Desicritics Category: Politics: Reservations

Can Only Whites be Racist?

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:31:34 EDT

I talked about how Indians in South Africa can be seen to be racist. But here is something curious and not much has been discussed about this aspect. I quote some worrying findings. (More factoids from here and here)

Some 29 per cent of people surveyed think public sector workers discriminate against them in favour of other ethnic groups.
And many believe they have been passed over for promotion or a job because of the colour of their skin.
Seven per cent of white people questioned thought they had failed to win a promotion because of their race, up from three per cent in 2003.
And the study reveals that ethnic groups living in the UK feel stronger ties to the country than native whites.
Researchers found that whites also felt less able that other ethnic groups to influence decisions affecting the country or their local area. And many believe racial prejudice is on the rise, in stark contrast with other races.
The survey found that 29 per cent of white people expect to be treated worse than other groups by at least eight of the public services including police, prisons, courts, Crown Prosecution Service and local housing organisations.
One in six white Britons feel only a slight sense of belonging to the nation. Whites also now feel less able than other ethnic groups to influence decisions affecting their local area and the country as a whole.
Forty one per cent of black African, 36 per cent of Bangladeshi and 35 per cent of Indian people feel they have a say in decisions affecting Britain, compared to 19 per cent of white people.
The proportion of members of ethnic minority groups who expected to face discrimination from one of the eight bodies fell from 38 per cent in 2001 to 34 per cent. But it remains higher than for white people in many categories, particularly the police.
Whites identified council housing departments or housing associations as the most likely to discriminate against them.
Overall, 84 per cent of people felt they belonged strongly to the country, including 45 per cent who said they belonged very strongly. However, nine out of ten Pakistani and Indian people said they felt a strong sense of belonging, compared to 84 per cent of whites.

Each and every statistic is worrying. If the criterion was replaced, for example, white with black or brown, the headlines would be screaming. But in this case they are not. Curiously, this story was buried and not much discussion about it has happened. But I think that is wrong. The white population of this country is saying something to the grand political parties and senior intelligentsia and they are not listening. Read the comments on this site to see what some people are saying.

See the commonality? In the South African case, the Indian intelligentsia in charge of the schools wanted more cohesion and integration, but the parents do not want to integrate. However, nobody is screaming about racism to them. But here whites are complaining about reverse discrimination and again nobody is talking about it.

People are not talking about this and they are not considering why this is the case. Why are immigrants being given privileges that local citizens are not receiving ? And even if that is not the actual case, people do think so and perceive it as such. So there is a communications problem. Mind you, knowing the spectacular idiots who are in the government, I very much doubt that they will be able to do anything about this. Despite that silly minister Hazel Blears commissioning this survey, I very much doubt anything will come out of it. I mean, it is not even on her own site.

I find this deeply worrying. Perhaps more transparency in hiring, housing allocation and other aspects will help remove this deep seated fear amongst the " whites" of the country. The fear exists, it needs to be addressed quickly.

Technorati Tags: Affirmative Action,Racism,United Kingdom

Caste-based Reservations Demands Increasing

DeeptiA — Sat, 31 May 2008 12:11:11 EDT

To say that caste-based reservations demands are increasing is probably a major under-statement, given the events so far over the 2 separate agitations that have taken place in 2007 and 2008. Crores worth of public property have been destroyed, the railways have suffered massives losses, both because of destruction of railways lines and equipment and due to large scale cancellation of trains. Tourism in the region will take a knock (especially with the bombs of just a few weeks back in Jaipur) with advisories already having been issued and coverage of these protests in the international media; and normal people have been put to massive hardships. But, this is not the end. As long as the politics of reservation continues to be patronized by various Governments, they will face such issues. For example, who would have believed that the North East could see such a problem:

SHILLONG: As protests of the Gujjars, who are demanding ST status, spread to fresh areas, the community living in the North-East will also take up the cudgels and launch an agitation in support of the cause.
Representatives of the community from the entire region met in Guwahati on Friday to chalk out a programme to join the protests.

There is no good solution. If the Government bows down to these demands and grants them the ST status (it makes no logic to give the Gujjar community an ST tag, the only reason is that the Jats have been granted OBC, and hence the Gujjar community sees the ST as a way to get more benefit of reservations, and hence these pressure tactics of violence). If they do get such benefits, then other communities will also want to avail of similar benefits, and this is a very slippery slope to go down. Already, both the Central and Rajasthan government have come under fire for letting the agitations causing so much disturbance.

The courts also know this, and from time to time, they have asked the Governments about whether there is plan to take empowered communities out of the net so that only the truly backward get such benefits, but any political party will find it suicidal to remove reservations for any benefit. And yet, parties continue on this policy, well knowing that any benefit is only transient, and other parties will also try to garner the same benefit. As an example of Governments trying to provide reservations even when courts have ruled against this, here is an example of the Tamil Nadu Government providing reservations on the basis of religion:

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday issued orders to "ensure" that Muslims and Christians got 3.5% reservation each in government services to overcome some 'practical problems' faced by the two communities in availing the benefit.

The Andhra Pradesh Government attempts in this regard have been periodically rejected by courts, yet here is another State Government trying the same.

Gujjar Protests Paralyze Delhi

DeeptiA — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:01:04 EDT

Today, the 29th of May, 2008, was a day that a lot of people would have had much to worry about. Delhi and the whole NCR region has seen the effect of the Gujjar agitation when it last took place in 2007, and at that time, the lathi-wielding and stone throwing members of the mob forced the major intersections of South and East Delhi to come to a standstill - traffic at major points such as the Noida Link road, Badarpur, Loni, etc was totally jammed, and demonstrators did pretty much what they liked. At that time, what was depicted in the media was that the police were essentially not taking any action and letting them burn buses and other public property.

Keeping this in mind, there was a lot of worry and concern about what the day would turn out like. The whole of Delhi and NCR region sees a lot of cross traffic with people moving on a daily basis from Delhi and other regions such as Faridabad / Gurgaon going to offices in Noida on a regular basis, and similar movement. For such people, the news of this Gujjar-called bandh was a time for decision. Would you want to try this movement on this particular day and risk getting caught in violence, or stuck in a non-moving traffic jam for long periods of time. As a result, there were a large number of companies that actually declared a holiday today. Even where I worked, most people from places that were more than 10 Km away did not come, in many cases because their family persuaded them not to go.

The Government knows that this kind of demonstration will happen, and the long jams, violence and other such situations that afflict the regular commuters (as well as people who earn their living on a daily basis) are a reflection of the failure of Governance. Sample these reports from an article on Delhi shutting down:

Gujjars on Thursday had blocked road and rail traffic in the Capital and adjoining areas as part of their 'NCR rasta roko' agitation even as over 35,000 policemen fanned out across the National Capital Region to prevent any untoward incident. Earlier, all main highways leading to the Capital were blocked. There were also reports of stone pelting and effigies burning. At places the agitators broke windshields of cars and buses.

Protesters turned away vehicles from Noida and Gurgaon, home to scores of outsourcing and computer software firms. Many offices were also closed. Security personnel were deployed in strength in Gujjar strongholds like Mehrauli, Ghazipur, Patparganj, Badarpur, Khanpur, Ayanagar, Chilla village and Rampur, anticipating a strong showing by the community during the agitation.

As reports by the media during the course of the day indicate, traffic was blocked for many hours and opened only around noon. During this time, people had to take side roads, or wait in long jams. And there is no point talking about the many hours lost, or the roadside vendors or people who are dependent on getting to their places of work for their daily earnings (who would travel by public transport, something that was directly attacked). This is something that the Government is directly responsible for, but one believes that the Government was just ensuring that the violence and disturbance does not cross a particular level. The other reaction by the Government was to cancel a number of trains running near Jaipur, Agra, and to the NCR region.

The Great Reservations Debate

Abhishek — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:47:13 EDT

The absurdity of the Indian judicial system knows no bounds. The recent judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has left every right thinking individual shell shocked. None of the political outfits or the parties, whether aligned to left or right is going to come out in favor of the people who are affected the most.

Historically, affirmative action has not worked wherever it has been sought to be introduced. Society cannot move on idealism; it needs practical approach towards issues that face us. Affirmative action, by and large leads to policy of reverse discrimination, where the system rewards the “less competent” over the more competent person. This definition, unfortunately, remains subjective leading to acrimonious debates, most of them featured on these columns or elsewhere. Merit is indeed an abstract notion; there are no objective criteria to measure it. This remains one of the forceful arguments for those who propose reservations.

In the garb of promotion of equality, the Government has chosen to promote “race equality”. Why should the successive generations suffer on account of perceived injustices to the present “class” of people? It only serves to hurt the “mainstream” people for something that they do not condone or support.

Higher education is a holy cow. Successive governments, regardless of ideologies, have chosen to dabble with their brand of ideology and influence the course of historians to suit it to their own partisan interests. Those knowledgeable in the statecraft would attribute this to ruling of the masses by an iron sleight of hand. It pervades every nook and corner of our existence. The concept of democracy is notional. Every aspect of our lives is measured, filtered and assessed via a fine tooth comb and information for us to be assimilated is rehashed. It justifies this as the majority of the population is unable to take decisions on their own. This, my country, is a nation of dimwits who are unable to stand out and vote for a meaningful change.

If the Constitution guarantees equal rights, this decision should not be equated by taking my rights to satisfy someone else. Since, it would repress someone who is capable for a particular job; it would make this nation a laggard.
Why higher education alone? Why not the entire political spectrum? We have a resounding silence there. There has been no word in reserving the seats for the ones who have been dispossessed in the political arena. The entire political spectrum is dominated by upper castes unless you wish to include the “born again Christians”, the emasculated Prime Minister and his consort very appropriately called as, “The Madam”.

The arguments for affirmative action have included the fact that a more diversified representation from the various ethnic minorities would lead to a “vibrant workforce” and that it indicates the “strength of democracy”. Most of these concepts have been brought into focus from the discarded “western notions” about democracy in general. We cannot separate the chaff from the grain and ironically may well echo what the British had commented long time back about our inability to govern ourselves. Unfortunately, the overriding message to the future generation is that this nation does not value your academic achievements or the number of hours you put in to burn the proverbial midnight oil. The sole factor is the “accidental birth” in an upper caste household and one is doomed forever.

One of the sore examples is that of Tamil Nadu where the reservations work to the disadvantage of “upper castes”. The crushing reservation has only helped to move them out of their communities to search for greener pastures elsewhere. Primarily, the “lower castes” vote en bloc leading to generation of a “vote bank” because in lieu of their votes, the systematic rot is allowed to be in place further depressing any hope of an institutional change.

Another factor is that caste notions are constantly hammered in the consciousness of those who otherwise would not have thought about the same. I cannot but help thinking about the person who would enter the hallowed portals of AIIMS based on his caste rather than clearing the tough entrance exam which tests the potential of above average students. It could hold true for any other institute. All his life, the person getting entry based on Government largesse would be marked and force him to get ghettoized with his “caste kinsmen” without really getting himself integrated in the mainstream as hoped for. These caste divisions would only serve to create constant frictions between the various groups; all the while allowing the powers that be to fish in troubled waters. Such constant friction only negates the idealism which isn’t warranted in the first place.

Although the judgment speaks of keeping out the creamy layer from the purview of reservation, only the very naïve would believe that this creamy layer would not act to keep their interests in the family. A huge amount of tax is being funneled to pay for fancy schemes which remain good on paper; pathetic in implementation at the ground level. It would be difficult to extrapolate individual cases on generalized scenario but even the creamy layer among the backward castes is reaping a rich harvest of Government largesse. We may never be able to force the system to change and the situation is going to worsen over the period of time. It has been prompted by evil machinations of an old dying crock who cannot muster enough votes for himself in a local municipal election and unfortunately, has been thrust in mainstream for his controversial proposals.

When it would concern the people who vote for a radical change, it remains to be seen as to how their wards or significant others secure or latch on to national resources like leeches. They suck the intellectual discourse dry and for some reason have inexhaustible resources to argue needlessly without any reason. They form the majority of the media and the leftist cabal.

I foresee a rough time ahead for the aspirants to higher education. Those who can afford, even in these times of killing inflation, would escape this system to institutes where merit alone is the criterion.

There are no easy solutions to these problems. Although, the easiest is not make the waters too murky by setting up caste based reservations. We already have enough troubles on our hands. This is a killing blow to the bright and deserving children from either side of the divide where they are thrust into unknown future. Neither there are any quick fix solutions to problems that have stemmed from very shaky foundations.

Indian Supreme Court Upholds OBC Reservation

Chandra — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:29:27 EDT

Finally the good news has come.

The Supreme Court has upheld reservations for OBCs in leading institutes. Very clearly, the court has agreed with the contention that the existing law does not violate the tenets of the constitution.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has clarified that the Government(s) will have to find ways to eliminate the creamy layer from the gambit of reservations.

This is excellent news. It takes into account one component of the massive protests seen in 2006. I call upon liberal folks to accept this announcement and move on.

There are major concerns on how to expand the number of seats, particularly in medical colleges where talented general quota candidates are unable to pursue PG courses.

The Govt will also have to find ways to encourage teaching capacity across the nation. This is a great opportunity to improve the quality of education infrastructure. This is another proud day for my great nation. Jai Hind!

The Marathi Manoos versus the Thackeray Brand

Aditi Nadkarni — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:22:53 EST

On reading Anuradha Goyal's recent article on Desicritics titled Dear Marathi Manoos Thackerays I thought it might be timely to dissociate the identity of the long suffering "Marathi Manoos" from the Thackerays.

Of all the available discussions in the blogosphere, the one I found most interesting about the current Thackeray circus in media was a report by CNN-IBN where Raj Thackeray's mother-in-law claims support for Raj's crusade in the same breath as voicing her concern for Raj Thackeray's son's impending SSC exams. It is ironic that while Raj Thackeray seems to be rallying for the "Marathi Manoos", the "Marathi Manoos" is probably at home doing what Raj Thackeray should be: supporting his son during the notoriously hectic SSCs.

Barring one reported death in Maharashtra and a few customary automobile-burning incidents, the actual city of Mumbai where all Shiv Sena associated drama usually unfolds, was uncharacteristically calm. I am both proud and impressed. The unemployed youth who usually carried out the Sena's antics seem to be more suitably employed at the city's call centers or at swanky malls in upper class neighbourhoods. The country as a whole is moving forward and as part of the nation's commercial capital, these young people probably do not want to be left behind executing the schemes of jingoists who just happen to have political power.

While one Thackeray is engaging in a ridiculous anti-North Indian rhetoric, the other, very senior Thackeray in a laughable attempt at re-terrorizing the city, is now kicking a fit over Valentines' day celebrations. People will exchange Hallmark and Archie's cards, a few may throw a party to rejuvenate schedules lost in the city's bustle and who knows some lovestruck souls may even buy one of those red heart shaped balloons sold at traffic lights. And this, says Mr.Thackeray, will affect our Hindu culture. If we are to believe Mr. Thackeray, our ancient civilization is under serious threat from none other than St. Valentine. Now if only his idea of protest was to not buy the heart shaped balloon, we could have all heaved a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, what Mr.Thackeray does not realize is that the violent rampages he sends his lads out on every once a while are probably more of a threat to the Hindu preachings of non-violence than heart shaped balloons and Hallmark cards will ever be.

It is time to notice however that in recent years the sometimes anti-Muslim, sometimes anti-non-Maharashtrian rhetoric propagated by the Sena is starting to fall on deaf ears and evoking a lukewarm response from a city that now wants to move ahead. People who had once supported the Sena's "Marathi Manoos Jaaga Ho" ("Wake Up Marathi Man") rallies now have sheepishly realized that the Sena has no idea who the Marathi Man really is. Very simply, there is a divide of class and caste under the supposed "Marathi Manus" label itself. Raj Thackeray had once brought with his dynamic youth following, hopes of a new, evolved political party in Maharashtra and instead he too has jumped on the extremist bandwagon. He doesn't realize that the "Marathi Manoos" himself no longer has a singular identity separate from that of his beloved city. This real "Marathi Manoos" does not want skirmishes over Valentine's day and Chath Pooja by North Indians. Like any other conscientious, law abiding Indian, he too wants a decent education for his children and a steady occupation to fund his retirement. In fact, the violence that Thackerays' irresponsible words unleash into the city, robs this weary Marathi Manoos of his peace and does nothing for him or for any other of the city's residents.

The truth is that while the Shiv Sena is trying to rouse the Marathis, the actual Marathi Manoos (Marathi Man) lost sleep a while ago. He first woke up to the Sena's absurd and obsessive attempts at changing the names of roads, suburbs and airports to their original, pre-British, Marathi titles. In his alert wakefulness he also noticed that the Sena somehow forgot to change the very anglicized, "Thackeray" to "Thakray". Since then, the "Marathi Manoos" with the rest of Mumbai residents has been sitting wide-awake, at the edge of his seat, on tenterhooks watching in dismay the Sena's regressive demonstrations, hearing with disbelief Balasaheb's loud claims of idolizing Hitler and suffering in silence the damning economic consequences of senseless city bandhs and violent morchas. These very Thackerays who attack harmless Valentine's Day parties to oppose "Western" influences had once organized a Michael Jackson concert in Bombay that halted traffic and city functioning for days! Apparently Jacko's thrusting pelvis apparently wasn't as threatening to "Hinduism" as heart shaped balloons and Valentine's Day parties.

I would like to add that the real power in Mumbai has and always will rest with the city's youth. Whenever the students have come out and made their voices heard, the law enforcement and the city officials have found it necessary to take a stand. If the Mumbaikers/Bombayites do not want the embarassment of having their city's name be associated with a regressive, fascist school of thought in the 21st century then it is time for the college crowd to do more than just gather around and pass time at local Cafe Coffee Days. If anything, the Marathi Manoos should now stand up only to resist the Sena's claims of being his self-proclaimed representative.

For years, we, the residents of Mumbai have lived like a family with people from all over the nation. The cultural aptitude and tolerance bestowed by the rich experience of having lived in this indiscriminate potpourri come handy today for my life as an immigrant in a foreign country. So to me, when the Thackerays question this indomitable spirit of the city, it only goes to show that their world is really very small - as is the extent of their power.

Modern Pakistan & Musharraf's Liberalism

Zainub Razvi — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:16:13 EDT

There is much interest in Pakistan's political and cultural dynamic these days. Hardly a week passes by when you don't come across some article or the other in the international press highlighting and celebrating Pakistan's apparently newfound inclination for modernism, or 'enlightened moderation', to use Musharraf's now worn out neologism.

Such writers all cite a particular set of trends as proof to substantiate their claims. The growth of the press, and the image of Pakistan it presents (with private channels like Fashion TV and MTV Pakistan now on the airwaves) is one oft cited example. The progress with India in the peace process, and the people-to-people contact this progress has embodied in the form of merry singing along between music artists and joint film ventures between celebrities from both sides of the Wagah Border, is another favorite "proof" they use.

Many of them admit that a "radical", "conservative" sect of religiously-inspired populous exists at the same time at the other end of the spectrum, but the underlying implication some how from all the above is that Musharraf, and him alone, may be the savior for Pakistan's polarized ideologies. Some of these assertions couldn't be further from ground realities.

One such article that I read recently was written by a certain Shuja Nawaz. The publication described her in a short bio as "a journalist who recently returned to Pakistan after working for 32 years at the International Monetary Fund and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to complete "Crossed Swords," a book on Pakistan and its army". In the article titled "Behind the Clichés, a Modern Pakistan" (published first in International Herald Tribune, later reproduced at The Pakistan Link, link via Raza Rumi) she does admit how, "For a returning native, Pakistan offers a kaleidoscope of images that defy the West's stereotypes" but goes on to create an image of Pakistan laden with its own set of mythical characteristics.

Consider, for instance, the assertions she has made about the needs of the country's urban elite, who she stipulates, are "craving" for leadership in figures like Musharraf. Me and my family have lived in Karachi for the better part of three decades, and we're grateful to the Almighty that we can consider our self part of the "urban" and "educated" elite Ms. Nawaz writes on behalf of. But I cannot, not even for a moment, identify with the leaders she suggests we are craving for. Yes, we do aspire for a "moderate, peace-loving Pakistan", but that we see Musharraf as the only person capable of giving us this dream would at best be a gross misrepresentation, and at worst, an insult to our intelligence.

Leaving aside the views of my parents and their parents, if I speak purely from the perspective of the youth of this country, people like me, who have no memories of the Zia era, who grew up watching the merry go round of democratically elected leaders in Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, and then entered our teenage years as the Musharraf regime took over. The misdemeanors of these successive governments, their repeated moves towards sham democracy and a consistent trend of power-hungriness has left quite of few of us as largely politically indifferent. There is a vacuum in terms of potential leaders, and the only flag bearers of society that provide us with any semblance of inspiration are people well outside the circus of Pakistani politics such as the dignified members of the civil society, people like the Edhi family.

There is no denying that there was and perhaps still exists in my generation approval for some of Musharraf's policies. Many people I know, from my age group, will admit they enjoy having a greater choice in watching Television then just having to suffice with PTV, they'll also appreciate how the improving economy and greater foreign investment, has again given them more choices, in terms of consumer goods to explore into. And they will even be people who'll appreciate and credit Musharraf with liberalizing Pakistan urban society at large, making it less of a taboo for young people to "date", for young people to dress in non-reformist ways and for having a liberty to bash "mullahs" openly that would be unheard of previous times.

But they will also admit how the benefits of a growing economy haven't reached their less privileged fellow countrymen, how corruption is still rampant, how the civic facilities for even the elites are still inefficient, how the environment is the last thing on the government's mind, how they've oppressed free speech and how law-and-order is still a thing largely unheard of. Even the list of their complains would be quite long. Such selective and well guarded approval for some of Musharraf's policies hence should not be confused with outright support, or as the writer described it "crave for leadership".

There is much damage that Musharraf and his close allies in the government have ensued upon their own selves in recent times. Many people who would have formerly praised Musharraf for some of the reforms he brought, will now express reservations about his sincerity towards Pakistan and the cause of her prosperity. Much of this has happened in time period as short as the last six months, during which Musharraf has indulged in a series of moves which have done nothing but directly benefit his own existence in power. From dismissing the Chief Justice, to having Nawaz Sharif deported, there is much Musharraf has done that has alienated some of his past admirers. And his recent u-turn around over letting the crocks of the past back in, something that he vehemently opposed for much of the last eight years of his reign, may well turn out to be the a final knock out blow.

Even on the socio-cultural front, the so called "liberal" people such articles frequently refer to, remain in the distinct minority even in the urban areas, let alone going into the country's 160 million population at large. And then there is the additional question of their pseudo-liberalism that needs to be addressed. These lot, as Qandeel Shaam described them over at Pakistaniat, are primarily concerned with "being liberal without embracing liberalism: for example, aunties who mull for hours when deciding just how deep they should let their plunging necklines plunge before it starts to look too inappropriate for a charity fundraising event to help emancipate the poor. The same aunties are also dedicated to ensuring that the only ‘liberty’ their maids ever see is a market in Lahore."

In fact Shaam describes the landscape of Pakistan's identity crisis much more accurately then does Ms. Nawaz. It is too simplistic to suggest that Pakistan is merely split between hard line religious conservatives and left-wing liberals. But this divide is actually three fold, as Shaam narrates, it lies between the "Western-wannabe’s" , "the religious extremist-wannabe’s" and whatever lies between them. The former two's ideologies refuse to adopt completely, either all the scruples of classical liberalism or traditional Islam, instead conveniently using only some of their principles as and when they need to prove their own point. I have encountered many of them right in the blogosphere itself and the travesty is that more of either types continue to glaze in the mainstream Pakistani media.

Pakistan's hopes (or at least my own) lie in what remains between these two; "an extant grey zone" Shaam calls it, that is "either too small or too muted to buffer these two extremes". I'd like to remain hopeful that these middle ground holders aren't actually few, but that instead, the problem is that they're so disheartenned in the systems of Pakistan society that they've sidelined themselves into aloofness. This isn't as much a hope for an inspiring leader, as it is a hope for an inspiring people's movement. For I've realised that leaders are like eagles. They don't flock, but instead you find them one at a time.

Sadly, such is Pakistan's luck that in a population of 160 million, presently there's not even one person that inspires complete confidence. That is why the only hopes I have are those from the silent majority. Pakistan will change the day enough of them wake up and decide to take their country's destiny in their own hands.

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas - PART II

B Shantanu — Sun, 7 Oct 2007 10:28:36 EDT

A few weeks ago, I wrote
a detailed post examining the various issues with the current system of reservations and quotas. In that analysis, I identified the following serious problems:

The present system does not address the fundamental issue of lack of good quality primary education
That there continue to be unfilled seats suggest it may not be working as it should
It appears to be mis-targeted and imbalanced
It is in danger of becoming self-perpetuating
It may fail to create a longer term positive impact and finally,
It may be based on faulty, missing, un-validated and inconsistent inputs.

In this post, I will try and look at some ideas and proposals that might help overcome at least some of the issues identified above.

What is the solution?

Let me say at the outset that I am not sure if there is/are any perfect solution(s) to this issue. In fact, I am not even sure whether any/all the ideas I am proposing (below) are practical and/or can be implemented. And yet, it is not possible to avoid the topic and I believe it is essential to have a serious debate on this. Please treat the thoughts below as catalysts to that discussion.

Here are a few ideas worth considering:

Privatise and heavily encourage provision of elementary education by the private sector. Done well, this could also boost entrepreneurship in rural and semi-urban areas and possibly generate some employment too. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Heavily subsidise (through scholarships, grants and other means) education at primary and secondary level based on economic criteria. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Offer needy and bright students continuing/long-term scholarships to help them progress to higher education. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Offer extra incentives to set up educational institutions which will cater only to SCs and STs – or in areas dominated by SCs and STs. This addresses issue #3.
Put in a filter(s) to reduce the dominance of the current quotas by those from the “creamy layer”. This addresses issue #3.
Extend current quotas by a maximum of another 5 years and gradually phase them out (say by reducing 10% every 5 years) until they reach 20% (Assuming 50% reservations of seats/places at the moment, it will take about two decades to get to 20%). Then fill the seats and places that make up the 20% based on income and socio-economic backwardness indicators. This addresses issue #4.
Limit reservation for OBCs to 20% while re-examining the inputs based on current, validate and empirically verifiable data; Once better data is available, re-assess. This addresses issue #6.
Make a serious effort to gather data and better quality inputs; None of these measures will be very effective unless they are based on sound evidence (Evidence needed not only to justify the measure but to ensure that is well-directed and can make a difference). This addresses issue #6.

I believe a combination of these measures can create long-term positive impact and, over time, eliminate need for caste-based reservations.

The quota system can then morph into an affirmative action programme that is better able to address the needs of a developing society in the years to come.

Very Important:

I am putting forward these ideas to initiate a discussion. Although most of these views reflect my thinking, this is not etched in stone. The purpose of this piece is to start a dialogue and come up with a broad consensus on what might actually work.

Better ideas are very likely to emerge from this discussion. For that to happen, we must all be open-minded and ready to hear/think about opposing points of views.

The discussion will be enhanced by the breadth of participation and a spectrum of diverse views.. So please ask everyone/anyone who you think is concerned about this issue to write in.

If someone could get YFE (Youth For Equality) and others to respond, that would be even better.

Additional Ideas:

1. Polite Indian’s Deprivation Certificate (also suggested in slightly different form by Dr Vinaya Singh)

2. Purushottam Agrawal’s MIRAA Index

3. Arvind Subramanian’s Graduated Vouchers Scheme

Related Posts:

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas

This, not reservations is the answer

Additional Reading (Highly recommended)

Are Brahmins the Dalits of today? - by Francois Gautier

The middle class deserves what it is getting - by Sushant Sareen which has the conclusion:

Frankly, the Indian middle class deserves what it is getting. The basic lesson which they need to learn is that if they don’t shed their supercilious attitude towards politics and don’t vote, and don’t express their outrage with everything that is wrong in this country, they will get by-passed.

Well said.

Comment, views, thoughts, suggestions and counter-points welcome, as always.

Shoaib Malik - An Utterly Needless Controversy

Zainub Razvi — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:15:33 EDT

Shoaib Malik, the 25-year-old Pakistani skipper, hails from the city of Sialkot, the north eastern industrial hub of Punjab. A versatile performer on the field, Malik had been earmarked as a future captain in Pakistan Cricket circles much before his eventual appointment following the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. His obvious cricketing talent, however, hasn’t always meant a clean bill of health in the disciplinary records.Twice he has been reported (and subsequently cleared) for having a suspect action, so much so that the captain now bowls only infrequently and almost never balls his contentious “doosra” delivery. His action however, hasn’t been the only polemic point of his career. Two years ago, in Pakistan’s inaugural domestic Twenty20 competition he intentionally lost a match, leading his native Saiklot Stallion team against the Karachi Zebras with the intention of engineering an exit for a rival side, the Lahore Eagles. The Eagles had earlier won against Sialkot in a game where Malik’s side was docked overs for a poor over rate despite, in Malik’s opinion, having an acceptable over rate. Malik’s actions as such were seen as something of a protest against them.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board (and very rightly at that) wasn’t a tiny bit impressed. Immediate actions were undertaken that involved declaring the result of the match null and void and penalizing Malik of his entire match fee and handing him a 1 test match ban. Malik’s punishment could have been even more severe, but the fact that he had in due course apologized for his actions, admitting to being caught up “in the heat of the moment”, probably saved him from further penalties. Rameez Raja at the time said the fiasco could have a lasting impact on Malik’s career, especially his chances of gaining captaincy in the future.Though Raja’s fears failed to materialize when Malik emerged as an obvious contender for the job after Inzamam’s exit, the young man’s impassioned temperament has more the once led him to say or do things he later regrets. After winning many plaudits through the course of the recently concluded ICC Twenty20 World Cup, including for his leadership of a young unrated side right down to the final, Malik landed in hot water over what appears to be a gaffe at the tournament’s awards ceremony.

“I want to thank you back home Pakistan and where the Muslim lives all over the world,” said Malik, addressing his “Muslim” fan base. Or so we’re told by Mukal Kesavan and co. in any case. Kesavan said he re-saw the highlights to double check if those were the exact words the Pakistani skipper had said. Too bad he didn’t make the same effort to check Malik’s proficiency over the language. English is probably Malik’s third language after Punjabi and Urdu. The discussion at Kesavan’s Cricinfo blog Men In White has generated no less then 681 comments. In separate mailing lists in my Inbox, more discussion is underway, with people split between raising mild eyebrows and taking severe offense.

The rest of the blogosphere, cricket message boards and the larger social web are all abuzz with discussions on a similar theme. Even the MSM has now caught up with the news, with The Hindustan Times carrying a report on the controversy in its Tuesday issue. One Indian fan, Nostromo, at the World-A-Team Cricket Message Board, took so much offense, he equated the remark with “a racist comment”.

“Does a West Indian captain ever thank "all the blacks in the World" when things go well for them?” he asked in apparent outrage, “how can Malik (and those who control him) assume that all the other Muslims support the Pakistani cricket team, even if they have heard of it?” I guess it was a convenient assumption for Nostromo to make himself that the statement was a reflection of those who “control” Malik (whoever those happened to be anyway!).

The comment has equally enticed non-Muslim Pakistani supporters. In a discussion on the blog All Things Pakistan, commentator Christian Pak asked the skipper if Hindus and Christians in Pakistan, the U.S., Canada and Gulf who supported the Pakistan team “don’t count?” In another blog Nae Ireumeun Mitasha narrated how the comment has hurt Indian Muslims:

“Someone I’m close to is Muslim. Living in India. A prominent family in the town. Minutes after the match, there were demonstrations outside the house. “Muslims Murdabad, Pakistan Murdabad.” It was a dangerous, frightening situation. Shops closed down in the neighborhood, anticipating violence. It’s happened before, and I’m not blaming Malik entirely. It happens in a country with tensions high between the religions. […]There were Muslims today who felt accused and wronged in their own country, who had to bear unjustified looks from other ignorant people (there’s no lack of ignorance in this world), who were verbally and physically attacked in many places, who were saddened and shocked to be questioned and treated in this manner, when they simply wanted to do what everyone else was doing: share sweets, sing songs of victory, give prayers and thanks.”

Almost everywhere, the cliché that sport and religion do not mix has come out in full force, with some people seeing the comments as another reflection of the Pakistan team’s so-called growing religious clout. Whilst I’m not here to endorse what Malik said, I cannot help but think that if a mere verbal comment made by a cricket player can provoke ordinary people to react violently like this, then there has to be something fundamentally skewed in our psychology.

As a practicing Muslim, passionate cricket fan and patriotic Pakistani myself, I can understand all these hurt feelings and suspicions everywhere. Indeed, sport is a bridge. It’s something that brings together diverse cultures and societies, not build fences around them. Our world today is polarized enough as it is, but international sport remains one of the few global arenas that remains, by and large, unaffected by our self-made divisions. That’s why sport is such a splendid realm of human society. And that’s why this controversy is as needless as it is.

But before we cast the Pakistan skipper as the villain, we must take several things into consideration. The first is that the man we’re speaking about is handicapped in the language he was using. And I can’t stress that enough. Malik is not a lot different from other Pakistani captains of the past in that he can barely put together two sentences in English without altering the subject verb agreement, messing up the pronoun case and distorting many other grammar rules along the way. That is something we cannot blame him for.

Sure he is an international sportsman but we cannot blame him for not being fluent in a language that only a select class in his native country can speak in. We should, as human beings capable of erring ourselves, give him the leverage of having a slip of tongue.

Unless Malik specifically comes out and clarifies one cannot automatically assume what his implications were, and certainly in no way equate them with the rest of Pakistan’s views. May be he wanted to thank all Pakistani Muslims around the world, may be he wanted to thank all Pakistanis across the world, irrespective of religion. Maybe what he meant to say was prayers and it ended up coming out as Muslims. Maybe he was compelled to bring religion into a thank you note only because it was the holy month of Ramadan. There could be several things Mr. Malik could have meant, as Pakistani supporter Maranello explains. That one statement could be interpreted in so many different ways does sounds rather improbable, but given the nature of command Shoaib has over the English language, not even one of these can be ruled out. To form a judgment of him, based on any of the possible interpretations, hence, would be unfair.Of course, this isn’t denying that any of these would be correct assumptions on Malik’s part to make, if he made them at all. Not even every Pakistani supports his team, let alone talks of all Muslim Pakistanis or Muslims across the world. It’s a flawed world view if he holds it. But herein lies the catch. We can’t possibly be sure that that really is his world view at all.

Libertarians like Gaurav Sabnis don’t buy into the language barrier argument. They contest that even if this was to be Shoaib’s world view, we should respect it as such. “Why should we expect everyone to be politically correct?” Sabnis asked rhetorically on the Different Strokes mailing list, “Shoaib is entitled to his beliefs”. While this is a charitable view to hold, I do not personally think we have the kind of tolerance as a collective human race these days for it to be considered pragmatic.Besides, as numerous people have noted, sportsmen and women and celebrities in general, do not, in today’s day and age, have the liberty to speak their minds freely without any worries about the ramifications. This is the price they have to pay for fame, for being in the public eye all the time. Every move they make, every word they utter, is scrutinized over and over, juxtaposed with established norms and judged with respect to the precedent it sets for the masses. And in that respect, someone in Malik’s position certainly did have a great amount of responsibility. Perhaps Shoaib was a bit clumsy. Casual if you will. Irresponsible if you’re stretching it. But suspecting him of deliberate idiocy or genuine intentions of being provocative or causing people this hurt or offense? That would be stretching it too far. “A storm in tea cup” as Mr. Dasgupta would call it.

It would be cricket’s loss if after such a wonderful tournament, and such a wonderful end, it all comes down to discussing the virtues and vices of political correctness. This should be the time to rejoice the spectacle of sport, its unpredictability and character, which can humble many a champion and crown many an underdog. It’s unfortunate that a faux pas came at such time as it did. But let’s not lose sleep over it, shall we?

Bangladesh's Cartoon Controversy: The Prophet and His Honor

Zainub Razvi — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:04:07 EDT

A few weeks ago I had quoted Simon DeDeo (a Chicago based astrophysicist and literary critic who blogs at Slashdot) in response to a pertinent article at Desicritics by Aditi Nadkarni on freedom of speech on the Internet. The quote was: “your right to free speech ends where it steps on someone else's right. Just like my right to swing my arm ends before it connects with your nose."

Freedom of speech, like freedom of anything else, and like freedom as a phenomenon in ittself, is rarely an autonomous entity. It’s always relative to other things. Freedom of speech in particular is frequently juxtaposed with several kinds of established norms, cultural, social, political and more then ever before, religious.

The outrage pouring out of Bangladesh over a joke about the name of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is hence not entirely surprising. It’s disturbing yes, but not surprising. Such tactics, as the blog Foreign Policy notes, are a “familiar pattern in Muslim countries ruled by authoritarian governments."

"Religious conservatives,” Blake Hounshell notes, “use religion cynically to embarrass the regime and whip up populist sentiment." Populist sentiment driven by misplaced notions of religious ideology and blind adherence to the religious sanctimony, has far bigger ulterior motives then guarding the honor and respect of the Prophet, let alone Islam as a whole. For if it truly did, people would know better then to entice and provoke an ignorant and easily misinformed public on such petty issues.

And it really was petty. The cartoon in question was published in Alpin, a satirical cartoon supplement of the Daily Prothom Alo, one of Bangladesh’s most popular dailies. Rezwan from Global Voices gives us more background information:

"In the 6th page of its 431th issue a cartoon titled ‘name' was published (on Monday, September 17, 2007) which created much controversy in Bangladesh. So what was in that cartoon? The controversy is not in the picture, rather in the text. The Bangla blogosphere took on this issue right from the beginning. The text of the cartoon is a conversation between a boy and an aged person. Blogger Sudharam Sadhu posts the texts [bn] in his blog:

* Boy, what is your name?
- My name is Babu.
* It is customary to mention Muhammed before the name.
* What is your father's name?
- Muhammed Abu
* What's this in your lap?
- Muhammed cat"

Needless to say the cartoonist has already been fired. In fact he’s arrested. But right wing fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh are still not happy. They’re demanding the ban of the newspaper and the arrest of its editor, the well renowned free speech activist and winner of the Magsaysay Award, Matiur Rahman. This mind you, is after the sub-editor of that humor section has already been “terminated for carelessness” and two front page apologies have been issued by the publication. Still we see people (or rather political activists and mobs disguised as normal people) on the streets in Bangladesh protesting, chanting slogans and burning copies of the publication - all in defense of the stature of Holy Prophet, they’d have us believe.

I shudder to think what our beloved Prophet would have made of our efforts to protect his reputation if he were alive. We’re clearly not following any of the examples he set for us during his lifetime. As a Muslim who’s grown up listening to stories of the Prophet’s forbearance and tolerance, such self-serving so-called defense of religious sensibilities comes across as quite alien to me.

As early as third grade we were narrated the story of a man who lent the Prophet some money. An agreement had been made with regards to when his money would be returned, and the due date was still a while away when the man (an Arab pagan polytheist) came storming into the Prophet’s residence demanding his lent money, hurling abuse at him and calling names to his family. The Prophet remained silent, but as the man proceeded to manhandle him with increasing severity, one of the Prophet’s companions, who was standing nearby couldn’t take it any longer and stepped in to try and distance the unruly man from the Prophet.

And what does the beloved Prophet do? Ask the companion to stop and, instructs him instead to go and return the amount he owed to the man. He doesn’t have him arrested, and put in jail. He doesn’t issue a “death fatwa” against him. No. In fact, he stops a companion trying nothing but to protect his physical well-being and instead asks him to fulfill that man’s right. And the companion obeyed the Prophet, immediately doing as he was told to do.

This is just one example in isolation. A deeper investigation of the Prophet’s life shows how there was never any shortage of abuse hurled at him and how he never responded to any such provocation. The question of whether the text in question was or wasn’t intended to cause offense is therefore categorically irrelevant. The point is that the manner in which we have responded belies the teachings of the Prophet whose very honor we are so eager to defend.

In The Sealed Nectar, a biography of the Prophet by Safiur-Rehman Al-Mubarakpuri, the scope of the Prophet’s patience and stamina is described as being inversely proportional to the level of crudeness he was approached with:

“His stamina, endurance and forgiveness, while he was in a commanding position; his patience and firmness in unfavorable conditions, were all his talents, attributes and qualities… […] unlike everyone, the more he was hurt or injured, the more gentle and patient he became. The more rudeness and ignorance anybody exercised against him, the more enduring he became. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, (one of the Prophet’s most beloved wives) said: …“He never took revenge for him self: but when the sanctity of Allah was violated, he would avenge it. That would be for Allah’s sake not for himself.” He was the last one to get angry and the first to be satisfied.”

Clearly, we have let down the Prophet’s honor. And that is nothing to do with any cartoons, but with how little we know and understood the man whose honor we are so eager to defend at every available opportunity. In an age already replete with Islamophobia, Bangladesh is not only shooting itself in the foot by creating such a mountain out of a mole hill, it is also doing a great disservice to Islam’s reputation. Our overboard and often violent reactions to such paltry issues, particularly in this case, when the offense was clearly not intended, represent Islam in a bad light, feeding the stereotypes that drive Western society into xenophobia of Muslims.

The acts of fascist rulers are not new, nor are they likely to change anytime soon, but the ordinary Muslim on a Dhaka street should know better then to fall for their hidden agendas, for this is a time of great responsibility for moderate Muslims. They must stand up and make themselves counted. They must stand up and remind the rest of their hoodwinked ummah of the legacy of tolerance, broadmindedness and peaceful coexistence that Islam and its Prophet has given us. For the sake of the greater good of Islam and for upholding the Prophet’s honor in its true sense, it is about time Muslims learned: live and let live.