THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Vladimir Putin’s annual Q and A Press Conference is simply outstanding
#Russian President #VladimirPutin‘s #annualevent of Question Answer with people of #russia and Press conference along with it fascinating and a must watch. I don’t think that any other world leader has the capacity to take on such diverse range of questions and answer them with great courage of conviction. This event actually takes place every year before the #Christmas and President Putin answers question from the common Russian and international media gathered in Moscow. An average time for this event is four and a half hour. According to reports, nearly 5 million questions came to President Putin’s office and they selected around 80 for his response apart from live questions from international media present there. Putin does not need advisers or assistants to respond to these questions. He deal with them directly.
Putin has always been comfortable with the media and can give them his narrative and perhaps carry the great legacy of the former communist leaders such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and even Nelson Mondela. All these leaders were considered as dictators and despot. Even a leader like Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Saddam Hussain of Iraq were great orators. It is surprising that the leaders of so called democratic countries rarely speak to their people in such a detail as those in the autocracies. Hugo Chavez used to speak with great courage of conviction but highly despised in the Western world. Definitely, sense of freedom and individual liberty is far better felt in the Western World. They have developed institutions for themselves and I would say that we are better than them. Definitely, in colonial countries including India, though political democracy has some how taken deep root yet socially, we remain entrenched in hierarchical varna system. So a society which is undemocratic in nature cant be politically democratic too. The contradiction is everywhere in every colonial society. My point is not suggest that western societies have no democracy and I have always admired Europe, its secular liberal values and way of life. What is happening today is the wrong policies of the political leadership which is pushing the war agenda. It has become subservient to American power which is a sad reflection of ‘real independence’ of European nation, which ruled the world including America once upon a time. Today, they look plainly as vassal states of United State and suffering from Russophobia. Most of the mainstream media narrative in India actually emerge from the Western media outlets which supply them the half cooked stories about Russia, China or even Latin America. Today, they don’t have time to publish or hear Noam Chomsky, Edward Said or Jaffrey Sach. Rather, they would blame them being communist sympathisers.
While I can understand the Western media doing narrative as per its corporate interest, what is shocking and surprising is the so-called secular liberal media in India jumping into the same narrative. A few days back, a clip of #KaranThapar‘s interview with #TavleenSingh on #TheWire on President Putin’s visit to India and she used the term ‘despot’ and ‘monster’ for the man who is the leader of the country which stood with #India through its thick and think. Tavleen Singh’s agenda like that of Shekhar Gupta are well known. They have increasingly become irrelevant yet remain relevant for the #Manustream #Baniamedia to promote their narrative making the #Western world as the champion of #freedom and #liberty. They would make us believe in #Democracy. Facts are otherwise. Things are not that simple as being made to us. Yes, you are at liberty in the west if you critique your country, your society and your people. They then come out as people who taught us ‘civilisation’. Sorry, I don’t have any such idea.
The fact of the matter whether it is Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba or Venezuela, there governance system is different than us. Let us accept that. Don’t carry this baggage of democracy when your children cant marry a girl or boy of their own choice. Where is the democracy when you cant eat the food of your choice and cant even say in public loudly what you eat. Where is the democracy when people are lynched in public. Right wing nationalism, superstition, growth of religious fanatic, fake news, growing corporate control, withdrawal of welfare state, digital censorship are the ‘democratic’ system now which are unsustainable and absolutely narrative based. People have been forgotten in the entire democratic debates. Even the ‘public intellectuals’ fear to speak about people and their rights. Speaking about legitimate constitutional rights of people will push you to jail and you can not expect any relief from the courts. In the ‘democratic system’ executive, parliament, judiciary and media are ‘complimentary’ which make ‘communities’ seeking their legitimate rights over resources, as real villain. At least Russia does not have this system as the state still protect people, provide them basic needs including medical, housing and education.
We are told including that from people like #Amartyasen about the ‘greatness’ of democracy. What is there in India which China or Russia does not have. Dont they have literature ? I think some of the finest literature, stories emerged from Soviet Russia and the Western scholars had no match to it. Don’t they have good life style for people ? Do people in Russia and China or Venezuela don’t live with dignity ? are they suffering from hunger and malnutrition ? Are there moblynching ? Are they lacking anything that the western world has and they dont have ? Both Russia and China are a power house today. Russia’s technological advances in space and nueclear technology is far better and superior than its western counterparts. Its military hardware is second to none. China is growing economically. In India, the #lalamedia made it look like as if Putin is virtually begging to Narendra Modi or Russia need India more than India need it. This is the western cunningness through which they continue to berate Russia and its leadership. A tiny country like Estonia can abuse Russian leadership and call for dismembering it. This is how EU function. Create pigmies to abuse the big brother. How would it look like if Bhutan and Maldive challenge India or Puretorico or other tiny island nations challenge America or work against its economic interests. Will any of these countries allow such things to happen ? How can you suggest that Russia will not act if any of its neighbouring countries become the puppet or vassal state of NATO ? #PutinVladimir‘s popularity ratings is extremely high in #Russia, much higher than his contemporaries elsewhere.
I am not suggesting that democracy is bad. What I am saying is that we should stop judging people based on the governance model of their countries. Russia and China have a model that suit their country and protect them from the Western influence. Western nations can deal with democrats and dictators. Tell us, who promoted General Zia and other military dictators in various parts of the world ?
So, journalists on Amereican fellowships or American bounties will never be able to speak up for Russia. That is the one thing in the West. You can be liberal. Speak on Dalits, tribals, minorities, human rights or anything but when you speak of Russia even the most liberals there become worst than dictator. A praise for Russia is the last they can hear. It is time for the Western world to listen to President Putin carefully. Is he a war monger ?
The world does not need war. It need peace but how ? Will there be peace if the West keep on working on its dream project of dismantling Russia. As long as that is idea of deep state, there wont be peace. Frankly, powerful big nations are not acceptable to old colonial powers. They remain tiny nations and are uncomfortable and hence keep instigating things in other parts of the world in the name of human rights, freedom and so on. What is happening in our neighbour is not without active western support, whether #Nepal or #Bangladesh or #Pakistan.
How many of the #Democratic leaders address the people of their country or meet them like this. The leader of the ‘biggest’ democracy cant take two questions from independent journalists and enjoy the mock interviews.
Listening to those answers, you get many new ideas. Russian government is actually promoting family values and they need it. Frankly, it is the question of their existence as their population is on decline to President Putin has been encouraging for the same. Every country has a right to frame policies that protect its future. Putin has promoted orthodox Christian values in Russia yet he speak for rationality and scientific knowledge. He does not hurt the religious feelings of the people yet has the courage to speak up categorically against irrationality. He said, ‘Satanism, occult services, sorcerers… this is nonsense’. ‘We need to fight against it, but without violating human rights’.
President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela distributes intellectual literature of #CheGuevara to people. There is growing trend of intellectual debates in these countries. I was amazed to see Che and other left thinkers on the streets of #Bogota in #Colombia. #FidelCastro was termed as a despote but he was well read, and could respond to any western journalist with his own counter questions. Che was a powerful thinker.
The problem with the capitalist liberal is that they are here to create a narrative to ‘finish’ the state and give everything to their ‘private’ friends. Today, President Trump want to declare war on Venezuela not because it has annexed American land which is a blatant lie but to protect the American oil companies and their business interests which Hugo Chavez had nationalised long back. So, to protect the business interest of big corporations, Trump want to enter #Venezuela.
It would be good for people like The Wire and Karan Thapar not to jump on any one ‘critiquing’ #NarendraModi as Champion of #civilliberty or #FreedomOfExpression. I can write a log about #Arunshourie and his freedom but today he has become Thapar’s most sought after person. Similarly providing space to #Tavleen Singh was nothing but allowing pure propagandist to speak up against the Indian interests. Karan Thapar can ask people lot of questions but don’t have guts to challenge the narrative of these old fans of Narendra Modi who are now speaking a different language because Modi has no time for them. Do we need such people as voice of secularism and liberalism in India.
