| March 12, 2002 | Tuesday | Zilhaj 27, 1422 |
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Saarc decisions
World Cup hockey
ARIEL Sharon’s “concessions” to Yasser Arafat are little more than an admission of defeat. Besieged and virtually under house arrest, Yasser Arafat has proved his mettle: he has refused to bow to Ariel Sharon’s armed might. The Israeli prime minister’s statement on Sunday — proposing to lift the ban on the Palestinian leader’s movements and allowing him to attend the Arab League summit if he makes such a request — amounts to admitting that he has failed to break the Palestinian leader’s spirit of defiance and valour. Coming from Sharon, “concessions” merely mean a convenient cover for his hard-line policies that aim at scuttling the peace process. Inherently, Sharon is incapable of making “concessions.” You cannot concede what does not belong to you. The destruction of the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters in Gaza City on Sunday was part of Sharon’s continued attempt to destroy the symbols of such autonomy as the PA possesses. In a bizarre twist, Sharon admitted that his “concessions” came as a result of the Palestinian leader’s fulfilment of his commitment to arrest the suspected killers of the racist Israeli tourism minister, Rehavam Zeevi, who had been shot dead by Palestinian gunmen in October last. The admission was bizarre, because it belied Sharon’s constant refrain accusing Arafat of “not doing enough” to rein in Palestinian militants — an accusation readily parroted by Washington. The two acts, when seen together, say a lot about Tel Aviv’s siege mentality.
Sharon’s blatant policy of going to war against a people virtually locked up in their over-crowded and embattled towns and villages across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank now make the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas look like Hitler’s concentration camps. These brutal tactics have not decreased but increased the security risks for Israel’s Jewish population, as well as for those living in the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. There is now growing public pressure within Israel on Sharon to rethink his policies. The Labour Party within the ruling coalition has gone on record as saying it would not have supported Sharon’s hard-line policies had it known they would expose Israelis to more dangerous situations. Thus, under the current situation, Arafat should not make any formal request to Tel Aviv for “permission” to attend the Beirut summit, and give Sharon a much needed lease on his political relevance at home. Arafat’s absence from the Beirut moot will only serve to expose the tyrant in Sharon, and lend the Palestinian cause the sympathy it deserves.
The fast-deteriorating situation in the Middle East calls for a concerted international effort to rein in Sharon and his ilk. Arafat is right when he says violence in Palestine cannot stop unless a fair international mechanism is put in place to monitor the situation on the ground to let the world know which side is violating international commitments. Sharon’s resistance to this fair suggestion betrays the Israeli leader’s real intentions behind his professed quest for peace. There can be no hope for any durable ceasefire, let alone peace in Palestine, as long as the more powerful of the two parties is allowed to use its fire-breathing war machine against its weaker and helpless counterpart. Any meaningful effort toward that end, including the Saudi peace plan, will have to wait until Israel is ready to abandon its policy of state terrorism. Anything short of this will continue to fuel the Palestinian intifada against their tormentors.
FOR a change, something positive has come of a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The second Saarc information ministers’ conference ended in Islamabad with an agreement between members to facilitate the movement of journalists within the region and the establishment of a media development fund. A media forum that will allow editors and journalists of the seven countries to meet every year has also been set up. And, the information ministers of Saarc members will now meet every year instead of the previous four years. Given the state of tension in the region — especially between Pakistan and India with ban on flights and rail and road travel and on each other’s electronic and print media — this is a welcome step. Apparently, Saarc’s members have realized, perhaps a bit belatedly, that used properly the media can be an effective way of bringing countries and their people closer. Obviously, the darker side to this is that it can also be a tool for poisoning the public mind — both at home and abroad — and this has often been evident in the way some Saarc nations manipulate or restrict the media.
One hopes that all decisions taken at this conference will be implemented and not fall victim to political or other considerations. In fact, going by Saarc’s quite dismal record of being a mere talking-shop, it would be an achievement if South Asian journalists could meet regularly. Perhaps, in due time, this flow of media persons could be extended to allow a greater exchange of newspapers and magazines between Saarc countries. Making all this possible would help reduce tension in the region by allowing people more avenues for communicating with each other. Saarc’s 17-year-old record is dismal. Compared to what regional groupings like the European Union and Asean have achieved, Saarc is a non-starter. Nevertheless, even a little bit of progress, as made at the Islamabad conference, needs to be welcomed.
FOR hockey fans everywhere, the World Cup final between Germany and Australia was a real treat. The fast and forceful pace of the game made this encounter exciting even for the less initiated audience. Although Australia had the upper hand throughout, Germany — earning the coveted honour for the first time — availed its opportunity at the decisive moment through its celebrated forward, Oliver Domke. Netherlands was lucky to claim the bronze as South Korea mounted a serious threat and showed remarkable improvement in the process.
Pakistan, after its exit from the semi-final round, succeeded at last in the classification contest for the forthcoming Champions Trophy. The last hurdle in this battle was also the match against Argentina — the country that spoiled Pakistan’s chances in the earlier stages. The final few minutes’ offensive saved the situation after a scary scene was posing another problem. Our team’s over-all performance, despite occasional spurts of excellence, left much to be desired. The failure of the forward line in terms of concerted movement and coordination adversely affected its efficacy as a force. Too much dependence on penalty corners and the virtual absence of field goals could be largely ascribed to this deficiency. Defence was disturbingly vulnerable and the pressure on the custodian thus increased, though he rose to the occasion magnificently.
The supremacy of Australia and Europe in hockey has wrought a revolution in the modern version of the game. Scientific coaching and physical fitness have given them a definite edge. Besides, playing on the synthetic surface demands improved speed and control. Solo efforts are apt to be defeated in the changing pattern, though at times they could overturn the planning of the most powerful opposition. Another negative development in the Asian context is the dominant influence of umpiring. Unfortunately, Pakistan was the worst victim of this bias, particularly in the match against Germany. The Asian countries should be more assertive in their collective representations to restore objectivity in conducting inter-continental competitions.