Re: rules

[prabhu.guptara@ubs.com]

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Postings not related to the writing of the Manifesto or policy chapters
are likely to be summarily rejected. Thanks for your understanding. IPI
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     Dear Sanjeev

     Much as I am disgusted by talk of secession, I must confess that I
     have had to rethink my attitudes in response to your mails and
those
     of others.

     It is too early to call off this debate.  It is fundamental to
being a
     democracy.  Just because some democratic countries do not allow
     secession or have not debated it, does not mean that we should not
do
     so.

     The days of nation states are numbered.  We live in a time of
emerging
     regional powers (such as Europe).  That is a reality which did not
     exist at the time the Indian State was formed.  On IPI, we have
tried
     to recognise the new reality of regionalism by tentatively putting
     forward ideas of regionalisation in which Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
     Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (at least) can be involved if they wish.

     As regional identities strengthen, we are going to have a 3-tier
     identity: supra-national region, nation and sub-national region
(such
     as Wales or Scotland or Bavaria....

     Perhaps 4-tier if you focus (as some people do) also on being a
     citizen of the world.

     There is little to be lost and much to be gained if we can work out
a
     sensible and acceptable process by which entities can freely opt in
or
     out of national or regional identity.

     Till recently, it was a matter of simple and crude force which
     determined what bits of the world were included in what "nations"
     (even now this is hte case in most parts of the world).  But this
is
     changing.  The spread of democratic ideals means that everywhere
     people will be kept in countries or regions only because they are
     persuaded that that is the best for them.

     We in India have succeeded in keeping our country together by brute

     force for far too long.  That force has been necessary because we
have
     historically been ruled mostly by thieves who plundered the people
in
     order to enrich themselves.

As IPI seeks to usher in a new era of transparent government, it is
appropriate
for IPI also to seek to usher in a new era of government by persuasion
and
consent rather than a government of fascist force.

Professor Prabhu Guptara
Director, Executive and Organisational Development
Wolfsberg Executive Development Centre
CH-8272 Ermatingen
Switzerland
tel: +41-71-663.5605
fax:+41.71.663.5594
email: prabhu.guptara@ubs.com



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