Gaddafi's Death- My Afterthoughts

Tyrants always face terrible and cruel end!

This is what we have learnt from history.

Ivan The Terrible, Ghengis Khan,  Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin (lucky to escape and die a natural death!), Pol Pot, Sadam Hussain and now, Muammar Gaddafi!

People who staunchly oppose communist regime could possibly add Stalin, Fidel Castro and Kim Il Sung!

There are a few who are still surviving and likely to follow the history or escape with some luck-Hosni Mubarak, Bashar Al Saad, Abdallah Saleh and who knows, more!

Yesterday evening, I was home, as usual on a Thursday evening! I don’t go out to be a part of the midnight revelers of Dubai, crowding the streets late in wee hours! I prefer to stay home, wash my clothes, iron them, cook some food for myself, watch a movie and go to bed early!

I was watching the India-England One Day Cricket Match till 9:00 p.m.! Just when it finished, I switched to a news channel in Malayalam, my native language. And there, I saw the breaking news that Muammar Gaddafi has been killed! I watched it for a few minutes on the same channel. Since the information as not too detailed, being an Indian language channel, I switched to SKY News, to see how it was announced internationally and find more details.

An interview was going on and the pictures of Gaddafi’s last moments, shot on mobile cameras were being shown with the confirmation by the presenter that Gaddafi is in fact, dead. A political analyst was beside the presenter, who was lamenting the fact that it was too sad Gaddafi was not captured alive and thus, he could not be brought to justice to book him for the Lockerbie Plane Crash!

The pictures and description of his death were gruesome. I left it there last night.

This evening, when I watched TV again, I could see more pictures and videos of the last moments of Gaddafi and its aftermath. I felt totally disgusted!

Is this the way humans treat a fellow human being, however bad, cruel and nasty he was?
Are we returning to the era of Roman Colloseums where poor slaves were let out against hungry lions to fight for their lives while thousand cheered the animals to attack the men trying to defend their lives?

Doesn’t every human being in this world have the right to a fair trial?

Muammar Gaddafi was caught from a sewer and dragged out to the street. He was kicked, bashed on his face and legs with guns, spit at and dragged on the streets behind a pick-up, if I can recall from the videos. I can understand the feelings of Libyans to this point. They had the right to retribution against a tyrant!

But, when a human being begs for his life to be spared, if the same crowd (mob!) shoots him point blank and simultaneously records the events on their mobile phones and then drags the dead body around the streets in a victory march, then I am sorry to say that they are not worthy of being called liberators! It is pure animal instinct and mob psychology!

Can we trust this group of people who couldn’t give justice to a man who was begging for his life with his last words, “don’t shoot me!” to do justice to the nation? Can you believe that they and their leaders can reform the country?

As I write these lines, Gaddafi’s dead body is lying in a freezer in a fish market somewhere in Libya- (I don’t remember the city!) It has been over 24 hours since he is dead. Despite the initial promise made by the liberation army chief of Libyan movement, people are still visiting the freezer and taking the dead body’s photograph on their mobiles to keep as personal souvenirs!

I am not a believer in religion. Yet, as a man who respects the rights of anyone who believes in his faith, I feel that every man has the right to be buried honorably as per his belief. Muammar Gaddafi was a Muslim. As promised by the Chief of Libyan Revolution, Gaddafi deserves a burial befitting a Muslim and it was promised yesterday, right after his death was officially announced. Yet, 24 hours later, Gaddafi’s dead body, half naked, is lying in a fish market cold storage freezer, ready to be photographed as a souvenir!

Liberations are meant to upturn tyranny and bring in social justice in a country. What happened in Egypt was different. But, what happened just now in Libya is the worst example of public movement against a dictator. I fear that this could set a bad example for the liberation movements in Syria and Yemen and lead to more anarchy than what was prevailing before in these countries.

I come from India, a country that prides to be the world’s greatest democracy (by sheer number of electorate!). Even in our democracy, the family regime is so strong, justified in “democratic” terms! Nehru family has been ruling India over the past 65 years, except for the short regime of Janata Party in 1977 and later by BJP in 1998 with many short-lived romances between various parties. From Motilal Nehru, it has been passed down to Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi (of Italian Origin) and the latest in the fourth generation- Rahul Gandhi! Since Rahul is still unmarried, the next leadership is likely to shift to Priyanka Vadhera’s children- Raihan and Miraya! Despite the vast member base and cadre they have, Congress Party can’t think “beyond the box!”

Don’t take me wrong here-It is the same with other parties too! In West Bengal, for 35 years, the Communist Marxist Party could find no leader other than Jyothi Basu! Only when health reasons limited him from leading the state the party was forced to find an alternative candidate in Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who had a short-lived stint! Take every party in India and it is the same- it is either a long stint of the prevailing leader or his/her sons and relatives who come straight into the front line without having to work through the ranks.

The above statements were made to let you know of my observations that creating successors, once you are established, is the natural instinct of any leader. They want their position and legacy covered till they die and beyond, whether in position or not. This is what has been happening with Mubarak, Fidel Castro, Kim Il Sung, George H. W.Bush, Bashar Al Saad, Abdallah Saleh or Gaddafi.

Lord Acton (1834-1902), British historian, originally wrote and since has been quoted in history many a times by many:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad man."

If people can realize when great men turn to bad men, then they can stop tyranny! But, as always has been in history, people are always late to realize and react. And when they do react, it is often uglier than the experience they have gone through and then, the results of their revolt lead to more turmoil than what they have experienced in the past!

Bottom line- every man has the right to live, whether good or bad. Unless they are declared as “Wanted Dead Only!” across the world unanimously,  they deserve a fair trial. If you kill a man like a rabid dog on a street, you are no better than him!

The Royal Wedding- Is It The Event Of The Year?

Some of you know me.

For those who don’t, I am an Indian, coming from Kerala -Cherai, a small village in Vypin Island near Kochi, to be precise!

For the past 20 years, I have spent my life in United Arab Emirates (UAE), except for a sabbatical 18 months in Saudi Arabia during 1996-97. My past 14 years have been spent in Dubai.

On Sunday, I had to go to Abu Dhabi on a business trip. As I was driving down the Dubai- Abu Dhabi Highway in the morning, I switched to my favourite English FM Channel, which boasted of “More Music and Less Talk”. I like this FM Station because they play the songs from my times- 70’s to early 90’s, when songs meant meaningful lyrics and enjoyable music. Then, I heard the announcement on the radio by the RJ- “The wedding of the year is happening this Friday. Tell us how you plan to celebrate it so that we can share it with the rest of our listeners!”.

Hang on a minute, I thought! What is so great about the Royal Wedding? Is it something that will bring the whole world together? Will it end the global issues like global warming, economic recession, natural calamities happening in different forms across the globe? Will it unify Europe? Will it bring relief to the Fukushima victims? Will it end poverty in Africa and elsewhere in the world? Will it bring democracy to the countries in Middle East where millions are fighting for their democratic rights?

My answer was a simple NO!!!

And then I thought, WHY?

Still, why do people celebrate this wedding between a man and a woman as “The Wedding of the Year?”

I searched on the net on the entire show about the “Royal Wedding”.

The list of guests at Westminster Abbey is as follows:

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/23/Selected-Guest-List-for-the-Wedding-Service-at-Westminster-Abbey

I looked at the FAQ about the wedding.

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/static/faqs

While the wedding is not officially acknowledged, the Prime Minister of UK says:

Will there be a public holiday?

Yes. The Prime Minister has said: "The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion. We want to mark the day as one of national celebration, a public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day."

The last paragraph says:

Who is paying?

The Royal Family and the Middleton family will pay for the wedding.

I am provoked again, after the last message I posted on FB about Saibaba's death.

What is the importance of the Monarchy in United Kingdom’s current constitutional structure? How does it affect the rest of the world and how does it work in congruence with UK’s policy about the rest of the world?

I searched the official website of the British Monarchy! Following text in italics are quoted from the website.

Who is the Queen?

The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom. As a constitutional monarch, Her Majesty does not 'rule' the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to Government. She is also Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces and has important relationships with the established Churches of England and Scotland.

Her Majesty The Queen

The Queen is Head of State of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms. The elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, she was born in 1926 and became Queen at the age of 25, and has reigned through more than five decades of enormous social change and development. The Queen is married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and has four children and eight grandchildren.

The role of the Sovereign

The British Sovereign can be seen as having two roles: Head of State, and 'Head of the Nation'.

As Head of State, The Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history.

There are inward duties, with The Queen playing a part in State functions in Britain. Parliament must be opened, Orders in Council have to be approved, Acts of Parliament must be signed, and meetings with the Prime Minister must be held.

There are also outward duties of State, when The Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world. For example, The Queen receives foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertains visiting Heads of State, and makes State visits overseas to other countries, in support of diplomatic and economic relations.

Hmm!!!

I further searched Wikipedia and understood what HM Queen’s position and powers are in the administration of United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realm of 15 countries. India is not amongst them and so, as an Indian, I have no issue there about HM Queen and the Monarchy’s privileges.

Now comes the question of the Royal Wedding!

Prince William, aged 28 is marrying Catherine Middleton, also aged 28 on the 29^th of April at Westminster Abbey, London.

Who is paying for the wedding? The Royal Family and the Middleton family are paying.

Great!

But, really?

I found the following from Press TV, Ireland’s website:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/176828.html (Watch the video!)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175006.html

It tells me everything that I wanted to know.

If the citizen of UK and the 15 countries in the Commonwealth Realm considers the British Monarchy as their head of state, it is their choice and right to decide so. If it costs UK exchequer $48 Million for the wedding and $10 Billion for the National Holiday, it is their decision. I have no right to question them.

However, I fail to understand why the wedding of the Grandson of the Head of State of a country should be termed as “The Wedding of the Year”!

Prince Charles, when he got married to Diana in 1981, was the Heir Apparent to HM Queen Elizabeth. It was big news that he was getting married, because he was the next line to be the King. He is now 62 and still holds the title Prince of Wales and has had the longest wait to become the King in the history of British Monarchy. His son, William, has recently been appointed by the Queen as the “Colonel of The Irish Guards”. He is second in line in succession for the throne, after his father. Queen Elizabeth is understood to be in good health and so is Prince Charles. Long Live The Queen and The Prince! Prince William will have a long wait to be His Majesty The King!

Why should the world be told to celebrate the wedding of the grandson of the Monarch of a country? Is it because that some of the 16 countries under that Monarchy are powerful and want the rest of the world to do so?

Let me repeat the questions I raised in the beginning of this article:

Is it something that will bring the whole world together? Will it end the global issues like global warming, economic recession, natural calamities happening in different forms across the globe? Will it unify Europe? Will it bring relief to the Fukushima victims? Will it end poverty in Africa and elsewhere in the world? Will it end the sufferings of the Palestinians, Iraqis and so on? Will it bring peace and normalcy to the countries in Middle East where millions are fighting for their democratic rights?

I live in the Middle East, where monarchial system is followed in most of the countries. There are many royal weddings happening, including that of the rulers, their sons, daughters and grandchildren. However, they are held as private functions with select invitees. We, the residents come to know of them through the media, mostly after they happen. They are not celebrated or marketed as the “Wedding of the Year” by the administration.

British Monarchy is a paradox! While they claim to be a democratic country, the Queen (or King) is the head of the state and the only person who can declare a war. How can such a country alongwith its Commonwealth Realm allies challenge other rulers? How can they accuse them of depriving their citizen the freedom of democracy, when they have a system, which is based on monarchy? How justified are they in declaring war and sending troops to attack the ruling forces?

I am not justifying the rulers of the countries in Middle East where Britain and her allies have sent strike forces against them. I support the democratic movements by the people and welcome any support from the rest of the world to help them achieve their right to freedom and democracy. But, I am challenging the irony in UK and its allies taking a stance which is contradicting their legal system.

Dear leaders and citizen of Commonwealth Realm- leave us alone! Those who still hold the memories of colonial era close to their heart can celebrate the Royal Grandson’s Wedding and hold parties. But, for the rest of the world, April 29^th is just another day of work, suffering, pain, hunger and struggle!

Saibaba's Death- What is the Big Deal About It?

(This article was posted on my Facebook Page on 24th April 2010 and is being reproduced here)

A great deal is being talked about Sathya Sai Baba. Prime Minister, President, Opposition leader, State CM's and lamentalby, even communist leaders like Achuthanandan are expressing their condolence.

It is a shame for us Indians to be so hyporcatic.

Death doesn't glorify anyone.

I have followed Saibaba's life and deeds from the 70's and pardon me for my frank and bold opinion- Sathya Sai Baba was one of the first Godmen who institutionalised the concept in India and altered its culture. I consider him responsible for the long list of fake Godmen who appeared in the past three to four decades and had very bad influence on Indian politics and judicial system, affecting its development.

Many politicians, scientists, judges and people of high ranking positions who could change India and its development were hooked to Saibaba and similar fake godmen!

I still remember the cheap magic he used to do by giving vibhoothi and laddu from his empty hand to the devotees. When Magician PC Sarkar went to see him in a disguise, he gave a rasagolla back to Sai Baba when he was given a laddu from thin air by him. Sarkar was nabbed by his devotees and thrown out from Puttaparthi. When AT Kovoor openly challenged him to perform a magic under his supervision, he refused.

See a link below to the news article and Youtube video on Saibab's magic!

http://indiancults.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/bbc-exposed-satya-sai-baba-cult-watch-videos-of-godmen-in-india-asaram-bapu-learned-tricks-from-him/

Anybody can preach good things- even me and you. When you have weakminded people who look for solace or an excuse for their failures in life, the godmen hook them in. A few prominent businessmen, politicians, scientists, jidges and known personalities pronounce their devotism to them and suddenly, they become the most influencial persons in Indian society!

Matha Amrithananda Mayi, Sri Sri Ravi Sankar,Baba Ramdev, there are many such living gods.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0208_India_godmen/index_01.htm

Don't forget Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the godman who was recently involved in the Ranjtha sex scandal video episode:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7049232.ece

Money pours in from the devotees and they build empires and give a little tip to the society as their great "charities" These deeds don't exemplify them! They are the curse of Indian Society.

Finally it proves that they are all mortal and die like the rest of human beings! And, after their death, the trust members fight for succession!They have their eyes on the billions of rupees worth assets, not the values.

Don't forget that Saibaba lifted his robe and ran for his life with his two legs like me and you a few years back when a disgruntled devotee tried to shoot him with a gun!

I think Lokpal Bill should extend to such Godmen and women who amass wealth from poor and wealthy, educated and yet ignorant people and tax them on their assets and revenues!

Don't celebrate their death as "samadhi". If Saibaba had donated one organ of his to someone who needed it, I would have appreciated him as a lovable human being!

Let us stop creating and promoting Godmen. We need more Anna Hasare's than Fake Godmen to take India forward!