Haresh Daswani: The Manila hostage crisis
The entire Manila hostage situation of close to 11 hours on Monday, Aug. 23, ended in a great tragedy with eight hostages dead. The greater tragedy was the complete lack of training, equipment and correct manpower to handle the situation.
The situation had 15 hostages in a bus with a furious gunman who had a demand. The negotiator for the situation has no trained experience in negotiating, other than being the vice mayor of the city, allowing the brother to go along and bring the letter while taking his gun away and arresting him only caused further panic for the gunman, and this is not where it ends.
The people sent to take care of the situation did not have any gear, did not cordon off the area, and had no training whatsoever in such a situation. They came in on a corner of the bus, scared of a bullet wound, using a sledgehammer on a window, which poses more risk of killing the hostage inside than saving the hostage. What is worse is the assault took a long one and a half hours, which is despicable in the field of warfare attack.
The moment one decides to storm a bus, it is supposed to be done in an act of shock and awe, to immediately surprise and disarm the gunman before he starts killing more people. A gunman who starts to panic will start to actually kill hostages to make his point and slow down the police in what they have been doing. Overall, it was a tragic mess that puts hostage resolution to shame. This unpreparedness presented to international media questions security as it also highlights that the entire failure and tragedy was done by only one person.
The failure of the police in resolving the situation cleanly will also put a dent on the tourism sector of the country. Hong Kong has already issued travel advisories, and other countries may follow suit. If terrorism was not bad enough in discouraging tourists from visiting, poor security will be.
For the most part, it is a loss because of the negative impression the general country will receive. The Philippines is indeed a beautiful, safe, and friendly country and Manila is seen as a hospitable city as well. It is sincerely hope that foreigners will see beyond the flaws and not keep the negative impression. For this to happen, the country has to commit to showing sincerity in having better security. More money has to be invested in ensuring the police are better trained and better equipped. The lack of training will mean investment on better equipment will be of no use. Both need to go hand in hand.
In time, it is hoped that such situation will never happen again, but in the event it does, may the situation not end with a tragedy.
Column by Haresh Daswani.
Haresh Daswani: Wealth, power and product lifecycle
After thorough reflection, one has to redefine wealth as having something of value that is beyond monetary. It is also seen that a person of great experience has a wealth of experience, or that a sociable person is wealthy with friends. What is of a newer view with wealth, albeit monetary or otherwise, is that anything one has of value, one is accountable for. Wealth is actually a liability in a sense that one is accountable for how is that of value being utilized. When there is accountability, then one understands that one therefore has no personal possession of anything of value, but responsibility.
It is therefore imperative that wealth be used in a holistically positive manner. Wealth, like leadership or authority, is not having power over the others, but being accountable to ensure that the noble intentions for the sake of creating positivity is therefore met and provided in the field of both private and public concerns. Wealth is responsibility over general affairs. This of course, does not mean that one who is materially wealthy involves all one’s wealth in charitable affairs. One who is financially wealthy should choose the proper utilization of one’s wealth. It should be of benefit to all which therefore makes its use dignified. One who uses wealth to cause harm is abusing wealth, and one who exploits or deceives the other to obtain wealth is also abusing wealth. Harm caused need not be to others, but to oneself as well. Abuse of wealth will, over time, cause one’s right to be accountable to diminish due to misuse. This has shown great evidence with titanic corporations who have been discovered to be abusive, and their consequences are deserving to their fate accordingly.
It is when one realizes that wealth is an accountability that one realizes the need to establish corporate social responsibility, for one to utilize not only financial wealth but one’s innate core competencies for the holistic benefit that one therefore finds themselves in a more sustainable state, with better peace of mind, and a more solid foundation built on strong values and ethics.
Another strong aspect that brings new light is discovering the use and benefit deriving action to consequence. In its primal state, one has an object utilized and gain its intended consequence as its output. What one has to review is the efficiency of use, on how much of the product is the actual intended output or consequence, and how much of the others become residual or side effects that might not have been intended, and how are these side effects also put to good use.
One can better understand this as consuming food for body sustenance, the amount of nutrients should be the intended consequence, but consuming the wrong food would also mean negative side effects to the body, resulting in inefficiency. The food consumed is therefore inefficient for the body, and its consequence will cause the body greater inefficiency.
The more focused and balanced one’s meal is, the more beneficial it becomes for the body, making it more efficient. But another side effect would be excrement, which is an actual vital source of nutrients for the flora genre. This side effect is not being put in proper use when sent through sewage, where it causes more harm than good when its decomposition does not become of benefit for the plants.
In this deeper point of reflection, one can see that there is much more that can be done with a few reflections in one’s choice of action. Priority should be given to one’s core design, to be of positive service for the universe and its greater good.
Column by Haresh Daswani. Submit guest columns, op-eds and letters to the editor at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Haresh Daswani: USA not the worst offender after all
Column by Haresh Daswani
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
The general public’s opinion that the USA is the worst offender in carbon emissions might actually be misguiding. Nationmaster’s list of carbon dioxide emissions per capita presents otherwise. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani: USA not the worst offender after all” »
Haresh Daswani: The true essence of male chivalry
Column by Haresh Daswani
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
One of the saddest points in male chivalry is the dying ethics and ettiquette of a man’s behavior in the presence of women. The biggest conflict noticed is the excuse men have that women wanted to be treated as equals, and therefore many acts would be deemed outdated.
The very point of male chivalry was to never look at a woman as a weaker gender, as what others depicted male chivalry to be, but in fact, a better appreciation of women. The very core feature is for us to remember and appreciate women’s roles in our society. They go beyond career as they do take on activities with the community, and even beyond is their active role in child rearing. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani: The true essence of male chivalry” »
Haresh Daswani | The importance of going environmental
There has been some important discussions on the past on the ecological cost of any action. What is just as urgent is the climatic effect of inaction.
Countless surveys have presented that we are all more than aware about our environment, and countless surveys have also presented that we are willing to do something. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | The importance of going environmental” »
Haresh Daswani | Students taking law into their own hands: When two nations do nothing
Indian students stabbed a man in self-defense after being abused and threatened. This is not how Indians react to situations, but after 11 Indians were brutally attacked in Australia, they have no choice.
The 11 Indians who were racially attacked received no response from the Indian government, which was a big disappointment given the severity of the situation. The United States, or other major countries, for that fact, would not have tolerated the act and would have taken some strong action against the situation. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | Students taking law into their own hands: When two nations do nothing” »
Haresh Daswani | Reality check on American cars
It is no longer just the cost of labor anymore. The biggest reality check American car companies should ask themselves is, Who wants to buy my car? Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | Reality check on American cars” »
Haresh Daswani | The New York Flyby
For those of you who have read the news, you would have noticed an article about the Air Force One jet doing a flyby in New York for a photoop. For whatever reason it was done, and strange enough, with all the people performing the act, this was in the books for ultimate stupidity. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | The New York Flyby” »
Haresh Daswani | Upcoming Middle East crisis: Handle with care
The new attack of Israel in Gaza and India’s and U.S.’s strong case against Pakistan will stir some very strong emotions amongst people radical extremists in the Middle East are trying to recruit. The whole ploy of these nations is to cause a negative propaganda, a one-sided story that pretends on the idea that they are the victims of crimes they did not commit. This is a negative chain reaction to which the demands do not even make proper sense; it seems that for the pure love of war do these extremists push their agenda. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | Upcoming Middle East crisis: Handle with care” »
Haresh Daswani | Mumbai Terrorist Attack: More has to be Done
The devastating attack on Mumbai in the evening of the 26th of November shows us the barbaric savagery of these terrorists. They have nothing to lose, and are willing to give their life to their irrational cause. These terrorists will still continue with their attacks, without a doubt, and with attacks this coordinated, international intelligence and security, we have just been presented just how vulnerable the world still is with terrorist attacks. Continue reading “Haresh Daswani | Mumbai Terrorist Attack: More has to be Done” »


















Haresh Daswani: On the greater reflections of living
Posted by afp on November 9, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The most compelling value we have is our natural inclination to seek our purpose to serve humanity not for our self but for the greater good, and this greater good is indeed beautiful, pure, and the causality of bliss.
One need not limit to the finite, and further limit and divide for the sake of the dictates of a society who knows less, and are inclined to follow through blind faith like lemmings off a cliff. Society knows less, and, through the wrong dictates of false models are molded towards devolution of thoughts and complete contentment on what is.
The world has grown out of curiosity, and the greatest of men and women are the greatest of rebels, who have sought to disobey the norms of society in their quest for truth, beauty, and purity. We lead our life not to fear death, but to make everyone’s life indeed worth living. That very value, in its very intrinsic core, is worth dying for indeed.
It is therefore, my greatest purpose, as it should be with those who see that we indeed do not have free will, that the more you know, the more you understand, the more you realize that there is no other action to choose other than what action leads to the best solution for society.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with haresh daswani