Open letter to the Indian media by a senior Navy Officer
Note: This was sent to IndiaFacts by a serving officer in the Indian Navy with over two decades of experience in various positions and involved in several operations. The name of the officer cannot be disclosed for obvious reasons.
Sir,
I am writing this after having observed the recent media reactions, statements, editorials, opinions and all sorts of “analyses” over the terror-boat episode. My language will be frank and candid.
It is only in India that Intelligence-driven operations are discussed in the open, in the media and in talk shows under the excuse of some idiotic notions of freedom of speech. One thing is for sure: that the media in India is maudlin. No doubts on that score.
I heard the questions that the media posed to the Defence Minister at Aero India on 18 February. The questions themselves and what followed them is the clearest evidence for the crying need for Defence Correspondents.
As for the Indian Express video, it is clear that they had a score to settle with the Government after their Sherlock Holmes + Hercule Poirot rolled in one, Mr. Praveen Swami wrote a clever-by-half nonsensical piece on the boat blow up episode. When he wrote the piece, it was severely ridiculed on the Net & social media. The angst of Indian Express is therefore understandable but that does not make it right.
But in all the chaff, what everyone including the holier-than-thou media have missed is the vital fact that in the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, no one from the shore ever gives an order to fire to the man at sea. The unwritten tradition is this: the man on the spot knows best.
And therefore, it is clear that the DIG was talking through his hat. He needs to be cashiered immediately for his immaturity and loose talk in the media, which is only too happy to put the Government in the dock.
I say this with the weight of 25 years of service in the “silent service” and enough of command time, including ‘snooping’ in the very same waters and in the North.
Period.
My advice to the Fourth Estate: please don’t display your idiocy publicly. Please.
hahaha nailed it
I want to thank the maritime forces of India and I request them to continue their good work. Jai Hind Jai Sri Krishna.
Freedom of speech has to have limits. Indian media and the so-called intellectual people who hang around on talk show should understand that they are just creating more controversies and maligning a great nation. One cannot see a single positive headline in our English news channels. A few gather around a talk show make a huge noise, talk unreasonably and malign their own country. As Indians we should come forward and protest these media take over with unwanted talk shows. Government should restrict discussions on sensitive issues and media should be made responsible
.
Sir,
“It is only in India that Intelligence-driven operations are discussed in the open, in the media and in talk shows under the excuse of some idiotic notions of freedom of speech. One thing is for sure: that the media in India is maudlin”
I am not sure whether the “serving officer” understands public policy issue in the whole episode.
The issue is NOT:
Who ordered the destruction: shore officers or man on the spot. That is a matter of operational issue.
Whether the correspondents or the TV media persons knew the defence related operational issues.
whether there is need for Defence Correspondents.
The issue is:
Did the country’s forces commit a high sea “execution” of the people on board of a suspected vessel in our waters?
Did the MoD try to cover up the incident calling it a suicide attempt where as it may have been the case of a trigger happy officer ordering the destruction of a foreign vessel with out adequate reason?
The above is a public policy issue where the public has a right to know the truth.
Where the public policy issue on which public has a right to know, the media has a duty to bring out the truth.
To presume that the government or its forces is always right in all their actions is purely a “Armed forces oriented perspective” which may be questionable under some other perspective.
Had it been otherwise, all the actions of USA in Vietnam could not have been questioned by the media. MY Lai would have been termed as a matter of the local commander taking actions as per the operational needs and not a issue of “pure wanton murder”!
“some idiotic notions of freedom of speech” has its higher purpose and a limited armed service perspective may not always be able to appreciate the same.
The “serving senior Officer” thinks that the goals of the limitation of the freedom of expression of the serving personnel is served adequately as long as the name of the serving officer is NOT revealed. While he blames “some idiotic notions of freedom of speech” he himself is using the freedom of expression to present a view albeit with out revealing the real source of such expression.
Does such secrecy exonerate him?
French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser’s concept for what is known in contemporary political discourse as ‘hard power’, i.e. a form of power that operates by means of violence. It is usually accompanied by what Althusser termed the Ideological State Apparatus, which is a ‘soft power’ concept. The Repressive State Apparatus consists of the army, the police, the judiciary, and the prison system. It operates primarily by means of mental and physical coercion and violence (latent and actual).
Unlike the Repressive State Apparatuses, Ideological State Apparatuses belong to the private domain – to churches, schools, families, media and so on. Instead of repressing, and inflicting order, through repression, Ideological State Apparatuses reinforce the rule of the dominant class primarily through ideology. This means that instead of fear of prosecution or violence, people submit out of fear of social ridicule.
Here is a case of member of RSA ridiculing the ISA and not the Government!
Mr. Nath:
The author’s main point is about the media’s unreasonable reaction to this incident, especially when there is NO clear evidence that any wrong-doing has happened here.
Between the opinions of the English language media and our coast guard that is trying its best to defend our vast coastline, I will choose to believe the coast
guard first, thank you very much. That someone like Praveen Swami (who has
repeatedly shown anti-armed forces tendencies) would target the coast guard in
this episode without any solid evidence is beyond ridiculous, and this seems to
happen only in the Indian media. And this media-wide criticism happens after
the horrific 26/11 attacks are not even distant memory. Remember that those
events had very similar beginnings – a small fishing boat with a handful of
terrorists…
This may very well have been a case of the coast guard having prevented a repeat of 26/11. Certainly the Pakistanis are not protesting too much, which seems to tell a story of it’s own.
Here is a little research exercise for you: please try and compile a list of Pakistani
and Chinese media articles that are critical of their respective armed forces,
especially in situations where they are dealing with external inimical forces
or entities. Let us see how many you find that are critical in such cases.
As for your quote:
“To presume that the government or its forces is always right in all their
actions is purely a “Armed forces oriented perspective” which may be
questionable under some other perspective.”
While this statement does make sense for the government where it cannot be
assumed that the government is always right, when it comes to our armed forces,
one must always start with the assumption that they know best how to defend our
borders and are generally always right. One must rightfully criticize the Armed
forces when their actions are clearly and evidentially criminal (AF personnel
raping women, spying for another country etc.). In this case the only
“other perspective” is that of Pakistani interests, which you seem to
be trying to uphold.
The fact that you choose to quote a French Marxist and label the Army as being
part of a “Repressive State Apparatus” seems to display your apparent communist
ideology quite openly. Could it be that you tend towards the Naxalite point-of-view
as well?
Interesting perspective indeed.
As I wrote earlier, “MY Lai would have been termed as a matter of the local commander taking actions as per the operational needs and not a issue of “pure wanton murder”” had every one (all patriots) taken the view that the “our Government or our forces, right or wrong”. All nationalism emanates out of such “patriotic” feelings. It is almost like: “My mother, drunk or sober”. The media has ( or at least should have) a higher calling not to believe the official version but to inquire whether there is room to doubt the initial story put out. Loyalty to principles is a higher loyalty than “my mother drunk or sober”. Do we believe the official story of 9/11 or keep our minds open about the other possibility of the event: Google “9/11 Pentagon Attack – Behind the Smoke Curtain – Barbara Honegge”!
Do we believe the US government version of Ed Snowden affair or believe Ed Snowden himself. Noam Chomsky writes: “It is also well to remember that defense of the fundamental right to privacy helped to spark the American Revolution. In the 18th century, the tyrant was the British government, which claimed the right to intrude freely into the homes and personal lives of American colonists. Today it is American citizens’ own government that arrogates to itself this authority.”
Further, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion… Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them…he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.” ― John Stuart
In any such affair, there is the alternate view or truth, if you will, which should find expression. “With regard to freedom of speech there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it and prefer Stalinist/ fascist standards. It is unfortunate that it remains necessary to stress these simple truths.” ― Noam Chomsky
Sir i am not saying Govt cannot be asked questions but blatantly asking conspiracy theories without doing even a bit of Investigative journalism like Mr. Praveen Swami did is not ethical especially by journalistic standards. Even before Govt. released what had happened Express already had the article ready as always with “Sources” who always choose never to be named or request anonymity. Mr. Swami himself never provided any facts to prove his story. So as a “Prominent” News Editor / Author might but never will say: Journalism needs to ensure no to lose its moral compass.
I would further believe what this quote eloquently emphasizes: “The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.” ― John Stuart Mill
HEAR HEAR …
Clearly there is a mole in the Navy or coast guard with a political axe to grind. Otherwise, how did this doofus Swamy know what had happened to be able to write an article before the boat had even returned and docked at port? The navy and coast guard need to launch an investigation to see who is leaking information to the media pimps like Swamy and prosecute them for treason.
There is no dearth of paki pimps in MSM and Bollywood. This virus is catching up with some of our cricketers too…
Indian media, especially the english media is the worst enemy of India. The government should initiate some action against the anti-national elements in Indian media who create hype and controversies to the extent that the country’s national security and defense forces are put in a spot. The worst enemy of India are the media and their political supporters
I agree, but what “thinking” Indians need to understand is
there is a lot of foreign ownership in Indian Media (see last 2 links). *There
is a saying in the West*… Who Controls the Money, Controls Information. And who
controls those, controls Governments and to some degree the plurality of peopl (because most folks are NOT thinkers they are followers)…. It’s the Big Banks and Globalist Corporations… all of which are (Atheistic/Satanic B*stards). In the West there is a Strong Anti-Christian narrative in the Western Media. Basically the Modern Media in the West
and India is ANTi-MAJORITY, and pro-minority. It’s the Age old DIVIDE AND RULE….
The Sick/Psychotic B*stards (supposedly) running the world
with the main power structure in Western Countries, is destroying the true
Global/Cultural Diversity of the various nations/civilizations to break-up the
cohesive roots and foundations of those societies so ultimately you will have a
bunch of MINDLESS and (more) CONTROLLABLE Consumers that nod their head to everything
the “behind the scenes controllers” push on the public….
You add in Gays/Feminism and all these other Social Issues (most of which are overly
bloated/exaggerated) you will ultimately deconstruct the foundations that made that
society/civilization great and strong (most notably that is the FAMILY and RELIGION) and turn them into rootless/Globalistic consumers… “buy this, and buy that” and consurmers of pure WANTS AND DESIRES rather than NEEDS…
Jeez that is true Enlightenment… It’s a fake system that just will not work (long term).
Also Liberals/The Left and the so called “Islamic Alliance” is an Oxymoron (regardless if its n the West or India) simply because thevalues (if you can call it that) of the Left/Liberals is the POLAR opposite to Islam (which is more than a religion), it is a Political/Theocratic and system of life (rolled into a Religion)! Thanks
https://apostlethomasindia.wordpress.com/about-us/who-controls-the-indian-media-gautam-sen/
http://creative.sulekha.com/who-controls-indian-media_319704_blog
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dinesh-goswami/who-owns-the-media-in-india-/516397775056104/
http://www.afternoondc.in/editorial/in-india-we-do-not-know-who-controls-our-media/article_64938
http://hillpost.in/2013/08/top-7-indian-channels-that-are-owned-by-politicians/95166/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36575755
http://www.slideshare.net/swamijyoti/media-5301807
If that boat got to indian land and killed a few hundred people, who would take the responsibility ? The Humanitarians and the Media ?
Excellent! Must be read by one and all. Who cares if the media reads or not? Like PM Modi used to say for the Congress, “Doob maro doob maro”…the same will happen to the sick paid media.