Re: Whither debate? - reply to Sastry

[vamsi@siliconcorp.com]

K.S.Sastry wrote:

>   The way some of the members of the group are expressing themselves
is
> typical of the assertiveness and arrogance typical of the polticians
> and bureaucrats in recent years and atypical of the legatees of Buddha

> and Gandhi. Drafting a policy statement consistent with the Indian
ethos
> so as to reach some kind of a national consensus seems to be farthest
> from their thoughts.
>
>     KS
>

    Ok, you got my attention but could you expand on what you are
talking
about?  In the meantime, Politicians and bureaucrats neither have the
courage
nor the intelligence to articulate - let alone, to be assertive!  What I
am
trying to say is that bureaucrats have an inferiority complex and that
they are
more inclined to oppress a fellow Indian or their constituency to feel
powerful
and important.  Indians who oppress other Indians are the worst kind of
animals
(pardon the vocabulary).

    If you are referring to the care-free nature of our debates, I think
it is
wonderful that we have found a place where we can express ourselves.  It
is our
right to express freely and may no one else have the courage to tell us
otherwise!  I don't think I have met anyone on this debate that have
oppressed
anyone else; in fact, we have encouraged each other to express ourselves

freely.  We must encourage each other to take charge of our own lives
and not
depend on the government.  That is, the Government cannot cloth us and
feed us.
Our Industry and the Farmers will do that and you know what, our
Industry is run
by the people.  If we don't build a country then who will?

    It is true in India that deviance, no matter how intelligent it may
be, is
ruthlessly oppressed.  It is really amazing that we were able to produce
Buddha
and Gandhi because they were not the ordinary kind and it is even more
amazing
that the constant oppression by the bureaucrats (British Raj) didn't
kill their
spirit!!!

    I don't think anyone on this debate have ever been arrogant or
oppressive to
another Indian (or any other person)!  The real arrogance and oppression
exists
in the Indian Bureaucracy.

    The Government of India has made so called "profits" at the expense
of
public suffering.  What am I talking about?  Well, let us take the DoT
which has
levied heavy License Fees on the private Industry and drove them to
bankruptcy.
By comparison, American license fees are about 1/10 that of India's.  Is
it not
for the oppressive practices of the Government that it creates a
Monopoly like
DoT and allows it to make profits out of our misery - one of the worst
Telephony
infrastructures in the World.  Shouldn't the Government encourage
Private Sector
competition and aid in the expansion of Telephony in the country by
doing away
with License fees altogether?  In India, the country's Citizens are
barred from
owning Telephony businesses because the Government is more interested in
serving
itself than ensuring that the population has the best infrastructure in
the
World!  So then, the real arrogance and oppression is with our
Government and
not in these debates.

    I would like to see a day when the Citizens of India own the Country
and
that will happen only when we respect some fundamental rights of every
Indian
and more importantly, respect the Freedom of Expression.

Sincerely,
Vamsi M.


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