|
| February 13, 2008 | Wednesday | Safar 05, 1429 |
An independent Kosovo
Hope unto dust
OTHER VOICES - European Press
THE findings of the latest survey conducted in Pakistan by the US-based International Republican Institute to gauge the public mood days before the election are least flattering for President Musharraf and his erstwhile ruling coalition. The vast majority disapproves of the government actions taken since Nov 2 and wants to vote for opposition parties in the Feb 18 election. A whopping 94 per cent of those surveyed based their disapproval of the government on its failure to arrest inflation and shortages of essential food items and supplies. As per survey results, the public mood is such that any attempt by the military-backed establishment to manipulate the election results can result in a massive movement against the powers that be. Whatever the standard methodology applied to carry out the survey in question, the results are quite credible because they reflect the random views being expressed by the public in the run-up to the election, as seen in TV road shows. This may thus be a final wake-up call for the authorities concerned to shape up before it is too late, and live up to the people’s expectations of holding free, fair and transparent elections. Failing this, a reign of chaos in the days after the election cannot be ruled out. The unhappy eventuality does not augur well for anyone concerned, much less for the federation and those vouchsafing it.
While the caretaker government had better heed the warning inherent in the prevailing public mood, opposition parties, too, must do their bit to remain relevant to the people’s hopes and aspirations. So far, election campaigns have seen few of the acute socio-economic problems that the people have had to brave in recent months, and for which they blame the erstwhile government. The country is arguably faced with the worst ever shortages in the energy sector. Power, gas and water supplies have never been this erratic across the country. Everyday food items, say, wheat flour and sugar, are now more readily available but at a much inflated cost. Food price inflation is perhaps what affects the people most. The prices of edible fats, pulses, meat and vegetables have seen huge rises in the past months, putting these basic items nearly out of the reach of the majority of low-income segments. These are real issues and unless they are made part of the election campaigns being run by the contesting parties, there will remain a trust deficit between the ruled and the rulers, even if the latter are duly elected representatives of the people.
BARRING some unforeseen development, Kosovo should become independent this weekend, the timing of the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) itself being very intelligently chosen. The Security Council does not meet on Sundays which means, when it does on Monday, the UN’s executive arm will be faced with a fait accompli. Most likely, the UDI will take place this weekend, since Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci says it is “a done deal.” Russia has made its anger known to the West, but given the full support that Kosovo’s independence enjoys from America and the European Union, there is nothing that Moscow, much less Belgrade, can do about it. In addition, no less than 100 countries have already pledged support for an independent Kosovo. To add to Serbia’s discomfiture, Slovenia is the EU’s current chairman, and the former Yugoslav republic has supported Kosovo’s independence. Also meeting in Brussels on Feb 18 will be EU foreign ministers, who will send a commission to supervise Kosovo’s transition to independence over 120 days. This will end the UN’s presence in the former Serbian province and pave the way for the induction of the EU’s 2,000-man civilian mission.
Belgrade’s hostile attitude toward an independent Kosovo is not going to serve Serbia’s long-term interests, especially when it is keen to join the EU. Instead, if it accepts the reality of Kosovo’s independence, Serbia as the leading Balkan power could play a major role in the region and contribute to its integration with Europe. Its concerns about the future of the Serb minority in Kosovo seem baseless because the EU will not tolerate discrimination against the Serb minority. Besides, Kosovo itself hopes to join the EU in a decade and for that reason it will hate to do anything that will block its entry chances. One can here examine the reasons behind the US and EU’s positive attitude toward Kosovo’s independence. One obvious motive is to make Russia disabuse itself of the notions that the south Slavs are its responsibility and that no changes can occur in the Balkan map without Moscow’s assent. More important, with Turkey’s EU entry prospects being what they are, the emergence of a new predominantly Muslim country in Europe with US-EU support will help rebut the allegations in some quarters that the western powers in general and America in particular follow anti-Muslim policies the world over.
THE only consolation left for families of victims of the October 18 bomb explosions was the belief that their loved ones were not lost but went with honour. But the despicable manner in which medico-legal and government authorities have dealt with the colossal tragedy has left them bereft of such solace. Recent investigations have brought some brutal truths to light; doctors failed to perform autopsies on 26 bodies that were brought to Karachi’s Civil Hospital on one of Pakistan’s darkest days. They produced the causes of death on the basis of external examinations as ‘the nature of injuries was common’. The apathy extends further, forcing some families to let expectations of knowing the fate of their loved ones bite the dust; nearly four months later, relevant authorities responsible for matching blood samples of families with DNA profiles established from unidentified body parts at the crime site, have failed to produce results. A greater tragedy is the state of limbo that hapless relations have to contend with. The lack of an outcome is being blamed on the tardiness of the police and the home departments as according to officials, relatives have given blood samples twice only to confront more hiccups. The process of tallying blood tests with DNA began last November and has not yielded much more than anguish amongst the kin of the over 20 reported missing after the attacks. The police place the blame at the door of the Dr A.Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, saying that after compiling the data of missing persons, contacting relatives and then giving the required blood samples to the institute, they too await a conclusion.
Needless to say, the blame game, delays and negligence have created excruciating uncertainty and disappointment amongst at least four families who have raised a voice against this indifference. Authorities should have realised, at the outset of such a process, that a timely response — negative, positive or ambiguous — is the fundamental right of all relatives and no amount of excuses can either assuage or justify their ongoing despair. There was not a single mechanism in place to oversee and guarantee comprehensive reports from concerned doctors. It is also astounding that no one was entrusted with the task to ensure that blood results were delivered sooner than later. For now, it is becoming sadly certain that relatives will have to arrive at their own heartbreaking conclusions, which may or may not entertain hope.
Justice in a small state
Times of Malta
AN unlikely situation has arisen which must not be ignored. It is one that involves the judiciary and the manner in which justice is carried out in a small state such as Malta.
It has to do with the question of when members of the judiciary are required to abstain from hearing cases. The first signs…arose following the decision of the European Court of Human Rights which held that a judge, albeit a chief justice, was bound to abstain in a case…involving the state because his brother occupied the post of minister and the judge’s nephew was defence counsel…
The judgment was soon followed by the unprecedented decision by a magistrate not to hear a case involving a different chief justice, the present one… A third decision to abstain was made by a judge sitting in a constitutional court. He was asked to decide if another judge was correct in refusing to abstain after she was challenged on grounds that one of the parties was in the same year of the law course as the judge was. A fourth situation involved…the registrar of courts explaining that a statement made by another judge was not to be understood as referring to circumstances he personally found himself in…
The combined effect of these four cases reflects a difficult situation in administering justice in Malta.— (Feb 12)
No decent law allows coercion
The Independent
“YOU can barely use the word ‘Sharia’ because of what people associate with it.” How right Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, turned out to be. The idea of finding “a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law,” of which he spoke…is one that triggered a reaction not wholly related to his actual words…
...Thus he allowed many people to read a subtext to his words, which is that there is ‘one law for us and another law for them’. ...The point is that no special amendment has been made to UK law to allow these courts to function…
The worry about religious courts…is that they resist equal rights for women.
…Recently, significant liberal voices, such as that of Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, have insisted that there must be limits to this ill-defined multiculturalism.
So let us do it for him. The law in a liberal democracy should apply to everyone equally…with exceptions in only the most difficult cases for conscientious objectors…It should not include turning a blind eye to forced marriages, or to the use of arranged marriages as an immigration scam; nor should it include paying state benefit to multiple wives. — (Feb 10)