Chief Minister of Kerala | media laundry- @Dhobitalao

K.P. Sasi, a film maker, cartoonist and a writer writes in his article titled When Spies Rule The World in Countercurrents.org:

…..Instead of an open apology for the communal witch hunt through e-mail spying, The Oommen Chandy Government is trying to get new victims from the minorities connecting them with the e-mail issue. The provocation against Advocate Shahnawas as being admitted by the authorities is that he played a role in bringing out the e-mail issue with Viju V. Nair in an attempt to communalise the issue. Anybody with the right frame of mind can understand who is playing the communal card. If Oommen Chandy wishes to maintain a secular image, immediate action has to be taken on those who are responsible for violating the privacy rights of his electorate and not action on those who are responsible for bringing out the story to the public.

….But the real debate should be on the next two responses of the Chief Minister: 1. That the surveillance was a `routine exercise’ and therefore, there is no need to make a hue and cry on this, 2. Madhyamam weekly is trying to communalise the issue. These are the real issues that must be debated in Kerala.

….The real shame for Kerala brought out by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is the statement that surveillance is a `routine exercise’. Here is a Chief Minister who has the guts to tell the civil society of Kerala that his Government along with his police machinery has a right to invade into the privacy of anybody on the pretext of national security.

….Out of 268 people whose e-mails have been surveiled, 258 people are Muslims. The question here is that in a state where only 26 per cent of the population are Muslims, why 95 percent of the surveilled are Muslims? Who is playing the communal card here? Is it Madhyamam weekly, Advocate Shahnawas or Oommen Chandi? The answer is obvious to any thinking citizen.

…..Nobody in the list of 268 people had any criminal records. It had many important people like teachers, professionals, businessmen, politician and more important: it included Muslim journalists in the mainstream media of Kerala, like Mathrubhumi, Madhyamam, Chandrika, Thejas, etc. For the full list of people under surveillance, click here.

…..The Chief Minister can express a sigh of relief due to one fact: That he is not the only spy. Even Manmohan Singh is trying to master this art of spying.