The never ending story
Disclaimer: No disrespect intended to any elders. This is simply a promotion for a VRS. 
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has been Cuba's leader since 1959. He came to power in an armed revolution that overthrew the Presidency of Fulgencio Batista, and was shortly thereafter sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba. In 1965 he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 1976 he became President of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also held the supreme military rank of Comandante en Jefe ("Commander in Chief") of the Cuban armed forces. On July 31, 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery from an undisclosed digestive illness believed to have been diverticulitis, he transferred his responsibilities to the First Vice-President, his younger brother Raúl Castro. On February 19, 2008, five days before his mandate expired, he announced he would neither seek nor accept a new term as either president or commander-in-chief - source Wikipedia
No, I’m neither a fan of Fidel nor am I having a revolutionary; it’s just that an era has ended. The retirement age for people in public service (read government jobs) is 58-60. Just try telling it to the politicians. Their lust for power can be only ended in most cases by death, natural or otherwise.
We are supposedly a young nation with the youth taking centre stage in many fields except politics. Politics it seems is haunted by geriatrics not just in India but seems to be a global malaise. The front runners for the White House include a young upstart and a veteran old enough to be the father of the upstart. Fidel called it a day after so long but others just don’t get the picture. It beats me how those who are great grandfathers can rule a state? Surely they will have physical challenges? Age dulls the senses and retards motion for all but politicians. I’m not being uncharitable but a Chief Minister who cannot even stand up cannot be expected to stand up to the demands of the job even if the job may not be like Arjun’s portrayal in Muthalvan.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has been Cuba's leader since 1959. He came to power in an armed revolution that overthrew the Presidency of Fulgencio Batista, and was shortly thereafter sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba. In 1965 he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 1976 he became President of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also held the supreme military rank of Comandante en Jefe ("Commander in Chief") of the Cuban armed forces. On July 31, 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery from an undisclosed digestive illness believed to have been diverticulitis, he transferred his responsibilities to the First Vice-President, his younger brother Raúl Castro. On February 19, 2008, five days before his mandate expired, he announced he would neither seek nor accept a new term as either president or commander-in-chief - source Wikipedia
No, I’m neither a fan of Fidel nor am I having a revolutionary; it’s just that an era has ended. The retirement age for people in public service (read government jobs) is 58-60. Just try telling it to the politicians. Their lust for power can be only ended in most cases by death, natural or otherwise.
We are supposedly a young nation with the youth taking centre stage in many fields except politics. Politics it seems is haunted by geriatrics not just in India but seems to be a global malaise. The front runners for the White House include a young upstart and a veteran old enough to be the father of the upstart. Fidel called it a day after so long but others just don’t get the picture. It beats me how those who are great grandfathers can rule a state? Surely they will have physical challenges? Age dulls the senses and retards motion for all but politicians. I’m not being uncharitable but a Chief Minister who cannot even stand up cannot be expected to stand up to the demands of the job even if the job may not be like Arjun’s portrayal in Muthalvan.
Can you believe that the youth wing president of a regional party is a grand father? The entry of the second generation in many political parties seemed like a breath of fresh air, but till now they are under the wings of the retirement cases with little or no leverage.
Is power so intoxicating that it can rise above tedium, exhaustion, ill health, fear of assassinations?
Is death the only solution?
Is death the only solution?
"Is death the only solution?"
ReplyDeleteapparently so...
Had the same question about retirement age for politicians... I really do wish that would be so...
ReplyDeleteAnd another thing is, when education is so important for running companies (i'm not talking about the likes of Bill Gates who are natural geniuses and are above education) why is edu qualification not even a criteria for running a country... Well, even a state or a constituency...
i second bungi and i third bubbles
ReplyDeleteCastro was a visionary-and he was right,History DID absolve him!
ReplyDeleteYou ask - Is death the only solution.
You just answered that in your post-No, so is revolution.
Or you learn to live with the fact that the reason they're there is because they're wiser than the rest-and besides,anybody who can command respect without even standing up -as you put it-is a person of great stature!