20 September 2013, 11:02 AM IST
Don't know how many of you read the story Brazil President snubs Obama over NSA spying, cancels US visit. The story says that "Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff has delivered a stunning rebuke to the United States, scrubbing a much-anticipated state visit to Washington DC to express her country's anger over American spying activities including monitoring her personal communications."
While this was stunning, what struck watchers in India even more was the stark contrast this reaction was from what India did when it was first revealed that the Indian embassy in the US was spied upon by the United States. US National Security Agency had targeted India among the 38 diplomatic missions it spied upon under the PRISM spy program.
The day this information became public in July this year, India's minister for external affairs Salman Khurshid, instead of taking on the US, actually defended their act: "They were able to use it to prevent serious terrorist acts in several countries. We can hardly complain." And he did not stop there. "This is not actually snooping specifically on the content of anybody's message or conversation. This is a computer study, an analysis of patterns of calls and emails that are being sent. It is a scrutiny", he further explained.
You read that right. These indeed are our minister's exact quotes. Instead of expressing indignation (there is little else we can do with anyone, leave alone the US), he actually justifies the host nation spying on our embassy. Even the fact that we were the fifth most tracked nation in the world after Iran, Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt made no difference. Under the spy program, the NSA not only bugged embassies but even infiltrated their internal computer networks.
And our nation's act of acquiescing to the US continues. As revealed, just before our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh heads to the US, India seems to be agreeable to neutralising the key provision concerning the nuclear liability of the reactor supplier in case of an accident.
Our parliament had debated and ensured that section 17(b) of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act has a provision that the foreign suppliers of equipment or material can't escape liability if the nuclear accident is traced back to them.
But according to reports, the government is veering around to diluting it by accepting the views of India's Attorney General on this issue. The AG has apparently opined that it is for the operator of the nuclear plant to decide if it wished to exercise the 'right of recourse' provided under section 17 of the act. US nuclear vendors such as Westinghouse (that wants to sign a deal with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) or GE, both of which have been lobbying hard with the Indian government to either amend or remove this provision, would be thrilled with this.
Of course, despite the AG giving a clear escape route to part suppliers, the government still reacts to all such allegations with a straight face. The same minister who found nothing wrong with the US spying on us has reacted that while India needs energy, it will get it at its "own terms and conditions." Adding that the two sides have their own points of view, the discussions should result in a "win-win" situation for both the sides.
These are motherhood statements, which mean nothing and talk of a 'win-win' situation is neither here nor there. In fact, going by the reputation we have built of acquiescing to the US, it is more there than here.
This nation has still not forgotten the largest industrial disaster it has suffered – Bhopal gas tragedy of December, 1984. We know how those who suffered continue to fight for morsels of compensation while living with various forms of disaster inflicted ailments, those who were responsible have got scot free, at times aided by top shots in our own government.
One would think that anyone who has a stake in the nation would never agree to anything that has the faintest potential of perpetuating a similar disaster on its fellow countrymen, again. Alas!
With important state elections just months away and the general elections, which promise to be the most acrimonious we have ever had to follow soon after, the government had better be careful. Unless, of course, it has given up all hopes of making a comeback.
By the way, are you still startled at the contrast between our reaction and Brazil's?
Follow Rajesh Kalra on Twitter
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Spineless surrender
Dengan url
http://osteoporosista.blogspot.com/2013/09/spineless-surrender.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Spineless surrender
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar