Bartering the Short
term for Long term good
Sunday morning newspapers reported
the shutdown of Japan's last working nuclear power plant and their government's
failure to convince a wary Japanese public about restoring production at dozens
of reactors. It is reported that this is the first time since 1970 that Japan
is nuclear power –free despite the fact that it leaves Japan - the world's
third largest economy facing another summer of severe power shortages.
The public is ready to undergo
severe austerity measures on power consumption rather than expose the next
generation to radiation, after last year's March 11 quake and tsunami that
resulted in the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, to continue to spew radiation into the air and water.
There was celebration in the air
as thousands of Japanese activists happily celebrated the Children's Day that
coincided with the day Japan is stopping nuclear power. When Niel Armstrong had
stepped on the moon , his historic words were - "That's one small step for
a man, one giant leap for mankind." Today Japan has taken a similar step
which would well prove a giant leap for mankind.
The news left me bewildered as back
home we have been witnessing the protests at Jaitapur and Koondankoolam on one hand and
statements made by nuclear experts like the respectable ex- President , Dr
Abdul Kalam on the other. These thoughts prompted me to check the internet for understanding
India’s nuclear power program. As is the case, there was good news and bad
news: India has a flourishing and largely indigenous nuclear power program and
expects to have 20,000 MWe nuclear capacity on line by 2020 and 63,000 MWe by 2032.
It aims to supply 25% of electricity from nuclear power by 2050. India
was for 34 years largely excluded
from trade in nuclear plant or materials as it is outside the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program, which has hampered its development of civil
nuclear energy until 2009. Due to these trade bans and lack of
indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to
exploit its reserves of thorium. Thus perhaps, India could not progress much on
this front more out of compulsions than by choice. Was it the call of Almighty
to protect India, I wonder?
Today, Japan has clearly opted out
of short term benefits and voted for long term solutions. The governments of
the world need to take a note that everything that they do is not necessarily
for people welfare. In fact when politics takes center stage over well being,
the economics by far works against the larger public good. Back home in India
the government is shown to be battling towards curbing female foeticide but the
stark truth revealed by Aamir Khan’s new TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (truth alone
prevails) is shocking. In its efforts to control population, it was the Indian
Government who way back in the 70-80’s permitted the installation of machines that
helped sex determination of the infant in the mother’s womb.
A quick fix solution to control population has taken the gigantic
form of female foeticide as parents opted
to wipe out the daughters in their choice for sons, leaving a abysmally poor 914/1000
ratio of girls to boys.
We now need to sit back and
understand the difference between ‘anti- government’ and ‘anti- national’. Just
because someone opts out of government’s ways of doing things, he does not
become a national evil. He in fact is struggling for national good and people
need to discern this difference. When a democratic government although ‘elected’
by the very people of the country decides the fate of the people based on
myopic short term views at the cost of long term vision, there emerge activists
like Medha Patkar, Anna Hazare , Arundhati Roy, Arbind Singh who bring issues
to the fore and render a voice to the angst .
When governments of the world
take on to themselves that whatever they decide is ‘welfare’ they in fact
diminish instead of adding value to the country. The power of the people when
concentrated in the hands of the few who ‘abuse’ the power in their penchant to
show achievements for populist votes ends up in leaving the nations poorer not
just in economic terms but also in terms of values and prudence.
Anagha Hunnurkar
6th May 2012
