The UN rides a misnomer

The 64th session of the United Nations was held from September 23-29 at which 192 of its members of differing political hues and views set to reaffirm the global body’s founding charter and faith in the principles of peace, justice, human rights and equal opportunity for all. It has met ritually every September when the sheep, goats, wolves and hyenas of politics shared the world forum and pontificated from the podium lauding the international organisation.

One of the greatest ironies of this world body is that it is undemocratic and yet preaches to every country to uphold democracy and defend its values.

Occasionally, it takes punitive measures against those countries that replace it with authoritarian regimes.

Shaming Veto

Fiji is under notice to such effect.

Surprisingly, the UN has given veto powers to France, UK, US, Russia and China, who could annul any of its decisions unilaterally even if it was overwhelmingly approved by the member nations.

These five have exercised their rights that have shamed humanity. Their veto powers  were exercised against decisions taken by a majority in the UN.

China and Russia are blatant in their support of countries like Iran and North Korea. Their compunction for human rights is best unsaid. It does not exist. Even the US protects Israel’s excesses against the Palestinians, vetoing sanctions against it.

Most of these countries with veto powers have proven that their exercise of the veto rights have not been on moral or ethical grounds but based on what economic or political benefits they could achieve.

Iran and North Korea are on notice for sanctions but both are defiant because they know they will escape censure, that China and Russia will come to their rescue and that they can continue with their aims and objectives, defying the UN diktats with contempt.

Their actions inspire other rogue nations to ignore the directives of the UN and render it nincompoop.

The veto rights are at the core of such defiance.  Implications of this right given to the rich and powerful has made the world an unsafe place, as sanctions against the rogue nations cannot be applied effectively.

Rogues in power

If democracies are shaky and degenerative, the UN should share the blame because rogue leaders and nations protected clandestinely through its powerful members.

If the nations with veto rights are disappointing, think of those who sit in adjudication, as members of the august body with blood dripping from their hands!

Some of these so-called leaders deserved to be put behind bars indefinitely; instead, they hijacked the democratic processes and ended up in the parliaments of various nations.

Some are Presidents or Prime Ministers who ritually slaughter their people to hold on to power. Yet, their seat in the UN is secured and they even gain access to the pulpit to preach about democracy, good governance, transparency and accountability!

For example, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe should be charged for crimes against humanity and yet he was given not only a seat but also the honour to address the General Assembly and the demon spoke like a saint. He called for a substantial increase in investment in agriculture in developing countries and urged that provisions of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilisers and chemicals) be available to small-scale farmers, particularly women.

He called for channelling support towards agriculture, which had “dwindled” in recent decades, and urged the developed countries to lift or reduce agricultural subsidies and open their markets to developing nations.

The irony of his claim was that through his deliberate actions he made Zimbabwe, once dubbed the “Breadbasket of Africa” into a nation that begged for food to feed its hungry  millions. His forced re-possession of land, owned by white farmers and allocating it to his cronies was destined to have grave repercussions on Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector and its economy. The world watched, as this monster of Africa continued to destroy the lives  of farmers who sustained the economy of the country.

His cronies’ newfound prosperity did not last long. Those farms have reverted to bush, as farm machinery rot.

It is truly criminal that the UN gives such leaders legitimacy by allowing them to use its forum, thereby gaining credence at home.

I believe that the UN is the cause of sick democracies sprouting across the world and ominous signs now prevail that they will soon control it.

Bestowing governance of nations in the hands of good leaders is the primary challenge facing the world and climate change is secondary to it. Fix the leadership issue first and the climate change catastrophe will be averted. 

Rajendra Prasad is an independent thinker and writer on national and international issues. The views expressed by him in the above article are his own and not necessarily those of Indian Newslink.  Email: rajendra@tearsinparadise.co.nz