| 09 May 2004 | Sunday | 18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
Power problems
Northern Cyprus: the new reality
The Abu Ghraib horrors appear to be unending. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, testifying before the Senate armed services committee on Friday, said hundreds of photographs, besides those already published, about abuse of Iraqi prisoners and two videos could deepen the scandal. The material is based on inquiries by American army investigators, and it took Mr Rumsfeld considerable effort to get it out and see it, which he did only on Thursday.
The abuses surfaced within the military establishment in January, when Mr Rumsfeld first heard of them and ordered a probe, whose report was completed in March. But it is becoming clearer by the day that efforts were made to keep the report hidden away by sections in the military establishment which resented civilian oversight of what was being done in Iraq. The state department was also apparently kept in the dark by the Pentagon.
Mr Rumsfeld was repeatedly questioned by the Senate committee about lapses in the chain of command, the insinuation being that not everyone was on board about the actual state of affairs in Iraq. At one point Mr Rumsfeld was forced to admit that his resignation might possibly help contain the damaging fallout from the torture spree, and he may yet have to take this step to save Mr George Bush from electoral defeat later in the year.
But Mr Rumsfeld cannot get away simply by pleading lack of information or by apologizing for what has happened. It was the arrogant and contemptuous attitude adopted from the beginning by the Bush administration towards Iraq - and earlier Afghanistan - that emboldened US troops to behave the way they have been doing. After the attack on Afghanistan, the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison was established, with prisoners kept in conditions that raised an outcry from human rights organization.
The men held there were described as non-combatant prisoners, to deprive them of being given the status of prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions, and it was only later and that too grudgingly that it was said that they would be treated according to the Geneva protocols. In Iraq, all the gloves were off.
While the focus is rightly on the mistreatment of the inmates of Abu Ghraib and the world waits to know what action the custodians of morality will take against those responsible for the revolting images we have seen, two points are important. The prisoner controversy should not be permitted to detract from the basic illegality of the invasion of Iraq and its occupation. The demand for the occupation forces to leave and to hand over power to genuine representatives of the Iraqi people must be respected.
Second, the Abu Ghraib expose has served to underline the virility of an open, transparent and accountable system. It was not an Arab or a Pakistani TV channel or journal that informed us of what was happening in Iraq. Whatever domestic politics was involved in publishing the pictures and news about Abu Ghraib, all credit goes to those who did so despite the knowledge that this would discredit their government and its war effort.
The immediate Congressional hearings initiated into the episode may again have a political motivation, but that they have taken place and the defence secretary and his top generals have been made to answer for their actions or inaction is in the best traditions of a democratic society. The greater the questioning, the greater the chance of injustice and oppression and arbitrary decision-making blunders being exposed and, over time, minimized.
Power problems
Karachi's residents have not had it this bad for a long time as far as power breakdowns and unannounced loadshedding are concerned. To make matters worse, the city is experiencing its hottest weather of the year, with power outages compounding everyone's problem and making life particularly difficult for households with small children. The breakdowns also affect the operation of the water pumping stations, causing water shortages that further aggravate the residents' hardship.
The prolonged and frequent power breakdowns have hit production in the industrial estates with captains of industry warning that worse could follow if the situation does not improve. Besides, recent disturbances in which irate residents have ransacked the KESC's consumer centres and manhandled employees are ominous signs of what might be in store during the long summer if the crisis persists.
The KESC says that in the summer months, because of higher consumption of electricity (especially through airconditioners), there is a shortfall of 1,000 MW. It has sought the help of the Alternate Energy Development Board but the latter is not in a position to effectively meet the shortfall. It seems Karachi will have to suffer loadshedding in the summer months until the KESC grid is linked to Hubco, something that will not happen before the summer of 2007.
However, the situation would not have been as bad as now had the utility clamped down on illegal 'kunda' connections reduced its high line losses and kept its distribution system in good trim. The dilapidated state of the grid, old-age of cables and ancillary equipment like PMTs is a primary reason why the system 'trips' every now and then. Any plan for loadshedding must be announced in advance and power must be restored at the appointed time.
At least this way residents will be able to plan their daily routines well in advance of a power outage. It should also begin work on a maintenance plan so that its grid can handle the increased load every summer without breaking down every so often.
Northern Cyprus: the new reality
The European Union has done well by opening its doors to Northern Cyprus, ending 30 years of isolation of the breakaway Turkish-majority republic. The move has come in the wake of a 'no' vote by Greek Cypriots and a 'yes' vote by their Turkish counterparts in a UN-sponsored referendum held last month for achieving reunification of the divided island. The UN's reunification plan was backed by both Greek and Turkish governments and the EU, which welcomed Cyprus into the club on May 1.
The island nation joined the EU divided as a result of the negative Greek vote, with Northern Cyprus missing the opportunity to derive EU benefits because it is not recognized as a separate entity by any country other than Turkey. The EU, however, was quick to reward Northern Cyprus for the positive vote, declaring that it was ready to end the trade embargo against the breakaway republic. EU commissioners meeting in Brussels shortly after the vote also announced an economic aid package worth 259 million euros.
Though a good start, the two measures still fall short of awarding Northern Cyprus an official recognition. But it seems that if the Greek Cypriots persist with their uncompromising stance, such a recognition cannot be ruled out. The US has also given similar hints ahead of the visit to Brussels and Washington by the Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, the first-ever official visit to the two capitals by a Turkish Cypriot leader.
The EU has also promised to consider operating direct flights to and from the northern cities as well as trading through northern ports. A number of Muslim countries are also considering recognizing Northern Cyprus as a sovereign state in view of the Greek Cypriots' intransigence, which has left their Turkish compatriots without the benefits of joining the EU for no fault of their own. The move is only fair and merits consideration by others too.