Morocco’s real estate sector sings the tune of optimism

Let’s ask the question first. We all know how the economic bigwigs (developed nations) in the global arena have been suffering on account of the existent recession and it is without a shred of doubt that the worst impact is on the real estate sector. What is the condition of other countries then? Well, there are only a few exceptions and others are in the same position. One of these exceptions is certainly Morocco or officially the Kingdom of Morocco, located in North Africa, which boasts of its coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.

How can this be? Is this a miracle? Well, nothing of that sort but the same recession has invigorated the country in a different way. Morocco is gearing up to implement noble plans to demolish its shanty towns, where decades of state neglect have bred despair and religious extremism. Now it’s the time to translate the same idea into action or reduce the difference between theory and praxis.

The concept has also stimulated Morocco's property firms who were disconsolate owing to the decline in demand for luxury homes and tourist facilities at the rear of the global financial crisis. What are their present activities therefore? It has been witnessed that they are getting busy in capitalizing on a state-backed scheme to domiciliate 4 million slum dwellers in new flats.

The role of the concerned government is indeed exemplary and the developers are being offered slashed price rates if they are successful in selling some floors of their apartment blocks to slum families below the market price. How can the impoverished families afford these? Bear in mind that the very families receive grants to help them pay.

However detractors seem to be skeptical of the success of the entire project. But the proponents consider that critics must confide in the governmental reports that state emphatically thirty towns have been cleared of slum areas since 2004 and 50,000 shacks were destroyed last year.

The concept is both novel and elegant. Is this a Moroccan version of bail out package or the resurrection of discarded and besieged centrally planned economy?

Construction of Ram Temple – an eternal electoral plank

It is said that almost each riot (mostly religious) in the Indian subcontinent is hardly related to the concepts of religion but has a deeper affinity with politics only. What’s more, this is a fine way to stimulate people and grab the coveted political power. Is this true? Well there can be long debates over this and pundits may bring to the fore contending standpoints that are competent to bewilder the listeners and readers. Let’s not get into this and concentrate on some related but hard facts. What was the real reason of partition of British India? While the Hindu majority India though going to the hands of “rascals, rogues and freebooters” increasingly continue to rise gradually, Muslim dominated Pakistan and Bangladesh continue to sink at a faster rate.

Who has benefited except the nobility and clergy is unknown yet but he cannot be any ordinary Hindu or Muslim. If you want to be more certain, you can certainly focus on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that started in the late 80s and reached the climax in early 90s. It is regarded as one of the largest movements in post-independence India hitherto and according to scholars, the movement proved to be enough to bring cohesion among Hindus whose religion is known for diversified culture and believing in gods ranging from panentheism, pantheism, monotheism, polytheism, and atheism with Vishnu and Shiva being the most popular deities.

The basic aim of the movement was to construct a colossal temple in the place of Babri Masjid (a 16th century mosque) which is the birth place of the Hindu God Ram as stated by popular beliefs. What was the result? The 16th century mosque was demolished by right-wing Hindu activists on December 6, 1992 in order to construct a large temple at the site where the mosque stood. However the temple is to be built yet.

Are the concerned leaders serious of this any more? On no account! The pledge to construct the temple has become almost an electoral clause for the self-claimed custodians of Hindu religion since it attracts large crowd still. What ails the parties then? Remember in India, where a secular fabric persists, it is necessary for one to be a devout Hindu but he/she must be secular at the same time to garner minority votes especially of the Muslims. How can one proceed then?

If you ever visit the disputed site at Ayodhya in the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which remains highly politically sensitive ever, you can have the reality. Within a kilometer from the temple site there is a courtyard where 100 pillars are rotting. These stone pillars were carved by hundreds of craftsmen who came from different parts of the country in the tumultuous 1990s.

The commoners, especially of the vicinity, believe these will remain same in the coming years too since Hindus have been fooled by their own leadership which has also affected the virility of Dharma.

Construction of Ram Temple is a plank for Hindu leadership – forever.

Hurling benign shoes – latest form of protest against Indian politicians

What is the latest weapon of Indians to vent their strong resentment against the system? If you think it’s a new version of AK-47 or some hand grenade, you are exceedingly erroneous. Remember gross pacifism has been the ideal of the country from time immemorial, so they can’t go for bloodshed like the Tartars or Afghans. What have they stumbled upon then? Well, they are simple shoes and in this case their ideal is Muntather Zaidi? Have you forgotten Muntather Zaidi so soon? He is the Iraqi journalist who hurled both of his shoes at then-President Bush and earned a year in jail for his "real-time editorializing" hence.

Zaidi has inspired a new generation of Indians and has taught them how simple and benign shoes can be used against the State power. One of his followers is certainly Jarnail Singh or the local reporter who was found to repeat the same act recently. However, venue, reason and objective were certainly different. The target was Home Minister of India Palaniappan Chidambaram and the issue was why a prominent lawmaker of the same party was cleared of all charges in the death of 3,000 Sikhs after he was accused of firing up a sectarian mob a quarter of a century ago.

There is no doubt that the issue is highly emotive and has rocked the nation from time to time. But there is a question. Can this way of protest be ever accepted in a civilized society? Opinions differ and there may be groups for and against this move but this is undoubtedly improper. Journalism is regarded as the fourth estate of a society and for that reason its representatives must behave more properly.

You, as a representative of the press, have every right to make the target’s hackles rise and frighten him/her as well. This is the fundamental principle or bedrock of Journalism. Nonetheless the act of vandalism indicates that the concerned person is failing to counter and defeat the adversary.

Is it also a disgrace for commoners? Perhaps not. Bear in mind that Indian political class’ culture, integrity, commitment is on the wane and worst victims are the millions of countrymen. They have hardly any right to speak against existent discriminations, exploitations, repressions, corruptions and harassments. What can they do except hurling shoes? Recently Congress MP Naveen Jindal and BJP’s projected prime ministerial candidate LK Advani had the taste of same in election meetings. It is said more are on the cards and the politicians are getting nervous witnessing this latest expression of fury. It may be some of protesters are efficient in targeting. What will happen then?

Is the Indian mass getting more conscious? It may be. If you want to be more knowledgeable, go and try to discern the immediate reasons of French Revolution.

India – easy prey of a fraudulent, virulent political leadership

There have been long debates among political pundits over the efficacy and also the tenets of dialectical materialism or the materialistic philosophy propounded by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. We need not get into the details or spend sleepless nights to gauge the fundamentals of the thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis but it can be said, without a shred of doubt, change is an intrinsic notion of the nature. There have also been considerable changes in the Indian political scenario. What has been the intensity of this change? Has it become synonymous to rugged deterioration?

There are also different opinions of it. It should be noted that the indomitable influence of Indian National Congress in the 50s and 60s crushed like a house of cards in the 70s owing to the emergence of unforeseen developments. Now the question remains was Indian political scene without a strong opposition! No matter the presence of small parties comprising the Communists, Socialists, Right-wing Nationalists and even Centrists, there were larger leaders who were known for their eloquence, integrity, commitment, candor and also influential oratory. What’s more, they had powerful all-India appeal. These included Dr. S P Mukherjee, Ram Manohar Lohia, Indulal Yagnik, Minu Masani, J P Narayan and several others. On the word of experts, their presence along with horde of identical others enriched the Indian Parliamentary system and its adherence to a great extent.

The scene changed considerably in the 70s. A number of new issues not only indicated the gradual collapse of India’s largest political party, backed by reckless and impulsive decisions like imposition of Emergency but the Indian political structure was found to get susceptible before newer aspirations also. The vacuum was filled by Janata Party (combining several splinter parties) but the most notable feature became the emergence of regional parties. Their gradual move towards the center stage in conjunction with Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) skyrocketing in the 1990s has changed the political saga completely.

What we do see now is nothing but the continuation of tradition of 1990s. Regional parties are flexing muscles, having good says in grand coalitions forming the government and the big players are binding their mounting aspirations in the manifesto of the government – for saving the governance since it begets a mind-boggling asset.

Will there be any difference in 2009 Parliamentary Election? Not in any way. The same scene is being repeated and the political Machiavellis are found to roam with their own manifestos. It is evident neither Congress nor Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to gain a majority, meaning India will have to opt for another coalition at the center with the greater says of smaller parties.

Last of all, there would not have been remorse so much had there been the presence of silver-tongued, erudite MPs like the yesteryear. On the contrary there is an inhuman dearth of it which is rising as well. We, therefore conclude, India is going to be the mistress of a fraudulent, virulent political leadership for another five years.

Are Indian Muslims being fooled for the political clout?

What is the most interesting aspect of Indian politics? It’s not the fracas over caste or class but the hankering for Muslim vote. Though this is a very recent development, in different political spectrum (both in national and state level) parties are being found to almost vie for it. Reason? The number of Muslims residing in India is 140 million, if not more and this makes them the largest religious minority in a country of 1.1 billion people and also the second largest Muslim state in the world.

Is this all? Well, it’s the monolithic identity (alleged) of the Indian Muslim mass that attracts the political parties to them. It’s thought that the benevolent support of Muslims may make the dream of attaining the throne of governance possible. Nevertheless, intellectuals claim that the notion of Indian Muslim monolithic identity is an illusion or semblance and the intra-community tensions are expanding more with the passing of years.

Now the question remains what has been the benefit of the Indian Muslim community. Well, nothing has been found and on the other hand these political approaches have made the vast Hindu majority antagonistic to a large extent. The antagonism between the two, it can be said, is on the verge of reaching the pinnacle and this was not the scenario even a decade back. Even the Islamic community leaders have long complained of discrimination, with allegations of harassment increasing in the wake of militant attacks last year that were blamed on Islamic militants.

What can the Muslims do at this hour? Though this is uncertain, it is becoming evident that they are realizing the issue and also the mounting seething aggression. Take for instance the latest statement of Syed Ahmed Bukhari of New Delhi's Jama mosque or the chief cleric at India's largest mosque. According to him, Muslims were "victims of injustice" and they are being "tortured and systematically sidelined by all political parties." "A peaceful, secure and happy life is a distant dream for us," he said in a speech ahead of Friday prayers.

He also opined that Hindu-majority India's political parties were either explicitly sectarian or otherwise trying to cynically woo the Muslim vote with "false promises." "Look around and see the situation: some parties have an anti-Muslim agenda, some are trying to show sympathy towards us, but they will never be of any good to us," he said.