08-07-2005, 03:02 AM
Military action alone cannot contain terrorism, says Alva
Solution lies in dialogue and undoing the injustices of the past
GREAT RECOGNITION: Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva receiving the "Nelson Mandela Award for Minority Empowerment" from John Lupoli, Managing Director of the International Foundation for Minority Empowerment, at a ceremony held at the United Nations Church Center in New York on Friday. â Photo: PTI
UNITED NATIONS: Asserting that military action alone cannot contain terrorism, senior Congress leader Margaret Alva has said the solution to the problem lies in dialogue and undoing the injustices of the past.
There is an explicit link between terrorism and violation of fundamental freedoms and rule of law and ``war, crime and brutality breed anger and generate sympathy and support to their cause,'' Ms. Alva told a gathering of intellectuals and academics here after receiving the prestigious ``Nelson Mandela Award for Minority Empowerment''.
Cautioning against linking terrorism to a particular religion or nationality, the former Union Minister stressed that injustice, poverty and alienation of large sections of the population result in violent reaction. Presenting the award on Friday, the Director of Foundation for Minority Empowerment John Lupoli praised Ms. Alva's work for empowerment of minorities and women.
``There could have been no better person to receive the award for she is a woman and belongs to a minority and has a life-long record of fighting discrimination,'' he said. In a message of greeting, American President George W. Bush congratulated her on receiving the award.
General Secretary of the Indian National Overseas Congress George Abraham said the recognition would be an inspiration to others to carry on the great tradition she has set. Referring to the U.S. coalition against terror formed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Ms. Alva said it showed that even the most powerful country cannot fight terrorism alone but warned that solidarity should not be limited to fighting one individual or one group.
She said the emergence of international solidarity is encouraging for India as it has lived with terrorism for years. Stressing the need for poverty alleviation, she said development can only take place when there is freedom from war and violence, when human rights and dignity are guaranteed and citizens have an opportunity to reach decent living standards. ``Science, technology, international commitments and overseas assistance has made this a reachable goal. And yet, as we look around us, freedom, justice and security seem farther away than ever before,'' she added.
Assailing multilateral lending agencies for ``rarely'' considering problems of the less developed countries when deciding priorities and programmes, she said globalisation was destroying agriculture and the food security of developing nations. ``Imported technologies are throwing thousands of workers out of their jobs in countries where unemployment is already a problem,'' she said. The tragedy of the globalised world is that while capital goods and services are being unshackled, the movement of labour from poor to rich countries is becoming more and more restricted, she said.
Ms. Alva noted that despite many ``onslaughts and threats,'' India has remained true to its secular and democratic values, adding that both the majority and minorities have to realise that confrontation led to destruction while dialogue promoted understanding.
Pointing out that minorities exceeded 16 per cent of the Indian population, she said communal flare-ups recur when political parties and organisations based on religion, caste and regional identities exploit the emotions and the ignorance of the people to create vote banks.
PTI
Solution lies in dialogue and undoing the injustices of the past
GREAT RECOGNITION: Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva receiving the "Nelson Mandela Award for Minority Empowerment" from John Lupoli, Managing Director of the International Foundation for Minority Empowerment, at a ceremony held at the United Nations Church Center in New York on Friday. â Photo: PTI
UNITED NATIONS: Asserting that military action alone cannot contain terrorism, senior Congress leader Margaret Alva has said the solution to the problem lies in dialogue and undoing the injustices of the past.
There is an explicit link between terrorism and violation of fundamental freedoms and rule of law and ``war, crime and brutality breed anger and generate sympathy and support to their cause,'' Ms. Alva told a gathering of intellectuals and academics here after receiving the prestigious ``Nelson Mandela Award for Minority Empowerment''.
Cautioning against linking terrorism to a particular religion or nationality, the former Union Minister stressed that injustice, poverty and alienation of large sections of the population result in violent reaction. Presenting the award on Friday, the Director of Foundation for Minority Empowerment John Lupoli praised Ms. Alva's work for empowerment of minorities and women.
``There could have been no better person to receive the award for she is a woman and belongs to a minority and has a life-long record of fighting discrimination,'' he said. In a message of greeting, American President George W. Bush congratulated her on receiving the award.
General Secretary of the Indian National Overseas Congress George Abraham said the recognition would be an inspiration to others to carry on the great tradition she has set. Referring to the U.S. coalition against terror formed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Ms. Alva said it showed that even the most powerful country cannot fight terrorism alone but warned that solidarity should not be limited to fighting one individual or one group.
She said the emergence of international solidarity is encouraging for India as it has lived with terrorism for years. Stressing the need for poverty alleviation, she said development can only take place when there is freedom from war and violence, when human rights and dignity are guaranteed and citizens have an opportunity to reach decent living standards. ``Science, technology, international commitments and overseas assistance has made this a reachable goal. And yet, as we look around us, freedom, justice and security seem farther away than ever before,'' she added.
Assailing multilateral lending agencies for ``rarely'' considering problems of the less developed countries when deciding priorities and programmes, she said globalisation was destroying agriculture and the food security of developing nations. ``Imported technologies are throwing thousands of workers out of their jobs in countries where unemployment is already a problem,'' she said. The tragedy of the globalised world is that while capital goods and services are being unshackled, the movement of labour from poor to rich countries is becoming more and more restricted, she said.
Ms. Alva noted that despite many ``onslaughts and threats,'' India has remained true to its secular and democratic values, adding that both the majority and minorities have to realise that confrontation led to destruction while dialogue promoted understanding.
Pointing out that minorities exceeded 16 per cent of the Indian population, she said communal flare-ups recur when political parties and organisations based on religion, caste and regional identities exploit the emotions and the ignorance of the people to create vote banks.
PTI