EDITORIAL : THE TAIPEI TIMES, TAIWAN

PRC’s calls for fairness are ironic

On Thursday, China weighed in on the IMF succession issue, saying the next managing director of the fund should be chosen “based on merit, transparency and fairness.” Beijing has every right to comment, but there must have been more than a few snickers at the idea of Zhongnanhai bosses urging a leadership selection based on a process they have never experienced and would never endorse for themselves.

Even discounting the fact that picking the leadership of international organizations has always been a political and diplomatic horse-trading process, it was not the first time that pronouncements from Beijing have been more of the “do as we say, not as we do” school. Nevertheless, it was another reminder of how far removed the Chinese Communist Party leadership is from the real world.

The problem is that such bland pronouncements (or bold-faced lies) are no longer something just the Chinese have to live with. As Beijing flexes its increasing economic and diplomatic power, more countries must deal with the fact that Chinese laws, business agreements and diplomatic pacts aren’t worth the paper they are written on if Beijing’s rulers (or lower-level municipal powers) change their minds. For Taiwan, the problem hits even closer to home.

Beijing’s spokespeople go on and on about how China’s Constitution and laws protect and serve its people, but it’s the people who suffer from misguided policies — from Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) disastrous Great Leap Forward to the showcase Three Gorges Dam. The latter is such a mess that the State Council was forced to admit late on Wednesday that while the project was “a great success,” it had caused several major environmental, geological and economic problems. It’s doubtful that the 1.4 million people forced to move to make way for the dam will take much comfort from the council saying their livelihood and environmental protection must be ensured. Barn door, horse, shut, come to mind.

Look how well all those promises about food safety being a priority — made after the melamine-tainted milk powder scandal two years ago — have panned out. This spring has seen one nauseating food scandal after another in China, as the New York Times pointed out on May 8: the drug clenbuterol found in pork, pork soaked in borax so it can be sold as beef; cadmium-contaminated rice; arsenic in soy sauce; bleach in popcorn and mushrooms; an animal antibiotic in bean sprouts; outdated steamed buns recycled for sale and “eggs” made out of chemicals, gelatin and paraffin. That’s on top of the tainted toothpaste and pet food scandals of 2007 that affected consumers in many countries.

You have to wonder why Beijing bothered to ban fish, vegetables and other food items from areas near Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. A slight chance of radioactivity in their diet would seem to be the least of Chinese consumers’ worries.

It’s not that other countries, including Taiwan, don’t have food scandals, but at least those nations have regulatory systems that work, even if they take a while. And ordinary people or activists who try to expose the problems or lobby for remedies aren’t beaten, jailed or killed like they are in China. Just ask Gao Zhisheng (高智晟), Ai Weiwei (艾未未), Chen Guangcheng (陳光誠), Hu Jia (胡佳) or Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) — if you can find them.

EDITORIAL : THE NEW POLAND EXPRESS, POLAND

Steve Sibbald's Column:

There’s been lots written in this publication regarding next year’s EURO 2012 footy tournament - not all of it positive.

Like most fans I’m relishing the chance of watching some of the game’s biggest names performing on my doorstep, even if (like every single person I know) my ticket application was returned unsuccessful. Hmm, something going on in the corridors of power methinks, but that’s a different story for another day.

Given Poland’s new-found reputation as a “lad’s jolly” destination, many heading here next year will be eyeing up the opportunity to not only catch a game or two (if anyone actually managed to get tickets) but to dip into the more, let’s say, salacious side of things.

The reason I mention this is the report this week on Gazeta.pl about an apartment block in Katowice which plays host to around 50 escort agencies. That’s right 50.

Now to suggest that all those football fans descending on Poland will be searching for the seedier entertainment on offer would be ludicrous. But pretending it won’t happen would be to bury your head in the sand.

Regardless of your opinion on legalising prostitution, surely nobody can argue that having 50 agencies, and the type of people associated with them, in one building is either healthy or safe for the families living close by.

The only way to begin eradicating this kind of situation and make the industry safer for the women and punters involved is to give the red light district the green light and allow it to be officially regulated.

Such a move will not solve all the problem associated with the world of prostitution, but it will provide it with a higher success rate than Fabio Capello’s men will ever have.

Craig Turp's Column:

Judging by the reaction amongst Warsaw’s people in the know this week, last Saturday’s stand-up comedy night at the Warsaw Tortilla Factory can be considered a great success. Speaking to a few people who couldn’t make it, they appeared genuinely gutted at having missed out. Word of what a great night it was spread quickly, it seems, which is a relief. It is always a little unnerving staging something new, not knowing if people will come and then - when they do - wondering if they will like it. We needn’t have worried. Three good comedians (who else thought the young New Zealander Javier Jarquin stole the show?) made it a terrific night and we hope to bring you more in the very near future. (And not just in Warsaw, either: stand by for news on English comedy gigs in other parts of Poland too).
From our side it was good to meet so many NPE readers, and to hear their not always diplomatic but certainly bang-on-the-money ideas as to how we might do things differently...



Changing the subject entirely, a good few years ago now we got ourselves an education at (what was then) one of the world’s smallest universities: The School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies, or SSEES for short. Now part of University College London, my alma mater this week made time wasting in the office just that little bit easier: it put its document archive online. You can find it at ssees.ucl.ac.uk/library, and believe me: if you find old maps, travel books and such like fascinating then you will want to cancel your appointments for the rest of the day. ‘A New and Accurate Map of Poland’ from 1782 particularly took our fancy, as did John Richard’s 1780 account of A Trip from London to Petersburg which took him through Poland. On arriving in Dantzig (his spelling) he writes ‘the locals are hospitable and the women agreeable. The city swarms with ladies of easy virtue, although the consequence of intriguing is attended with much expense and trouble.’

Ross Naylor's Column:

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the payment of National Insurance Contributions and the benefits of the state pension for UK Expats.

What I want to achieve with this column therefore, is to give you an idea of the basic facts regarding the basic state pension and the necessary steps that you would need to take, should you want to make contributions on a voluntary basis and/or make up missed payments.

Armed with this information, you will then be in a position to make an educated decision on how to proceed.
Basic Facts:

To achieve a full basic state pension you need to have achieved a certain number of qualifying years. A qualifying year is a year where one of the following applies:

• you have sufficient income to pay National Insurance Contributions


• you are treated as having paid National Insurance Contributions


• you are credited with enough National Insurance Contributions

If you are a man born after the 6th of April 1945 or a woman born after the 6th of April 1950, then you need to achieve a total of 30 qualifying years in order to achieve the full basic state pension.

For tax year 2011/2012, the full basic state pension will be GBP102.15 per week. This will increase annually by the highest of prices, earnings or 2.5 percent.

If you have less than 30 qualifying years, your pension will be reduced on a pro rata basis. E.g. if you only had 15 years, you would get GBP51.08 per week (15/30 = 50% of GBP102.15).

Step 1 – Find out where you are now.

Your first step should be to contact the state pension forecasting team in Newcastle and ask for a pension forecast.

EDITORIAL : THE KYIV POST, UKRAINE

Jury trials

One way of building trust in Ukraine's judicial system is by giving citizens the responsibility and roles to hear evidence and decided on the verdict.

Ukrainians and foreign investors alike feel that the nation is governed by “the rule of the rich” rather than “the rule of law.”

As numerous polls show, trust is low in Ukraine’s government, courts and justice system. In such a situation, President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration are finding it difficult to convince the world that criminal investigations into his opponents are not politically motivated.

Meanwhile, complaints continue to pile up about the lack of justice for ordinary citizens, such as Ihor Indylo.

The Kyiv university student died under suspicious circumstances last year while in police custody. Police claim he died after falling and hitting his head. Indylo’s relatives and friends suspect police brutality.

Whatever the outcome of any case, suspicions always loom because Ukraine’s judges and courts are notoriously corrupt.

That applies to Indylo, corruption charges against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her associates as well as charges against ex-President Leonid Kuchma in the Sept. 16, 2000, murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.

The judicial system has many needs: independent judges, professional police and prosecutors, clear deadlines for bringing criminal and civil cases to trial, limitations on pre-trial confinement.

But one easy way of building trust in Ukraine’s justice system is to introduce jury trials, giving citizens responsibility and roles to hear the evidence and decide on the verdict.

Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, in pre-trial detention for five months now on corruption charges, has this week called for his case – seen as politically motivated by many – to be heard by a jury. We agree with him.

If Yanukovych is serious about bringing law and order to Ukraine, and demonstrating that investigations under his rule are a genuine effort to combat corruption, letting jury trials composed of citizens make the call in the big criminal cases now unfolding is the best way to prove his dedication.

Certainly, Ukraine’s constitution and laws may need to be changed to accommodate this.

But with a strong grip over parliament and powers in Ukraine, Yanukovych has all the levers of influence and support to deliver on this swiftly.

EDITORIAL : THE CITIZEN, TANZANIA

KEEP WAYWARD REFEREES OUT OF KILI CUP TOURNEY

For almost a week, soccer fans will focus their attention on Arusha, where the finals of this year’s Kili Taifa Cup championship, one of the oldest football tournaments in the country, will take place. Eight teams that excelled during the round-robin stage are already in the northern city for the event, which kicks off today.

We hope fair play will prevail during the tourney, and the referees, the players and their coaches and managers will have a key role to play here. The referees must avoid making biased decisions, which only create acrimony, robbing the tournament of the excitement it  deserves.

In Tanzania, in the region and elsewhere in the world, wayward and incompetent referees are the bane of the game.
The charged atmosphere that results from inept handling of matches prevents the players from freely showcasing their talents. In some instances, police have had to be called in to save referees from being attacked by aggrieved parties.

We expect fair competition between the various teams and may the best clinch the cup. However, we are only too aware that in past competitions, wayward referees have robbed some teams of victory. And the Kili Taifa Cup is no exception.

It is through such competitions that we identify new talents that can be developed to feature in the national team. It is also an avenue through which young players exhibit their talents and attract the scouts of the various national league teams. The blatant bias by referees, who are expected to be impartial umpires, sends a negative signal to the youngsters.

We expect the organisers to ensure that referees do their job without fear or favour so that a true verdict on the competence of the various teams can emerge. We can’t ask for more from them.

FIGHT POVERTY IN EARNEST

 

Nearly 50 years since independence, poverty, which, alongside disease and ignorance, was identified by the freedom fighters as the enemies of the new nation, still remains a big headache for the people and their leaders. According to the 2009 UN Human Development Report, 88.5 per cent Tanzania’s population of 40 million lives under less than $1.25 a day.

Socioeconomic deprivation continues to bedevil a country that has otherwise enjoyed decades of peace and stability in a continent ridden with political volatility and strife.

However, Tanzania has abundant resources. Sadly, the numerous economic programmes initiated have failed to raise incomes and improve social services. And a new Oxfam programme statement has come as a rude shock to many that unless the current strategies are seriously revised it will take a good 120 years for the country to eradicate poverty.

The Oxfam report warns that the current two to three per cent reduction in poverty annually is too low to eliminate it. Poverty is, of course, more pronounced in the rural areas, where some 65 per cent of all Tanzanians live, relying on agriculture.

Although 75 per cent of the country’s workforce is engaged in agriculture, the majority of the farmers lack the requisite skills, inputs and markets for their farm produce and face infrastructural problems. Moreover, agriculture is at the mercy of vagaries of weather.

The sector is largely neglected. Huge sums of money are either spent on less important areas or embezzled. We cannot afford to go off on a tangent any longer. Let’s put our priorities right and seriously fight poverty.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE EL UNIVERSAL, COLOMBIA

Incoder se zafa los anzuelos

El miércoles pasado se supo que la Gerencia de Acuicultura y Pesca del Instituto Colombiano de Desarrollo Rural (Incoder) fue intervenida a petición de su titular, Juan Manuel Ospina, por supuesta corrupción. Las autoridades decomisaron 37 computadores y 4 USB de funcionarios y contratistas de dicha dependencia y también sus archivos físicos.

Según dijo Juan Manuel Ospina en el noticiero de RCN TV de antier, la Fiscalía, con el apoyo de la Unidad de Delitos contra el Patrimonio, de la Sijín, investiga el pago de prebendas por obtención de registros de barcos pesqueros, el aumento indebido de los cupos de explotación, y multas impuestas y no cobradas por la entidad.

Por su parte, la página web de Kienyke dijo ayer que “allí se decidían las patentes, licencias y permisos de funcionamiento de empresas pesqueras que se mueven por todo el territorio colombiano. Los investigadores sacaron copias de los archivos de los computadores de esa oficina donde se habría establecido una red de corrupción”.

El destape de ollas podridas en las entidades oficiales por parte del Gobierno tiene que ser aplaudido porque los colombianos ganan cuando se atajan a los saqueadores del erario.

En el caso de la Gerencia de Acuicultura y Pesca, cuya investigación apenas comienza, también se deberían examinar las licencias de pesca con palangre para determinar si fueron expedidas con apego a la ley y si están respaldadas por estudios que las hagan viables. No es razonable que se otorguen y prorroguen licencias mientras se hace un estudio fidedigno de la capacidad de nuestros mares territoriales, sino lo contrario: que se suspendan hasta conocer su efecto sobre los peces que frecuentan el Caribe colombiano.

En casi todos los lugares del mundo esas artes de pesca están prohibidas o restringidas de forma severa, menos en Colombia, donde están libres para depredar las aguas de peces pelágicos, además de la captura incidental de especies prohibidas como las tortugas y otras en peligro de extinción.

Aunque nada puede justificar el harakiri ambiental que representa permitir la pesca con palangres para Colombia y para este litoral, el costo de las licencias debería al menos ser más justo para el país, si acaso eso fuera posible.

Antier algunos pescadores de Santa Marta le decían a Francisco Santos, de RCN Radio, que la pesca, antes abundante, se había agotado y se lamentaban de que las sierras eran escasas. Aunque se intentó responsabilizar al carbón, que con seguridad causa problemas ambientales en Santa Marta, los peces pelágicos como las sierras, atunes, marlín y pez vela, no son de fondo (a donde va a dar el carbón) y nadan por todo el Caribe a media agua sin tener apegos territoriales como los peces de los arrecifes, por lo que hay que buscar su escasez en otra parte, como por ejemplo, en los palangres y factores ambientales como el calentamiento global.

Aplaudimos que el Incoder se zafe los anzuelos de la corrupción y esperamos que las pesquisas acaben con los abusos que pudiera haber en sus dependencias y que sus resultados se conozcan pronto.

EDITORIAL : THE BUSINESS DAY, SOUTH AFRICA

Time now for the ANC to look within

IT’s all over bar the counting, and even that is almost a wrap. Now the horse-trading starts in earnest. With the bulk of the votes recorded and reconciled by last night, some significant trends were discernible. The first is that the big winner in this poll is the Democratic Alliance (DA), which not only achieved an absolute majority in Cape Town for the first time but has made significant advances elsewhere in the country.

This is in keeping with both the majority of pre-election forecasts and the longer-term trend, which has seen the DA benefiting from a consolidation of the myriad small opposition parties that used to compete with the African National Congress (ANC). Now with 20%- 25% of the vote nationally, the DA is a force to be reckoned with in terms of political influence and support, and seems set to continue to gain incrementally as SA matures as a democracy.

That said, the party has not won any metros other than Cape Town, despite gaining ground in just about all the major towns and cities. That will disappoint party leader Helen Zille, who was hoping to be able to repeat the successful strategy employed in Cape Town, where the DA has been able to prove its competence as a government and contrast its service delivery record with that of troubled ANC-run metros.

At the same time, the DA has gained enough votes in many sizeable towns to be able to pursue its strategy indirectly through coalitions, which was the way it got its foot in the door in Cape Town. This and the symbolic value of winning a seat in an exclusively black area such as Flagstaff, Transkei and taking former ANC strongholds such as Saldanha, will give the party much encouragement for the next municipal election in five years’ time. And it should be of huge concern to the ANC, especially in places such as Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth), where it barely achieved a majority.

The biggest loser was undoubtedly the Inkatha Freedom Party, which has been cut down to the point of insignificance through a combination of a breakaway by the National Freedom Party and erosion of its remaining KwaZulu-Natal support base by the ANC. This trend was already evident in the 2009 national and provincial elections, and shows no sign of abating.

The Congress of the People, while revealing the effects of the damaging clash of leadership egos that has hobbled the party since the 2009 election, nevertheless seems to have retained a number of the votes it took from the ANC. This has left it as kingmaker in a number of councils where the DA and ANC are neck and neck, and could prove the lifeline the party needs to avoid oblivion in 2014.

Which leaves us with the ANC, which has clearly suffered a severe setback, despite retaining a comfortable majority of the overall national vote. Not only did it fail to make any headway in its efforts to regain ground lost to the DA in places such as Cape Town and Midvaal, but it has given up control of several towns, mainly in the Western Cape, and seen its majorities narrowed significantly in other provinces.

On the back foot from the start due to a shaky service delivery record in the cities and towns it governs, the party resorted to the hardy standby: racial solidarity and its status as the liberation movement that did most to bring down apartheid. That has been a highly effective campaign strategy at all levels of government in the past, but was showing signs of losing its potency as the novelty wore off and more younger people with less rigid loyalties reached voting age. Wednesday’s poll indicated that, at the local level at least, issues directly related to quality of governance can no longer be ignored.

There is going to be much soul- searching within the ANC in the coming few years, including a rethink of the way it sees itself. Is it still primarily a liberation movement focused on correcting the past, or a modern political party governing to achieve a better future?

IMF needs break with past

THE resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn has sparked a debate over who should take over his post as MD of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Europe has been quick to assert itself, with top officials insisting the job should go to a European, once again, in step with tradition.

But there is a growing clamour for a candidate from a developing economy to take the helm of the world’s top lending institution.

For a start, the world is changing — emerging economies are growing much faster than the developed world and now account for 34% of its overall output. That will rise steadily in the years ahead, led by China.

Developing economies now hold 40,5% of the voting rights in the IMF, compared with 44,3% for the Group of Seven developed nations.

It has been argued that only a European can manage Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, which so far has led to huge IMF bail-outs for the region’s troubled economies.

But a case can also be made for choosing an outsider who can view Europe’s woes with impartiality.

It doesn’t seem fair that the IMF should have extended loans with such generous conditions to troubled euro-zone nations when their criteria for emerging countries has been far more stringent.

Greece — the biggest recipient of IMF largesse — has a debt burden three times the size of its economy. Its budget deficit amounts to more than 9% of output, three times above the limit set by the euro zone.

The debt ratios of most emerging economies look much better: S A ’s is about 33% of output.

Europe’s predicament is, of course, more complex and weighty but the fact is that key emerging economies have done a good job of managing their finances.

The idea that the post should still go to a European is as outdated as the preference for graduates from top universities — the decision is not based on ability or performance.

Former Turkish finance minister Kemal Dervis is a strong contender for the IMF job as he is credited with pulling Turkey out of its financial crisis in 2001 with tough reforms.

Turkey’s position between East and West could also count in its favour. But there are many other suitable candidates, including Planning Minister Trevor Manuel.

One can only hope that the IMF’s developing countries can quickly coalesce behind one candidate.

                                                                                                                                    Dated-20/05/2011

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY NEWS EGYPT, EGYPT

Leaks and the ethics of journalism

CAIRO: As Egypt oscillates between waves of absolute chaos and tense calm, the role of the media in steering public opinion and street action in this critical transitional moment in our history must come under closer scrutiny.

On Tuesday, the privately-owned Al-Shorouk newspaper published as its lead story an article titled “Mubarak Requests Amnesty.” The title alone was enough to trigger the ensuing feelings of indignation that rocked the nation and resulted in a call to go back to Tahrir Square for a million man march Friday for “Rejecting the Apology and the Manipulation of the Revolution.”

And if anyone had taken the time to read the article, then the calls to go back to Tahrir would have been even more justified. Citing anonymous “official and Arab sources,” the paper claimed that ousted president Hosni Mubarak (currently detained and under investigation in a hospital in Sharm El-Sheikh) is preparing a speech to be recorded and aired on both Egyptian and Arab TV channels in which he will apologize on behalf of his family — especially his wife Suzanne — for any wrong-doing based on false information imparted to him through his aides and advisers.

Getting into more detail, the alleged news piece said that the speech-writer was the same person who wrote Mubarak’s emotional televised speech aired on Feb. 1, which divided public opinion over Mubarak and which arguably led to the Feb. 2 attack on Tahrir protesters in what came to be known as the Battle of the Camel.

In the alleged speech, the article continues, Mubarak will propose relinquishing all his property and assets to the Egyptian people in the hopes of being remembered “for his role as an army officer who protected the nation” and who never sought power, but on the contrary had to put up with the burdens of the presidential office.

Al-Shorouk’s unnamed sources went on to say that the purpose of offering to relinquish his property was to later request amnesty from the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

The article then quotes an anonymous military source as saying that several currents, some Egyptian and some Arab, are trying to broker such a deal within a legal framework that will garner popular consensus, stressing that any decision by the SCAF will bear in mind public opinion and Egypt’s best interests. Sources also told Al-Shorouk that the amnesty request will also include sons Alaa and Gamal Mubarak — now detained and under investigation for corruption in Tora Prison — but that it is unlikely for any amnesty to be considered for the two sons.

Quoting unnamed Gulf sources, the paper highlights that several regional capitals are uncomfortable with the idea of seeing Mubarak and his wife in prison, adding that the Egyptian military source reinforced this view when he said that a significant portion of the Egyptian military shared this opinion and are loathe to see one of their own military leaders thrown in jail but that the SCAF “does not want to provoke the people’s anger.”

As the editor of a daily newspaper, my reservations about this story were compounded when Daily News Egypt spoke to the editor of Al-Shorouk Amr Khafagy, who was summoned by the SCAF Wednesday along with two reporters who wrote the story.

Khafagy said that the 30-minute appearance before the military prosecution merely involved a reminder of Article 85 of the penal code that bans publishing news on the military except following the approval of the Morale Affairs Department. Khafagy also denied that the armed forces constituted any part of the story — which is clearly untrue since the article cited an anonymous military source and said that Mubarak’s alleged speech was to prepare for a request for amnesty from the army council.

My technical qualms about the article are first based on the lack of adherence to accuracy standards for factual reporting, which emphasize the reporter’s duty to seek reliable sources and rigorous fact-checking.

According to commonly subscribed ethical standards, “professionalism, reliability and public accountability of a news organization are three of its most valuable assets. An organization earns and maintains a strong reputation, in part, through a consistent implementation of ethical standards, which influence its position with the public and within the industry.”

On many of those fronts, Al-Shorouk has not had the best of records, the most recent incident being eerily similar in its claims to this one. Last April the paper reported that German magazine Der Spiegel interviewed the head of the SCAF General Tantawy who said that Arab countries are forcing the council not to prosecute Mubarak. Der Spiegel’s Cairo office denied unequivocally that any such interview was conducted in the first place. It was also announced by official sources that Tantawy had not given any interviews to date, corroborating Spiegel’s denial.

While publishing fake news that could ultimately lead to a diplomatic crisis between two countries is bad enough, republishing very similar false information can only reinforce the suspicions by vigilant readers and observers that the said newspaper does not in fact have the public interest in mind.

The question of whether this news was leaked by the army or by sources close to Mubarak who has a vested interest in stirring divisions both within Egyptians and between the people and the military, is only part of the issue. In this case within 24 hours the SCAF officially denied any plans to even consider such an amnesty, which mitigated the situation, but did not stamp out the seeds of doubt that had already been sown by the story, especially at such volatile times when the general sentiment is seeped in a crisis of confidence against anyone in power.

As an editor in such extraordinary times, one has an ethical obligation to weigh the issue very carefully: Is it in the public interest to publish such explosive claims despite their potential impact? Doesn’t the fact that my sources refuse to be identified raise suspicions over their credibility and motives? Am I serving my readers and society in general by printing claims that I cannot independently verify?

What the newspaper could have done is to at least contact the SCAF and get an official, on the record response to these claims.

The lure of getting a “scoop” is not an excuse for bad and irresponsible journalism. While freedom of the press must be enshrined in any society that aspires for true democracy, editors and journalists must ensure that their publications are not exploited as a platform for players on either side of Egypt’s increasingly polarized society, and in so doing, sacrifice both truth and public interest, and put your own credibility on the line.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY OUTLOOK, AFGANISTAN

                

 

No place for Construction in Taliban Line of Thinking

No doubt, currently things are going awry in Afghanistan and need to be addressed prudently, quickly and effectively. Horizons are getting closed as the people get killed in cruel acts of terrorists and the government fails to ensure security for its people and pave the way for economic development and prosperity. There is a growing ennui among the people of Afghanistan as the violence and terrorism intensify.

Just on late Wednesday, May 18, the Taliban insurgents killed 35 construction workers and wounded 24 in an attack in Zadran district of volatile southeastern province of Paktia. Thirteen other workers were still missing after the assault. This shows that the government's humble and repeated call for reconciliation with the Taliban militants and other insurgent groups is not appealing to them. In fact, it is just adding misery to the plight of ordinary Afghans who remain without protection against these not "disgruntled brothers" but the "heartless terrorists."

Despite the presence of up to 150,000 foreign troops, violence throughout the country is at its worst since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government in the US led international intervention. The Taliban militants continue to target construction and development project workers. Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack in March when three suicide bombers killed 24 construction workers in Paktika, a province considered a hotbed of the insurgency.

Taliban, last month, announced the start of a long-awaited "spring offensive", vowing to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings on foreign and Afghan troops and government officials in the tenth year of an increasingly unpopular war. Even if the workers manage to build roads and other infrastructures bearing all the trials and hardships, the militants destroy the asphalted roads or the bridges that are constructed as they continue to attack schools and school children.

It shows that there is no place for construction, development and education in Taliban's line of thinking. Afghan government has failed to come forward to explain the reasons for the ongoing terrible situation and its proposed solution to it. The government, instead, stubbornly continues to whitewash the atrocities and wicked terrorist activities of the Taliban and other Al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents by calling them as "unhappy brothers", which is becoming disgusting for Afghan people who lose their family members in the attacks carried out by these lunatics almost on a daily basis.

Culture, Islamic Teachings and Indian Dramas

On Tuesday, May 17, members of Afghan senate or upper house of parliament censured government, in general, and Ministry of culture and information, in particular, for the so-called failing to protect Afghans' culture against foreign cultural invasion. Seemingly, our respective representatives are angry about Indian series, movies and songs which are instantly feeding several Private TV channels that remain desperate to fill their schedules. They are in view that such dramas were against Islamic teachings.

Two different subjects are mixed in their criticism of Ministry of culture and information. On one hand, they were talking about foreign cultural invasion, and, on the other, Islamic teachings. However, religion and culture are combined in such manner that differentiation between the two has become severely difficult. Meanwhile, there are differences, which cannot be ignored.

Taking from Middle East countries to Far-East Asian countries where Islam as a religion is followed by people, meanwhile their cultures are as different from one another as that of differences between Islam and Christianity. There are several Islamic countries in the world with secular culture as well. There are many things severely banned by religious teachings, but are widely practiced in the society, which people hardly take notice of.

Ostensibly, members of Upper House of parliament are mostly concerned about the consequences of Indian movies, and prevalence of English language. As one of them criticized why billboards of shops and other business centers were written in English instead of Pashto and Dari, the two national languages of Afghanistan.

As far as the first issue is concerned, this is not the first time that such concerns are voiced out in the country about the so-called foreign cultural invasion. Indian dramas have been the center of such criticism that conservatives called for their complete stoppage. But their demands were not fulfilled; however, there is some ridiculous criticism of Bollywood dramas where actresses appear with naked belly. But, generally, those movies and series are largely welcomed by Afghan people and Bollywood actresses and actors are quite popular in the country.

This general inclination has both social and psychological reasons. During Taliban regime, TV channels were prohibited. And no one was able to watch movies and series due to definite persecution. Similarly, years of bloodsheds and violence in the country terribly affected emotional feelings and sentiments of people. As most of these Indian dramas are based on fantasy and romantic love stories, they can actually respond to suppressed humanitarian feelings of people.

Losing Influence Even before Establishing it across the Country

Afghanistan has experienced thirty years of war and conflict. The country continues to remain violent. It is important to emerge out of this appalling and terrible situation. But the government alone cannot solve the problems. On Wednesday, May 18, 2011, some 1,500 protesters poured into the streets of a northern Afghan city, shouting "Death to America!" and "Death to Karzai" and calling for justice as they clashed with security forces following an overnight NATO raid they claim killed four civilians.

The demonstration turned violent and as a result at least 11 people were killed when the protesters fought with police and tried to assault a NATO outpost in the city of Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province. Afghans have been very sensitive towards civilian casualties caused by international forces in the counter-insurgency operations, particularly those conducted overnight. Afghans can wage protest against civilian deaths, no matter whether caused by Taliban or international and Afghan security forces.

But they must not address the issue in emotional and sentimental fashion. They must try to learn rational practices and actions. They thought they could solve the issue of killing two or four civilians by killing another 11 people. Common sense, logic and wisdom do not tell us so. But unfortunately they have not raised their voice against the atrocious killing of Afghan people by the Taliban and other terrorist networks. Taliban militants continue to kill Afghans through suicide attacks, roadside bombings and face-to-face fighting almost every day. But unfortunately there has not been any protest waged by ordinary Afghans against the Taliban insurgents.

In order to analyze the reason, it could be said that it is the government that has chosen this game. The president continues to call those militants and insurgents as "unhappy brothers." This is feeding ordinary Afghans across the country. But when a civilian or few civilians are killed in counter-terrorism strikes and operations, the government hits the ceiling and flies into rage.

The government has responsibility to protect the citizens of this country but it has to address the sources of violence that leads to killing innocent Afghan people. The killing caused by disgruntled brothers is almost ninety percent more than the killing caused by counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations carried out by Afghan national army and international security forces. The chanting of "Death to Karzai" shows that president Karzai has also lost his influence before he has been able to expand and establish it across the country.

EDITORIAL : THE KHALEEJ TIMES, UAE

Will Obama deliver?

 If one were to analyse US President Barack Obama’s speech at the State Department in terms of the Israel- Palestine conflict, some key issues have been raised.

While these may be indicative of a policy shift, it is also possible that President Obama may have done so to get the Palestinians back on the negotiation table and to dissuade them from pursuing the Resolution for Palestinian Statehood in the United Nations this September.

Washington’s support of the creation of an independent Palestinian state on the lines of the 1967 borders  albeit after a negotiated two-state peace settlement is significant. Obviously, the Palestinian initiative — that has already obtained support from some Latin American states — to gain international recognition of a Palestinian state is opposed by the United States. This is why Obama warned the Palestinians to refrain from presenting the Resolution before the UN General Assembly.

Obama’s stress on a peace deal based on the borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war has naturally created a major upset in Tel Aviv. The speech, coming a day before the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington elicited an angry response. Denouncing what is being perceived as a US policy shift, the Israeli Prime Minister has said that the 1967 Israeli borders were “indefensible”. The fact that Israel has since occupation of Arab and Palestinian territories post 1967 expanded settlements — which currently host about 300,000 Israeli settlers — the very idea of withdrawal and return of those territories is unthinkable now for any government in Israel.  Even Obama’s proposal of land swaps to compensate for disputed territory faces opposition.

Even while advocating Israel’s right to a peaceful existence, Obama did lay out a subtle warning to the Jewish state saying that the status quo cannot be sustained, given the demographic realities and the recent changes brought about  by the sheer will power of people who desired change. In the case of the Israeli-Palestine conflict the people are tired of the failed peace efforts and desirous to implement change. This is why Israel “must act boldly to advance lasting peace.”

At the same time the inclusion of Hamas in the Palestinian unity government was viewed as a deterrent to negotiations, for the militant faction’s views on Israel.

The good thing is that the US, cognisant of the shift in regional dynamics and sensitive to how its policies are being viewed may take a sterner approach to Israel’s dawdling on negotiating a peace deal.

The Palestinians should make full use of this shift and display firmness and maturity in negotiating their terms on the issue of Israeli settlements which will eventually determine how the new Palestinian state is shaped.  How  the negotiations fare will determine the fate of the return of the Palestinian refugees and the division of Jerusalem.

Japan slides, Europe limps

Tokyo is mired in a recessionary trend. Three months down the line since the tsunami hit Honshu devastating it to the core, the economy is contracting.

This inevitably is a clear sign of stagnation to come in growth and productivity, and doesn’t bode well for the third largest economy of the world. Private consumption, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of the economy, is in a jittery mood and the purchasing power is at an all times low since the downslide hit the world economy in the year 2008. And Japan is not alone in experiencing the new slump. 

The battered euro, too, is dipping and the monetary union is groping in the dark to find a consolidated berth and a remedy of its own. This twin collapse-of-sorts that account for an overwhelming chunk of global economy has come at a time when the International Monetary Fund has gone peerless and the man who had advocated a strategy to bailout all the crumbling economies in the region – despite Washington’s annoyance ‑‑ is down and out in a New York prison cell.

The fear is that with Japan’s consumption and exports to be worst hit, this downslide cycle will snowball first into the ASEAN region and then the world at large. The reason: Japan remains one of the biggest importers of raw materials from across the world, and had only retained the supremacy of producing and exporting some of best manufactured stuff ranging from noodle sticks to nuclear plants. 

The forecast that reconstruction demand is likely to spur growth is the only silver lining for the floating island and to a large extent will be dependent on the magnitude of liquidity pumped into developmental projects. To what extent the economy will bounce back is yet to be ascertained and comes as one of the biggest challenges for Prime Minister Kan’s government since the Hiroshima-Nagasaki catastrophe.

A similar trend in Europe from Greece to the Irish Republic and then to Portugal is quite unnerving. Many more seem to be queued up as Finland and the like are tapping on the door of the IMF for an emergent bailout. 

Europe’s and Japan’s trade and investment profiles stand badly disturbed, and are unlikely to be back on roll in the absence of a comprehensive dialogue on issues of growth, protectionism and monetary strength. 

The G20’s Pittsburgh and London spirit is in need of being reviewed, and this time around should also encompass the finer points that were recommended by the developing economies of the world like Brazil, India, Russia, China and the South Africa. A recipe to pull Japan out of production crisis is in need of being chalked out.

 

EDITORIAL : THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD, NEW ZEALAND

Dictatorship's hold on Fiji is crumbling

Sooner or later Fijians will wake up to the profound insolence of a self-appointed leadership telling them it knows their best interest and does not care for their vote.

Dictatorships fall when basic human resentment at the removal of rights and freedoms can no longer be repressed. Fijians have much to resent.

The dramatic flight to Tonga a week ago of their former third-ranked military officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara, who was "rescued" at sea, shows that resentments now boil within the regime.

Colonel Mara, son of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, the country's founding Prime Minister, called for the overthrow of the Government of Frank Bainimarama.

It was, he said, a "hateful dictatorship". He accused Commodore Bainimarama of being ill, morally and intellectually bankrupt, and acting as a "hand puppet" of Fiji's civilian Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

The YouTube video of Colonel Mara's message to Fijians also targeted those still serving in the armed forces.

Interestingly, the colonel fled after being charged with making seditious comments and inciting mutiny. The high-level arrests were not reported in the censored Fijian media.

Colonel Mara says he and another leading officer had given advice to their commander on how to soften the regime's approach to public dissent. That in itself was seen as betrayal. But public dissent is at the heart of this.

If Colonel Mara had not been making seditious comments and inciting mutiny before, he certainly is now. It is something of a Damascene conversion. He accepts he will answer to Fijians for his time serving the regime, having commanded the army's third infantry regiment at the time of the 2006 coup.

Nevertheless, the advice he gave Commodore Bainimarama that led to his being charged and now his public stand from Nuku'alofa exhibit great courage deserving of national and international support.

Fiji has predictably dragged out allegations that the formerly trusted colonel is being investigated over missing funds from Fiji Pine. It is blustering about Tonga's involvement.

The Tongan King, George Tupou V, counts the Mara clan as relatives, and his Government is playing it cool, saying any bid for extradition will be handled independently by Tonga's courts. It notes Fiji must show good grounds for the charges laid against Colonel Mara.

Most likely, this is the point where the Bainimarama regime will struggle. Its concept of "rule of law" is peculiar to its ilk. In Nuku'alofa there are no handpicked Bainimarama regime judges ready to apply Mr Sayed-Khaiyum's rulebook.

Directly or indirectly Tonga is standing up for Fijians' right to be heard. Having undergone its own tentative transformation to real democracy, it now does the democratic cause in the wider South Pacific a valuable service.

New Zealand is steering clear of taking sides. Foreign Minister Murray McCully noted the division in the regime and said intervention would not be helpful. He is probably right.

Commodore Bainimarama tries to convince Fijians that criticism from Australia and New Zealand is some kind of post-colonial hang-up from nations with no clue of the cultural and societal goals of his armed rule.

Colonel Mara's insider view is far more powerful, in any case. A leading Fijian Establishment military man is calling things as they are.

He hopes Tonga's system will resist pressure and prevent Suva forcing him home before the regime is itself in the dock, answering to Fijians for the abuses and misrule it has perpetrated. The case will be a milestone in Fiji's return to freedom.

Family fine example of decent Kiwis

The Budget should not pass without a pat on the back for Joe and Annemieke Sonneveld, orchid growers at Drury.

When news media seek out people whose circumstances have been, or will be, affected by a public policy change, they seldom hear the attitude of the Sonnevelds.

They have six children, which made them eligible for the Working for Families tax credit in years that their business earned less than $172,425. Some years they received $20,000 back from the Government but, they told the Herald, "we haven't needed it".

After the Budget on Thursday drastically reduced their family support payments, Mr Sonneveld was not complaining. It may be a mistake to imagine that most people's interest in the Budget goes no further than their own pockets.

Everybody's welfare depends on the strength of the whole economy, its exports, exchange rates, internal costs and external competitiveness.

To pay family benefits to households with six-figure incomes is sheer waste.

Taxpayers such as the Sonnevelds, whose business exports 98 per cent of its orchids to the United States and Japan, would gain far more benefit from a balanced Budget that keeps interest rates low and takes pressure off the exchange rate.

Yet the changes made to Working for Families will see the benefit cut out at only a slightly lower rate for six-child families: $138,790.

The Sonnevelds are far from the only household that does not need it. Good on them for saying so.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY NATIONAL POST, CANADA

Know thy daddy

The B.C. Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Adoption Act and Adoption Regulations on Thursday. They argued that the legislation denies offspring of sperm and egg donors (gamete donors) their Charter rights, which ought to be equal to those of adopted children with regard to knowledge of the identity and medical history of their biological parents.

The court order will only go into effect in 15 months' time to allow the B.C. legislature leisure to enact appropriate legislation. But effective immediately, gamete donor records are prohibited from being destroyed or transferred out of B.C. Thus, like closed adoptions, anonymous gamete donation will no longer be permitted in that province.

The driving force behind the suit was Olivia Pratten, a young woman conceived by her biological mother and an anonymous sperm donor. She has been seeking knowledge about the hidden half of her bio-inheritance for years.

The ruling makes sense. A child wants to know, and has the right to know, as much as possible about his or her genetic roots. This is a principle well understood with regard to adopted children, and there is no logical reason why it should not apply to donor children.

Unlike adoption, sperm and egg donation has been an unregulated marketplace. Its focus has been the desire of parents to have a child. Too often, the conceived child's interest is forgotten.

This ruling is bound to inhibit the sperm market, and this will make it more difficult for some women to have children. But that is a price worth paying so that all children can know their roots.

Don't fund the New Jets

Speaking to a local radio station on Thursday, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger struck a cautious tone on the possibility of an American NHL franchise relocating to Winnipeg. The last week has seen much speculation that True North Sports and Entertainment may acquire the struggling Atlanta Thrashers and bring them north. This would give the city an NHL franchise for the first time since 1996, when the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes.

Obviously, Mr. Selinger would welcome such a move, and has said that he supports the "prudent" efforts of True North to purchase the team. But he also has said clearly that the province of Manitoba will not provide funding for the team, or subsidize any losses that it may incur if relocated to Winnipeg.

Good for him. While no one should doubt the average Pegger's passionate love of hockey, it was only 15 years ago that the city proved unwilling or unable to sustain an NHL franchise. It would be irresponsible for Mr. Selinger to offer (or even imply that he might offer) a blank cheque to a business proposition that is, despite the public's enthusiastic backing, still a risky proposition that has failed before.

Mr. Selinger has said that his government would be willing to "help" True North move the team to Winnipeg, and to make sure that the city gets maximum value from its existing professional arena. This has been interpreted by some to mean that the province would consider helping True North pay down the debt on the facility, or would fund further renovations that would make it better suited to NHL hockey, as the province has provided funds for the arena in the past. If Mr. Selinger feels the taxpayers of Manitoba will benefit from further investments in the arena, that's his decision.

But we very much hope Mr. Selinger sticks to his guns and refuses any direct aid to True North and the as-yet-hypothetical New Jets. Hockey is a wonderful sport and Winnipeg's fans deserve a team, but not if the price is every Manitoban taxpayer opening their wallets to fund one city's recreational activities.

EDITORIAL : THE KOREA HERALD, SOUTH KOREA

Outside directors

Chung Jin-suk, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, denies he did anything illegal when he was an outside director for Samhwa Savings Bank, which has recently slid into insolvency. He may not have breached the law but he may be criticized for negligence

“Never did I attend a conference on bank management or engage in lobbying (on behalf of the savings bank),” says Chung, who took 2 million won each month from the Seoul-based savings bank for three years and seven months. “My name was listed (as an outside director), but I had never been there (to the savings bank).”

The prosecutors’ office appears to believe that he engaged in no culpable activity, given its decision not to launch an inquiry into his case. Still, many questions are raised regarding his role as an outside director and the statute requiring listed corporations to hire outside directors.

The post of outside director was introduced in 1998 as a means of checking top managers and controlling shareholders who might be tempted to pursue their own interests at the expense of other shareholders. But the legislation has apparently failed to serve its purpose, as evidenced by the case involving Chung.

The outside director has the role of representing the interests of shareholders while remaining independent of management. He also needs to make contributions to the corporation by drawing on his expertise.

But Chung did none of these, if his remarks on what he did as an outside director are correct. He says he was listed as an outside director with the help of a friend when he lost in the parliamentary election in 2004. When he won a by-election the next year, he says he did not report his outside directorship to the National Assembly on advice from its secretariat. He says he received 2 million won each month in the name of transportation expenses.

Chung did not represent the interests of shareholders or make any contribution to the savings bank if, as he says, he had never set foot in the non-banking financial institution. Then why did he take the money?

The opposition Democratic Party says that he served as an outside director and sat on the standing committee on transportation and construction at the same time that the savings bank was making loans to construction companies. If true, he can hardly be excused for this ethical lapse.

Still, Chung may have good reason to regard himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. For many, if not all, the post of outside director is a sinecure that demands little responsibility, labor or active service.

The most coveted among them are high-paying outside directorships offered by banks and other financial institutions. Ministries, the prosecutors’ office, the Financial Supervisory Service, the National Tax Service and other influential government agencies reportedly lobby the financial institutions for their retiring senior officials.

As a popular saying goes, however, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Outside directors are often used as lobbyists. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik recalls that, when he was chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection last year, he was often “lobbied or requested by those serving the interests of savings banks to go easy on auditing them.”

The state watchdog reported its findings, including 2.6 trillion won in nonperforming loans to the presidential office a year ago. But it took no action until recently.

The prosecutor’s office should leave no stone unturned in looking into allegations of lobbying by insolvent savings banks. At the same time, the role of outside directors must be strengthened to ensure that top managers and controlling shareholders are held accountable.

 

 

                                                                                                                                    Dated-20/05/2011

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE AZZAMAN, IRAQ

Relative security lures foreign firms to once ‘too dangerous’ Iraq

Local newspapers carry daily reports on foreign firms striking new contracts with Iraqi ministries and provincial authorities.

Relative security and massive oil revenues have persuaded many firms that the risks involved in working in Iraq are worthwhile.

Iraqi oil exports now have passed 2 million barrels a day at a time oil prices on international markets have been soaring due to instability in other oil-producing countries such as Libya.

Baghdad residents enjoy a relative degree of quiet they had lost in the years since the 2003-U.S. invasion.

Several foreign firms have started developing gigantic oil fields in the south and others are involved in reconstruction, mainly in the country’s rickety power sector.

With Iraqi provinces having more power on how to spend their allocations and with oil-producing provinces earning one dollar for each barrel of oil they churn out, many foreign firms are bypassing the central government and striking deals directly with provincial officials.

Some provinces are more stable and secure than others and foreign firms willing to work in Iraq and reap the benefit have that factor in mind.

There is more competition for contracts in southern provinces like Najaf, Karbala, Wasit, Muthana and even Basra than Kirkuk, Nineveh, Anbar or Diyala.

Karbala this week signed a contract with the Swedish Scania for the import of 600 tourist buses.

The Koreans have signed deals for the construction of four power plants each with a capacity of 130 megawatts.

Firms from the United Arab Emirates are heavily involved in reconstruction.

This month, a U.A.E. firm, Dubai Holding, said it was interested in investing $30 billion to construct a modern city in Karbala.

Swiss, U.S. and Brazilian firms are working on developing oil fields and digging new oil wells across the country.

In Wassit, where the Chinese are developing a new oil field with a capacity of 120,000 barrels a day, the provincial officials are keen to put an end to electricity shortages in their province.

The Brazilians are reported to have offered the construction of several small-scale power plants with various capacities and have them ready in two months.

Needs in Iraq are huge. With the expected hike in oil production, the country is not expected to have payment problems.

EDITORIAL : RFI english, FRANCE

 

 

French press review

 

 

Friday’s newspapers are dominated by the indictment and release on bail of ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for the alleged sexual assault of a chambermaid. His fall from grace is the front-page story in all the major French dailies. But what effect has it had on Socialist chances of winning the presidency next year?

“Strauss-Kahn, the longest day” headlines Le Figaro. “Indicted” says France Soir,
“Indicted but freed” shouts Libération, "Freed but under strict surveillance" Aujourd’hui en France/Le Parisien. “DSK under strict watch” Métro.

Dossier: Strauss-Kahn

The papers explain that Strauss-Kahn was indicted on all seven sex crime charges presented to a New York grand jury following his arrest last Saturday.
 
The French papers have a rundown of the details of Strauss-Kahn’s harsh bail conditions.
Strauss-Kahn was ordered to pay one million dollars (700,000 euros) upfront to secure his release from Rikers Island prison and to deposit a five-million-dollar (3.5 million euros) insurance bond. The main papers quote experts saying that all that money will probably be in the form of property deeds belonging to his wealthy wife, the ex-TV anchor Anne Sinclair.

Strauss-Kahn will be required to surrender all his travel documents, wear an ankle bracelet with a transmitter that gives his location, and subject himself to a round the clock watch by armed guards at a Manhattan apartment where he has been ordered to stay with his wife throughout his trial starting in June.

The cost of the security operation around Strauss-Kahn is estimated at 200,000 dollars (140,000 euros) every month, according to Le Figaro which cites experts, an amount to be raised entirely by the ex-IMF chief, according to the bail ruling.

La Croix says the Strauss-Kahn's stay at the IMF is over.

The scandal and his resignation has led to jockeying around the world for a replacement IMF chief, just as the international organisation is steering delicate negotiations on the eurozone debt crisis.

The Catholic newspaper underlines that the Bretton-Woods institution has opened the vetting process after receiving Strauss-Kahn’s resignation letter on Thursday.

The economic daily La Tribune expects a fierce battle amid widespread calls for the institution to revamp how it chooses its managing director .The so-called emerging economies, including China, Brazil, South Africa, and Singapore, are campaigning to end Europe’s stranglehold on the post

Les Echos tips French economy minister Christine Lagarde to get the job with the backing of the EU. But the respected daily Le Monde says she is facing a strong challenge from five main candidates, who include ex-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the former South African finance minister Trevor Manuel.
 

Dossier: Eurozone in crisis

The French aren’t sure how Strauss-Kahn landed in such a dramatic and extraordinary affair and that has sent conspiracy theories spreading through the country Le Monde picks up some of the wild stories in circulation.

Some see the hand of the CIA, others, a plot hashed by American banks and other financial lobbies broken by Strauss-Kahn’s regulatory policies. Others see it as the work of a black cabinet close to the Elysée desperate to destroy the most dangerous candidate for the 2012 presidential election.

A poll conducted in the wake of the scandal found out that 57 per cent of respondents from across the political board believe Strauss-Kahn is the victim of a plot. The numbers rose to 70 per cent within Socialist ranks – Le Monde recalls that Strauss-Kahn himself raised the spectre of a secret plot against him recently in an interview published by Libération.
 
Le Monde reports that Socialist prospects to do well in the 2012 presidential elections haven’t been affected by the Strauss-Kahn affaire .

The latest Ipsos-Logica tracking poll puts two potential Socialist candidates far ahead of President Nicholas Sarkozy. Former Socialist Party chief François Hollande leads with 27 per cent, with current Socialist leader Martine Aubry is at 27 while Sarkozy comes third with just 21 per cent.

Cannes Film Festival 2011

The poll found out the repositioning of Strauss Kahn’s supporters remains unclear as they struggle to come to terms with his shock exit. Another message from the poll is that president Sarkozy is no longer under threat of elimination by National Front leader Marine Le Pen, since the Socialists will be fielding just one candidate – the winner of the party’s internal primaries.

 

 

                                                                              Dated-20/05/2011

 

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE BANGKOK POST, THAILAND

 

 

Our wildlife up for grabs

Thailand's strategic location once earned it fame as the "crosswords of Asia". Then "hubs" became popular and the kingdom became the the respective hubs of medical tourism, regional aviation, luxury resorts, golf, fine food and more. Unfortunately, not all tags were as favourable.

The country's reputation as a transit route for human trafficking, widespread corruption and chronic political instability made also the list. As did the vile reputation for wildlife smuggling. But there was an attempt to rectify that flaw last weekend, when agents nabbed a passenger at Suvarnabhumi Airport whose suitcases were filled with baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys. The animals had been sedated and were bound for Dubai. Investigations have revealed links to an influential politician and a shadowy animal trafficking network catering to a Middle Eastern market for rare and exotic pets. This was the most startling seizure since a drugged baby tiger cub was found in a suitcase last August and a woman arrested for trying to smuggle it aboard a flight to Iran. It also topped the scores of snakes, boxes of spiders, squirrels, lizards, an African grey parrot and one of the world's rarest tortoises intercepted in February before they could be flown to Indonesia. The most damning factor in that seizure was the suspect's claim to have bought them all at the Chatuchak weekend market just a short distance from the Thai wildlife protection offices, and the subsequent admission by enforcement officers that this was possible.

The continued existence of this animal market demonstrates the inadequacies of the toothless Preservation and Protection Act of 1992 as well as those responsible for enforcing it. There are pitiful rows of often sick puppies and kittens for sale. Nearby are the groups of wildlife traders who operate quite openly because the penalties do not scare them. Arrests have been made but the courts rarely issue harsh deterrent sentences, opting instead for affordable fines.

We can only look back with horror at the events of the past decade and the notoriety they have brought as one scandal followed another. There was the disastrous attempt to import 135 wild animals including zebras and giraffes from Kenya for the Night Safari Zoo in Chiang Mai, the clandestine export of up to 100 tigers to a Chinese zoo, the smuggling of orangutans from Indonesia to a private Thai zoo and the protracted delay in returning them, and the mishandling of an elephant-koala swap with Australia.

Proof that we have failed to learn from these mistakes is demonstrated by the current proposal to import polar bears to Chiang Mai Zoo. They do not fare well in captivity and especially not in a tropical country. The issue goes way beyond providing air-conditioning and a fake habitat. The scheme is heartless, wasteful and fraught with peril. In no way is it an appropriate sequel to the saga of Lin Ping, the adorable panda cub who has brought so much joy to young and old alike since her birth two years ago.

In light of the respect accorded to Lin Ping, it is all the more alarming to see the cruel multi-million-baht trade in rare species apparently thriving. The seizures at Suvarnabhumi, along with the interception this week of a vehicle smuggling 53 pangolins from the Burma border to Nong Khai, are encouraging but raise the question of how much else is getting through.

New initiatives to tackle wildlife smuggling should be high on the agenda of the new government to emerge after the election. Regrettably, the outgoing administration cannot count suppression of this evil trade among its successes.