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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Mysterious death of ex-army man

There is more than meets the eye in the mysterious “accidental / suicidal” death of Bharat Borge who discovered the pebbles and gravel in the fuel tank of the helicopter which was to carry Anil Ambani. I for one, cannot believe that an ex-army man, will choose the easy way out after serving 20 years in the Indian Army. Whatever you say about anybody else, our army personnel are way above the hoi polloi and will definitely not let go of life in this fashion.

The man who probably saved Anil Ambani’s life is now no more, the press and the public are out with the innuendos as to the cause of his death. Bharat was scheduled for being questioned by the cops on Wednesday a day before he died – is it not strange that the person who discovered the sabotage dies BEFORE being questioned?

In his note he has claimed that people from Reliance met him a day earlier and wanted him to answer questions. Based on his note it appears that the Reliance officials wanted him to admit that he had planted the pebbles and gravel. Who are these officials who had met him and wanted him to be the fall guy? Were these people from Reliance or pretending to be from Reliance? This note talks of everything else but suicide – so what was this suicide, accident or murder?

A person who was a committed and well liked worker at Air Works is no more, all because he got involved in a case which involves people with clout. One really wonders how a senior spokesperson from the ADAG group has claimed that business rivalry was the motive for the sabotage. Did they have prior knowledge that an attempt was going to be made on Anil Ambani’s life? If so, why did they not inform the police in advance?

Bharat lived in Bhayandar and worked at Santacruz, so why would he be crossing the railway tracks at Vile Parle? “Eyewitnesses” claim that he was crossing the tracks (why?) when he was hit by the train – have the eyewitnesses been planted by someone with ulterior motives?

Bharat’s family is claiming he received many calls and was under a lot of stress. So who were these people who were trying to put pressure on him? It would be interesting to know who the callers were. The cops have a real whodunit on their hands. Answers should be really interesting!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

ONLY THE ENGLISH COULD HAVE INVENTED THIS LANGUAGE

This is interesting - thought i should share it with my readers.

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England .
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
And get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,

In which you fill in a form by filling it out,
And in which an alarm goes off by going on.
And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?
And if people from Poland are called Poles, then people from Holland should be Holes, and the Germans, Germs

Friday, April 24, 2009

Af-Pak or Fak-Ap ?

The situation in Pakistan today is so fluid that the US policy in relation to the hyphenated relationship of Af-Pak is more like the second part of the title – pronounced differently would point out to a mess in the making. I have already written a lot on this subject, but the action across the border is far too serious to just ignore ….. it’s more and more likely to balloon into a major Fak-Ap as the colloquialism would indicate.

The Taliban are moving inexorably towards Islamabad, occupying territory as they move. Reminds me of the manner in which Indira Gandhi had ignored Bhindranwale and had ultimately to use force to liberate the Golden Temple. The massacre which happened thereafter in Delhi, is not so far back in history that one can forget. Mrs. Gandhi paid for that folly with her life, gunned down by her own security guard in retaliation for the ostensible desecration of the Golden Temple.

The Taliban has become a law unto itself, terrorizing the local populace with the threat of implementation of the Sharia. They have announced that sharia law should be implemented throughout Pakistan and then the world, this is nothing short of lunacy being permitted to take flight. Once it gathers mass momentum it will be very difficult to contain and would lead to an unnecessary blood bath. It is time for right thinking liberal politicians and LEADERS not DEALERS to come forward and set right the upset apple cart in Pakistan. Pakistan seems to be on a steep downward suicidal spiral aided and abetted by the powers that be, having blindly funded them ostensibly to fight terror. We have had the US announcing a huge aid package and now Japan joining in with another. It is easy for these countries who are geographically far apart to offer money to solve problems – we in India have to face the poison which emanates from the mis-use of these funds. This has now been going on for more than ten years, and the US political class have accepted that they were led up the garden path by Mr. Musharraf. Most of the aid has gone into arming Pakistan to the teeth against India rather than being utilized for humanitarian and economic purposes and for “fighting terror”.

A military solution to the advancing Taliban should be put in action immediately before they enter Islamabad and become a bigger headache. It is now time for the Pakistan Government to gird up it’s loins, cage and neuter the tiger before it eats them all up. What is the US – partner in it’s fight going to do – as it is, it is safely ensconced thousands of miles away – giving money is very easy, acting responsibly with the end use of the money is a different ball game altogether. The US has blindly certified the end use all these years and has ended up pouring billions of dollars of tax payer money. Unfortunately the new Government is also making the same mistake, albeit by mouthing slightly more digestible platitudes. Unfortunately at the end of the day, however much perfume you end up spraying on a mountain of shit, it is going to stink anyways!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Member of Parliaments Job Description…

Today’s edition of the Mumbai Mirror carried a very interesting article titled “…..exactly what is an MP’s job?” An MBA graduate working with a private sector company in Delhi filed an application under the Right to Information Act titled “What is the exact responsibility of a Member of Parliament?” The application was filed with the Election Commission and guess what? – the Election Commission did not know the answer, it sought the answer from the ministries of Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs – both these ministries did not have a clue either! Now why is that not surprising?

First let me point out what a MP in India gets, then I will tell you what we get in return from those we elect for the tax payers money spent on our elected representatives.

What an MP gets:
Salary ; Rs. 12000 pm, Rs. 20000 pm for office expenses, Constituency allowance of Rs.12000 pm, Daily allowance of Rs. 1000 when Parliament is in session. This adds up to Rs. 50000 pm (assuming six days attendance of parliamentary sessions per month).

This is not all, the cost of freebies needs to be added – unlimited first class rail travel anywhere in India for MP and a companion, this could add up to another Rs. 10000 pm. Free air travel for self and companion 34 times a year, assuming an average Rs. 6000 per ticket – that adds up to Rs. 34000 per month. Rs. 2000 pm for rent, free electricity and water of approximately Rs. 25000 pm, free furnishing Rs. 6250 pm, free telephone Rs. 12500 pm, overseas traveling allowance, free overseas business class air tickets, free medical treatment which I cannot value as it will vary from person to person. For arguments sake let us take it at Rs. 20000 pm. This adds up to Rs. 109750 pm – if you add the salary and perks of Rs. 50000 pm we have an MP being paid a minimum of Rs. 159750 pm tax free – that works out to an annual cost of Rs. 19.17 lacs per MP – thus the annual cost for 544 MP’s is Rs. 104.28 crores and we do not know the job description of these elected representatives!

The government has been ranting on capping private sector salaries, as the government thinks that some of the top managers are paid humongous salaries. At least in the corporate world there are targets given, performance based appraisals carried out based on which a person may get a raise, no raise or lose his job – does that happen in government. How many of our precious MP’s have attended Parliament – last year Parliament convened for less than 50 days and Bills of importance have been passed without debate – so where is the responsibility of the elected representatives – let alone accountability?!?

From what I have read and observed over the years, of the majority of our representatives – cannot color all of them with the same brush (a handful actually work) do not work or work for their own benefit. That is why there is no written job description – how can you expect the concerned government ministries to define the jobs of elected representatives when it is a free for all. Let me tell you what their job is. Ensure that the funds allocated to them through the MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) Fund are spent on the welfare of the constituency. This constituency post election invariably consists of the MP and his near and dear ones. Witness the dramatic increase in wealth from one election to the next which each sitting MP has declared to the election commission at the time of filing their nominations. Let me assure you this does not include the innumerable “benami” assets which these people hold. The job of the current crop of MP’s is to ensure that they do not attend Parliament but go out on state sponsored junkets to study other democracies at work! They ensure that their relatives and friends get plum postings in Public Sector Undertakings – believe you me the gravy train is far bigger than you can even imagine!

If you really ask me, it is a wonder this nation functions – in fact it would be accurate to state that India functions in spite of the Government! Witness the fact that at times of natural or man made disasters it is always the citizens who hit the streets first trying to solve problems. The MP’s and politicians come after the disaster has been managed by the people to announce compensation or to survey the area by helicopter – have you ever seen one person from the political class getting his hands dirty? The growth witnessed by the nation is in spite of politicians - it is the large corporate and business class which has given India its much needed growth and that too in spite of the infrastructure provided and un-supportive politico-bureaucratic climate. Just imagine what wonders would take place with the economy if we had politicians who understood their jobs and worked for the benefit of nation first and then self!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Bureaucratic Sloth and Apathy

I had earlier written on “Who are the real terrorists” – this is just a re-affirmation of my beliefs. The incidents I am going to narrate have already been reported on – just want to give my insights about the same. Three incidents in the recent past in relation to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, firstly the Pakistani Premier saying about a month ago that the DNA records for two of the terrorists were absolutely identical, and our lazy bags going defensive saying that they need to check, second the Defense advocate Anjali Waghmare did not disclose her conflict of interest and the latest being Mr. Pranab Mukherjee going on record stating that Kasab’s mother wanted to come to India to see her son.

Firstly, I cannot imagine such gross negligence, apathy and sheer inefficiency in sending an official record to a foreign government based on which India expects to have action initiated against the planners of the terror attacks in Pakistan. All we have managed to do is give the Pakistani media and officials the opportunity to say “I told you so”, now they can gleefully state that India is delaying action! So true! Can you imagine the seriousness of the lapse? If this had happened in the private sector, heads would have rolled for sure – the documents have gone through a lot of checks and verifications at multiple levels and still there is a glaring mistake for which we are going to pay in one way or another. The defense advocate was appointed without verifying whether she has filed papers for filing claims from one of the victims - a clear case of conflict of interest! I do not know Waghmare, but I am sure as a lawyer she knows the meaning of “conflict of interest” and should have been honest to disclose the same to the Court. The Court officials should have also noticed it and should have short circuited the issue before the trial commenced, which did not happen. It was left to the Public Prosecutor to point out the lacuna, after which there was no option but to declare a mistrial and ask for a new advocate. Lastly Mr. Pranab Mukherjee going on record that Kasab’s mother wanted to visit him in India – what a joke he has made of himself in public at the time of elections! Maybe she came in his dreams and told him, or with his advanced age he started hallucinating, I don’t know. The above three incidents have definitely marred our image in the international arena – we have made complete fools of ourselves! Guess who were responsible? You are right – bureaucrats and politicians – inefficient, slothful, dishonest and a complete disgrace to the common man – these are the real terrorists!

There is another field in which bureaucratic apathy and dishonesty needs to be highlighted – the revenue services – in particular the income tax department. I have been in practice for about twenty two years now, and have as a rule avoided tax trial and appellate practice, due to the quality of work and type of people you end up dealing with. You guessed right again – people who worry more about their revenue rather than the ex-chequer! As the financial year comes to a close, there is always a flurry of activity in the revenue departments to try and meet targets set by the Finance Ministry. This year due to the world wide recession, collections were bound to be low, but the government in all its wisdom decided to use its muscle to embark on raids and surveys to pump up collections. In such a vast country, with coercive action, collection will go up, but will it go up to the extent expected - has the cost of the coercive action been factored into for finding out whether the net receipts are positive for the government? Well I guess not, let me tell you why. From the second week of March, a lot of my clients have been getting orders under section 143(1) (summary assessment) of the Income Tax Act raising a tax demand from Rs. 1 crore plus to Rs. 50000. In all the orders, it is pertinent to note that factual tax credit is not displayed, thus raising a tax demand based on the income declared in the tax return filed. This is happening in spite of e-TDS returns being filed and the process being computerized to a large degree. In fact when I checked individual Form 26AS (the online tax record of the assessee based on advance and self assessment tax paid and TDS records, in all the cases the amount of tax credit shown on 26AS did not match with the tax order nor with the actual tax paid by the assessee.

Why should this happen, you may well ask! The motive for raising frivolous tax demand could be two fold, firstly by raising the demand the tax department is showing a receivable (albeit fake) to the Finance Ministry, thereby achieving their “targets”. This is sheer “hidden unemployment” at work as the system is being frivolously used to raise fictitious tax demands. The onus thus falls on the assessee to file a petition under section 154 to rectify the order, by providing proof of tax paid. So a whole lot of productive time is wasted in rectifying a fictitious tax demand. In a few cases the assessee may not have the original tax paid proof, in which case the second objective of the bureaucrats is achieved – make some pocket money on the side. Once the financial year is over the revised estimates will automatically show a lower collection – shades of the Satyam Scam in government, what say!!

Will someone tell me why the online tax payment, online filing, and tracking system does not work for income tax when it works for the ministry of company affairs? The government has spent so much time and money in developing a system which should have made the burden easier for the assessee and getting of tax refunds a cinch! But alas, that has not yet happened. You have to respond to letters from the department, and run with all the paperwork to prove that you have paid the tax! We are an Information Technology superpower – at least we think so – in which case can some one tell me why our tax department is so rotten and screwed up (pardon the language)? By now you would have understood the reason for the title to this post!!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Corporal Punishment and Ragging

This evening when I switched on the news channels I was devastated after watching the news of 11 year old Shanno Khan’s death as a result of the heartless punishment meted out by her school teacher. Parent’s send their children to school thinking that their kids are safe and are at a home away from home for absorbing knowledge from educators. What a shame that we also produce teachers who can wreak havoc with the lives of innocent children – can you imagine the mental trauma the ten-eleven year old fellow students would be suffering from after seeing one of their own being brutally punished? The child’s head was banged on a table and then she was made to stand for more than two hours in Delhi’s unrelenting 40 degree Celsius heat with two bricks on her back in a “murga” position! I wish the teacher is punished in a similar fashion for at least eight hours with ten bricks on her back to account for the age factor. Let us see is she has the physical condition to withstand the punishment without rest or relief which was denied to the child. This girl was taken to the hospital when her younger sister called her parents after finding her in the compound bleeding from her nose in an unconscious state, where she died without regaining consciousness!

I wonder what our education minister has to say now – this has happened in a Congress rules state during elections to boot! Mind you, this is not the first case, nor will it be the last unless serious steps are taken to bring in laws which can tackle the growing menace of so called teachers venting their own personal frustrations on unwary and innocent children. This is far worse than ragging which happens in professional colleges. Ragging takes place when seniors bully freshers into doing acts and chores during the initiation period (or get to know each other period) – at least these people are in their late teens or early twenties. Corporal punishment is meted out by teachers who take the place of trusting parents in school and their victims are barely more than toddlers! Ragging has been banned and legislation has been passed to ban and severely punish ragging – so why is corporal punishment treated with kid gloves (no pun intended)?

In the past all political parties have come out with statements condemning such cases – but apart from mouthing platitudes and giving cash awards to the victims nothing really changes! Rs. 50000 is the price of Shanno’s life! How the hell due you value an innocent life which is snuffed out through cruel inhuman action by a fellow human being, that too one’s own teacher? Does giving a cash award solve the problem? These people may be poor but they have their self respect, please treat them with dignity, if nothing else. I had written a few days back on Rajiv Gandhi’s statement about his being proud of India’s poor – well now he has more reason to be proud I guess!

The tragedy is that in India life is not respected, there is too much of it, therefore it is not valued at all! How many times has the government of India ever intervened when any of it’s citizens have been victimized by overseas Governments – not once that I can remember! Contrast that with the US or UK Governments providing all sorts of support to rescue its citizens who land up in trouble overseas. Governments in the west are accountable to their constituency, hence you will always find affirmative action from them – here after the elections are over, the only time the politician comes back is during the next elections, whatever the problem. The other issue is with the justice delivery system, it is too slow and time consuming to be of any effect. By the time justice is delivered, the memory of the case would be confined to the dustbin of history. If the teacher has any political connections, then they will probably try to obfuscate the issue by saying the child was sick or weak hence she died. In which case why the hell was she so cruelly punished!

This case is far too glaring to ignore – the teacher should be publicly reviled and punished – if this goes to Court then it could take for ever – better to set up a fast track court to deliver justice within 30 days. Exemplary punishment meted out when the incident is still fresh in public memory, I feel would be the only deterrent against such acts by others. Hopefully when the new government is sworn in, Parliament could just work for one more day than their recent average of 40 days in a year to have new legislation against corporal punishment.

Taking (or not taking) decisions and being responsible for the consequences

The topic for discussion today can apply in equal measure in one’s personal life as well as in the office. This topic is a management subject – I propose to briefly discuss how it affects management of personal relations as well as an individuals’ role in discharge of his/her responsibilities in office.

How many times have you thought or heard someone saying “I just can’t seem to take a decision?” We’ve all more or less been guilty of asking ourselves this type of question! When confronted as a result of a bad decision, it is typical to say “I didn’t think it was a big deal” or “I wasn’t thinking”. Unfortunately this practice of “not thinking” carries with it consequences, which could in some cases be quite unpleasant. Of course the truth is that whether you think about them or think them through, we CAN and DO make dozens of decisions daily. Everyone takes decisions on a daily basis, but these decisions fall in the realm of “routine” decisions, e.g. brushed my teeth, had a bath, made coffee, drove the car to office, filled gas, etc. These are all decisions which the mind keeps taking and the individual acting upon, and these decisions are taken unconsciously on a daily basis, thus making them mundane day to day decisions. In certain cases, decisions taken routinely (say going out with friends) may evolve into situations that are more complicated and difficult to manage (e.g. the decision by the TISS female student to go partying with disastrous unwanted and un-thought of consequences). Complications may come from peer pressure, being under the influence, wanting to impress others, or any other number of extenuating circumstances that may present themselves in any given situation.

Whenever you take a decision which affects “you” or “your” near and dear ones, you probably weigh the pros and cons of such a decision. If you are an outgoing person you will probably end up sitting down with your family or friends to discuss the problem at hand and try to arrive at a decision which suits everybody. Once this decision is taken then the entire group taking the decision is jointly responsible for it and in such cases no blame game results. Subsequently with the passage of time the decision taken may prove to be correct – in which case no issues – but in some cases the decision may go horribly wrong, in such cases the group has no choice but to suffer the consequences and take steps to minimize resulting damage. These actions establish that the group is taking responsibility for its decisions to ensure that damage is minimized and life goes on, albeit a little more wisely for all! If “you” are a person who likes to take his/her own decision for the family or group of friends and “you” have established “your” credentials based on past track record – then the responsibility lies entirely with “you” for the welfare of “your” family or group – this is quite an onerous responsibility given that the individual taking the decision is responsible for its effect on those depending on him/her. Investment decisions form a major chunk of this category. Investment in stocks, real estate, etc are made by the individual using his/her knowledge and risk appetite and any gains or losses are the individuals alone. Thus the individual, has no choice but to stand by his/her decision – in the recent stock market collapse you would have read about the many suicides where people lost out big time and could not bear to face the consequences ending in taking their own lives.

Decisions taken as the managing director or CEO of a large organization are far more complex and need to be really thought through, as such decisions impact a whole lot of stake holders – from investors down to the lowest level employee in the organization. Decisions involve a 5-step process enabling wise and informed decision making. These are: a) Decision Opportunity, b) Analysis of the Opportunity, c) Brainstorm likely outcomes of the decision, d) Make the decision and e) Put the decision into action.
Each person goes through this process subconsciously every time he takes a decision. In companies you have the Board of Directors who discuss strategy and decide the path which an organization needs to take, and the same process goes down the hierarchy. Meetings are held and minuted to record decisions taken and suitable follow up action is required to ensure that the decisions are being effectively acted upon. Any organization where such processes involving decision making are not followed are likely to have not too desirable consequences, with few chances of remedial action based on available information. As each decision has consequences, “YOU” have to be responsible for the action and its resulting consequences. And what might some of those consequences be? Consequences of bad decisions result in loss of integrity, loss of respect, business losses, legal cases, bad publicity, etc. As the age old adage goes, “99% of our life is not what happens to us, but how we react to what happens to us”. If you intelligently analyze the alternatives and subsequent consequences of a decision, then you will make choices that are in your best interest. The bottom line here is that you’ll either make decisions and take responsibility for the outcomes, or you won’t. There is no “gray” area here.

Very often we do not want to take responsibility for the outcomes of a decision, no matter what those outcomes are. So what do we do? We don’t make a decision, which is actually making a decision anyway. This behavior is described as the “ostrich policy” – which comes from the behavior of the ostrich which buries its head in the sand when danger approaches, pretending that the problem does not exist. Why do you not take a decision? Because you are afraid of its consequences – but by not taking a decision are you safer or feel better. Remember safer is not equal to better. Not taking a decision may probably be worse than taking a decision the consequences of which, even though initially bad, can be remedied through analysis and remedial action. But not taking a decision shows fear and a negative attitude which really cannot be good for any organization. Unfortunately, the easiest thing to do is to blame somebody or something else when things don’t go as planned. How many people can look inward after a decision and honestly say to themselves “I screwed up”? Becoming a good decision maker also involves learning from your mistakes and the not-so-great decisions that you make from time to time. Remember life is the biggest school you go to – you live and learn every day. Just remember that you have to be responsible for every decision you make – accepting responsibility will make you a better person and a superior and more confident manager with every decision. Just ensure that you are honest with yourself about all your decisions and acceptance of responsibility, then only can you be honest to your subordinates and colleagues which would lead to gaining the love and respect of those who interact with you.



Reference : Personal Responsibility and Decision Making, The Moments of Truth
Created by: Shawn McGuirk, Director for Student Development & Conduct
Brandeis University

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Is Pakistan heading for Balkanisation?

I was in two minds whether to write this post or not, the reason being that this subject has been the topic of discussion in various fora. But the situation in Pakistan in the last couple of weeks has become so fluid that I thought it would be better to voice my thoughts!

With persistent drone attacks in the NWFP by the US, it was not going to be long before the Taliban asserted itself in Pakistan. This they have done in the SWAT valley, the Switzerland of Pakistan, a scenic and beautiful part of the country – a tourists delight! Just over a third of the Pakistani land mass, if I am not mistaken. SWAT has been handed over to the “good” Taliban – as if there is a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ Taliban! Ultimately the true colors will start emanating from these leaders and they will start asserting ‘their’ law. In fact the Pakistan Parliament was forced to have a separate law for the SWAT region and the Sharia law has now been enforced. The Pakistani Parliament was arm twisted into accepting the conditions for maintaining peace. Pakistan is unfortunately led by a schizophrenic President, who has never been honest with himself, let alone the Nation!

The Taliban has announced that they will not disarm in the SWAT valley whatever the government says, so willy nilly they have a problem on their hands – and it’s just going to get worse! If the Pakistani government does decide to take action, it would mean a full fledged military confrontation with an armed and dangerous force, who are not used to taking things lying down. A cleric in the SWAT valley has announced that militants will get immunity against accusations of brutal killings and perpetration of violence, through new laws to be introduced. He has also sworn to extend the Sharia to most of the NWFP!
He has claimed that verdicts taken under the Sharia law will not be open to challenge in the superior judiciary. That means we will see human rights going for a toss, minorities will probably end up dead or as slaves of the Taliban. We will have women’s rights trampled and have the women treated as pure meat for the satisfaction of a frustrated people!

In Aurakzai, another part of Pakistan, armed men have entered the houses of Sikhs, demanded money, and on not getting what they wanted have now occupied their homes. The Sikhs are by and large peaceful, but they too are a warrior race, and if they too take up arms to protect their rights, Pakistan will have an expanding militant problem to tackle.

All this points to the steady break up of Pakistan, it is going down a very dangerous path which can only end in disaster – for itself and for the rest of the world. A nuclear armed Pakistan in control of radical Islamists is too scary a scenario to even contemplate. The US who has blindly funded them over the last decade or so, is partly to blame, for this sorry state of affairs. A narrow, selfish and conceited view has led to Pakistan becoming an armed and dangerous foe – it was always untrustworthy - as has been accepted by the US.

The prognoses for Pakistan’s future grows grimmer by the day, as a lawful government elected by the people abdicates its responsibility to govern by giving in to extremist forces. Instead of trying to promote peace and understanding, the government is being arm twisted to have a separate law for an entire region – what use democracy in such a case. In every relationship, compromise is necessary, but it is of paramount importance to know what and how much to give up to get what you need. Just bending over backwards and finding that all you are getting in return is whacks on the bent over backside is just going to be too painful! The Pakistani government has abdicated responsibility and set itself on to the path of balkanization. For India’s sake I hope this does not happen, as a stable and prosperous Pakistan, is the only solution for the region to prosper.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Tax Poem

Friends this is something I received by snail mail and I thought I must share it with you. The punch line is quite telling and is so true world wide. Let me know if you think differently! Here goes : THE TAX POEM:

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the Rule.
Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway!
Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, tax him if he Tries to think.
Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears!
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways to tax his ass.
Tax all he has Then let him know that you won't be done till he has no dough!
When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till he is good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he's laid.
Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom...'
When he's gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The Inheritance Tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Airline Surcharge Tax
Airline Fuel Tax
Airport Maintenance Tax
Banking Transaction Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Death Tax
Dog License Tax
Driving Permit Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Petrol Tax (too much per litre)
Gross Receipts Tax
Health Tax
Hunting License Tax
Hydro Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Mortgage Tax
Personal Income Tax
Property Tax
Poverty Tax
Prescription Drug Tax
Provincial Income Tax
Real Estate Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Retail Sales Tax
Road Tax
Securities Transaction Tax
Service Charges Tax
Service Tax
School Tax
Telephone Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Value Added Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Registration Tax
Water Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!?

Not one of these taxes existed a 100 years ago, and our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, had a large middle class, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in hell did you think happened? CAN you spell "POLITICIANS"?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Quality of current electoral debate

I have been observing with some consternation the quality of speeches being made in the name of electioneering by various political heavy weights. If you could count your votes just by the decibel value, then I guess our elections are going to be a very close race between all the factions. All you can hear is election babble with no strains of any symphony which would sound as music to the ears of the masses. You have name calling and slanging matches between highly educated politicians which leaves one to wonder what these guys eat or drink before making their speeches which makes them leave their common sense and just blindly retaliate. All speeches which one hears or reads about in the press are reactive speeches – no one seems to be making a speech which is proactive and issue based.

If Modi calls the Congress a ‘budhiya’ party, we have Priyanka countering with BJP has the oldest candidates. If Varun Gandhi goes over the hill with his foot in the mouth disease and vile election speeches, you have Mayawati saying that he is a criminal and NSA should be applicable. Mayawati goes and claims that Azam Khan is not a criminal in her eyes as killing thakurs and higher castes was not a crime according to her! What kind of leaders do we have? a Nation which has produced such stalwarts like Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, et al, have to do with such a low quality of political leadership. We have Advani challenging Manmohan to a debate and Manmohan retaliating by saying he will not debate and give a chance to Advani to equate himself to the prime minister. Come on guys grow up, a debate is a debate, you can thrash out your issues and express your opinions in no mean manner – both of you have enormous intellect and it would be a show worth putting on.

I can understand the Congress saying that BJP is a traitor for capitulating during the Kandahar hijacking in 1999 and having Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh escort the three terrorists including Maulana Masood Azhar to secure the release of 155 hostages. Terror strikes led by Azhar and his group have killed more than 155 people since then, so obviously that was a moment of shame and we did not show the iron will required to deal with the hijacking. But when did this all begin – it actually began ten years earlier in 1989 when Kashmiri terrorists kidnapped Rubina Sayeed, the daughter of the Home Minister Mohammad Sayeed who was part of the newly formed National Front government led by VP Singh who had left the Congress to lead the Front. This ex-Congressman and messiah of the masses was the first Prime Minister to bend over backwards to free 5 jailed terrorists as demanded by the kidnappers to secure the release of Rubina Sayeed. If we had shown some guts at that point in time, I am sure history would have taken a different turn – unfortunately after that one incident we have been considered to be a soft State by everyone. The resounding message which should have gone was “WE DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH KIDNAPPERS OR TERRORISTS” – but alas that was not to be, and history has shown that we wilt under pressure. It is only when mass scale attacks happen that it is left to the military, which is THE ONLY SECULAR institution in this country to get rid of the problems. The Parliament attacker Afzal Guru has been convicted and given the death penalty, but has still not been hanged! What can be a greater shame and expression of cowardice than not hanging the convict? If there are doubts on his guilt bring it out in the open, else hang him and get done with it. Now it is the Congress which is dilly dallying for the Muslim vote. From this you can see that whether it is the BJP, the Congress or the so called Third Front, they all behave in the same way (parties without conviction) and do not act in national interest – it is all partisan, caste/community or religion based politics – and they all call themselves secular! What a joke!

The only secular institution should have corps built on castes according to Ram Vilas Paswan – is this what our intellectually bankrupt politicians think. They call themselves secular and BJP communal and want reservations in the Army for Christ’s sake! What really needs to be done, is to put all these so called leaders in front of the masses for being questioned. Let there be an open session – let it be on the lines of the World Cup in soccer, only the best candidates from all parties starting from the grassroots should be allowed to contest in the “finals”. The session I am talking about is the grilling of candidates by various citizen groups representing all the different strata of society. The candidate giving the best answers with ideas and plans for implementation of solutions to peoples problems should be allowed to proceed for the finals. We do not want any Mama’s boy or girl or some Papa’s boy or girl considering it their birth right to rule in a democracy. Let them prove themselves to be honest and dedicated workers for the masses rather than amassers of public wealth through corruption, maybe then we could possibly see some changes happening for the better.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Samaj ki Vaat Party

One of the newspapers was very apt in its headline “Samajvaat Party of India” – It is actually the “samaj ki vaat laganewali” party – literally translated to mean “destroyer of society” party. I am really not surprised at the mentally retarded election manifesto which has been brought out by Mulayam Singh Yadav for the Samajwadi Party. Computers will be banned as they take up the jobs of the poor so says this high IQ national leader. Who are the poor that he is talking about? The poor farmers who have been hood winked by usurious money lenders to part with their land and work as bonded laborers with rich landlords. Who are these rich landlords? Ask Mulayam, Laloo and Paswan – which category they belong to, and whether they have in their long careers helped to resolve this issue! If computers are taking the jobs of these poor – God help the country – because we are projecting a leadership agenda which is mentally bankrupt. No right thinking primary school student would make such a ludicrous statement!

What will banning computers do? Our ISRO program goes kaput, DRDO becomes an organization which would have to be dissolved, our satellite and missile program is stopped in its track, the military cannot use computers to analyze the voluminous data being “captured and heard” by the country’s security agencies, weather forecasting goes back to looking at the sky and predicting when and where it would rain and so on and so forth. With one fell stroke this party of the poor plans to make the entire nation poor – we do need equality you see – so why not have everybody poor – with poverty we have weakness and no propensity to defend the borders – we might as well handover the entire nation on a platter to Pakistan! As it is, Mulayam Singh some years ago allegedly wanted to give Rs. 1000 crores as aid to Pakistan! This is easier, we adopt policies so retrograde that Pakistan or any other nation with sinister designs on India just walks in and tramples all over us.

The other progressive item is banning of English schools! Even China is hell bent on educating its school going populace in English so that they can have a premier place in global commerce – here we have leaders who want Hindi as the language for education nationwide – and English schools shut down – wonder why the progeny of all these Samajwadi leaders have gone to the best of English schools in India and abroad? Hypocrisy should at least be practiced in a reasonable manner – here we have absolutely shameless hypocrites as leaders trying to get re-elected! Try enforcing Hindi signboards in Tamil Nadu and see where it will land these bunch of buffoons – in Tamil Nadu you cannot read a signboard unless you know Tamil or English! India is a diverse nation with as many languages as there are states – so why impose Hindi on everybody? Fine it is our national language – why are debates carried out in Parliament in English? English my dear friend is the global language of communication and of commerce! So either you keep up or step aside – and dear Mulayam Singhji the India of today is not willing to step aside – it would be better if you did – go to the Himalayas and introspect – maybe those hallowed heights may give you some fresh insight on how your manifesto should read if you want your party to get elected.

If at all these guys required points for their manifesto, they could have talked of energy security, food, water and shelter for all, improving the PDS so that aid reaches the target recipients instead of being gobbled up by middlemen, tackling corruption and black money – but this cannot be done as these leaders themselves are sitting on hoards of cash- Mayawati paying Rs. 57 crore advance tax – where did the money come from? – Mulayam facing a disproportionate assets case – these are the guys who have enriched themselves at the cost of the poor and now want to take retrograde steps to alleviate the condition of the poor, else make everyone poor!

With a manifesto as declared by the Samajwadi party, it is clear why the Hindi heartland states have remained as backward as they have, in spite of having some of the most intelligent people in the country! Why do people migrate from these states to more progressive states in search of jobs? Why have Mulayamji, Lalooji, Paswanji, Mayawatiji not been able to stop the exodus of people from these states going outside in search of jobs? It is simple really – it is easier to let people go elsewhere to earn a livelihood rather than take progressive steps to modernize and enrich your own state – it is easier to enrich oneself with money meant for the poor!

I personally think that the English press and visual media should give the Samajwadi Party a miss in all their media communication in English. Why has the Samajadi party website been made in English http://www.samajwadipartyindia.com/ ? Rammanohar Lohias statement “satyagraha without constructive work is like a sentence without a verb” is there on their web-site – I do not think Mulayamji has understood the meaning of the phrase, else he would not have announced such a backward election manifesto. This is as good as Talibanisation in the Indian context – with leaders like these we really do not need enemies! In the ensuing election – I hope the choice whom not to vote for is very clear – DO NOT VOTE FOR THE SAMAJWADI PARTY AND THEIR ALLIES – your vote could go for anyone else who you think will do a good job for the country! Jai Hind!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Shoe Slam Politics

This could actually become a new Grand Slam Sporting event. The world is evolving and new sports should be added to keep public interest alive in sporting variety entertainment. The incidents of throwing shoes at politicians are becoming more and more common with the latest targeted recipient being our respected Home Minister. He probably smelt the refreshing aroma of used canvas as the shoe flung by journalist Jarnail Singh swished past his nose as he took evasive action. After Mr. George W. Bush in Baghdad, it was the turn of Chinese Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao at Cambridge University receiving the honors from one of listeners who threw the missile and called the Premier a dictator! Now it is our famous Home Minister who became the missed target.

The popular response which shoe throwing has received in the public psyche can be judged by the fact that at http://www.sockandawe.com/91,498,174 have already hit Bush in the face and the website is even offering a $1,000 prize for the person who hits the 100,000,000th shoe. The tech freaks at DVICE even did a Top 10 listing of Internet shoe games. This just goes to show the popularity of the sport. One could actually have the worthies lined up in front of adoring audiences awaiting their turn for their brand of favorite shoe! The audience could be invited to take pot shots at random and the politician who manages to be hit the least number of times while giving a speech should be declared the winner. We could have a world finale with each participating countries’ winner and runner up going to the World finals. In fact if the response is good we could have world groupings like in soccer for regional selections who then graduate to the world finals.

The economies of various countries are in recession, just imagine the kind of shoe sales which could take place – all old stock could be sold at decent prices to participating audiences. This would boost the leather industry along with its ancillary industries!

We could have the audience also being rewarded, with the person hitting the most number of times being given a free trip to the world finale! Just imagine the marketing and advertising promos which could light up and entertain a world in recession! We could have a whole lot of talk shows going and this could actually become a real “tamasha” for the public – as it is - in Parliament all we get to see is “tamasha” but at tax payers’ expense. This could be so much more fun and really entertaining. What do you guys think?!?

Indian Hockey administration not yet free from bureaucrats stranglehold

The Hockey World Cup may not be permitted to be held in India in 2010. The president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has conveyed a very strong message to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that if it does not put an elected hockey federation in place before the event, the event will move to Malaysia. Mr. K.P.S. Gill who had controlled the Indian Hockey Federation with an iron hand for decades was asked to quit in April 2008 on bribery charges made by players for being selected into the national team. Mr. Jothikumaran was the prime accused in the 2008 bribery scandal which forced the IOA to dissolve the Indian Hockey Federation and appoint an ad-hoc committee led by Aslam Sher Khan to oversee hockey administration in India.

KPS Gill has filed a suit in court against the dissolution of the federation. It is sad to see a geriatric policeman who did his country proud in the fight against terror in Punjab in the eighties unleashing a different kind of terror in India’s hockey administration. He should retire gracefully rather than try to impose himself on the country’s hockey administration by thinking he is the only person who can do the job. He is already an octogenarian and should meditate and do things which will give him salvation – his salvation would hopefully be Indian hockey’s deliverance!

It is now over a year since KPS Gill was removed from his post and the federation dissolved – Mr. Suresh Kalmadi (Minister for Sports) has still not found the time to have a federal, democratic hockey organization setup so far. When it comes to doing real work you can bet your bottom dollar that politicians will always be found wanting! Their title is just used for getting free jaunts overseas for “studying” administration of different kinds of sporting bodies or for enjoying sports extravaganzas like the Olympics, World Cups – Cricket, Hockey, Soccer etc. at taxpayer expense. The FIH president has told the IOA that if India does not have an independent and unique Hockey body to represent both men’s and women’s hockey in place before the World Cup, they have a Plan B in place – meaning the World Cup will be shifted to Malaysia which already has the infrastructure and the wherewithal to take up the tournament at short notice!

It is a shame that the FIH president, Mr. Leandro Negre had to express his displeasure and disappointment at the fact that even after a year of appointing the ad-hoc committee to oversea the hockey administration, the committee has failed to come up with a plan to set up an independent democratic hockey body for governing the sport in the country. The Sports Minister has not found the time or has not considered it important enough to force the issue! Unfortunately all the money and attention goes to cricket which is just played by a handful of nations in the world as opposed to almost half the world playing hockey! The committee could take tips from the BCCI in setting up the body and then its professional advise in commercializing the sport in India. With corporate sponsorship and ad revenue coming into the sport maybe we could once again harness the raw available natural talent to make India a world hockey power again. Let’s get hockey professionals and able and honest administrators to take part in the formation of the governing body and then ensure that they team up to have a nationwide administrative framework set-up for selecting and training the best available talent. I am sure if there is adequate money in the sport, some talent will start playing hockey again instead of trying for a cricket spot.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

“Proud of the Poor…..” – Rahul Gandhi

I liked the statement made by Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Gandhi family (akin to the Kennedy family in the US) yesterday, namely, “We are proud of the poor of India. We believe in the poor people of India and they (the opposition) are ashamed of them”. We all know that it is election time and that every politician worth his name is trying to be pro poor, secular, patriot, savior of the nation, etc. I liked this statement by Rahul Gandhi because it comes from the heart and he means every word he has said. If it had not been for the Congress, right since Nehru’s time, followed by Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and then various non-Gandhi Congressmen who have ruled India from Delhi for around 55 years of the 62 years after independence, India would not have remained poor you know. The policy of the Congress has always been to keep the poor in poverty, bring in various schemes for poverty alleviation, slogans such as “garibi hatao”, “roti, kapada aur makaan”, etc and then go on and enrich themselves through all schemes meant for the poor. Just compare the wealth of each sitting MP from last election to this election – everyone of them has increased his/her wealth by a minimum of 300%! Some of them by over a 1000% - now do you understand how true Rahul Gandhi’s statement is?

The Congress, for that matter any of the other political parties too, would endorse Rahul Gandhi’s statement because they too believe in sloganeering during elections and filling their own pockets so that the next ‘n’ generations don’t have to worry about their own poverty! Of course the “opposition” is ashamed of the poor! They claim to alleviate poverty or to introduce economic measures to alleviate poverty.

The Congressmen have always believed in the “mai-baap” sarkar, they have still not got over the mentality of being ruled by the British, hence their belief that the poor are their subjects and they need to take care of them. They definitely have taken care of them over the last 62 years by ensuring they remain poor and uneducated, so that come election, the politicians can go and promise them free rice, free wheat, free electricity and water and so on and so forth. They will go on a foundation stone laying spree for new roads, bridges, factories which will remain as such till the next elections – one should enter the business of making beautiful foundation stones – election time would see the sale of scores of such stones! Making promises is the forte of our politicians and delivering on them is the job of the next government. Once elected their job is to ensure that their own future generations never remain poor. The easiest thing to offer for free is something which does not belong to you, so tax payers money keeps being poured into such schemes where delivery and accountability are not asked for, as that would entail exposing the politicians themselves!

This is not a litany against the Congress, as I believe that the entire current crop of politicians belonging to different political ideologies all have one common agenda - getting power to further their own individual agendas – nation has never been a priority. There are just a handful of politicians who actually think of the nation first and then about themselves- with the grace of God more such people will join the mainstream of politics to change the moral as well economic fabric of the nation. Vote for change – cast your vote for the person – not the party!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Talkers versus Performers

Over the years I have had the opportunity to study managers in action in various organizations spread across industries as diverse as steel production to software engineering. One basically comes across two kinds of people – the talkers and the performers, there is a third kind, but he/she is rare – he/she balances talking with performing – this would be the ideal person to lead a team. There is a French proverb, which beautifully summarizes the subject – translated it means – “Great talkers, little doers”.

I will take you through my understanding of the character traits of talkers and performers in that order. Lots of people are talkers. They tell you all about what they are "going to do". They have big plans and good intentions, but all they do is talk. They're always going to do it tomorrow. They're always going to do it later. They're always "going to do it." These guys have all the ideas, but to implement them they will say they need to hire more people to “do the job”. The confusion arises because the person who was originally hired to do the job, starts thinking that his job is not to “do it” but to get things done, so he wants a sub-ordinate to do his job. In such a situation you will have only “managers” and no “workers”. Sound like anyone you know? In such situations the organizations payroll cost would be unjustifiable. Such people are sweet talkers and great con artists who manage to convince their bosses with great technical jargon and by making presentations which look realistic and doable. After the talk and the presentation, it is time to deliver – that is when the problem starts. The talkers do not know how to deliver, so for the how, they need people to manage the implementation of their ideas! Thus you find an organization has hired a person based on his talks and presentations, but when it comes to the crunch, this person cannot deliver and asking for increasing the cost by requesting hires for people who will do his job. The question then begs itself, “why did the organization hire this person in the first place?”

The “performers” don’t talk, they – as the Nike punch line says “just do it”. These people will have their key result areas defined for them by their superiors, and they will just go and perform based on their understanding of their jobs. The performers have no qualms in going and taking guidance to achieve their targets – no ego involved – whereas the talker will have a Himalayan ego – such people normally cannot see beyond their nose. The performers go about their jobs quietly and efficiently without any fanfare and let the results speak for themselves. These people though given recognition by their superiors – never results in them getting paid the kind of salary the talkers command – this is because the performers cannot sell themselves the way talkers can. It takes a very mature and sensitive management and HR team to recognize the difference and to offer appropriate compensation.

A little bit of philosophy to conclude this discussion would be in order. No matter who you are – man, woman, teenager… the results of your whole life will depend on what you do, not what you "talk about"! Would you like guessing which group of people is going to be the ones that experience success in life? Success in whatever they decide to do? You're right. The performers! I learned a long time ago that important things take tremendous work and perseverance. I also learned the closer you get to the realization of that goal, the greater and more intense the obstacles become. It's as if the Universe is testing you to see how much you want it.

If you have dreams of achieving something over time, then you need to put your thoughts into action in a sustainable manner to make your dreams turn to reality. This you cannot do by just talking, you see, you need to perform, and to perform, and to perform till your dreams come true. This is the only way you can live your dreams! Every human being is born with a purpose in life, just understand what your purpose is and go about doing the things necessary to achieve that purpose. Don’t talk, do! That is the essence. Believe in yourself and in your abilities and though it may take time, the results will always be positive and everlasting leaving you with a sense of fulfillment which is enduring.

If you want to check whether you are a “talker” or a “performer”, there is an easy way to do it. I want you to stop what you're doing and think for a few minutes – or as long as it takes. Then I want you to write yourself a letter. Make a commitment to yourself of what you are going to do. Make a list of your goals and put them where you'll see them. Here's something that will really determine if you are a talker or a performer. Write your letter, then ask a friend to mail it to you in 2-3 months. You can put it in a self-addressed, stamped envelope they will merely slip in the mail. You'll be able to see for yourself whether you are a talker or a performer.

Choose today to be a PERFORMER! Remember there is always someone out there who “BELIEVES IN YOU” – just learn to believe yourself and have faith in yourself first!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

G-20 gets serious on banking in tax havens

It is really long overdue and welcome news which has emanated from the G-20 meeting being held in London. Tax havens have had a pretty free run for the past few decades and have sheltered funds of dubious characters – whether they are crooked politicians, arms/drugs smugglers, terrorists or crooked businessmen. Along with these deviant characters you also have genuine businesses who plan their taxes in such a way as to minimize the incidence of tax so as to maximize shareholder value. A differentiation between tax evaders and tax avoiders needs to be made, and this has been discussed threadbare over the years. I am sure those who plan their taxes will have no problem with the disclosure requirements which will be laid down following the G-20 meeting. It is the others who need to worry!

Tax haven countries have lax banking laws which enable them to refuse parting with information about their clients in spite of requests from various national Governments. The countries named are Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines and Uruguay. The general understanding is that slush funds are stashed in Swiss banks due to Swiss banking laws. Surprisingly Switzerland has not been named as one of the non-cooperative tax havens, even though very recently the US had to arm twist UBS (a Swiss bank) to part with data of 50000 customers for checking with US IRS records. I guess this is a corollary to the collapse of the global economy – all governments are feeling the heat and want to get at illegally stashed income. Such measures are aimed at improving the tax mobilization of a country. A country can tax companies which are bringing in investments from such island havens. These measures will also make the system transparent.

At present a number of countries like Cayman Island, Bermuda Island, Bahamas, Panama, Jersey, Monaco, Nauru, Lichtenstien, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, Belize, Barbados, British Virgin Isles Costa Rica, Cook Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Netherland Antilles, Niue, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga, US Virgin Islands and Vanuatu among others are used by companies to channelize investments in different countries. These countries do not levy taxes on incomes earned from investments made in other countries. Many companies and individuals use these countries to invest in other nations.
It has been said that trillions of dollars have been canalized through these tax havens to various countries. If the taxes are collected on the income earned from these investments, it will generate hundreds of billions of dollars for the global economy. I am sure most individuals who are banking with tax havens will be the ex-high profile Fund Managers and Investment Bankers who have been primarily responsible for making the global economic bubble large enough to burst with their complex structures and hare brained investment plans, which mind you, the various Governments (including the US and UK) permitted through lack of oversight. One needs to draw a line between genuine oversight and a runaway free economy – in which unscrupulous businessmen / politicians make humungous amounts of money while the going is good and ask for Government support and tax payer funding when the shit hits the roof. It should be made very clear that businesses should realize that in good times the profits are those of the company and in bad times also they should take the responsibility for the losses – you can’t have the Government bail you out when you make losses.

As far as India is concerned it would be really great if we can get all the illegal money stashed abroad back into the country. When the money and its owners are identified, the list of account holders will make really interesting reading. I am sure we will have names of quite a few politicians exposed along with slimy businessmen. I hope this exercise is done straight away without giving the people time to move the money. The Financial Intelligence Unit should have systems in place to track the flow through any number of transfers, so that the guilty can be brought to book. The money, if we have the balls to get it back and punish the guilty, will go a long way in alleviating poverty in our country. We could actually manage to get every citizen a roof over his head, clothes to wear and three square meals to eat. As the story goes Indians have stashed away at least US$ 1.5 trillion and our forex reserves are just US$ 252 billion – that is just one sixth of our hordes lying abroad illegally.

Let us see which political party promises to bring the money back if elected (the BJP and Communists are already saying they would), and let us see if they deliver on their promises. Jai Hind!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Hypocrisy in the name of Secularism

The wiki describes “secularism” as the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs. This would therefore imply that people belonging to different faiths and sections of society are equal before the law, the Constitution and government policy. It also means that there can be no mixing up of religion and politics nor can there be any discrimination against anyone on grounds of faith – this is what the Constitution makes an attempt at guaranteeing. If you accept the concept of secularism as defined then the validity of religion in the public domain and in society is necessarily limited. Individuals in society may base their values on the basis of religion but where such values impinge on society as a whole, in such cases the basis of social consensus cannot be religion - definitely not any one particular religion! Historically too, certain values in a society may have their foundation in religion but these values need to necessarily be examined in a humane spirit before they are accepted as values that will govern the functioning of modern society. With a change in times, values too change and those values which need to be adopted in a modern society become the socially accepted norm by getting political sanction. Thus sati, untouchability, child marriage have been rejected by society and laws have been passed to abolish such practices which goes to show political acceptance.

The above is the definition of secularism and my understanding of the term and its impact post independence in India. The trouble is the word secularism is bandied to such an extent, especially during times of election by politicians of different hues that the ordinary citizen is left totally confused as to its actual meaning. Each major political party has its own definition of secularism and each political party abuses the term for its own political ends.

Take for instance the Congress, the oldest political party and the one that has ruled the most post independence – is it truly secular. If you go by the definition, they definitely are not secular – they indulge in every kind of minority appeasement – in their language majority bashing is being secular! You cannot appear to go against any community or propagate and give concessions to another community – that is patently not secular according to me. In India, Secularism means “Anti-Hinduism”. Yes, the truth is harsh. But in order to appease their so-called minority vote banks, these politicians shamelessly indulge in Anti-Hindu bashing in the name of Secularism. Even if you say, “I love my religion", you are termed as communal just because you support the majority religion. The media and the politicians have been clearly brainwashing the masses with crap. To be secular, you have to keep politics away from religion, but our politicians always ask for votes based on religion. And the strategy unfortunately works always. How can the citizens of a country live peacefully when its majority gets humiliated by almost every single politician? In cosmopolitan and metropolitan cities, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live in peace and harmony. Yes, there are some stray incidents of violence. But such incidents are rampant in almost every other country. Name one country other than India which has not initiated war against another nation, but has always been attacked and has been forced to defend itself? Take the BJP or the Right Wing Hindu political parties, they too espouse the cause of the majority – they too are patently non secular, especially those fringe parties who propagate violence in the name of Hinduism which has always been an absorbing and peaceful way of life rather than a religion. “Sanatan Dharma” means an assimilative and absorbing religion, one which is not against any religion, and a religion which has over thousands of centuries still retained its form. The BJP cannot claim to be secular as its actions and words are patently jingoistic and depend on scaring the majority into voting for them. Take the BSP or those supporting the so called backward castes, again these parties too are not secular because they seek votes based on caste. The Communist parties too are not secular because they have an anti-BJP anti-Congress and anti everything policy which trashes other party policies while having no serious forward looking ideology of their own. Based on the actual definition discussed above, which party is secular, by and large the citizens are peace loving and secular, but come elections – instigated by power hungry politicians the masses are provoked into anti-other religion mind set which sometimes results in violence. But when the elections come, leaders comes to give election speeches and end up bashing the other community for their shortcomings. Common people, how many of you truly believe that the politicians are secular. Which party is secular? The one which slaughtered a million Sikhs? The one which demolished the Babri Masjid? The one that asks votes based on caste, or the one that asks you to vote promising you quotas????? The masses should look through these short term objectives of the politicians and give a fitting reply while voting.

The media role also needs to be critically examined, specially the visual media, which has the power to reach millions of people across the length and breadth of the country. The manner in which the newscasters present the news makes one want to puke – there is no impartiality – the tone is always one of sensationalizing events – even though trivial. The same news is “breaking news” from morning till evening, sometimes even the next day. It is all about TRP’s and the News Channels are trying to become entertainment channels. Interviewers put words in the mouth of participants and then do not let them speak, if they are saying something which is against the channels philosophy. This is complete misuse and abuse of the media.

I have studied in a school which was truly secular, not once did I feel religion was an issue, it was only when I went to college, that I realized religion was an issue or the person being a “Ghati”, Madrassi”, “Gujju”, etc was more than a matter of passing interest. The politicians don’t care whether the Hindus, Muslims, or Christians live or die. All they want is votes. Today they will promise you the moon, but tomorrow, they will to just look at it and be happy. If you still believe in this so-called Secularism, you are digging your own grave. In India we practice hypocrisy and not secularism, no sir! I request you to think before voting, our great country belongs to all religions – “Sarva Dharma Sambhav”- no religion should ask for special benefits here. We need a peaceful India, not one divided on caste or religion. All religions promote peace, but certain elements in all religions want hatred. Keep these elements away and this country will always remain peaceful.

The Real Terrorists

I have been giving deep thought as to who should actually qualify for the tag of “terrorist”. Are misguided and brain washed youth with weapons of destruction who come once in a while and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting populace better deserving of this tag or is it the PWD workers / bureaucrats / politicians / cops who in the guise of serving the people end up making life miserable on a daily basis to almost the entire citizenry more deserving of the tag? Do give it some thought.

I do agree that killing people through violent means definitely qualifies as an act of terror as and when it happens. In such a scenario unknown people kill wantonly and sometimes escape and in other cases are either killed or arrested – after their arrest what happens – is justice delivered? Is it seen to be delivered – in fact by the time it is delivered the act of violence invariably has faded away from peoples memory.

What about those people who make life a daily living hell for the vast majority – the citizens are dying in their minds, leading to more and more suicides and accidents - whether of students, businessmen or farmers – who is responsible for that? Is responsibility ever pinned down on the workers/bureaucrats/politicians/policemen where it is established that people have lost their lives through either active or passive negligence? Are these people ever punished? In fact the fast track way to escape punishment for most of these guys if ever caught is to fake a heart attack and get into a hospital on medical grounds or to get elected to Parliament!

The reason for today’s post is because the road once again has caved in at Jacob Circle (Saath Rasta) – third time this year – at least no lives lost. Such shoddy work paid for by tax payers who get jack shit for the money spent. The people responsible for this mess should be asked to rectify the situation personally – by personally I mean the culprit should be taken to the site physically and asked to do manual labor to repair the damage. Exemplary punishment of a similar kind where the suffering public can see and taunt the offenders is likely to bring some kind of attitude change in these thick skinned morons. The ordinary citizen suffers on a daily basis for basic necessities – water, electricity, decent roads, decent public toilets etc. The water mains are the site for hutments - water from which is accessed daily by the hutment dwellers – so where is the hygiene; electricity is always in short supply, for more than 15 years not a single additional megawatt of power has been added by the government, excluding the expensive scandal ridden, mostly non-functioning Enron power; decent roads - those are available only if you travel to Gujarat (Mumbai has got a mother lode of gold, hence almost all roads are always dug up); decent public toilets – who needs those when you have roads, footpaths and railways to defecate or pee (the modest guys use an umbrella to hide their face – but can’t do that to their base!).

Rs. 127 crore was sanctioned by the State Government for purchase of various arms and ammunition. The purchase was to happen in March, but the fiscal year has passed and probably the budget lapsed, but the purchase has not gone through - can you guess why? It is because some bureaucrat sitting in Mantralaya thought the right forms were not filled, or something to that effect. Now tell me who is the real terrorist!

So who are the real terrorists? You decide. It is very important to know the difference as elections are just round the corner. Will you be voting for “terrorists” or for someone who is worth voting for – someone who can make a difference to our daily lives?!?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

ESOP’s re-pricing

ESOP’s (Employee Stock Option Plans) have always been issued as an incentive to retain good employees. In times of rising markets employees gain along with investors hence investors have no grounds for complain for issuing a small percentage of shares as per the approved plan to employees at the price determined as per SEBI’s pricing formula. The price so determined is usually much less than the market price in times of rising stock markets which is inherently beneficial to the employees.

The question to be addressed is whether ESOP’s should be re-priced in normal and abnormal scenarios. By normal scenario, I mean in cases where the markets are fairly priced, but a particular company’s price has fallen drastically. This by implication would mean that the company has not performed to expectations. The fact that a company is not doing well economically would imply that the employees are not performing or the management team is not leading the company in a profitable direction. In either case should the ESOP’s be re-priced? That is the question. The revised SEBI guidelines would imply that employees can be rewarded for non-performance in such a situation. Internationally re-pricing is looked down upon as being unethical. ESOP’s is akin to performance bonus, in such situations, paying performance bonus is like rewarding an employee when he has not performed at all. Thus, it would appear to reward failure! In such a situation the entire ESOP scheme becomes meaningless as the employees know that they will get rewarded whether they perform or not! Thus employees will stand to benefit either way, if the market rises they gain anyways, and if the markets fall they still benefit because of the re-pricing of ESOPs.

The situation in an exceptional economic scenario as the world is facing today would be different. In the current global meltdown all company’s shares have taken a hit worldwide, whether they are performing or not. Thus ESOP’s given at the peak of market conditions are not sustainable at all and would probably not be worth the paper they are written on today. In this case a re-pricing strategy would make more sense rather than an umbrella guideline which allows re-pricing. It would be advisable to modify the Guidelines on ESOP’s to permit re-pricing only in the case of exceptional economic circumstances which can be notified by the Government considering various national/global economic indicators.

Employees being economic value creators as far as the company is considered, gain by getting ESOP’s which like mentioned earlier is akin to a performance bonus. Similarly investors are rewarded when the employees/company’s performance is rewarded by the market by taking the price up. In such a scenario both investors and employees are rewarded. But what happens in bad economic conditions? The employees are rewarded and the investors lose out as they have no such recourse to cash in. This would be patently unfair and SEBI should have a re-look at the guidelines. Another issue is that the original ESOP scheme requires a special resolution (75%) of the shareholders for approval and strangely for re-pricing only an ordinary resolution would suffice. I think there is definitely something remiss here and SEBI would need to re-examine the guidelines more rationally. It may be election time, but there is no need to do things without thinking.