by Austin Fernando
Many criticisms are directed at the Ministry of Foreign Relations (MFR) (previously Ministry of Foreign Affairs -MFA) for alleged operational failures. Incidentally, the successes of MFR are not spoken much, not for want, but that is life!
For example, currently, there are criticisms against the ‘withdrawal threat of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+)’, and the March 2021 UNHRC Resolution. Even previously we have heard criticisms against Yahapalanaya over ‘co-sponsoring the UNHRC Resolution- 2015.’ The Mahinda Rajapaksa government faced criticisms over the handling of UNHRC Resolutions (2009-2013), and the withdrawal of GSP+. While some appreciated President R Premadasa for the Gladstone Affair, others criticised him. Criticisms were directed against President JR Jayewardene over the Falklands War issue. If looked at apolitically, every government has had its share of criticisms.
Order in the court
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Government Withdraws Letter to Apple Seeking Compliance on IT Rules 2021: Report
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The Political Fix: Why did Narendra Modi meet Kashmiri leaders after jailing them for months?
A newsletter on Indian politics and policy from Scroll.in. 8 hours ago
Welcome to The Political Fix by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a newsletter on Indian politics and policy. To get it in your inbox every week, sign up here.
The Big Story: Guess who’s back
Through much of 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government claimed the actions it took in the aftermath of its controversially, legally questionable effort to strip Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy were motivated by security concerns.
Yet anyone observing could tell that the suspension of civil liberties and jailing of mainstream political leaders – including the former chief minister who had been in an alliance with Modi’s own Bharatiya Janata Party just months before – was part of a political project. The Indian government did not want to permit the Kashmiri public to express opinions about the reading down of Ar
Itihas gawah hai,
Ki yeh masla bhi sulajh jayega”
Not great poetry but it sums up today’s reality neatly and also concludes on a positive note. How did we reach this situation in such a short time and how have we been caught with our pants down a second time? The first wave was not a very virulent one and we fought it successfully with our limited infrastructure. There has been plenty of coverage of what went wrong with the second wave and I do not want to repeat it.
However, there is one main reason for this tragedy ‘hubris’ from the top to the bottom rung. The leadership was in a self-congratulatory mode and paeans were being sung in praise. The ruling BJP’s February 2021 political resolution states that India had ‘set an example in front of the world for what work can be done during Covid’. We claimed that we were on the verge of producing vaccines that would help the whole world. We had the highest capacity to manufacture vaccines developed by other countries a