WAY TO THE WHITEHOUSE

            The election to the President’s office is a huge management exercise involving massive fund mobilization, campaigning, public relations and image building (and destroying to). The ground work by politicians begins as early as two years before the election.

How does a candidate get his party’s nomination?

            Politicians with ambitions to contest elections in USA have to win nomination of their respective party i.e. Republican or Democratic. For Presidential election this process, known as primaries, starts in January of the election year. Voters in each of the 50 states select party delegates, who in most cases have pledged to support a particular candidate. Some states use a caucus, a local meeting system, rather than primaries. Some states use secret ballot while in others voters raise hands.

These are intensely contested by candidates and their swinging fates are closely followed by the media. Such was the frenzy last time when Obama, with his politically incorrect identity, was challenging former first lady Hillary Clinton in primaries that many would have thought it was actual Presidential election

How is the Vice-President selected

The national party conventions of both parties, held a few months before the election, are where the candidates are formally nominated. The winning candidate then picks a running-mate of his choice for Vice-President, sometimes from among the defeated rivals. Both contest the election jointly. In 1980 Ronald Regan of the Republican Party had chosen George Bush Sr., whom he had defeated in the primaries as his running mate.

The last stage

 In this stage candidates of both the parties fully square up against each other. Corporate houses and major lobbies pitch in and astronomical sums are spent on reaching out to the electorate. In the final weeks, the contenders typically concentrate their attention on big "swing states", where the outcome is uncertain.

What are Presidential Debates?

            In the month of October three Presidential debates are held live on TV. Candidates put their wits, knowledge and debating skills to test before millions of voters. It allows the electorate to have a head to head comparison of not only their respective policies but also their confidence, temperament and intelligence.

            Performance at the debates affects a voter’s decision and hence many opinion polls are conducted and relative standing of the two candidates is judged by media houses.

How are the elections held?

 Polling takes place on the ‘first Tuesday after the first Monday in November’. Voters do not, directly vote for the president. They choose "electors", who are pledged to one or another candidate. These electors collectively form the ‘Electoral College’ of 538 members.

Every state is allotted a certain number of electors to the college, based on the size of its population. At the end of election the result declared is the number of votes polled by the electors of both parties.            

Therefore only majority vote doesn’t ensure victory, a candidate must also have majority of electors. Different systems of deciding majority in different states further complicate it. In some states, the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral college’s votes in that state.

In the 2000 contest between George W Bush and Al Gore, the latter was ahead on actual vote count. But since all electoral college votes of Florida went in Bush’ favour under the aforesaid system, he emerged victorious.

            The electors then meet in respective state capitals and cast their votes as pledged. The President assumes the charge on 20^th January.

           

Haj Subsidy: Dispelling some misconceptions

                The Supreme Court has recently directed the Government to progressively reduce the Haj subsidy and completely eliminate it in the next ten years. Muslim clerics as well as MPs cutting across party lines have welcomed the apex court’s directive. In this context it is an opportune moment to objectively analyze the Haj subsidy issue, which has been an instrument of vote bank politics as well as Muslim bashing, and dispel certain misconceptions regarding the so called ‘Haj subsidy’.

Perspective of muslim scholars and leaders on the Haj Subsidy

                Haj is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims to the holy city of Makkah that is followed by ziyarat (visit) to the holy city of Madina. Islam mandates that Haj is obligatory on a Muslim only if he is physically and financially capable of performing the same.

As a corollary nobody, including the state, can fund or subsidize someone’s pilgrimage. Muslims had never asked for any such subsidy and time and again many Muslim leaders have asked for its roll back. In fact a working group of Muslim MPs headed by MP and former Dy. Chairman of Rajya Sabha K. Raham Khan has demanded the scrapping of the subsidy regime. Hence an overwhelming majority of Muslims today are in favour of doing away with it.

Eligibility for & Working of the Haj Subsidy

                India, which has the second highest Muslim population in the World, sends around 160000 Hajis to the annual pilgrimage. Out of these around 125000 Hajis i.e. 78 % travel on the Haj Committee of India’s quota while the rest i.e. 22% avail the services of private tour operators. It is only the former category of the Hajis that gets the benefit of the subsidy.

                Government of India subsidizes only the air fare of Hajis travelling on Haj Committee’s quota on Air India’s flights. All the remaining expenses are borne by the Haji himself. Thus it is not an all expenses paid trip for any interested Muslim as it is many times portrayed.

Constitutional Validity and Fiscal Burden

                The Supreme Court in a recent judgment while upholding the constitutional validity of the subsidy had observed that ‘many other purely religious events were financed by the state’.

Last year i.e. in 2011 the government spent around Rs 600 crore on Haj subsidy. There is no doubt that it is a big amount but won’t the total administrative expenditure spent on smooth functioning of various religious events & festivals held across the length and breadth of the country be much more than that? Many Muslim leaders have also argued that the Air India overcharges for the fare.  Rationalization in fares will reduce the amount considerably.

Subsidy for Hajis, or Air India?

                Furthermore since the contract for air travel is given to the financial crisis ridden Air India without any open tendering, the Haj Subsidy is in fact a subsidy to the ill Air India. All India Personal Law Board spokesperson Abdul Rahim Qureshi has opined that Air India charges exorbitant rates because of the monopoly it has been given. Hence subsidy acts like a discount on an over-priced ticket. Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi said that “…under the garb of subsidy the money is going to Air India which is in deep crisis.” In spite of the huge revenue generated by ferrying Hajis the customer service provided by Air India has come under heavy criticism many times.

                Thus on one end of the political spectrum the Haj subsidy has been used as an instrument of vote bank politics while for the other end it has been an instrument for muslim bashing. All this while Muslims neither demanded nor desired the continuance of this system which hardly helped them.

Alternative to Subsidy regime  

A fixed and huge number of Hajis travelling in a limited span of time every year is surely a gold mine for any private airlines.  Hence the best alternative in short term is to scrap the subsidy and invite international open tenders so that competition and economy of scale ensure reduced prices as well as better customer services for hajis. A corporation may also be set up for implementing the same.

In the medium term, the Government must by a law set up a non-banking financial institution on the lines of Malaysia’s ‘Tabung Haji’ which is not merely a travel and Haj service. Its internationally renowned business model revolves around saving services based on Islamic principles that mobilize financial resources of Muslims for economic activities in the country and in return enable them to perform Haj pilgrimage without falling in a debt trap. On one hand it will give fillip to financial inclusion to one of the most financially excluded section of our society & at the same time with its long lock in period this model would be ideal for financing infrastructure projects which have long gestation periods. Considering India’s huge capital requirement for infrastructure it would be a win-win scenario.

                                                            NEWS

             His heart pounding against his ribcage, he ran as if his life was on the line. Puffing, panting and sweating profusely he reached Athens and collapsed. But not before he had passed on the all important message of Persian defeat at Marathon and their subsequent mounting invasion on Athens. Phidiphides had delivered the biggest ‘breaking NEWS’ of Ancient Greece.

            Since time immemorial NEWS has been a very important aspect for human societies. In fact Kautilya ‘s Arthashastra, the wise treatise on administration from Ancient India, underscored the importance for NEWS and suggested development of a professional cadre called ‘Spas’ for delivering it. The great Emperor Ashok used his ingenuity and installed Edicts at prominent places to convey important information to people and Alauddin Khalji, the Sultan of Delhi, instituted a vigorous information system to keep him abreast with his economic reforms.

What is NEWS?

            Basically NEWS is giving of information which is relevant to the receiver through various media such as print, radio, television, internet etc. It aims to inform, educate and entertain the audience. Interestingly the term News was coined by taking first alphabets from

North,

East,

West and

South

It implies the huge canvass for information that can be News worthy.

What makes information News worthy?

            In today’s age of Globalization, where the World is inextricably interlinked like never before, a plethora of information is available. From international relations to democratic elections, from financial frauds to natural disasters, from policy proclamations to corruption scandals and from celebrities to criminals our current happenings are replete with ‘stories’. A journalist is then confronted with the ‘problem of plenty’. ‘To cover or not to cover’ is the question before a Media House.

            Some time tested touchstones are then applied to measure the newsworthiness of a story. These are as follows.

Is it new or ‘taaza khabar’?

            If it is not new, it cannot be news. The announcement of India’s latest Foreign Trade Policy or unearthing of a corruption scandal are new items and hence are News. But after a few days these can’t be treated as News. The exception is development of an unreported dimension of the News.

Sometimes an event might not be reported for a long time then such item continues to benews. News of the death of Mao Tse-tung, for instance, was not released to the world by the Chinese government for several days; when they did release it, however, it was still very definitely news.

Does it involve a conflict?

Stories centered on conflict between countries, states, corporations, celebrities etc. resonate with the readers and are very important. Hence the corporate war between the two Ambani siblings, heirs to India’s biggest corporate empire, was so widely reported in media and closely followed by public.

Is it unusual?

Things are happening all the time, but not all of them are news, even when they are new. Ordinary and everyday things do not make news. The classic definition of news is: ‘Dog bites man’ is not news; ‘Man bites dog’ is news. A few years back hordes of devotees’ thronged temples as idols were reportedly sipping milk. Such an unusual happening was news and reams of newsprint was dedicated for it.

Is it interesting?

Events which are new and unusual may still not be of general interest. Scientists may report that an insect has just been found living on a plant which it did not previously inhabit. The discovery is new, and the event is unusual, but it is unlikely to interest anybody other than a specialist or enthusiast. In a specialist publication this could be big news, but in a general news broadcast or paper it would merit at most a few words.

Is it significant?

However, if that same insect was one which had a huge appetite, and which had previously lived on and eaten bush grass and if the new plant on which it had been found was rice, then the story becomes news, because it is significant. People may not be interested in bugs, but they are interested in food. If this insect is now threatening their crops, it becomes a matter of concern to them. It is news because it is significant.

Is it about people?

Man is a social animal and is interested in anything significant happening to fellow human beings. Hence a people-centric story is important news. Hence while reporting on a cyclone, a bush fire, a drought, a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. It is when reporting these stories that it is important to make sure that the story is centred on people.

The cyclone would not matter if it blew itself out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, away from any inhabited islands; the fire could burn for as long as it likes in bush where nobody lives; the Sahara Desert has a near-permanent drought, but in most of it nobody is there to rely on rains; a volcanic eruption or an earthquake which damages nobody's property and injures nobody is really not news. All these natural disasters only become news when they affect people's lives. Every story can be told in terms of people.

Does it have proximity to the reader?

The same event happening in two different places can have two quite different news values. A coup d’état in our own country or even a neighbouring one is a big a story. However, a coup in a small country in another continent is unlikely to merit more than a few paragraphs. The appeal of local news is that your readers or listeners might know the people or place involved.

 Will it have a personal impact?

An earthquake in Mauritania will not arouse the interest of a villager in Satara but the news of Sky Lab’s expected crashing in Maharashtra will surely do. People are more interested in news that has an impact on them. Also they can identify with stories about other people like themselves. So those stories with which many people can identify are stronger than those which only apply to a few.

Does it have negativity?

 Bad news is more newsworthy than good news as it has an impact. God forbid but if Tuvalu was to get submerged by rising sea level then it will be more important than a path breaking discovery in Agriculture Science.   

Does it refer to prominent and eminent persons?

Stories concerned with global powers, political leaders, sports stars receive more attention than those concerned with commoners. Hence the Watergate Scandal of President Carter or the Monica Lewinsky episode of President Clinton were such big stories.

Does it refer to important nations?

Stories concerned with the big and powerful countries such as USA, China, Russia etc. are hot cakes. No wonder human rights violation by USA gets the front page while the same happening in Myanmar is only briefly mentioned in some corner. 

                                  BOND'S ENDURING CHARM

          One man stands up to the Herculean challenge the world confronts. A pulsating adventure with mortal fights, daredevil stunts, racy car chases, explosions follows and the evil is eliminated.

Sharp, sly, brutal and fiercely determined, he is Bond, James Bond.     

The heartthrob spy, created by the British novelist and World War II veteran Ian Fleming in the 50s, has turned fifty this year. Since the debonair spy’s silver screen debut with Dr. No in 1962,  twenty two Bond films have captivated three generations of fans and no less than six actors have delivered the punch line “Shaken, but not stirred.”

             The fictional British Secret Agent from MI6, according to filmsite.org, has grossed more than $ 1.5 billion at the Box Office and is the third most successful film franchise ever. 007’s popularity can be truly measured from his impact on popular culture and the innumerable movies, parodies and spoofs it has inspired. Austin Powers, Johnny English or even Agent Vinod wouldn’t exist without him.

            This marathon success stands on intelligently crafted and fast paced action thrillers centered on the ‘alpha male’. The multilayered plot of the films unfolds at a brisk pace. It neither allows the viewers’ interest to dive nor gives him the space to predict what will happen next, keeping him riveted till the climax.

The ace spy’s machismo has found a lasting appeal with fans. “The lethal mix of breathtaking action, gripping thrill and Bond’s ability to sweep Bond girls off their feet is a sure hit with a male dominated World” feels Abhijit Patil, a photo-journalist from Pune.

          ‘Boys Toys’ such as Walther pistols, high tech espionage gadgets, ritzy Aston Martin cars integrated in explosive action provide the adrenalin rush a fan seeks. “Especially the unique and breathtaking opening sequences are a ‘paisa vasool’ experiences in themselves.” says Khiyam Siddiqui, a computer expert.Also, may it be busting transnational crime syndicates, uprooting terrorists or destroying nuclear devices, Bond’s challenges always have resonance with contemporary security challenges. This makes him relevant to the times.

           Legendary actors such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig, through their acting prowess, have created a larger than life stature of Bond. It hypnotizes the audience and transcends them into his world. “This is cinema psychology” explains Goraksh Khande, an Editing student at FTII, “Fans somewhere want to live that life. Bond’s style and swagger, his gambling and partying, use of deceit, travel to exotic locations, taking on of impossible missions, his adventures and emerging triumphant fires people’s fantasy and builds a connect with the character.”

           In this Golden Jubilee year, fans wish that their favourite spy will enthrall them in the upcoming film Skyfall like never before.

May you have many more Mr. Bond.