missing.
That's why I think
"Independence of Assam/NE is excellent to have but not possible
to achieve". So why build castles in the air
?
But yes, if we can force GOI to hold
a plesbicite, that will be the greatest victory. What will be
the outcome of the plesbicite , is left to speculation of
course.
But one thing we have to
understand, for Government of India , ULFA and NDFB may
not count, but for Assam and NE, they are our boys after
all. When one ULFA/NDFB member gets eliminated, one of my
brother or sister is getting
eliminated.
Utpal
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
---------------------------------
Yahoo!
Photos - NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p
a
photo.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
To help you stay safe and
secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo!
Security Centre.
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
|
