Truth must come out of Hutton inquiry?
Dr. Zakir Husain, On e-mail
Hearings of the Hutton Inquiry concluded with the Queen's Counsels making their closing statements. Anyone following the proceedings cannot but be struck by the layers of lies and deceptions that were peeled; disgusted too by the indecent way David Kelly, a civil servant of such a high standing, was used by the government he served, in its fight with the BBC.Even more astounding is the persistent denial by the government counsel that nothing wrong was done in the Kelly affair or in the Iraq war. Such is the level of decay, such is the extent of deception the spinners of evidence have come up with. Government of Mr. Blair has lost the ability to introspect and accept mistakes with humility; lost its respect for public opinion and even its respect for decency and human sensitivity. The way Dr. Kelly and his family have been treated should make any civil servant squirm in anguish. Mr. Blair, notwithstanding all the technical nuances and stubborn defiance by the government counsel, has no alternative but to take full responsibility for all the misdeeds of some members in his government. The inquiry revealed he has been personally involved in some of the decisions that were taken. No wonder British public opinion lost trust in him and not surprising that liberal democrats won the latest by- election in the UK. Even those avowedly loyal to Mr. Blair will admit he no more can afford to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with his mentor George Bush in any future coalition, even though Secretary Straw valiantly told the UN General Assembly that the Coalition will not flinch in Iraq. Secretary Straw with nearly straight face told the UN General Assembly tonight how keen the Coalition was to allow "self rule" to Iraq, glibly suggesting to leaders of the world how unwise it would be to return the stolen sovereignty back to the Iraqi people before they are ready. The Hutton inquiry ended with a terrible "exposure" that will shame even to the most shameless. Lord Hutton no doubt will dutifully write his report by December 2003. But will that be the end of this affair? Is the end only the beginning of a deeper and broader inquiry to follow? An inquiry that will probe into the serial deceptions, hypes, manipulations, and spinning -- all of these crafted to make a case for an unnecessary, illegal, and unjust war. The way British Parliament was lied to, to garner votes for war; the sovereignty of Iraq stolen and its people thrown into such misery and suffering need to be exposed to restore faith in the British democracy. This much must be said of British democracy. And, with few warts in its face, it is still in its best tradition and does reassert itself at the end of the day. We expect therefore a deeper and broader inquiry, preferably nothing less than a judicial inquiry, as per the wish of the British public. Calumny and conceit must have limits. If and when they surpass limits, an exposure must follow.
|
|
