Author Topic: ASC INTERACTIVE SESSION  (Read 2949 times)

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ASC INTERACTIVE SESSION
« on: October 28, 2010, 08:26:53 AM »
ASC INTERACTIVE SESSION
Dr Hans Frey, senior professor at ASC, Quaid-i-Azam University
Islamabad:Dr Hans Frey, senior professor at ASC, Quaid-i-Azam University, has said that outcome of US mid-term elections on Nov 4 will have repercussion for Pakistan in a scenario when India is now jumping to the side of US and Democrats may also jump to Indian side.
Dr Frey was speaking at an interactive session on ‘US mid-term elections 2010 — a Tea Party?”, organised by Area Study Centre, QAU, at Dr RA Khan Conference Hall, here on Wednesday.
Dr Rukhsana Qamber, Director of the Centre, moderated the proceedings. Zahida Umar coordinated the
seminar. Dr Frey said that Republicans generally were supportive of Pakistan but a change in the Congress could affect understanding between Islamabad and Washington as Kerry-Lugar Bill. He said that a capitalist and a German entrepreneur also supporting the Tea Party. He said that it is quite common that incumbency factor plays its role in the mid-term polls due to disillusionments. This time it is bigger as Republicans are fighting back due to economic problems as Obama administrations massively supported two banks bankrupted during Bush era.
He said that Obama wanted to spend money on social sector whereas Bush spending was on other areas. He said that Bush left huge debt which Democrats had to handle now but the administration was not strong enough to send across the message that turn around will take longer time as unemployment is more than 8 per cent. Obama could not realise many promises and healthcare situation is also not good, he said. There is a big movement within Democrats who worked for handling economic issues in domestic and international arena but see their high hopes dashing.
Dr Frey said that Republicans would gain if there is low turnout that is why Obama is asking people to come and vote. He said that Tea Party is a Right wing of Republicans who did not field candidates in many constituencies to ensure Democrats defeat.
Dr Qamber started with a speech of Barak Obama at the University of Washington where he said that Republicans were drawn into the ditch but now Democrats are in it. Referring to donkey, the election symbol of Democrats, she said in a lighter vein that it may mean hard work or collective ignorance.
She said that drawing from a 1,673 Boston Tea Party slogan, the current Tea Party is saying “No taxation with foolish distribution.” A student Raja Azhar said that the issues in this year include social security, healthcare, education, defence, foreign policy, Afghanistan and Iraq wars, unemployment, immigration and budget deficit. Another student Rashid Ali defined Tea Party starting in 2008 as a populist Right-wing, ultra-nationalist conservative party following a Fascist agenda.
Fareena Mughal, a student, said that over all, 37 seats are at stake due to the Tea Party phenomenon which is dangerous not only for Republicans whose votes it would divide but also for the ruling party. Answering a question, Dr Frey said that Tea Party now agrees for social agenda with a proviso that it should be done by civil society and not the government.The news