Fault finding and accusations would hardly lead us anywhere. In Kerala, we have heroes and scapegoats in plenty and each day media choke you with such binaries. it's depressing that we also behave the 'suresh gopi' way - of course for other reasons. Well, the smart cities are here to stay ........not just here- all over the world. and alternatives cannot evolve in vacuum. AK please don't tell we have the only 'god given' academic role of making judgments . it's where history and democracy should come to help.
Why Munnar happened ? for the first time in the last fifty years, we have a ruling coalition without the direct progenies of the liberation struggle - the Kottayam based kerala congress lobby - in any decisive role. the media never brought out the real process behind the encroachment and its demolition. equally naive is to see a beaurocratic force emerging. public institutions/spaces are facing unprecedented degeneration and those who are part of it -whether clerks or ministers can only pretend to be heroes and the scope is plenty. from the road side-in a TV show . 'Its heartening to see this demolition, for long there was this feeling that if you have money you can get away with anything." this and the philosophy of neo-liberalism, its accumulative encroachments varies only in degrees. Munnar leveling is a small but significant step and may be the smart city two steps backward !?. ----- Original Message ----- From: aryakrishnan ramakrishnan To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:04 AM Subject: {greenyouth} Re: ??????????????????? ???????????? ?.?? ????? Dear Cherian, Why we are still so self righteous? Why the arguement should start from an alternative for smart city? The problem is 'why smart city'. We all know the transparency of the poor comrades in kerala and other parts too. We need alternatives for Athirappilly dam, we need alternatives for Smart city. But we conveniently forget to think why, in the first hand it should come. And for whom, and in consultancy with whom the plan and proposal is going? The assumption that 'poor comrades' are always doing public good is a factual error, which can be understood by any one living/lived in Kerala. Well, I am not getting in to the anti-cpm blabla, because we all know that. But we should also think for whom these projects are designed. thanks Aryan ps. I am not with you for 'smart city' , for 'Athirappilly project', for the 'landgrab in west Bengal' On 5/29/07, PJ Cherian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi, strange why Dileep raj- can't address issues 'independently' and forget the UDF - LDF sort of obvious. He tried in the beginning but soon got lost with anti-CPM bla bla. don't accuse of being in service .......In fact all of us are. Now to job talk .... was how the capital imprisoned the world of both communists and anti communists alike, leave alone the pro-capital, Yes to come out - you said it - democracy is the way. But the democracy we know has accepted, legitimized and internalized the accumulation through encroachment, and neo-liberals celebrate it. Don't get frustrated when poor comrades try to do it with some transparency. Tell the alternative for Smart city.. am with you. pjc ----- Original Message ----- From: Dileep Raj To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 6:50 PM Subject: {greenyouth} Re: സ്മാര്ട്ട്സിറ്റിയും കേരളത്തിന്റെ ഐ.ടി നയവും Hi, I was wondering at the reappearence of 'job talk' in order to legitimise a move made by the present government. In the age of industrial capitalism, the EMS government brought Birla to Mavoor with the support of a crude version of this argument. Now in neoliberal times, intellectuals and experts are desperately relying on this one and only only 'pragmatic' excuse to rationalise their complacency in government policies. The erstwhile Soviet Union [ under the leadership of Lenin and Stalin ] was praised by some intellectuals for the giant leaps made in industrial development , job creation, economic growth etc.which was comparable to Capitalist world. At hindsight we realise that people of that country were not satisfied with such 'development' and opportunities and demanded 'democracy' !!! It is high time we take democracy as criterion to assess policy decisions and its consequences. While speaking of 'jobs being created' are we speaking as beneficiaries or 'speaking for others' ? If the second instance is the case, get lost with your patronising blabla!!! This has long been the undemocratic strategy followed by all experts siding with undemocratic governmnets in order to nullify the struggles by affected people at umpteen number of locations including Narmada. Will anybody convince me why Smart city is to be welcomed? Mind you! I am not in the least interested in the future or past of CPIM!! So please spare me of comparisons with UDF policy and the like. I wish experts and intellectuals serving CPI M could at least learn a language in which they could address publlic instead of assuming everybody to be CPIM sympathisers. Regards Dileep On 5/29/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: On May 28, 2:31 pm, Anivar Aravind < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: .."right to recall".. We need to be critical about this "right to recall". Indian subcontinent appears to be undergoing a constant demographic change, though its pace and extent varies from place to place. Legislators are now increasingly getting conscious and excited over the new found phenomenon that a *development initiative* is all what is needed to drive out their adversaries from their habitats. A new project inserted in such a premise would soon see a new demographic contour, whose appearance will be to the liking of every legislator, one that will fetch the legislator more rewards than punishment. Against this backdrop, a right to recall is worthless - especially since the antagonising voters would have already evicted their territory. The newly moved in *voters* would find nothing wrong with the legislator. If election commission came out with a report on how much voters have been effected during every franchise, the extent of this cunningness will get exposed. Till now, we were given to understand that its to incorporate the new eligible voters or make corrections on existing voters list that such an exercise is being carried out. Unless this comes, we may not be able to silence the development-pied-piper and its followers. CK Raju -- Dileep Raj Tel: 09447316701 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ greenyouth mailinglist is the activist support mailinglist for kerala run by Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA) To post to this group, send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
