IT HAS BEEN OBVIOUS FOR SOME TIME THAT the comments of Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, on matters relating to India have upset the Narendra Modi government. Ever since the multiparty coalition led by the veteran politician scored an upset victory in the Malaysian general election two years ago, it has not been business as usual in Kuala Lumpur. The new Mahathir Mohamad-led government has been implementing an assertive foreign policy even against powerful and influential countries. He renegotiated the previous government’s trade deals with China and even took a tough stance on the South China Sea dispute, reasserting Malaysia’s claim with greater vigour.
Mahathir Mohamad has called a spade a spade during his long stint in the political limelight. The 94-year old, who came out of retirement to defeat the “Barisan Nasional” government that had been in power since Malaysia gained Independence, has never shied away from voicing his opinions, whether in or out of power. He is a vocal critic of the United States’ policies in West Asia and has few nice things to say about U.S. President Donald Trump. He has refused to meet Trump on his visits to the U.S.
Unlike his Indian counterpart and most other world leaders, he condemned the “immoral” killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, called it a violation of international law and compared it with the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Malaysian Prime Minister has angered the Saudi monarchy in many other ways too. His government highlighted how Saudis and Emiratis helped the previous government cover up the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, one of the biggest corruption deals in modern history. In a speech delivered at the United Nations in 2018, he blamed the creation of Israel as the root cause of the spread of terrorism and the anti-Islamic sentiment being fuelled across the world.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
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As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
