10 READERS VOICE
AsianVoiceNews
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
www.asian-voice.com
18 - 24 January 2020
Household debt hits record high At present the country is facing several crisis on different fronts. Although the economy is sluggish but the elite and the higher classes are racking in millions, for them the economy is booming. On the other hand the country is confronted with homelessness, child poverty, increase in food banks, housing shortages, NHS crisis, knife crime, and to cap all this, the household debt has shot up exponentially. Families have to 'borrow to scrape by’. It’s for paying the rent, heating the home and feeding the kids. Average UK household debt hit a record high of £14,450 last year. Total debt excluding mortgages reached £407bn in the third quarter of 2019, up 31% on levels reached during the financial crisis in 2008, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Debt levels as a proportion of household income have also risen above their 2008 peak for the first time in the past year, reaching 27.5% of earnings, the TUC found. Frances O’Grady, TUC general secretary, said the increase was “not about keeping up with the Joneses,” with years of wage stagnation and a growth in insecure jobs blamed. The TUC said 3.7 million people were currently in precarious work in the UK, including an estimated one million jobs on zero-hours contracts. Sue Anderson, head of media at the StepChange debt charity, said it received more than 330,000 requests for help in the first half of last year alone. She said borrowing to meet basic needs was becoming “ever more entrenched,” with more than 12 million adults thought to be covering household essentials with credit last year. It is a crucial for the government to urgently look into this matter and address this debt issue of reviewing the wages structures and kick starting the economy which had been held back because of the uncertainty of Brexit. Otherwise the situation would deteriorate badly. Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow
We CAN make the best of one world together I have just finished reading ‘A British Subject’ by Lord Dolar Popat and wish to share my reflections with the readers of AV. Firstly, once I started reading, I could not put the book down. It is a compelling read not because I also originate from East Africa and am of Indian origin, but the depth of transparency and passion of Dolar Popat is mesmerising. There are many points that resonate strongly for me that he talks about in his book. I can resonate with the same unarticulated connection to Britain growing up as a child in Thika Kenya, which was another country in the British Empire. Although we were living amongst Africans and Europeans we never integrated and kept to our own. We must not make the same mistake in our new host country which is the future of our grandchildren and take steps to integrate at all levels, social, commercial, and political. I second his endeavour to encourage more Indians to contribute to the political infrastructure of Britain. The firstand second-generation British Indians need to overcome the mentality that ‘politics is a dirty game’ and encourage the young generation to be politically proactive. The British Indian young professionals have already proved themselves in the medical, legal, and financial sectors amongst many more. They need to do the same in the political sector. It is possible to have the passion to make a difference to society through the political system and still adhere to values of humility and integrity. I was deeply touched by the highs and lows in his life and his courage to be open about the most vulnerable times in his life. I am astonished by the incredible amount of effort he puts in as an activist and despite being an enormous gamechanger in the British Commercial and political landscape he talks about his endeavours with modesty. I had the privilege to meet Dolar Popat when we were both promoting our respective books at a Thika reunion event. We are both exuding our pride as British citizens while preserving our multifaceted identity and culture. Hansa Pankhania By email
MAKE YOURSELF HEARD Write to our ‘Reader’s Voice’ section about what you think regarding the various ongoing issues all around the world. Please send your letters to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Make sure they are NOT more than 350 words. Any letter longer than the limit may not be published. Note that all your letters are subject to being edited by our team for valid reasons. - Asian Voice
No place for bad behaviour As a regular viewer of BBC2's Prime Minister’s Questions every Wednesday at 12 noon, I would like in 2020 to see a calmer and more productive atmosphere prevail in parliament. Politicians of every hue should focus on trying to improve our lives on all fronts instead of booing and jeering and having to be told off by the Speaker who referees these tumultuous sessions. This is no way for our political representatives to behave, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson should set a good example for others to follow. They are all there to do a job and should take PMQs seriously. Rudy Otter By email
Is President Trump a toothless tiger? We all know media in every democratic country has unimaginable power to completely distort facts, figures, truth and political thinking in a way that was not possible only a few decades back. The West has targeted Russia, turned it into a pariah State while ignoring China’s atrocities in Tibet, bullying neighbouring States like India, Burma and Vietnam, once China’s closest ally and turning China Sea into China’s personal domain, without a murmur from the West. While President George Bush, PM Tony Blair, PM David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were eager participants in open war against Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, often based on dodgy dossier, misinformation and propaganda, destroying these countries infrastructure, patriarch President Trump has so far resisted US involvement in such misadventures. Although Iran tormented US with attacks on oil tankers passing through Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, involved in arming Shia faction in Yemen Civil war and direct attack on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure, the downing of unarmed US drone, American answer was the assassination of Iranian General Suleiman, not in Iran but in Iraq! Even missile attacks on two American bases in Iraq, President Trump took it on the chin, expressing relief that this may bring this unsavoury episode to an end, especially with loss of completely innocent lives of 176 people on board the doomed civilian aircraft, brought down by an Iranian missile, indeed a tragic mistake! Trump takes out his anger through twitter, a paper tiger, godsend gift he harnesses with skill that does not fire bullets. His true victims are luckless refugees camped on US, Mexican border who wants to enter US and start a new life! Luminary President Trump even envisages prestigious “Noble Peace Prize” for defusing tension between North Korea and the West, although final solution, peace treaty and end of sanctions is as far in the distant as it ever was! Could this be an interlude for the forthcoming American election, a second term he badly needs to carry out his economic reforms! Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email
NHS: Mixed Sex Wards Shame Mixed-sex wards have been a thorn in NHS reputation for a long time. Both NHS and the government promised to abolish this practice long time ago, which emerged due to extreme shortage of nurses, especially during peak winter months when hospitals are inundated with beds, as well as staff shortages due to peak demand created by flu victims, as well as elderly, chronically sick and children whose demands far exceed parsimonious resources at the disposal of NHS. So often male patient urgently needing bed but only available in female ward and vice versa that gave birth to mixed-sex wards out of bare necessity rather than NHS policy! Sustainable occupancy bed-ratio should be no more than 85%. But during winter months it is more often than not touches 100% leaving no room for emergencies, A & E patients have to spend hours on trollies parked in corridors! According to latest report, the situation has even worsened, especially in mental health wards, as these patients are fragile, emotionally drained and more unwell than ordinary patients, in need of special attention which is at a premium during winter months, especially after Christmas holidays when we are all prone to over-indulgence with food, drinks and late night outings. Mixed-sex wards are the symptom of many other shortages, pitfalls and mismanagement arising mainly from inadequate financial resources allocated to NHS, shortages of auxiliary staffs, nurses, doctors and Consultants most of whom only devote a limited time to NHS, having their own private lucrative practise. It is a good omen that government is thinking of overhauling overseas aid budget, in view of the implementation of Brexit when money will be tight and perhaps economy, GDP may decline, at least in the beginning when saving every penny counts! It is time for our luminary politicians to concentrate on our long suffering people when most politicians are obsessed with thinking charity begins and ends overseas! Kumudini Valambia By email
Original Indian constitution's abnormal interpretation Indian people's united struggle for a free country in common for plural religions failed, because All India Muslim League's leader Mr Jinha demanded a separate land for staunch Muslim state-Pakistan, and advised Congress leader Mr Nehru to create staunch Hindu state; but Mr Nehru told that Mahatma Gandhi would go on hunger strike, if India would be divided. Mr Jinha retorted that it was up to Mr Nehru to solve his own problem. Finally British government divided old India in '47 into Pakistan for all Muslims ; and the remaining new India -Bharat for the people of all the rest of faiths- Hindu, Baudh,Jain, Sikh,Parasi,Christian and Jew alike, who formed original Indian constitution based on mainly Sanatan religions' morality and values, totally rejecting the most ambiguous word 'secular' in it, in '50 to avoid misleading interpretation. Even after partition, Gandhiji wished that the divided countries would unite again for all to live peacefully, but some ungrateful and mobilised sections of Muslims who were cordially allowed to stay in new India, and who were dearly helped by the PM Modi,made riots throwing missiles on people, properties and police, and burnt vehicles while announcing further division of the country, and denouncing the obligatory and politic provisions -citizen amendment act, NRC etc which were needed to comply with the constitutional and reciprocal rights for the citizens who are trapped and suffer injustice or are unsatisfied in divided countries.People believe that Gandhili's wish proved to be fatal to the interests of the rightful nationals who follow truth and non violence. Gandhiji insisted on dispersal of Congress soon after independence, as, it is said, he had envisaged that Congress might tamper with the Preamble of the original constitution of '50 which was clearly plurally religious, and after the death of Saradar Patel, it happened quite so,during '76 emergency Mrs Indira amended it,leaving it open to be interpreted abnormally by adding the word 'secular' illegally, imprisoning majority of the parliament members to negate certain rights of Hindus etc,so that, under the guise of Gandhism, Congress would remain in power for ever for personal interests conferring a favour on influential people who are now revealed involved in financial frauds; and inciting people against the PM Modi who adheres to the truly promised spirit of the constitution,and make considerate national plans. R.N.Patel By email
UK NEWS
Ealing PC who faked child sex attack report jailed A police officer from Southall has this week been jailed for three years following a trial that concluded in December. Hitesh Lakhani, pictured, was arrested following a feudwith a man over some hedge trimmings in his front garden which spilled onto the street. The officer then abused his position as a PC and made up a story about the man sexually abusing a child. According to press reports PC Lakhani, 42, claimed to have witnessed the man standing in a bush and calling out to a young girl, aged around 5, who was walking with her mum to join him in the hedge on September 5, 2018. He claimed the man then pulled down his shorts and grabbed the little girl's hand and making her touch him. The girl managed to break free when her mum noticed she was missing and called out to her. The police officer from Southall, who was off-duty at the the time, claimed to have confronted the man and taken his picture which he showed to police whenn they were called to the scene
and which was then circulated across all of Hillingdon police's social media pages in the hopes of identifying the "suspect". It was only when detectives investigated the CCTV evidence from a neighbouring house that they had conclusive proof there was no way the attack could have taken place and that Lakhani had indeed fabricated the whole incident. Lakhani was charged with perverting the court of justice and pleaded not guilty but a jury convicted him of the charge after a trial at Kingston Crown Court on December 10 before being sentenced to three years in prison on Friday (January 10). According to reports Lakhani continued to serve as a police officer, although on restricted duties, until his sentencing and has still not come before the Metropolitan Police professional misconduct panel.