Obama hails India's thriving democracy to promote freedom

News Courtesy : sify.com

United Nations, Sep 23 (IANS) Hailing India for peacefully throwing off colonialism and establishing a 'thriving democracy' of over a billion people, US President Barack Obama has pledged to support free flow of information to promote democracy around the world.
'There is no right more fundamental than the ability to choose your leaders and determine your destiny,' he said at the opening of the UN General Assembly here Thursday but stressed democracy would not succeed because America dictates it.

'Make no mistake: the ultimate success of democracy in the world won't come because the United States dictates it; it will come because individual citizens demand a say in how they are governed,' the president said.
At the same time, he believed 'There is no soil where this notion cannot take root, just as every democracy reflects the uniqueness of a nation,' said Obama citing several examples including India, that he is set to visit in early November.
'Later this fall, I will travel to Asia. I will visit India, which peacefully threw off colonialism and established a thriving democracy of over a billion people,' he told the annual gathering of world leaders.
'I will continue to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, which binds together thousands of islands through the glue of representative government and civil society.
'I will join the G-20 meetings on the Korean peninsula, which provides the world's clearest contrast between a society that is dynamic and open, and one that is imprisoned and closed,' he said.
'I will conclude my trip in Japan, an ancient culture that found peace and extraordinary development through democracy.'
'Each of these countries gives life to democratic principles in their own way,' said Obama describing civil society as 'the conscience of our communities'.
Vowing to always extend American 'engagement abroad with citizens beyond the halls of government', Obama said: 'We will call out those who suppress ideas, and serve as a voice for the voiceless,' said.
'We will promote new tools of communication, so people are empowered to connect with one another - and, in repressive societies, to do so with security,' he said.

The United States 'will support a free and open Internet, so individuals have the information to make up their own minds,' said Obama calling it a 'time to embrace - and effectively monitor - norms that advance the rights of civil society, and guarantee its expansion within and across borders.'

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom...

The Pillar of the Cloud

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom

Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home—

Lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene—one step enough for me.



I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou

Shouldst lead me on.

I loved to choose and see my path, but now

Lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,

Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.



So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still

Will lead me on,

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till

The night is gone;

And with the morn those angel faces smile

Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.





(By: John Henry Newman, From Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Ashram Bhajnawali, Collected & Compiled by K. Khare Shastri, Published by – Nabjiban Prakashan Mandir, Ahmedabad – 380014, India, Year 1922, pp.222-223)

Myanmar's prime minister issues election warning

Courtesy AFP News : 29 September 2010

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's prime minister warned citizens to protect the country's image during November elections and to prevent anyone from derailing the first polls in 20 years, state media reported Wednesday.

The Nov. 7 vote is a keystone of what the military-ruled country says is a transition to civilian rule after five decades under the army, although many see it as a means of prolonging its dominance.

"The success of the election is a matter of national dignity and concerns every citizen. Thus, it is necessary to prevent those who are trying to disrupt the election," Prime Minister Thein Sein was quoted saying in comments carried by Myanma Ahlin and the two other state-run newspapers.

State media often accuse "terrorists" or anti-government groups of plotting to disrupt the vote. It was first such warning from a senior official.

Thein Sein did not elaborate on any alleged threat, though the junta's biggest perceived threat is detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her National League for Democracy opposition party is boycotting elections and Suu Kyi has said through a spokesman that dissatisfied voters have the right not to vote — stopping short of calling for a voter boycott.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner and governments around the world say that restrictive rules governing the elections show it will be unfair and undemocratic.

Suu Kyi's party won the country's last election in 1990 but the junta refused to let the party take power. Suu Kyi has been in jail or under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years.

Thein Sein also urged voters to choose "patriotic persons and those who will prevent the Union (of Myanmar) from disintegration" when casting ballots. He made the comments at the opening ceremony of a hospital in the Irrawaddy Delta, the area hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which left 140,000 people dead or missing.

Thein Sein is the leader of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party which was formed in April after he and 26 other Cabinet officials resigned their military posts to make them eligible to take part in politics.

The USDP is widely expected to win the most votes in the election because its ties with the junta give the party access to easy funding and a nationwide presence.

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UN chief backs call for 'inclusive' Burma election

Courtesy BBC News: 28 September 2010

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Burma's upcoming elections will not be credible without the release of political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.

Mr Ban was speaking after a ministerial meeting in New York of the so-called "Group of Friends" of Burma.

He said the group had called for a "more inclusive" poll on 7 November.

Ms Suu Kyi's party won Burma's last election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power by the ruling junta.

The November poll is part of the junta's long-announced "roadmap to democracy", but critics have dismissed it as a sham designed to keep the military in power.

'Stability and development'

Mr Ban said after Monday's meeting behind the closed doors that the ministers had reiterated the need for the election process to be "more inclusive, participatory and transparent".

"Members called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

"This is essential for the election to be seen as credible and contribute to Myanmar's stability and development," the UN chief said.

Burma - whose representatives did not attend the meeting - has not publicly responded to Mr Ban's comments.

Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was forcibly disbanded in May, under the new election laws.

Ms Suu Kyi has spent most of the last two decades in some form of detention and is currently under house arrest in Rangoon.

The "Group of Friends" of Burma includes Australia, the UK, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the US, Vietnam and the EU.

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China’s offer of cooperation must be welcomed

Last night (7th of September) on CNN-IBN news channel, there was an offer of cooperation from China to India for the regional peace and stability in Asia. The offer of cooperation from China to India is a positive step forward from India’s largest neighbor. India and China are two great civilizations of the world and they should must cooperate with each other for the well being and economic prosperity of more than millions of people living in poverty in both the countries. Moreover, India’s guiding philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the whole world is one single family) doesn’t allow her to hate “any nations” of the world including its entire neighbor. China should be also sensitive on raising issue of Arunachal Pradesh & other areas, which might dampen the natural confluence of the people’s of both the nations. The need of the hour for India is to increase track-III diplomatic engagement with other nations of the world to preserve and promote world peace. The recent effort by India to establish new ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) chairs in different countries to increase awareness about India is a positive step in this direction. China and India having some differences on some important border issues could still learn many things from each other for the development of both the nations through cooperation.