Voting rights for the non-resident Indians

http://twocircles.net/2013apr23/voting_rights_nonresident_indians.html

The parliamentary election in the offing, different issues are doing the round. A very important issue that goes unnoticed is the electoral role of NRIs, especially in this era when the world has become a global village. Grand country like India has more than twenty million NRIs spread around the globe. In the countries around the Persian Gulf (GCC) alone, there are more than five million Indians working.

With this advanced electric technology today, we are performing most of our jobs over the internet; registering, checking status, purchasing, banking and so on, from one corner of the world to another. One of the latest inventions in the use of this technology is online voting. Estonia became the first nation to hold legally binding general elections over the Internet for the municipal elections in 2005. The electronic voting system withstood the test of reality and was declared a success by Estonian election officials.

The State of Gujarat is the first state in having implemented Internet voting in public elections in India. The first online election was successfully carried out in September 2010, and since then, the online voting system has been used for Municipal Corporation / Municipality Elections. During Gandhinagar’s Municipal Corporation elections, 77.16% of registered e-voters cast their vote electronically- either from home or from e-voting booths.

Scytl is a Spain-based internet voting solution firm that has recently started India operations. It has been specially designed for public elections, carrying out all kinds of electoral processes (elections, referendums, surveys, citizen consultations, etc.), ensuring the highest levels of security in terms of voter privacy, vote integrity, and transparency. The solution supports multiple languages and can be used remotely from any place connected to the Internet or from supervised locations (polling stations).

The online voting project implemented by Scytl in the Indian State of Gujarat has received the 2013 National award for e-Governance under the category “Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering”.

With online voting being successfully experimented in Gujarat and Indian Government certifying the performance of Scytl, why such a strong number of NRIs should be devoid of the statutory right of voting?

Reaching out to the Indian diaspora at the 8th edition of “Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas”, in January 2010, the prime minister assured NRIs of voting rights by the next general elections in 2014. The lower house of parliament passed the Representation of the People [Amendment] Bill 2010 in August, allowing overseas Indians to vote with a constraint. They would be required to register in India only during times specified by the election commission and would have to travel again to cast their vote, an option many could not afford.

Organizations advocating NRIs right to vote have pleaded before the election commission to make amendments and allow NRIs to register throughout the year and to register at the embassy or online instead of registering in India.

Three years have passed since the assurance given by the Prime Minister, of NRIs voting right. It is high time we check with the government of the initiative taken so far in this direction using RTI. In the case of any negligence on their part, we may start signature campaigns on social network sites and build a pressure group, to amend laws accordingly.

How to Uplift Indian Muslims

http://www.radianceweekly.com/62/566/rajasthan-on-the-boil-meenas-gujjars-left-to-fight-it-out/2007-06-10/muslim-affairs/story-detail/how-to-uplift-indian-muslims.html

Credit goes to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who entrusted Justice Sachar Committee with the responsibility to probe the problems of Muslims. The data – political, social as well as economic – clearly point out that Muslims have slipped below the level of Dalits. In other words, they are more backward today than even Dalits.

The Sachar Committee report has awakened Muslims across India. There were agitations, dharnas, and demonstrations demanding reservations for Muslims. Before Sachar, it was Mrs. Indira Gandhi-appointed Gopal Singh High Power Committee in 1980. Mrs. Gandhi also had announced 15-point program for economic uplift of Muslims, but hardly any fruitful result came out.

It is a fact that government policies have been biased and partial towards Muslims. The Sachar report has brought this bitter truth before us. And we are well aware of the Government’s policies toward Muslims. We can have a feel of it when we examine different policies and trends.

Articles 340, 341 and 342 of the Constitution deal with "backward classes", Scheduled Castes and Tribes. According to the Constitutional (Scheduled Caste) Order of 1950, a convert to Islam or Christianity from the Scheduled Castes, the poorest of the poor, cannot claim any of the privileges of reservation. In 1956, this was amended to include Scheduled Caste converts to Sikhism within reservation quotas, and in 1990 this facility was extended to Buddhists as well. Can one ask why Muslims and Christians still continue to be excluded?

West Bengal, a state with a progressive government, has a Muslim population of 25.2%, but only 2.1% of state government employees are Muslims. Delhi, which has secular governments on both tiers, state and national, has 3.2% Muslims in government jobs despite 11.7% Muslim population there.

If Dalits are backward and underprivileged and are given reservation, why not Muslims be given the same privilege while they are more backward now than the Dalits?

Well, Muslims’ demand for reservation is truly justified; but, will just sitting idle and waiting for government help bring any solution while the world is moving ahead? Haven’t the two events – Babri Masjid demolition and Gujarat genocide – conclusively proved that depending on the government has been a big mistake?

Situations in India are changing fast. We must comprehend it and change our course accordingly. The major part of the task ahead is passing into the private sector. Nearly 60% of the economy is in services outside government control. This private sector-led economy has opened a very competitive marketplace where one can find a place only if one is competent (multi-skilled) and diligent. Here self-employment and entrepreneurial behavior provide the best avenues for the betterment of one’s lot. Muslim youths who have mastered the talent and skill are making ways in the field. So, here we need to explore the job sectors, prepare ourselves accordingly and show our worth. A lot of Muslim youths are getting jobs in the private sector on the basis of their talent and are proving their excellence.

On the educational front, the scenario is undergoing a massive change. Education in India is privatized. More and more private institutions are being opened. Further, India is a signatory to GATS which has opened avenues for foreign educational organizations to have an access in the country. This is bound to create a new environment in our educational system and call for several measures for readjustment. To get an education is becoming more challenging and more expensive in this competitive environment where the number of educational institutions is falling short against the rising number of the aspirants.

Within the next five years, 20% of our population will become college going. With the 11th five-year plan, the nation has to undergo an overhaul in higher education. Today, India has 350 universities. In order to achieve the targeted gross enrolment of 15% by 2015, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) proposes to set up 1,150 more universities, and an additional 50 national universities. Yet, there are two opinions within the NKC itself; the other group recommends 3,000 universities with an intake capacity of over 10,000 per university. Ironically, the system will remain inaccessible to the other 85% of the eligible candidates.

It is high time Muslim intellectuals and organizations realized that just one AMU is not sufficient to accommodate the entire Muslim aspirants. Even if the entire seats of AMU is reserved for Muslims, it in not going to solve the problem.

In this phase of transition pertaining to the educational system, genuine commitment, a social vision and dynamic approach are needed by the Muslim leaders, intellectuals, and organizations. Privatization of education has opened avenues for all to open educational institutions of their choice.

At the very primary level where the foundation is built, we have no school of our choice. We send our children to a school where Islamic values are at stake. Look at the schools in and around Delhi where Urdu is no more taught. Is this not a great loss to the community? The bulk of Islamic literature is in the Urdu language of which our new generation has been deliberately deprived. If DAV and Shishu Mandir can have branches across India, why should not Hamdard Public School open its branches?

A great number of students from lower middle-class family are not in a position to go in for higher studies. What they require is polytechnics, to be technically equipped to get a job at the earliest. See the services rendered by Imaarat-e-Shariah, Phulwari Sharif, Patna. Hundreds of students equipped with one or another technical skill field themselves in the market every year. Can’t we have such institutes in other states?

Needless to say, there is a great need for the institutions of modern professional education. We need to go in the field of Engineering, Medicine, Bio-Tech, Mass media, and such other relevant courses in large numbers. A section of students preparing themselves for Civil Services, need a proper residential facility with proper food, standard coaching, and guidance. Many students fail to make their way due to the shortage of these facilities. Indian Muslims need more institutes like "Study Circle" supervised by Saiyid Hamid of Jamia Hamdard, which can help them unlock their potential. Let’s get an inspiration from Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who despite all discouraging circumstances, moved ahead and the result is quite obvious.

Where there is will, there is a way. One can raise funds if one has brilliant projects. The schemes for minorities announced by the Central and State governments can be exploited. One can get a lot of money from Islamic Development Bank (IDB) if proper projects for educational institutions are submitted. "There is no dearth of money but a dearth of dedication and vision," said Maulana Nizamuddin, chief of Imaarat-e-Shariah, Bihar, a few months ago when he was in Saudi Arabia for Umra.

Without wasting time, let’s hit on the root cause that has the key to our success. Let’s kick the era of overdependence on crooked politicians and vote bank politics and realize that in this era of transition, we have to set the goals ourselves. Educational backwardness breeds economic backwardness and economic backwardness perpetuates educational backwardness. Hard work and establishment of proper institutions alone is going to help us. The sooner it is realized, the better it is for us.

World Peace and Justice

http://english.islammessage.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?articleId=3035 The quest for peace is an eternal pursuit for human fulfillment. Human beings can become human and humane only in conditions of peace. Similarly, social justice is an important prerequisite for peace in the world. An unjust social system is like a temporarily dormant volcano whose eruption can be expected any moment. History stands witness that whenever justice was denied, it caused social unrest and turmoil in society. We have headed into the twenty-first century, which is an era of Information Technology where the world has become a global village. Things are just a click away. Life has never been so easy and comfortable as it is now. But at the same time, this era is marked by unrest, violence, insecurity, terrorism, a threat to life, and so on. How can there be peace when stolen property is not restored to the owner, or when double standard is maintained while delivering justice, or when justice is denied to the oppressed, or when one’s sister, daughter or wife is raped, or when one’s house or land is invaded, or when criminals go free after blatantly breaking law and order, and so on? In such a situation of social injustice, the victim, however weak he might be, may yearn to take revenge even at the cost of taking law and order in the hands. If you see things from the psychological point of view, there is always ‘cause-and-effect’ relationship that governs all developments, be it right at home or in an international arena. Two pertinent cases can be mentioned here. First, a nineteen years old boy raped a girl in Delhi, recently. Second, a terrorist attack on Akshardham temple in Gujarat took place. Are, round the clock pornography on the internet which is spoiling the youth and especially the teenagers, and the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, not the causes behind the said crimes? Yes, they are. No matter how long we pretend to ignore them. Let’s analyze a few judicial and political incidents in this relation. It is great that those involved in Bombay blast case have been brought to book. But what is rankling is the failure of the government to bring to book the culprits of the December 1992-January 1993 communal riot in Mumbai following the razing of the Babri Masjid. About 900 people were killed in the riot – more than three times the number which perished in the March 12 bombings in Bombay. The Shiv Sena took the lead in organizing attacks on Muslims, and unfortunately, the police collaborated with them. Through its editorials, the Shiv Sena daily Saamna literally directed the rampaging mobs day after day to attack specific Muslim areas. Hindu communal leaders incited mobs and even the police to violence wherein more than 350 Muslims died in police firings. The Bombay blast was, in fact, a retaliation masterminded by the riot victims. As Justice B.N. Srikrishna, who inquired into the violence, concluded, there was a “cause-and-effect” relationship between the riots and the bomb blasts that followed. It seems to be a just question to ask here why only bomb blast guilty be punished and not those who perpetrated the communal riot? Bal Thackeray never disowned the Saamna editorials that incited and directed his supporters to lynch Muslims. Yet, the Bombay High Court refused to issue a writ to the government to prosecute him. Such a pattern of unequal, discriminatory treatment of different groups of offenders can never ensure peace and harmony in society. Let’s have an analysis of world politics, briefly, in this context. Afghanistan was invaded because America wanted to arrest Osama Bin Laden, according to the US administration the prime suspect behind the 9/11 attack, whom Taliban government then in power refused to hand over. With time passing on, the case seems to be taking a U-turn. Americans in particular and the world, in general, have begun to believe that 9/11 attack was actually masterminded by the Bush administration itself. There are many reasons to prove that the attack was thoroughly planned by the government agency or agencies, not by any outsider. In its final report, the 9/11 commission has ignored many significant facts due to which the validity of the report is genuinely questioned. According to the Zogby Poll, 66% of the New Yorkers want the 9/11 investigation reopened. This Poll also found that 49% found that VIPs in the government knew of the attack ahead of time and let it happen. In the case of Iraq, the Bush administration lied to the American people about weapons of mass destruction. When those lies were exposed, the administration argued that the war was still justified due to Saddam Hussein’s cruelty to his people. The fact is that the leaders of Iraq, despite their political or ethnic rivalries, united and began to awaken Iraqi people to realize that their country was invaded not for their emancipation from a dictator, but for serving the political and economic interests of America and England. While pursuing its ambition to colonize the world, America has trampled upon all international values undermining the system of international security. Be it Afghanistan, Iraq or Palestine, the result is obvious. Fighting for one’s rights, one goes even to the extent of blowing himself, which tells the story of the height of injustice in this so-called civilized world. Had justice been observed by America, blood would not be shed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Panama, Libya, Serbia and in many other countries. Had England observed justice, India would not have been a slave for almost a century. Had justice been delivered, there would have been no cases of riots in the society, no cases filed in the courts, and no demonstrations in the streets. If we examine situations at close quarters, right from street to an international arena, justice seems to be a myth. The strong kill the weak, the armed steal and rob the unarmed, a powerful nation overpowers a weak nation, enslaves its men and women with no sense of guilt or shame. The intoxication of victory makes the conquerors commit the most abhorrent acts of injustice. The treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of US soldiers at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo prison, which finds no parallel in human history, is the live example. Justice can be delivered truly only when human beings become God-fearing. When a person is reminded that no matter how powerful he is on earth, he would ultimately appear before God and would be held accountable for his deeds, he will surely try to be just and avoid exploiting others. As the Qur'an says in Surah Az-Zalzalah (30:99:7&8) “so whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. And whoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it” There are scores of examples of true justice being delivered by God- fearing people in human history. Broadly speaking, doing justice means giving every one his due. It includes basic human rights, social freedom, and freedom to grow and live without any external interference. Creativity, spirituality, individual and collective achievements bring to one’s life grandeur and glory only when there is peace. And peace can be attained only when justice rings in the air.