主题：【原创】印度崛起：神话与现实 -- 晨枫

Delhi's Commonwealth Games were supposed to bring India dramatically to the world's attention in a similar manner to Beijing's Olympics in 2008. And so they will. But not in the manner that India hoped. The preparations for the Games have been plagued by construction delays, tales of official incompetence and allegations of official corruption. And with just 12 days to go, the Games are degenerating into an outright shambles. Despite seven years of preparation and public expenditure of 1.5bn (almost six times the original budget) the facilities are still not ready.

Yesterday delegates of the international teams who will compete in the Indian capital complained about the state of the accommodation for the 7,000 athletes and officials due to arrive in the coming days. A statement from Team Scotland labelled the residential blocks as "unsafe and unfit for human habitation". Only hours later, a footbridge leading to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring 19 workers. If it had given way a few weeks later, it might have been a catastrophe.

Serious consideration will – and should – be given to whether the Games ought to be postponed while improvements are made and safety concerns addressed. The head of the New Zealand delegation has even suggested the Games might have to be cancelled altogether. Whether or not this happens,

this debacle has already been a public relations disaster for India.

It is tempting to make comparisons with China. The stereotype is that efficient China delivers first-class infrastructure and prestige building projects while chaotic India struggles. It is undoubtedly true that China has leapt

ahead of its Asian economic rival in terms of the development of transport and energy infrastructure in recent years. But the stereotype can also be misleading. Despite the success of the Beijing Olympics, China's record on public infrastructure is hardly impeccable. A great number of schools in Sichuan province crumbled in the May 2008 earthquake, apparently because corrupt local politicians had instructed developers to cut corners on safety.

At least, in India, a noisy free press is able to point the finger at corrupt officials. Those who have attempted to investigate cases of official venality in China often find themselves harassed by the police, or even incarcerated. And India is not a total basket case when it comes to infrastructure. Delhi, it is true, has an abysmal reputation. But other cities, such as the IT capital Hyderabad, belie the stereotype of a country in which nothing works properly.

And not every aspect of China's drive to development is admirable. Economic growth there has come with terrible human and environmental costs. Chinese families often find themselves forced off their land and their homes demolished by executive order. Indian farmers, too, are often treated

appallingly by the state, but property rights are far stronger in India.

The official cultures in the two countries are radically different. India's environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, recently rejected an application from Vedanta to mine bauxite in Orissa in order to protect the rights of the

tribe living in the hills that would have been affected. It is inconceivable that such a decision could have been made in China.

The Commonwealth Games mess has been a blow to India's pride. And it has served to highlight a host of pressing national problems. India's political leaders plainly need to wage a war against official corruption. And the country should spend a greater share of its growing wealth on infrastructure. Yet India should not learn the wrong lessons from this trauma. India's strength lies in its free media, rule of law and accountable institutions. In the long run, India's chaotic democracy is likely to serve its people

better than China's brand of authoritarian efficiency.

三哥的腐败那叫未证实的指控（allegation）；土共汶川倒楼就是明显（apprarently）的腐败。

复正好有新闻

家园

刚从mitbbs看到一个joke

这些小子们的眼还真是挺尖的，呵呵

发信人: redbuds (这个生手不太冷), 信区: Military

标题: Re: 原来阿三被阴蒂国黑了

发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Wed Sep 22 17:31:54 2010, 美东)

This chief minister's name is ...

"Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit attempted to play down the seriousness

of the bridge collapse."

复人家可不是浮夸

家园

这种酸葡萄简直不值一驳

印度的民主、法制、言论自由上的优势在1948年就建立了，改革开放前的30年给了印度30年的机会，印度没有显示出任何超过中国的活力和发展；改革开放后的30年印度更是被远远地抛在后面。英国人要强调in the long run不是不可以，不过这个long run到底是多长呢？美国从建国到攀上世界第一只用了150年，日本从明治维新到一战更是只有50年，印度打算到什么时候才显示优越性呢？让他们说去吧，再说上几年，他们自己都烦了，就跟当年的中国崩溃论一样。

另外，说道中国的言论自由，这当然有太多的问题，但汶川小学倒塌不正是中国媒体揭露出来的吗？对豆腐渣工程的激烈抨击不正是在中国平面和网络媒体进行？印度媒体监督要是那么有效，为什么不在不行天桥倒塌、在苏格兰队检查运动员村之前就发现问题？这不是难以发现的问题，也不是一天两天的问题，只要睁眼看一看就可以了。

复对于一个用手指当手纸的民族

家园

社会习惯而已，而且手纸不是每个人都买的起的

穆斯林世界也是这个习惯

在一些落后国家也很普遍

复板球南非很火呀

家园

新西兰板球也挺火的

虽然没有橄榄球火吧，新西兰人现在最期待的就是明年的世界杯了。

复这主要是分销环节的问题

家园