This or that ? appeasement or independence ? by Maj Navdeep

Sunday, August 2, 2009
This or that ? appeasement or independence ?
“What good is the mind of a man if it’s run by another ?” : Prince (Cybersingle, 1996)

Some officers of the AMC took it on themselves when this blogpost highlighted the fact how Govt orders authorising medical facilities to non-pensioners were being flouted with impunity by some elements at M-Block. A section took it as an anti-AMC stance.

I or any other person who has served in uniform need not be reminded of the magnificent and difficult job being performed by the Army Medical Corps. And not only the uniformed community but even the society at large holds the military medicos in very high esteem.

However, why be so touchy that pointing out of a patently wrong action is taken as a slur on the entire medical military community ? Just because the AMC is performing a laudatory task would not ipso-facto mean that their officers cannot commit a wrong in an administrative capacity. Surprising were the comments of some officers who stated that I was bringing up this matter since I was an SSCO. To put the record straight, I am neither an SSCO nor affected / benefitted by the issue. If bringing to light some defects in our system is to be taken as an affront, then just as the ibid posts are being labelled anti-AMC, the banking community should call this blogpost as anti-banker for highlighting the incorrect deduction of tax from the pensions of disability pensioners and gallantry awardees, the PCDA (Pensions) Allahabad should take this blogpost as an anti-IDAS stance, Justice Srikrishna should be livid about this post here, state governments should be mightily unhappy about this one, Abhinav Kumar and Saikat Dutta should be cursing me about this post and this one here and the JAG Branch should have been terming this blogpost as anti-JAG. Then just about everything that you may see on paper, on the net, in the media would be anti-something.

Which brings us to the basic question whether we want to have a goody-goody exchange or a meaningful banter leading to improvement in the system? This blog, as a policy, does not believe in promoting or inciting controversy but that would not mean that as law abiding citizens we do not bring to light the slips in the mechanism. Being a lawyer, performing this role becomes even more pronounced in my case. Also the opinion expressed here may be dissimilar (or at times less popular) than the one which may be articulated by me in any of my official or advisory engagements or associations. Taking the instant subject as a backdrop, comments on various blogposts have been quite interesting and mottled, ranging from this blog being labelled a ‘mouthpiece of the government’ and ‘too pro-military’ to an array of other things on the other side of the spectrum.

I would hence like to discern whether you want views expressed on this blog to remain independent and autonomous or follow a policy of appeasement. Since the blog exists for you - the readers, I would like you to decide and comment.
Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh at 5:15 AM 28 comments
Labels: Misc
Friday, July 31, 2009