Trump holds the trigger
The recent comments by US President Donald Trump to arm trained teachers and others to prevent further mass shootings goes on to show that the president is happy playing to the National Rifle Association (NRA) (“Trump’s gun law speech angers France, Britain”, Gulf News, May 7). A recent incident in Canada showed how a police officer neutralised an armed suspect without having fired his gun - a stark contrast by how the US police are trained. Norway who has similar gun ownership figures as the US has an entirely different culture of gun usage, where the police are unarmed when on patrol and only carry arms in special situations. I strongly suspect the NRA got the President to speak on their behalf with the prospect of slow sales in the wake of the large movements for more gun control. Why can’t the US ban firearms altogether? But that would anger the powerful NRA now, wouldn’t it? The trigger-happy President seems to be calling all the shots for now, at the expense of the public that’s running for cover.
From Mr Ranjan Matthew
UAE
Culprits can’t get away
As unfortunate as it is, the rape and murder case of nine-year-old Saima Jarwar, the daughter of Sindh, Pakistan, has not picked up any media coverage compared to Zainab’s case which took place earlier, both of whom were abducted and brutally killed by monstrous demons (“Alleged rapist of nine-year-old girl found hanging”, Gulf News, May 5). Zainab’s murderer was caught, whereas, Saima’s murderer is still unknown and has not been found. Both cases are of similar nature and kind. All concerned authorities should at least take such matters seriously. Both girls were daughters and deserve equal justice. Such inhumane incidents are increasing everyday across Pakistan, unfortunately. We must address such issues with rigorous policies so that no rapist and murderer can get away with such barbaric crimes.
From Mr Nasir Soomro
Pakistan
Selfish celebrities
The silence of Indian filmstar, Amitabh Bachchan, about the recent incidents of child rapes in India was surprising. Bachchan is one of the biggest celebrities in India, with millions of fans across the globe, including me. His opinions do make a huge social impact. It is the common people who make them celebrities and as such, it is the duty of these celebrities to use their status to speak out against social evils. But the irking silence of Bachchan, the brand ambassador of the “Bati Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save our daughters, teach them) campaign, did nothing to condemn this heinous crime, and I think he has proven to be selfish.
From Mr M. E. Moolur
Dubai
Not everyone’s cup of tea
A vending contractor was slapped with a fine of $1,500 (Dh5,510) for mixing water from the toilet into the tea and coffee serving containers (“India splutters in anger after toilet water used for train tea”, Gulf News, May 4). After seeing this video, we are sure every railway passenger will be scared to have a cup of tea or coffee from the vendors. We feel that apart from the fine, the Indian Railway authorities should have straight away cancelled his license. In fact, there should be periodical inspections of food and beverages supplied by these vendors, both at the railway stations and trains, and if found non-palatable, action should be taken against them, then and there. It would also be nice if the tariff for each item were displayed in each and every train coach, as we have come across cases where the vendors charge more for some items from a few passengers.
From Mr N. Hariharan
India
We are human, after all
It’s pathetic and unfortunate that a young man had doused petrol on his wife and burnt her alive (“Kerala man kills wife before stunned crowd”, Gulf News, May 2). Kerala is not known for these types of crimes but surprisingly, the onlookers and the public present when this was happening did not step in to help. Nowadays, people have become self-centered and are not even bothered to save anyone in distress. The ‘what is in it for me?’ attitude must change. Are we human? It’s high time we change our mind-set and try to lend a helping hand to those who are in need. Let’s hope these types of gruesome incidents may not happen in our society. We hope the culprit will be arrested and justice will be served to the victim’s family without delay.
From Mr Eappen Elias
India
Your words mean nothing
Your feature made an insightful reading (“How to stop giving a hoot about what others think of you”, Gulf News, May 1). Man being a social animal, most of his behavioural characteristics come about from psychological, environmental and even biological factors and can have an impact on how he is being judged by others. Early homosapiens demonstrated the trait of living and travelling in small groups, which allowed them to protect themselves from many dangers including wild animals attacks, as well as and other rival groups that belonged to the same species. Thus, the fundamentals that dictate why man displays a natural affinity towards living in social groups have their roots in millions of years of evolution. As a conscious effort of man who seems to be continuously struggling to win social acceptance, starting from his or her family, friends, neighbours and others, behavioural patterns have always been used as a yardstick to judge an individual. However, this can make the life of an individual feel far more restricted. In this game, Asians are collectivist as a culture and endure far more restricted social norms dictated by unique cultural sensitivities, religion and gender differences. One might harbour an ambivalent feeling about how practically possible it is to lead a life that is flawless with the intention of getting a good conduct certificate from everyone we associate with in our daily life. There may be occasions where we may have to stand our ground and refuse to budge in the face of unreasonable demands or criticisms raised by others and confront them without fear or getting too concerned. Living in a social environment is a balancing act, sometimes what others speak about you matters, while at other times just shrugging it off is a better option than allowing people’s words to weigh you down.
From Mr Esmail Mohammad
Dubai
Change your ways
Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav is a leader with a popular image (“Lalu Yadav discharged from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, alleges political conspiracy” Gulf News, May 1). However, he has made some wrong decisions in his life. At this stage of his life, he is facing imprisonment, ill health and legal battles. I think he needs to be advised to take a novel trending style of decision-making. I suggest that his political advisers sit down with him and convince him to admit his mistakes and offer sincere apologies to all Indian citizens. He should surrender all his and his family’s ill-gotten properties and ask his people to earn their own honest livelihood instead of battling in various courts and wasting their time to safeguard assets built up thorough corruption. I can imagine the shake-up in the Indian political system this will create. There are currently hundreds of corrupt politicians and businessmen who can take a lesson from him. Many corrupt Indian businessmen and political leaders can follow suit.
From Mr M. K. Zaman
Australia
Make space for you elders
In many situations I have heard the words ‘generation gap’ from teenagers, especially when their elders or parents chastise them. Even in films, this word proclaims to justify young people’s behaviour. My dear teenagers, I have a question for you: What do you really mean by generation gap? For absolutely anything, they use this as an excuse. Using this as a way to get out of trouble is merely an ostensible expression of inefficiency, insecurity, immaturity, and irrationality, not to mention fragility. The younger generation has neither sprouted from the Earth nor has been dropped from the sky. What children are proud of, which includes technology and social media, are not products of their contribution, but by the development and the foundation of the older generation. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so all the modernity now you are enjoying is the result of first finding what man made years go. They have lost sight and the concept of unity and have created self-made cocoons. Yes, I agree the new generation is energetic, vibrant, dynamic and enterprising, but that doesn’t mean pushing back the stepping-stone while racing to climb the top of the ladder. You may doubt how I behaved in my teenage years and yes I had my own share of irrationality, but I never denied the life experiences of my elders and the truth that they have seen the world more than me. Our parents and grandparents are our well-wishers. While growing up, make your elders too a part of your world, giving their due space and respect. New ones replace old things but some antique pieces are priceless.
From Ms Shemeem K.Sharjah
Easy entry and exit
The regular rush and confusion of bus passengers at Metro station bus stops, especially while boarding and getting off the buses, creates the need for the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to install Nol card punching machines in the upper deck of buses as well, if it is feasible. As the machines are installed at the entrance of the busses, this arrangement obviously creates a rush at the front and it is an inconvenience to the other passengers. By installing one or two Nol scanning machines at the top deck of the bus, almost half of the people can complete scanning their cards on the top deck, thus making it easy for passengers to come out without obstructing the entry of passengers getting in.
From Mr Surendran Padmanabhan
UAE
Concerned about people
As a leader, you need to compromise some things for the benefit of the country (“Work ban on Filipinos in Kuwait ‘permanent’: Duterte”, Gulf News, April 30). At least the President of the Philippines is concerned about his people, unlike other leaders who don’t care and are just greedy for the position. May God’s speed be with the people of the Philippines.
From Mr Avodroc S.
Dubai
Facebook comment
Prohibition is better
It is really shocking and painful to know that a frustrated teenage boy, took the extreme step to hang himself due to the drinking habits of his father (“Teen suicides can be prevented, experts say”, Gulf News, April 30). No doubt, there has been a lot of hue and cry to introduce prohibition in India, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu, where many families suffer due to drinking. There have been many instances where the parents suffer due to the drinking habits of their children. We sincerely hope that this tragic incident would be an eye opener to our state leaders to restrict the accessibility of alcohol, not only in our state, but the entire nation. It is high time our state government took a bold step to prohibit the sale of liquor and save families from suffering.
From Ms Janaki Mahadevan
India
Casting couch in Bollywood
While ace choreographer Saroj Khan’s statement about the sexual harassment of female actors raised many eyebrows and created quite a stir, the fact cannot be denied that such occurrences do exist in the field of glamour and glitz (“Casting couch provides livelihood, says Saroj Khan”, Gulf News, April 25). Many actresses, even A-listed celebrities have made several compromises to stay in the race. Issues are present in every industry especially when power is in the wrong hands. This has existed since the beginning of time. Earlier, media had a number of restrictions on publication. With the advent of a freer and wide-reaching media outlets, such malpractices have been discussed, debated and brought to the forefront. The casting couch is a prevailing truth that exists in the celluloid world. Eradicating it completely may be a distant dream. Those who want to make their foray into the film industry and get a foothold in it must be aware of the stark reality and know how to shield themselves from present traps. Lest, they have to pay a heavy price for their pursuit of glamour, name and fame.
From Ms Jayashree Kulkarni
Abu Dhabi
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