The Punjab model

Punjab Government has decided to do away with its inefficient officers and employees. For this purpose, the State Government asked all its departments to pre-maturely retire the corrupt and inefficient officers and employees to provide a clean and transparent administration. Why can’t it be extended to Kerala too?

Many of the State Government employees in Kerala are doing little work or no work. The heap of files pending on their tables is an indication for this. The lame excuse of these employees is that the files were accumulated by the person just before him in his place and he is new to the post. And when a person asks about this he says: “These files are intended for CM’s Mass Contact Programme”. A thorough reviewing of the work record of these employees should be done and they should be allowed to continue in service until they meet the requisites. All officials absconding from their seat during work time for union work should be identified and they should be sent on leave for doing that work.

Since all officials are reluctant to do their duty in time, the ministers interfere and often land up in trouble unknowing the rules. And it is finally the court that rectifies the failing. The interference of court in all day-to-day matters of the government fingers to the inefficacy of the bureaucracy. The Punjab model to abandon the inefficient officials is quite welcome.

K A Solaman

Mani in British Parliament !

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If anyone has uncertainty about the intellect of British Cabinet ministers, Lords, MPs, eminent professors of Cambridge and Oxford Universities and London School of Economics, it will fade away with the talk of Mani in the British Parliament. The State Finance Minister K M Mani is all set to deliver a speech by entering the British House of Commons as a special invitee, it is reported. The subject of talk is his famed `Working Class Ideology’ (Adhwana Varga Sidhantham).

If this subject is incomprehensible to the Commons, then Mani will speak about his famous research topic ‘grow and split’ (valarum, pilarum’). For quite long the English men are forgotten laughing at jokes.

K A Solaman 
Published New Indian Express dated 3-9-12

Liquor tourism in Kerala

“If bar timings are imposed here, it will be a death knell for the tourism industry” is the view of a leading resort owner from Kovalam. This means the revenue in tune with Rs.6,000 crore to the state government by way of taxes is totally from liquor tourism.  The inquiry of Kerala High Court about prohibiting foreign liquor in bars and hotels before 5pm by September 10 has annoyed the State Government.

The Chief Minister and other ministers always talk in full mouth about reducing liquor consumption in the State. Nevertheless, they have seemingly lost control over the inquiry of the court. When court asked about the closing of bars annoyed Excise officials are thinking of closing 383 government-owned outlets that sell liquor.

The Court’s inquiry, of course, has brought out the emptiness in the words of ministers about reducing gradually liquor consumption in the State. The rulers could not pass over the huge revenue the State collected as tax.

-K A Solaman

It is ugly politics.

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It is not green or greedy politics in Kerala but ugly politics. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy  playing down appearance of posters against him at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee office  is a part of it. The posters accused him of being responsible for the delay in reconstitution of KPCC and DCCs and criticized his unsure stand on Nelliyampathy estate cases. The Congress men could not affix these without the consent of the green politics campaigners.

The reason for UDF rule to still sustain in the State is not its merit but by the split in the LDF. Nelliyampathy estate issue has snowballed into a major crisis for Congress and ruling UDF because some are benefitted and others not.  Seemingly the law of equi-partition was not observed in distributing money collected from Nelliampathy.  

The ruling front and the opposition parties lost faith in Kerala police and that is why they demand CBI inquiry in all shambles.  State Forest Minister KB Ganeshkumar  seeking  CBI probe into Nelliampathy issue indicates what else. The term “green politics” is a misnomer as none in the State is interested in protecting its green pastures. Congress MLAs’ claim that they stand for 'green politics' is dubious. Their revolt is against Oommen Chandy with the blessing of oneat the Centre.

K A Solaman 

Marriage is not in heaven but in different panchayats.!

Reason for preferring Kerala as a place for marriage is, of course, the convenience of the people especially the foreigners. They get married easily and  get the marriage certificate not one but many from local bodies if marriages are conducted in different locations. The rules of the marriage registration agency particularly those of the panchayats are baggy to get certificate very easily. It is now not an offence to get more certificates by arranging the marriage of the same couple at different localities.

Today I attended a Christian marriage at Vanaswargam Church, S L Puram, Cherthala for which the bride was one converted from Hindu religion. The marriage is likely to be registered in Kanjikkuzhy panchayat. The reception was arranged in an auditorium at Muhamma Panchayat. When I reached the auditorium the people there were waiting for the bride and groom to come as the “muhurtham” was almost ahead for the marriage. Soon the couple married  at the church an hour before  reached spot in Hindu marriage attire and re-married in the Hindu style. A priest (Shanti) of the local SNDPwith a photo of Sre Narayana Guru and a traditional lamp was present their to chant the Hindu marriage manthras. Obviously this Hindu marriage is going to be registered in Muhamma Munchayat. The whole incident was incomprehensible to me and hence I left the place avoiding the reception. I think, I was invited only for the Christian marriage in the Church.

And which certificate the couple is going to collect is unknown to me. Perhaps they collect certificates from both the panchayats and use them advantageously for their foreign trips. And they also keep separate wedding albums to show their kids in future the diverse version of their marriages. This is not my first experience  to attend a marriage of the sort as I had another experience  at Kanichukulangara Co-operative bank auditorium a few months back.

I can’t understand why the people arrange both the types of marriage ceremony for inter-caste marriages. Why can’t they prefer a registered marriage in that case?.  Does the law permit people to hold two more marriage certificates?  And if it is a criminal offence what is the punishment? Could the marriage registration authority issue certificates  without proper enquiry?

Thanks to cell phone and the Internet.  Coming are the days of more and more “online” inter-caste marriages. The government should weigh up to make rules to contain marriage frauds.

Don’t permit God’s Own Country to become a place of  fraud nuptial knots.

K A Solaman 

The secret !

Thought for the Day

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.— Agatha Christie

Thought for the Day

A happy family is but an earlier heaven. — George Bernard Shaw

CPM Kangaroo court

The Kerala CPM have made an introspection about the violence they organised in connection with the arrest of their Kannur District Secretary. That is why they kept silence on August 13 when   one of their MLAs T V Rajesh  being locked up in jail under remand. The MLA was seen very happy with no weeping, his usual practice of sharing emotions at minor episodes. The People of Kerala have not forgotten the scene in the recently concluded session in the Kerala Assembly.

The police have done a tough job by charging Rajesh with concealing design to commit the crime under Section 118 of the IPC in the Shukoor murder case. Rajesh and P Jayarajan, both now in Kannur jail, could fight the cases legally and the two Jayarajan’s outside the jail politically. It is M V Jayarajan who benifitted much with P Jayarajan's arrest. Decayed one is the manure for the other.

It is hoped that the Marxist executioners would stop their work with the further proceedings of this case and similar others as conspiring leaders are also booked along with serial killers.  The CPM Kangaroo court should stop functioning in the State -that is the need of the hour.

K A Solaman 

K A Solaman Blog: Risky contributory pension

K A Solaman Blog: Risky contributory pension: Bizarre is the decision of the Kerala Government to replace statutory pension scheme with the contributory pension scheme for its new emp...

Risky contributory pension

Bizarre is the decision of the Kerala Government to replace statutory pension scheme with the contributory pension scheme for its new employees joining from next year. This can be thought as a free runner to hike the retirement age from 56 to 60. Seemingly the present government has no concern about the fates of thousands of unemployed educated youths waiting for a job.

For the present staff, the decision of the government about contributory pension and pension age hike is something very sweet to chew and the same time very sour to swallow. Past experience tells that the youth organizations cannot be trusted because they are more interested in matters other than those related to unemployed youths.

The Chief Minister or else who defending the pension age hike by quoting examples of other states is unacceptable as the situation is entirely different in Kerala. It is of course a bad practice on the part of the government to sustain by withholding the retirement benefits of the employees. The government implementing such bizarre pension scheme without any discussion in the State assembly or among public is unjustifiable.

The pension fund collected by way of contributory pension is going to the hands of private mutual fund and insurance promoters and the past records of most of them are dubious The future pensioners are likely to lose their pension as operation in stock market is unpredictable especially when the fund managers are unscrupulous persons. The present decision of the government is highly risky and it should be withdrawn.

K A Solaman

Illegitimate father

I congratulate Rohit Shekhar, son of N D Tiwari and  Ujjwala Sharma  for his quest to not be called a ‘bastard’. As no one is born without a father it is highly humiliating to use the word ‘bastard’ against a man. It was not Rohit Shekhar alone in the country who has gone through such a humiliating experience. Rohit is a trailblazer to many who had undergone bitter experiences. He said: “I am not the illegitimate son, he(Tiwari) is my illegitimate father”. This is absolutely right.

High profile Congress leader ND Tiwari misused his political position and hence he should be asked to compensate for the wrong doings he has done to a woman and her son. The wishy-washy Tiwari has hoodwinked the entire country with his political poses as minister, governor etc.

Once again congratulations to Rohit Shekhar for 'giving birth' to his illegitimate father.

K A Solaman

Ugly spat within the UDF

The spat between Kerala Chief Whip PC George and Congress MLA T N Prathapan over Nelliyampathi issue is an ugly episode within the UDF. But one doesn’t think that it would bring any crisis to the UDF ministry.  UDF itself is a crisis management committee  where minor scuffle  of the George-Prathapan sort has no significance.  Gerge has to be appreciated for one thing for he never weeps like T N Prathapan or T V Rajesh before channels camera  . And George is the only one in the UDF to give immediate retort to any one of his Front or in the Opposition. The Chief Minister Oommen Chany knows this well and that is why he  resorted to silence on the issue.   I think Prathapan and his coterie are much disturbed for not getting any ministerial birth to him or his friend Satheesan and that is why this hullaballoo.  

Interestingly when the mudslinging between two leaders with in the UDF  has  escalated AK Antony from Delhi  said the Congress is a  world wonder. I think it is not actually the Congress but the UDF in Kerala is world wonder . The UDF sustains in Kerala because of the continuous support of Marxists by way of their street  killings and hartals. And nobody fear that the team of four  Congress MLAs, T N Prathapan, V D Satheeshan, Hiby Eden, V T Balram is planning to quit UDF and  join LDF for ministerial birth.

One who watched the channel observes that  nothing  so grave as Prathapan put before a channel woman about calling him as “Deevaran’. If Pulaya, Deevara, Araya, Asari, Mappila etc can co-exist in the society why it is so horrible to name these communities. What George has done is not a big mistake. It is foolish to ask George to realize  the worth of his position and act in a mature manner.

K A Solaman 

Who misused the police?

CPM State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan  alleges  that the UDF government is trying to destroy his party by misusing the police. The same was the complaint of Ommen Chandy  while LDF was in power. When LDF rule, police association is headed by leftist leaders of the police and while UDF is in power rightists are in the helm of police association. This situation  has started ever since the police formed their association on political backing.

The political association of the police is a sham and in fact it should not be allowed. Do the UDF,  LDF and other political parties have guts to sit together to take a decision against the political affiliation of police?  Think of the case  the Indian Army forming an association similar to one of police with political connection to Congress, BJP and the Communist. What a travesty would be the situation!

The police being used or rather misused as a force against one party by another party, is the design of  politicians and hence they have to bear the brunt.  Politics and democratic elections are needed but not for police who are intended to maintain law and order without the pressure of caste, creed and politics.

K A Solaman 

Endless hartal

The hartal to protest against the arrest of P jayarajan, the CPM activists resorted to vandalising vehicles, party offices and media centres. During the sporadic violence hartal supporters stoned buses , cars and government offices. The violence on the streets sent a wave of panic among city dwellers and elsewhere in the State. It seems that they have no tomorrow with P jayarajan in jail. It is gripping to see that except a comment from PB member M A Baby  none among the bigwigs of CPM have asked the cadres to observe a peaceful protest. The party activists made the hartal a tough one and it seems that they would declare non-stop hartals because of oncoming arrests of M M Mani, T V Rajesh and else who.

It is unspeakable to see that though the Court has banned bandhs and hartals in the State but  it is still observed with utmost vigour and violence.The hartal observers should immediately be fined for the damages that they have done to the State with their destructive hartal.  The Government should do everything necessary for ensuring security of the people and their property.


K A Solaman
Publsihed NIE in 4-8-12