GRAPE VINE
No Lessons Learnt From Afghanistan
The Statesman (New Delhi)
December 28, 2000
Sir - The Indian government’s decision to befriend the generals in Myanmar (Burma) is distressing on all counts. It is sought to be justified by an appeal to pragmatism. If we have at all learnt any lessons from history, it will be clear that the new policy is anything but pragmatic. No nation has ever derived long-term pragmatic dividends from a policy of befriending military juntas in other countries, particularly neighbouring countries, where a strong public sentiment for democracy exists.
What our government, in effect, is doing is making the people of Myanmar permanently suspicious of Indian intentions. This is what we did in Afghanistan when the Russians invaded that country. We sided with the Russians and their puppet Najibulla. As a result, we have no friends amongst the Afghan people, not even amongst the small group which is still trying to fight the Taliban.
We must remember that the military juntas are not permanent; this one seems to be on its way out. Only the people are permanent, and the people in Myanmar are not with the generals. If any short-term gains are achieved now by the rulers in Delhi, these will turn out to be illusory within a decade, if not sooner.
I have no doubt, that when we were actively supporting the luckless Najibulla of Afghanistan, there was no dearth of knowledgeable
commentators like J K Dutt (Ties with Myanmar, 30 November), who were applauding the government’s policy. In the event, it did not help the Russians and it did not help us.
We are constantly at pains to remind the world, at least those parts, which may be listening, that we are the “largest” democracy in the world. If numbers are a merit in themselves, we should certainly congratulate ourselves. However, population explosion is not a great achievement. The quality of our “democracy” is certainly not something we can be happy about: look at the number of criminals among our legislators. Let us not compound whatever merit may have survived in our democracy by supping with the generals who, not long ago, brutally suppressed the verdict of elections. -
Yours, etc.,
T S Gill.
Shillong,
3 December.