[nukkad] Two good speeches-Rajababu

["rajababu" <>]

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Tip of the day:  When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear. 
                 - Mark Twain 
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> E-Mail No.1
>
> Campbelltown City Council Confidential Communication
> There has been a lot of anti American mail going around on this and other
> Indian groups that only add to the confusion and hurt that people are
> already feeling. What happened on 11th September was a crime against
> humanity, a crime against decency, a crime that actually transcends
> boundaries, nations, cultures and creeds. That this heinous crime should
be
> condemned is right and honourable. But what is wrong and dishonourable is
> the justification that America as a nation deserves this in order to wake
up
> to itself and its' crimes of the past. Go back in time to history. Every
> great emperor, kingdom and dynasty was started in a tyrannical manner. One
> of the greatest of Indian emperors Akbar the Great who did much for the
> country and the people and bring peace between Hindus and Muslims, or at
> least a semblance of it was in his early years a tyrant and a hard
military
> man. It is only later that he mellowed. Why do I say this? Not to justify
> anything that America has done or will do. But just to say that if you
want
> to be a world leader, if you want to lead, not follow, then some of that
> strength comes from making mistakes, learning from them and trying not to
> repeat them.  One of the reasons that there is so much of anti american
> feelings in India (and of course also in other parts of the world) is that
> we rail and rant against America and how it has never seen India's point
of
> view and that is
> rightly so. But then we only have ourselves to blame. How many of our
> diplomats truly work? Most appointments are of a political nature rather
> than on merit. Here in Australia I find the Pakistan embassy more
effective
> in communicating their point of view. The Indians on the other hand see
this
> posting as a holiday. During the Kargil war and the Kandahar plane hijack,
> nothing was done in the media here. And we were the ones who were wronged,
> who were attacked.  While the Pakis were all over the airwaves and the TV
> putting their view point across our Indian staff were conspicously absent.
> Even dispatches from Australian correspondents in New Delhi to here were
> very critical of India and propounded Pakistan's views.The Indian Embassy
is
> the only one in Canberra that has its gates locked with a padlock. All the
> others have their gates wide open. A sign of their mental mood perhaps.
> While everyone is open to others we are closed and defensive and show a
> siege mentality. It is no wonder we are not heard.  I think it is time to
> move on from what has happened in the past whether done by America or
> whoever. And by the way the only reason we know so much of America's
> mistakes and follies is because they have so much freedom of press. Show
me
> that in Russia or China or any of those so called democracies or otherwise
> in Africa. It is America that takes in the most numer of
> refugees in the world and see what it does to their social fabric. Yet,
they
> stay united.  My concern is more to the fact that people are not looking
at
> the real evil here. The fundamentalist Islam that is allowed to be
> propagated, the fanatical Islams, the hatred that is spread by people of
the
> ilk of the bin ladens and the Sadam Husseins and to some extent Hamas and
> Hezbollah. They are the real enemies. For logic is not one of their strong
> points nor reason. Islam is the second largest religion in the US, and in
> time will become the first, very similar to what is happening in India.
Look
> at the
> difference in the percentage of the Muslim population pre partition and in
> the latest census. Of them how many do you think support the stand of
> Pakistan in Kashmir? If it came down to a war between religions, where
would
> their support stay? Name one Islamic country that allows freedom of
religion
> and press the way the West provides. Muslims can raise their voice and cry
> persecution in any Western country that they live in. They can build
> mosques, keep to themselves, build Islamic schools and preach their
religion
> with no fear of persecution or restrcitions. Name me on Islamic country
that
> will allow me to practise, preach and propagate my faith in their part of
> the world.  Yes, the US was started by thieves and ex convicts and people
> not wanted by others then but today is the most generous, with the most
> amount of charities dispersed wide and far with no prejudice of colour,
race
> or creed.  Again, of more concern to me is the way Pakistan is able to
> position themselves. While no doubt threatened and therefore are forced to
> provide
> support to the US, they are being promised in return for cooperation US$
30
> billion in aid, an assurance of no Indian or Israeli presence in the
> coalition, sanctions imposed since the nuclear testing immediately lifted
> and of course access to more sophisticated armoury and weapons. And what
is
> India doing in all this? Doing exactly what we did all those years ago.
> Tugging the forelock and bowing to the inevitable rather than raising a
hue
> and cry about how destabilising this could be to the region. After all
> wasn't that what the world was saying when we flexed our nuclear muscles?
I
> think it is this issue that needs to be addressed not whether America
> deserved what they got because of what has happened in the past. Again, I
> emphasise, to be a leader and not a follower, you have to set the
standards,
> you have to set the benchmarks and where there are none, you make them and
> impose them. Sometimes mistakes are made but... America have been able to
do
> what they have been doing for the last 50 years because in the end they
are
> united as one, no one calls themselves Virginian or Texans or whatever.
They
> are all Americans united as one. They also have responded when they felt
it
> affected their interests. Rightly or worngly that has been so. But is that
> unity that Americanness that has helped them all along become who and what
> they are. Yes, they are arrogant but... isn;t the lion in his domain? Can
we
> say the same about us Indians? Not all the time. We want to be Bengalis,
or
> Tamils, or Keralites or Maharashtrian first. Why are we not just Indians,
> first and foremost.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Press.&.Information.-.Government.of.India@spf2.us4.outblaze.com
>
> Prime  Minister Vajpayee's  address  to the  nation on  terrorist attacks
on
> the United States
>
> September 14, 2001 New Delhi
>
> My Dear countrymen,
>
> As  you  know, terrorists have  struck yet  another blow - at the United
> States  of America, at  humanity, at the civilized way of life.
> But  I  have not the  slightest doubt about the eventual outcome.
> Democracies, open, free and plural societies shall prevail.
> Our  prayers  rise for those who  have been killed. Our hearts go out  to
> those  who have lost their loved ones. Every Indian feels for them.
> More  than that,  at least fifty three thousand families in India know
> exactly the  pain they are going through at the moment: for terrorists
have
> mowed down and blown up that number here in India over the last two
decades.
> For  years we in India have been alerting others to the fact that
terrorism
> is a scourge for all of humanity, that what happens in Mumbai  one  day is
> bound  to happen elsewhere tomorrow, that the poison  that propels
> mercenaries and terrorists to kill and maim in  Jammu and  Kashmir will
> impel the same sort to blow up people elsewhere.
> In the Address I had delivered at the joint meeting of the United States
> Congress a year ago, I had said,
> "Many  of  you here  in  the  Congress  have in  recent  hearings
recognised
> a stark  fact  - no  region is  a  greater source  of terrorism  than our
> neighbourhood. Indeed, in our neighbourhood - in  this, the  21st
entury  -
> religious  war has  not just  been fashioned  into,  it has been
proclaimed
> to be, an instrument of State  policy. Distance offers no insulation. It
> should not cause complacence.  "You  know, and I  know - such evil cannot
> succeed. But  even  in failing it  could inflict untold suffering. That is
> why  the United  States  and  India have  begun  to deepen  their
> cooperation  for  combating  terrorism. We  must  redouble  these
efforts."
> In the wake of this new blow, Rashtrapatiji has assured President Bush
that
> we  stand united with the American people in this hour of  grief. I  have
> reiterated  to  President Bush  that what  the terrorists  have done
"sends
> a strong message to democracies that we  redouble our  efforts  to  defeat
> this  grave  threat to  our people, our values and our way of life."
> I  have assured him that "we stand ready to cooperate with you in the
> investigations  into  this  crime  and  to  strengthen  our partnership
in
> leading  international efforts  to  ensure  that terrorism never succeeds
> again."
> It  is for the same reason that India has taken the lead over the last
two
> years  to have the United Nations adopt a Comprehensive Convention
against
> Terrorism.  That Convention  is  ready.  The international  community
> should finalise it, and begin acting on it  in  concert.  I  can  scarcely
> stress  that  too  much  -the imperative that peoples and governments act
in
> concert. Those who wreak  evil have  their networks across the world.
Those
> who will thwart  them  must be united too.  We must strike at the roots of
> the   system  that  breeds  terrorism.  We  must  stamp  out  the
> infrastructure  that  imparts the  perverse ideological poison by which
the
> terrorist is fired up.
> We  must hold  governments wholly  accountable for  the terrorism that
> originates from their countries.
> In a word, to get at the terrorists, the world community must get at
their
> organizations, at those who condition, finance, train, equip  and protect
> them. To  get at  the organizations,  it must isolate,  and thus  compel
the
> States that  nurture and  support them, to desist from doing so.
> And  we must  do so, recognizing that the death inflicted on some distant
> people is as revolting as death inflicted on us. It is as necessary  that
> the perpetrators  of such  horrors be brought to justice  -  whichever
> place,  whoever is  their  target  in  any particular instance.
> In a word, my countrymen, the terrorists and those who give him a safe
> haven are  enemies  of  every human  being,  they have  set themselves
> against the  world.  The world  must  join hands:  to overwhelm them
> militarily, to neutralize their poison.
> As  an integral part of this battle, it is necessary that we bear in  mind
> that no religion preaches terrorism. The fringe elements of society, which
> seek to cloak terrorism in a religious garb, do grave  injustice  to both
> their  faith  and its  followers.  Our revulsion  against their  barbaric
> acts  should not  prejudice us against  the innocent people who practice
the
> religion, for which the  terrorists  claim to act. If  this happens, we
> would only be furthering   the  terrorists'  agenda  of  fomenting  hatred
> and division   in  society   along  communal   lines.  The   fiendish
> destruction  in the  US has immediate consequences for us, it has direct
> lessons for us.
> What  the terrorists have inflicted on the US, once again reminds us  that
> the  people and countries that are peace loving, have to be  prepared  for
> the entire spectrum  of violence -for it is the aggressor,  the terrorist
> who shall choose what weapon to deploy. His  target has to build the
> capacity to counter whichever device he  deploys.  Now,  being  prepared
> across  the  spectrum,  costs resources,  it  costs enormous amounts.  But
> that is the price we have to pay for holding our own in the world of
today.
> That  is all the more so in the region in which we are placed. As this
> region has become the hub of terrorism, much of the response to  the
> destruction that the terrorists caused on 11th September, could  take
place
> in our  vicinity. Quite apart from the dangers with  which  we are
> confronted on our  own, this response itself will  impose heightened
costs.
> We have to brace ourselves to bear them.  And  remember that this  turn
has
> come  at a time when the world economy was already on the edge of a
> substantial slow down.
> The pressures are certain to become more intense:
> India  spends  almost  Rs.  90,000 crore  on  importing  oil.  An increase
> in the  price  of a  barrel  of oil  by  just a  dollar increases  our
> import  bill  by Rs.  three  thousand six  hundred crore.
> On  the one  hand, there  is  liable to  be less  demand for  our exports;
> on   the  other,  our  competitors,  facing  the  same pressures, are
liable
> to exert even harder to push their exports; On  the one  hand, because of
> heightened uncertainties, the flows of foreign direct investment are
liable
> to shrink; on the other, we  will  have to  try  even  harder  to convince
> the  potential investor  that  India is
> a  better destination for his funds than other countries.
> For  reasons  such as these, we  have to redouble our efforts, we have  to
> prepare ourselves  for  harsh  measures in  the  coming months. But we
have
> to do more than just bear economic costs.
> We have to review our hobbled laws, our dilatory procedures. That even
the
> first stage of the  trial of those who carried out the serial  blasts in
> Mumbai,  has  not been  completed  is an  open invitation to terrorists to
> continue with impunity.  But governmental agencies are not the only ones
> that have to pull themselves up. Each  of  us has  to willingly  put  up
> with  the inconveniences  that
> come our way as the security forces go about their work.  In  the  end, I
am
> sure  each of you  would want me to once again convey heartfelt
sympathies
> to  the families  of those who have been killed. Our condolences also to
the
> families of the numerous Indians  and  Indian
> Americans  who have  lost their lives. These were our children, who were
> using their genius to unite India and the  United  States in a  common
quest
> for a strong and peaceful future.  Their death  binds our two countries in
a
> common resolve to defeat forever the forces of terror.
> My countrymen, the coming months are going to be months of trial. All  who
> love  freedom -  peoples as  well as  governments -  all democracies  must
> stand firm,  and united,  and resolute. And in India,  all of us must be
> one.  The first requisite in this battle is that -
> We  maintain peace and communal harmony at home; We remain united in
> purpose.  We  remain unflinching  in our resolve to bear the hardships
that
> come our way.  Every Indian has to be a part of this global war on
> terrorism.  We must, and we will, stamp out this evil from our land, and
> from the world.
> Jai Hind.
>
>
>


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