EDITORIAL : THE HINDU, INDIA

The fall of Strauss-Kahn

If power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, as Henry Kissinger famously quipped, then it boggles the mind why so many men in positions of great authority ruin themselves on account of sexual transgression. The latest casualty of overweening sexual hubris is the International Monetary Fund's charismatic chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was compelled to resign following charges of attempting to rape and sexually abuse a maid in a Manhattan hotel room. It is no secret that Mr. Strauss-Kahn, whose first two marriages ended after accusations of infidelity, has had a sordid history of sexual misbehaviour. Soon after he was sent to a New York prison, a French writer, who is a goddaughter of Strauss-Kahn's second wife, announced she would be filing a complaint about being sexually assaulted by him almost a decade ago. Three years ago, an affair he was having with a subordinate member of staff resulted in an internal IMF investigation, which concluded that the relationship had not led Mr. Strauss-Kahn to abuse his position but he had shown poor judgment. The woman maintained that although their relationship was consensual, she felt coerced; she also warned investigators that he was “a man with a problem that may make him ill-equipped to lead an institution where women work under his command.”

In his native France, which has a laissez-faire attitude towards the private lives of public figures, the arrest of Mr. Strauss-Kahn has caused tremendous shock. A country that hardly raised an eyebrow over President Francois Mitterrand's love child or his successor Jacques Chirac's wandering eye has been forced to interrogate the multi-layered ramifications of the link between sex and power. A small but vociferous section of the French has blindly rushed to Mr. Strauss-Kahn's defence and, in the process, glossed over the fact that there is a vast gulf between sexual peccadillo and sexual crime, between a relationship and rape. To treat this as a mere sex scandal is to be blind to the nature of the charges pressed against him. Only a court of law can pronounce Mr. Strauss-Kahn guilty or innocent, but the serious charges against him puts paid to his hopes of securing the Socialist Party's nomination and then going on to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election — a battle that seemed tilted in the challenger's favour. While it was well known that he would resign from the IMF, his sudden exit leaves the Fund without a strong leader with the requisite diplomatic skills, at a time when the organisation is in the midst of conducting sensitive negotiations with European governments about overhauling debt packages to some countries, including Greece.

Recognising tribal rights

A bright future for conservation in India depends on providing improved protection for flora and fauna in different habitats. At the same time, the imperative is to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of people who traditionally rely on forests. In a major step towards reconciliation of these key goals, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has come up with a new draft implementation protocol for the determination and notification of Critical Wildlife Habitats (CWH). The guidelines in the protocol will help the MoEF meet its obligations under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA). What makes the protocol important is the due process it proposes to institute for resettling forest dwellers. Significantly, it provides for participation of gram sabhas, social scientists, and ecologists in the panel responsible for identifying critical habitat in a national park or sanctuary. This decision is consistent with the provisions of the FRA that require prior recognition and vesting of forest rights. The Act also requires the States to prove the likelihood of irreversible damage to species and habitat from the exercise of forest rights, and to demonstrate availability of a resettlement package. Finally, those who are to be resettled must give free and informed consent. The MoEF protocol will create a tangible, transparent legal framework to implement these provisions.

In the new draft of the protocol, the MoEF has done well to address the issues raised by conservation experts and social activists, primarily the need for better protection of forest communities. These concerns will now be handled by a National Steering Committee and State-level Expert Committees, giving all stakeholders a say in the process. What needs to be emphasised is that creation of Critical Wildlife Habitats is an achievable goal. For only a small part of the land is to be notified as off-limit to people. A flagship species such as the tiger can be expected to survive in only about one per cent of the country's land which is effectively protected. It is eminently feasible, therefore, to handsomely compensate forest dwellers who are ready to be resettled elsewhere. The Nagarahole tiger reserve in Karnataka convinced tribals that they would benefit from voluntary relocation, and they have. The package of land and incentives provided to them, including education opportunities, could serve as a model for other States. Finally, States need to gear up administratively, and the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs needs to develop its infrastructure rapidly, to implement the Forest Rights Act in a way that harmonises the goals of conservation and livelihood support.