INDIA NEWS
EDITORIAL
May 16-31, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 21
From the editor's desk France rejects far-right
Andrew “Roy” Symonds: Gone too soon In a day of mixed emotions, the sporting fraternity in India and Australia, celebrated the historic and maiden badminton win at the Thomas Cup, and mourned the loss of one of Australia’s most impactful cricketers — Andrew “Roy” Symonds — in a car crash in Townsville, North Queensland at the age of 46. He is survived by two kids and wife Laura. For the world of cricket, especially Australia, it is like an unending bad dream. Last year, Australia witnessed the passing away of Dean Jones, and in 2022, Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne in a span of 24 hours. And now Andrew Symonds! Many astrologers and pundits in India would be recommending some puja or prayers to calm planets and smother their ill-effects on Australian cricket. But for now, the cricket tragics in India and the world over are in a very somber mood hearing of this shocking news early morning. With India, Roy has had a love hate relationship, which culminated in the 2008 “Monkey Gate” controversy during the 2008 Sydney test, which turned out to be a turning point in his
career, largely mentally. After Harbhajan Singh’s exoneration— which Roy believed was due to Cricket Australia buckling under the BCCI pressure— he never could fully recover. Over time, many of his diehard mates, including Captain Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Bulls mate James Hopes among others, were seeing changes creeping in his personality, public conduct and lifestyle to his detriment. Roy played his last game in 2009, and retired from all forms in 2012. In 2005 and 2009 he was been dropped from the squad over alcohol related incidents, something which became a recurring theme. His redemption, though, came in 2011 when during the IPL a tearful Harbhajan Singh hugged him and buried the hatchet, and both moved past the Monkeygate saga. By then it was a tad too late for him career wise. He was the second most expensive player to be auctioned after M. S. Dhoni in the history of IPL, for $1.5 million. Roy played 26 tests (1462 runs and 24 wickets), 198 one-day internationals (5088 runs and 133 wickets) and 14
By Asad Mirza
French President Emmanuel Macron clinched another fiveyear term in the Elysee Palace, becoming the third politician to achieve this feat. His victory also bought sighs of relief, from Brussels to Washington. Macron beat out far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections, a contest that risked shattering the Western alliance against Russia, and jeopardising the very survival of the European Union (EU). In 2017, 39-year-old Macron shot to power as an outsider, with a 32-point lead over Le Pen, by promising to modernise what he called an arthritic, over-regulated country. In the past five years, he streamlined French labour laws and scrapped the wealth tax. But he was forced to drop an increase in fuel tax, when the plan sparked the so-called “yellow vest” movement, with explosive protests rocking the country for months in 2018 and 2019. Further the Ukraine war thrust Macron into the role as the EU’s major conduit to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This time, Macron won 58.54 percent of the vote, with a shrunken margin of 16.4 percent of victory. This signals the fraught political divide in the French electorate, in addition about 28.2 percent of the electorate did not vote at all, the highest abstention rate since 1969, with many people saying in recent days that they rejected both choices on the ballot. This echoes the sentiment across France, particularly amongst its young population. They consider Macron as the lesser of the two evils, due to his policies in the last five years. Furthermore Macron tried more to be seen as an international statesman and leading the EU, after the UK’s exit and focusing less on the country’s political issues.
T20s (337 runs and 8 wickets). He scored 6 centuries and 24 fifties in his ODI career, including the swashbuckling 143 off 125 balls against Pakistan, in the 2003 world cup, when the top order had collapsed. He played a sheet anchor roll in Australia’s two cricket world cup wins in 2003 and 2007. His county record of 16 sixes in an innings against Gloucestershire remained unbroken for 20 years, and he always was a live wire on the field with his sharp fielding and golden arm bowling. As a batsman he was regarded as a game-changer by his opponents. Roy was a fighter, and his biography’s co-author Stephen Gray (Roy: Going for the Broke) shared that once he was on a fishing trip in 1999,
www.indianews.com.au
with his teammate and fellow Queenslander Matthew Hayden off the Queensland North Stradbroke Island, when their boat sank. Unfazed, they swam from three hours in the sharkinfested waters to a nearby island, to be rescued later. Perhaps, his inner demons got the better of him to prematurely end his cricketing career, but for the world of cricket his contribution as a game-changer will remain etched in the annals for posterity. On behalf of 1.3 billion Indians, India News Australia, Institute for Australia India Engagement and Australia India Business Council, I express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. It was delight seeing him in action at the Gabba in person. Vale Roy!
In his victory speech the night of April 24, when the run-off election was held, Macron accepted that many in this country voted for him not because they support his ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. Changing face of the French politics The main cause of concern after the French presidential elections is that they mainstreamed the underlying far-right sentiments in French society. This resulted in the emergence of Le Pen and another far-right party, the Reconquete!, run by Eric Zemmour, which advocates xenophobia, anti-immigration and anti-Islam.
its biggest share of the votes in the presidential elections, so far. Hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came a close third behind Le Pen in the first round, immediately labelled the forthcoming parliamentary elections a “third round” of the presidential election. France today seems to be under the peril of the far-right. Le Pen increasing her votes by 7.5 percent is clear proof of it. Besides, Macron, who has espoused a very provocative anti-Islam discourse and made controversial statements on Islam, was reelected. This official French discourse and these actions feed the discourse of French identity and the acceptance of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the public space. In the end, the election came down to which candidate French voters dislike the least: a President who is largely seen as out of touch with France, or a contender best known for her anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate that has been further normalised by Macron, the media and the Parisian elite in the last five years. Challenges before Macron If Macron wants to consolidate his victory then firstly he needs to ensure that in the forthcoming parliamentary elections on June 12-19, his party La Republique en Marche (LaREM) and its allies secure a majority of 289 MPs in the 577-seat lower house. Secondly, Macron needs to control inflation and rising prices of gas and electricity. He would also have to introduce measures and greater support for the lowpaid and self-employed, besides implementing the pension reforms he failed to implement in his first mandate, raising the retirement age progressively to 65 by 2031. At the international level he’ll have to secure the EU’s external borders and controlling clandestine migration, developing a European economic “growth model” based on hi-tech investment, in the remaining two months of France’s six-month presidency of the EU. Macron’s wish to be an outspoken defender of western values with a clear desire to shape world events may consolidate further during these two months. Most importantly he’ll have to reconnect with the French voters, particularly the young and rural voters. About two-
thirds of the electorate did not vote for him. The Guardian in its editorial opines that Macron has acknowledged this and he must prioritise rebuilding ties with those who stayed away, or lent him their vote solely to block Le Pen. He has promised to listen and consult more. He will have to. In fact during the last five years, the disenchantment of the younger population increased and was successfully exploited at both ends of the political discourse, by Melenchon on the Left and Le Pen and Zemmour on the Right. To set things right for both France and himself, Macron will have to work hard to win back this disgruntled constituent and also the absentees. This coupled with demands to change the presidential role as fashioned by General Charles de Gaulle have long pointed to fundamental defects in France’s Fifth Republic, and there have been demands for a changed system of governance, Macron will have to tackle that too prudently. Indo-French ties Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Macron on May 4 in Paris. Indo-French ties have strengthened during the recent years, but at the forthcoming meeting both leaders should aim for far-reaching and long-lasting agreements -- economic, military, nuclear, geographical, keeping bilateral interests in mind. Now with the UK out of the EU, France could act as India’s gateway to the EU. Both countries enjoy a strong partnership in defence, which could be extended to other sectors too. Bilateral trade in 2021 increased for both countries. In addition France has emerged as a major source of FDI for India with more than 1,000 French businesses already functioning in India. The highest French FDI equity inflows are in the services sector. The MacronModi meeting could be utilised to further increase these thriving ties. Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. The views expressed are personal
In his victory speech in May 2017, Macron had promised to stop the rise of the far-right party and fight political extremism. But five years later, the far-right party has become stronger, forcing Macron to take a more defensive position. The results also gave the far right
facebook.com/indianewsaustralia
12
