By rights this post should go into Awaken Arjuna, but since this is election day here, and I am concerned about who we vote for, and what kind of government we want, I post it here- no one looks into Awaken Arjuna as far as I know.
This is to do with a blog by Peter Foster at Telegraph.co.uk: "China vs India: where would you rather be arrested?"
This is the question he asks,
"If it were possible to complete a free and fair survey of the citizens of India and China, asking a representative sample who had a better experience of daily interaction with their respective police forces, whose would come out on top?"
It is not hard to see which way he would answer:
- He quotes a report that states that on average, four people died every day in police custody between the years 2002-2007.
- He cites the fact that India didn't sign the UN's Convention Against Torture until 1997 (China did that in 1988) and to date has not ratified it (China did that in 1988).
- India has not invited the UN's Special Rapporteur since 1993. Pakistan, Nepal, China and Sri Lanka have all done that.
- India ranks 85th in corruption, China is better off at 72.
Foster also notes the daily incidents of police corruption at the traffic signals, and the almost daily airing of police brutality in public places.
I agree with Foster that we are complacent about our superiority over the Chinese when it comes to freedom, and this post should wake us to reality.
I don't know whether we are better or worse than the Chinese, but we are bad enough for our people. I am sure of that.
India may not be better than any other nation on this count as bullying is pretty part of an average Indian mindset. Shades of power often brings the worst out of many people and in India where literacy and awareness levels are low, even people with an iota of power tend to use it to self advantage and bully others.
ReplyDeleteyes, but what i hate is this complacency that makes you think we are getting better, we will be a superpower one day and so on.
ReplyDeleteThere is a problem in the mindset. If you say something ethical, they ask you, "You think you are a Gandhi?" as Gandhi was a Martian.
People dare not pose you the question "You think you are a M'ran or A'giri?" as if you are like one then they could be in trouble. But they can with comfort challenge you whether you are a Gandhi. It's out of fashion to be like Gandhiji.
ReplyDelete