Also, all tweets on Twitter are in the public domain, unless one restricts who may receive or follow one’s tweets. Since Tharoor is an MP and a Union Cabinet minister, ALL his tweets are in the public domain. Nothing he can do about it — except resign as a minister. Then, his tweets may be ignored, since he will descend to an ordinary MP.

I too share his views on not having a holiday on Gandhi Jayanti. But will I be quoted and my comments become a news-item?

now why don’t these politicians talk about that!

Yes, he’s very new to Indian politics – there’s no debate on that… is there?

But, I find it extremely difficult to digest that in her statement Jayanti Natarajan actually said his tweet was ”unacceptable” and that he is not conscious of local sensitivities since he was new to Indian politics.

While he may have been misunderstood I don’t think it did anything to hurt anyone’s sensibilities and I don’t see any validation of this demonstrating that he is not conscious of local sensitivities.

Also, worth discussing if his twitter comments actually fall into public domain (and therefore be reason to cause any controversy)… in some ways it is his personal page and all comments there are not in his capacity as a minister. It’s his personal page on twitter, not the official website of the MEA!

Devang

In the TOI dated Saturday, 19 Sept 2008, Tharoor is quoted as apologising, “I now realise I shouldn’t assume people will appreciate humour. And you shouldn’t give those who would wilfully distort your words (like Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan) an opportunity to do so.”

By the way, Tharoor IS NEW to Indian politics and Sonia/Rahul sycophants like Natarajan are trying to needle him. Tharoor is a fast learner.

Blog more often.

Peace and love,
- Joe.

if you wish to pay homage and show respect to shivaji maharaj, why don’t you spend money in ensuring the forts he built are kept clean?

An interesting thing which came out during a talk show on a TV news channel recently (think it was NDTV), was a lot of patients who had recovered from swine flu saying that the public hospitals did a great job in managing the health “crisis” (if you will) and that this definitely changes their view of the quality of treatment & consultation public hospitals offer

[Needless to say, NDTV talk show audiences are usually the cream of society... but, nevertheless, interesting to note how this pandemic scare has brought about a change in the way we look at public health system in India]

I’m happy that — sitting there in Seoul — you have the compassion to think about us in India. My approach to an answer about your “wonder” is radically different.

In India, the public health system — like our public education system (govt. schools and universities); public distribution system (ration shops); public transport (buses, except for the railways) — have been “decimated” by wilfull neglect, systematic under-funding and huge corruption.

This means that when a swine flu epidemic strikes, we demand that an under-funded public health system should respond and save lives. On the other hand, the private hospitals have NEVER bothered about public health, because they have been allowed, by the government, the freedom to make profits (witness the scandal in donations or capitation fees for private medical colleges) treating illnesses that have little to do with public health.

However, the starved public health system has risen to the occasion. If you read the latest issue of the Economic and Political Weekly (www.epw.org), you will see what I mean.

I prefer to look at the inter-connections between politics and economics, when discussing an epidemic like the swine flu, rather than take a purely “medical or clinical” approach.

Peace and love,
- Joe.