Dear Cherian, I guess, Dileep explained it clearly, from where the feeling 'smart cities are here to stay' comes from. Also please refer to Devika's letter.
But a short note. The major contradiction in your position (and many other party people)is that it starts with an assumption that 'in the beginning there were smart cities'. Are you saying that they are God given? I do not see it in that way. It doesn't just happen like that. It is deliberated. People do have agency to decide whether they need it or not. It is easy to label and categorise people. I can explain it this way. When people raise the issue of the viabilty of a project, then they are 'too technical', if it is well argumented then it is 'too academic' , when it comes from the affected people then it is 'blind protest' or 'maoist'. This branding makes it easier to sideline the voices of dissent. But I dont think it will help us any more. Well, regards Aryan On 5/30/07, PJ Cherian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > 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 > > > > > > > > > -- "...ironically, perhaps, the best organised dissenters in the world today are anarchists, who are busily undermining capitalism while the rest of the left is still trying to form committees." -- Jeremy Hardy, The Guardian (UK) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
