Thought I will take the liberty to blog the majority opinion expressed in our recently concluded Blog O Poll. Ommen Chandy has won this virtual election by overwhelming margins. Hails to all those who voted in his favor. It is truly an excellent tribute to the man's dedication for the vision of a resurgent Kerala. I hope those fellow blogies who aren't forthcoming enough to trust his leadership will come to understand why so many of us admire his leadership qualities.
Ommen Chandy exemplifies a rare mix of political talents. He is popular, personable, simple in lifestyle, clean in image, diplomatic when needed, visionary in nature, positive always, sensible and reality oriented, skilled in politics, highly efficient in governance, decisive on his mission, compassionate to the needs of poor and at the same time understands the dynamics of modern development economics as good as an academic in the field , and above all he is not afraid to fully utilize his political willpower for the development of the state. In short, he is an ideal politician. Direct opposite to those who we always complain about. Keralites are damn lucky to have someone like him in the helm of the state for the last couple of years, unlike the usual 'kazhutheye meykkunna another kazhutha' type.
OC is also unique in the sense that he is pretty much the only political leader in Kerala who was brave enough to embrace the liberalization policies put forth by the central government after the 1990s financial crises. He is not afraid of (repeatedly) talking about privatization or FDI when these words were (are) political taboos in Kerala. This is not an easy thing to do while leaders from both fronts always opt to take the easy way of populism by fooling people by BS ing about illusionary socialist idealism rather confronting the realities of our state's troubling state of affairs. This is where politicians like OC (a rare breed) stands out. Only their kinds have the vision, legitimacy and political willpower to lead Kerala to a higher orbit of development.
Finally, please read this remarkable article to see OC’s thoughts on Kerala’s past, present and future. He has the best insight on our states issues (both positive and negetive) than anybody I have heard from so far, be it from a politician or otherwise.
OC is the Man!!
THE 'SAVE KERALA' INITIATIVE
Sunday, April 02, 2006
OC is the Man!!
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27 comments:
Whoever that candidate is, he is lucky 2 have someone like U in his corner. U speak very highly of him.
@Starbender, that is so nice of you to say that..You really put a proud smile on my face.. Thanks a lot for stopping by.
Right from the beginning i was sure that OC is going to be the winner. Not because he has got a potential to come up with a developed Kerala, but coz of the presence of lot of Pro-OC bloggers. I am sure that majority of the 159 voters belong to the UDF cadre.
I agree to most of the points of the publisher of this result. If there is really some development orientation in OC, let him be the leader. The reasons for the defeat of leftists are quite obvious that they will hinder the ongoing development process in Kerala. But just look into the past, even by sitting in the opposition they are capable of stopping OC from transforming Kerala.
Here we have to understand one thing, the inherent problem in Kerala is not the Government or the leaders. It’s lies in the mindset of people and was developed over decades. Look at the “Kerala Model” of development (which is an are of study in LBS and many American Universities). Infant Mortality rate, Human Expectancy rate, literacy, Area of Health, and what else…all these economic parameters matches the European standard or in some cases it’s better than many developed nations. The Irony is that there is no development. LDF and UDF were ruling for quite a long time, whats the change they brought in the area of Agri, Industrial and services development?
Kerala will change, but it will take many many years. We will not be able to match the growth rate of Tamilnadu or any such state. That’s the reality.
Even if LDF wins, UDF will hinder the development process by bringing some stupid reasons and visa-versa.
Be it, Live with it
Never compare the developmental statistics of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I said it with a solid reason. For any industry/business the main four requirements are - Land, Labour, Capital and Enterprenuer. Compare the Land area tamilnadu and kerala. It will never tally. Compare the standard of living between kerala and tamil nadu. It will also never tally. Because the sanitation facilities, drainage system, water supply and many other essensial things are better in kerala only... Simply go and stand in the Thirunelveli or madurai bus stand for 5 minutes if you can... flies will pick you up!!! no where in kerala is like that... Capital...!!! here comes the knock... Kerala has better economic background than TN. Money comes a lot from Gulf countries and US and almost from all over the world. For TN it is not like that. Their major income comes from South east countries. Enterprenuer- most of the big guns in TN industries are from kerala. Best example is MRF!!! Why they are not starting any industry in kerala? only because of the **RED** FLAGS!!!
** Let it be red, blue or any color just meant a flag...
I still say... it is not a political party or a leader who determines the future or development of a state... it is YOU and ME... Each of us... we must think free... not in the shadow of any protocols...!!! think as a human whether you are meeting your needs? No... you are not... It is the THINKING that does the matter... Think... Think and ACT! Kerala will develop... it will become the real "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY".
@Santhosh Janardhanan
FDI inflow(economic development per se)is not based on the number of flies and mosquitoes in the state’s Bus Stands. It’s based on the risk appetite of the Governments, availability of resources, infrastructure and favorable investment atmosphere.
When you were observing the bus stands in Thirunelveli and Madurai you forgot to look at many other things. Travel from Trichy to Tanjore to see their growth in Agriculture, Visit Chennai to see the growth in IT and
Manufacturing. When talking about economic development of a larger population, you can’t be micro in your views. Come up with Macro variable, which can be compared and learned.
How can you say that Kerala cannot be compared with Tamilnadu? All those socio-economic parameters I mentioned is so good in Kerala that it cannot be compared with any other state in India. It's competing with European standards. But that's the Irony. Where is the development here?
1.Land- Kerala is smaller but doesn't mean that it has no land for nourish Industry and agriculture. Look at Countries like Japan, very small in size but the growth they achieved is remarkable.
2.Labour- No industry, thus not capable of attracting work force.
3.Capital- The capital, which you are talking about, is spent in Alukkas, Beemas and building houses. It’s does not constitute for economic development in Kerala.
4.Entrepreneur- For how many more years you will curse militant unionism and the leftists? Why don’t you start your own company? Malayalees are basically risk-averse!!
Look at West Bengal, Which is being ruled by leftist by so many years. Industry is picking up there. You can't close your eye's and mind to truths!!
I am really happy to see this exchange of thought and knowledge here. Thats the whole point of a blog like this.
I absolutely agree with Santosh - we have only one thing to blame in Kerala. and that is peoples mentality. we have NO foresight. we just look toward the momentary gains.
and in MY opinion, the biggest bane is the RED FLAGs donning the state. they oppose almost everything for political mileage. and sadly, our people justify them even! its disappointing to see even educated people having such short-sighted ideas.. its so backward!!!
i havent heard of the UDF government opposing any big project so far during the LDF rule.
but on the other hand, the LDF has opposed almost everything from the Smart City to Expressway to Technocity. and now that its close to election they claim to be PRO-Development!!
and the people of kerala buy such crap!! when I pointed out that LDF (Achuthanandan) was opposing the Technocity project and Smart City projects, an educated person said thats ok because its for political mileage and only because UDF should not take credit for anything good.
with such attitude, we have to praise great people like OC who have struggled against such thinking and managed to give some hope for the rest of Kerala.
I hope better sense prevails in our people during this election.
This is good news indeed. Now let's hope the voter in Kerala thinks like his cyber counterpart.
I didn't vote as there was no option for Comrade Geethanandan and the NeoMaoist Initiative. Moreover, this sham of the bogus so called "democratic process" is nothing but opiate for the semi-aware sheeple. Bourgeoise Running-Dogs of the capitalist-imperialist-ecclestiacal cabal, just you wait till the revolution cometh. The wrath of the unleashed Proletariat will tear into your brain in the form of a .357 bullet...........
Comrade Suslov Sunandan,
Parappanangaadi.
:P
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Nice to know most folks here stand by the UDF.... Ella Votum Kaippathikku!.
PS: I missed the poll somehow....
I am also glad to see the exceptional discussions here. Lucky this blog attract many good people ..
I agree w/ Charayakada, Santhosh and mind.. Agreed, there is no silver bullet to solve kerala's problems.. We have to sort out our own cultural negetivities before we can dream of development. And yes, ultimately development can only possible by hardwork of the mass population. Like the saying.. ''ellu murike paniyeduthal.. pallu murike thinnam" (hmm, Is that how it is??, can't quite remember the original). About our cultural problems, I think the way to go is fear and punishment (which is the best motivator when there is no other choice).. Law enforcement is pathetically poor in malluland, Probably bcs of the lack of resources and old age police system.. Law enforcement is key..I am telling it from my on personal experience:) .. i have pulled over by American cops 5 times and ticketed twice for allegedly not obeying traffic laws during the last five years after i got my licence. (This is normal w/ most people i know, similar age) Frankly, only thing that is stopping me from speeding is the fear of seeing red flashing lights on my back mirror and souring insurance cost as a result. I was very angry at the cop first time he pulled me over, but then i realize w/o them people at my age will never use their brakes when driving.
Since most keralites ( ie, so called 'common man') are deprived of development ( in terms of jobs,infrastructure and quality of government services ) forever, they have built up a strong (sad) mistrust against any promise of economic development.. They just cannot visualize how it is possible for them and how they are part of their own economic prosperousity. It is somebody's job to make people believe again. Leftist politicians certainly won't do it because they thrive on this mistrust.
Anyway, coming back to the point, people should realize the true power of politicians and shouldn't lose hope on them.. The policies that they set and the tones that they send out to the public have much larger, quicker impact on society than what is expected from bottom up movements
The decisive leadership to elevate kerala's political economy can only be expected from OC under the present scenario. I wish there were others w/ his caliber in other parties.I strongly believe two or three OC (or Battacharya ) alikes have the power to change kerala, if not just one...
@Anand, Very thought provoking comment to say the least:) Dont make me come to Parappanagadi to find this comerade 'Suslov' or should I rather go to Russia to find him??
@Siverine Lets hope so against all odds.
I strongly believe that No governments can bring investments to Kerala as fast and easily as other growing states. But if you thinks that OC can bring some improvements, i will vote for him/ his party. Let us assume that he becomes the CM.
I bet, the situation will not be different on May 2008. Even then many of you will be cursing LDF for not allowing OC to deliver!!
You will never change!!
Many of you are urging the keraliates to change the mentality or attitude..but why don't you do that???
why don't you start your own company?? why don't you become a so called good politician like OC??
I don't belong to any of the parties you are talking about. But i am contributing to my village's development. Last month i donated some money to repair the roads in my village. Our panchaayath is being ruled by congress men, but i don't want to blame them. They are busy preparing for election.
i see emotions are flaring here :)well guys keep it cool.
dear chayakkada, we never said you belong to any party and neither do we. i say things based on my understanding, and you are free to express yourself as long as its decent and fact based.
i, like many other bloggers, support OC for a reason. and these reasons have been put up in many posts here earlier.
i really cannot keep on quoting or writing the reasons, so you might want to read the earlier posts here. also my earlier comment also tried to explain my choices.
if you still believe OC is not a good CM that is perfectly fine.
you might have contributed by donating for roadworks, but you are assuming none of us have done anything substantial. that is where you are wrong.
also, i am unable to start my own "company" in kerala because of the peoples attitude. everything is opposed. and even if you manage to cross all hurdles you end up with unions and strikes creating havoc. this is from personal experience as well as from numerous factories and hospitals and hotels i know on the verge of closure.
and 8/10 times its some leftist trade union leader wanting to create a situation so that he gains political mileage..in the end the factory closes, the workers become jobless, join the party, the leader becomes some MLA, and no factory is set up in kerala. thats the famous cycle.
“also, I am unable to start my own "company" in Kerala because of the peoples attitude.”
When will “you” come out of this misconception?
Dear Friend, It’s not easy to do business; you need to have real guts to make it successful. Business does have hurdles. It could be in the form of militant unionism, corruptions in Governmental agencies, lack of resources, inadequate infrastructure and many more. If you are not prepared to face these challenges, better not do business. Better work for a multinational company and keep yelling out for Ommen Chandy!
Yeah, of course that’s what you are doing!
I believe this state and it’s people. With that belief I am going to start a business in few months time. At this initial stage itself I faced many obstacles. I met politicians, policemen, and government employees asking for bribe. I faced threats from competitors.
But I keep telling myself this dialogue from the movie Rang De Basanti, “Koi bhi Desh perfect nahi hota, use perfect banana padta hai”
I am waiting for my business to launch. I will surely employ three other people who will earn something to take care of the family. And by the time your Government finishes five years I will have some good news for you about my business. You tell me the development story for your Government. Waiting for that day to come!
Sorry If i hurt somebody!
@ chayakkada - lol..what hurt and all? your comments are funny. and i am beginning to enjoy this. as i said, there is nothing personal here..atleast not for me.
i can see that you will not see my point just like we perhaps wont see yours.
i am not saying all other states are perfect..and kerala is the worst. i love my kerala. and thats the whole point of this blog. to create awareness and hope that we wont lose out on the current economic boom in India.
i like your spirit and wish you the best in your business. all i am saying is the enemy for Kerala is within. its peoples mentality and militant trade unionism. those are "hurdles" we can do away with.
i dont know if you have wondered why MNC's or even the businessfolk of kerala dont invest in kerala but go to TN or Karnataka. why is Kerala known to be investor unfriendly? Its surely not because of me or this blog or anything..its because of years of trade unionism, strikes and indifference.
Waiting for that day to come!
if we are not willing for change, Kerala might not even know when that day comes and goes :)
@Chayakada, I admire your efforts in being an entrepreneur. that is such a noble thing to do for ur country.
I don't mind starting my own business one day. At this point of time, i dont have the experience, skill sets nor the capital to do so. I will start one as soon as I feel risks are reasonable for me.
I know, you are trying to challenge us to do something better than what we are doing right now, but don't think what we are doing here is just 'yelling out for OC' or pure whining.. This blog has better purpose.. read back earlier posts..
Well, I think this blog has a better purpose than being a sounding board to some petty politicians. There are numerous other sites offer the facilty and please, the politically savvy people can debate over there. This is a blog which focus on problems of our state and trying to find solutions. We critisize the goverment and the opposition alike. No bias, no partiality. So please refrain from making inflamatory comments and stop whining.
@ babin and shinu - well said! lets stop the bloodshed now then :) looking forward to more posts from all of you. i am thinking of giving this blog a proper domain if more members join. lets see.
Mind, That will be cool to have a separate domain name for this blog.. I hope more people will join in the efforts.
@ Shinu , Lets not forget politics is an important tool for development.
Anyway, I didn't really meant this to be a political post, per se, although this might have sounded like heavy 'PR' for OC. Everything I said come from my heart... So no petty politics involved :P
Still, you have a point... It is better to be united than divided.
This is for those who declared OC as the clear winner for the Cheaf Minister's post in Kerala.
Have a look at the THE HINDU-CNN IBN poll on this and it was Achuthaanathan was the winner. Whether he actually become CM is different issue.
I just wanted to make it a point that the group of people behind this poll is the blind supporters of OC. Otherwise OCs victory should have replicated on much scientific and detail THE HINDU-CNN IBN polls...
I will keep fighting against those who are blindly supporting politicians!
When I saw the blog, save kerala i thought it defintely has something to save kerala. but this post proved wrong. I assume that u r an Oommen congress supporter. the real congress in kerala is finished when Karunakaran moved out. now its a political outfit promoted by a newspaper company and other like minded business houses. current president is reduced just as a PRO.
this particular party hasn't done anything for the benefit of keralites. what ever they 've done is self promotion only. recently we saw GIM with so much fanfare, but the end result was some jewellery shops. so its high time keralites have to bring down this party forever. OC will be the last congress CM in kerala. henceforth his name will be remembered only with one of the keralites' favourite liquor brands, OC(R). but i doubt keralites will stop consuming this brand coz its name is associated with OC.
anyway u keep up with this kind of crap.
grow up man.
one last comment on the title of this blog. "Dogs who ruled the gods own country2001-2006"hope you also will agree once you r totally grown up
Anoop & Binu
@ chayakada - if you have read our posts and still think we are following OC "blindly", then i cannot really change your mind. once again, this blog is not in supported of a party or person, but only in support of kerala's development in all spheres.
@ anoop and binu - pleasure to have you here..i hope you read all our posts. thank you for the wishes..
i hope i dont grow up ;)
hugs to you.
Mind summed up everything i wanted to say about this but just wanted to stress again:
This blog is for everyone and everyone who are dreaming about a developed kerala. I hope we can all agree on the same goals even though there may be small difference of opinions here and there (which is inevitable).
After all, both political fronts in kerala supposedly run on the same basic platform, which is Development With 'Saamuhya neethi'.
I am sure that all of us, irrespective of our differences want to see anything less than that, and our love for the homeland is much stronger than the support for any political parties or persons.
I accidentally stumbled on this site while searching for stuff on Kerala elections.
The whole of Kerala knows by now that LDF will win and VS will be chief minister.
You are mostly young upper class guys who were lucky to get a good start in life because your parents had money. And naturally you would support policies that will help to keep all the benefits within your group. And you would call it development.. blah blahh.
But you guys are totally out of touch with current reality.
Overwhelming number of Keralites don't want your kind of development.
OC will soon be consigned to the dustbin as an also-ran who had a brief moment of glory.
Congress and UDF will have to move left of center if Bengal is not to be repeated in Kerala.
Onlooker
@ onlooker - i welcome your comment and faith in LDF.
but i would love to hear from you what your idea of "development" is. if its similar to promoting IT but opposing technocity and smartcity, promoting good infrastructure but opposing expressways and factories, please save us the trouble. but otherwise you are most welcome.
i havent felt i am "upper class" or anything and i am not wanting any benefit for myself or my family. its a kind of typical response communists offer to people who support OC and in the process sound very righteous.
I have no wish to initiate a 'What is development' debate with you. Because I think at the end of it we will still remain where we were.
I was responding to something that you wrote: ("Ommen Chandy has won this virtual election by overwhelming margins.") to point out how completely out of touch your virtual world is from the real world.
BTW, I am not a communist. You don't have to be one to sound sensible and righteous.
@ onlooker - fair enough..so then i dont think there is any harm in any one of us expressing the facts we believe in and figures we read about.
i did not suggest you are a commie, but what commies usually do.
yes i agree you do sound sensible and righteous. and i hope to see more of you here.
Dear All,
It is fine to watch how you all have discussed more on the development of the state of Kerala.
People of Kerala should leave the shyness to understand and learn the development of the other states near by.
The first and prime most important aspect of discussing the development of Kerala should be in terms of behavioural changes.
We dont accept others first. Learn models from different parts of the world.
We claim that Decentralisation model being a real model. I wanted to hear how many panchayats in Kerala have done the real to the people.
I am getting back to you after conceptualising myself.
Thanks
Happy that some of my thoughts too triggered good arguments...!!
After a long time I'm back. I'm coming to the point...
It has been about one year, since this blog has started. Why cant we appraise ourselves on the differences- Now and then?
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