Neelam Mathews
Dec 27,
2012
The ghost
of the adage, ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours,’ continues to flutter in
India’s corridors of power. Is it fact, imagination or just a strange coincidence that the day the two
Italian marines held for the killing of two fishermen off Kerala’s coast were
allowed to ‘go home for Christmas’ even
as two of the 12 ordered VVIPs AW101s flew to India? Wonder if the day will
come when all those on bail are permitted to fly to Bangkok or the US to celebrate Diwali or Eid with their families? Suppose
they miss their relatives too.
Coming
back to this issue, what in the blazes happened to defense minister A.K Antony
ensuring the bribery- report that emanated in Italy on the procurement of the
12 helicopters was shared with the Indian government before it accepted
delivery of the helicopters?
Here at
AerospaceDiary, we do feel that the government should put its foot down when
OEMs create issues to derail procurements when rejected. However, the issue
here is of consistency by the government that cannot back-track on its promise
to check first whether there was disregard for India’s sovereign law that does
not officially permit third party middlemen and bribes.
Ofcourse,
whether the marines return to Kerala to await their fate by Jan 10, remains to
be seen. Hopefully we as media, will not leave that as another forgotten story.
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