cj.242 Mehta re: weakening governments

1995-07-11

Richard Moore

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Date: Mon, 10 Jul 1995 00:04:07 -0700
Sender: Arun Mehta <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: cj950707> Your Moderator Returns

Welcome back, richer from your travels, and thank you for sharing. You
apologised for rambling, so I hope you all will forgive a rambling response.

Some years ago, I heard a brilliant talk from Rajni Kothari. I'm sure
some of you must have heard of him, if not know him, he's the grand old
man of the human rights movement in India. Amnesty International had
invited him on the occasion of Human Rights Day to deliver the Kamladevi
Chattopadhyaya lecture on the challenges that the human rights movement
was facing in India.

He described how the state was beocoming increasingly impotent, while
right-wing radicals, militia, criminal mafia, etc. were taking over
internal security, while multinationals were dictating economic policy.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Problem was, the human rights movement
had considerable experience and success dealing with the state as human
rights violator. It really had a much harder challenge when faced with
violations committed by non-governmental entities and corporations.

The reaction of the state to this feeling of impotence was to lash out
violently when provoked.  Look out for it. Coming from a country with a
long sad experience with anti-terrorist legislation, I'm very worried at
the measures being put into law in the US. Sometimes I wonder if the Exon
thing wasn't just a red herring.

Arun Mehta, Indata, B-69,Lajpat Nagar-I, New Delhi-24,India
Tel: +91-11-6841172 or 6849103. Fax +91-11-4635785. •••@••.•••
There is enough in the world for man's needs, but not for his greed - Gandhi

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