The Hindu : National : ``India should have veto power''

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 27, 2005

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National

``India should have veto power''

By Marcus Dam

Gunter Grass — File photo

KOLKATA, JAN. 26. ``India needs a stronger voice in the United Nations...even a seat in the Security Council with powers of veto'', the German Nobel laureate, Gunter Grass, said here today. This veto power should no longer be only the prerogative of ``countries like the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia,'' he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

The forces of globalisation sweeping across the world were resulting ``in the distance between the rich and the poor countries widening and that between the wealthy and the poor people even in countries like Germany growing,'' the novelist who is on a 10-day visit to Kolkata observed. ``What we need is a world government where the rich countries of the West will bring those belonging to the Third World on the same level... globalisation has only widened the disparities,'' Mr. Grass pointed out.

Defeat of BJP

On the political situation in India, he said: ``The defeat of the right-wing fascist Hindu party [the BJP] in the last elections was something that astonished everyone. The reason behind the defeat was a democratic movement growing in India in which it was the poor people who chose to bring about change. The future would have been terrible had it not been so.'' He hoped that ``the Government which the people had brought back to power does not forget to listen to the voices of change.''

``But'', he added, ``a change in society is only possible if the ignorance of the upper-classes and the middle-classes of [the reality] of people living in slums is removed.'' ``I have been shocked by this ignorance in Kolkata and we have it in Europe too. This is something which I like to criticise [in my books]. So many people always are speaking of the nice things; what is wrong with being critical?'' the novelist asked.

Kolkata's vitality

``It is Kolkata in which all the problems of the world is reflected that keeps me impressed with its vitality. I am inspired by the city which has changed my perspective of the world.... In Europe, there is always the danger of becoming adaptive to the Euro-centric view [on global matters],'' Mr. Grass said. Was he planning to write a book about a city which, like Danzig and Berlin had become a part of his psyche? ``Kolkata is in my dreams...even if I don't want to write about it could well happen,'' he answered. He was last in the city about 18 years ago when he spent about six months after which he transcribed his experiences in ``Show Your Tongue'' [1988] through prose, lyrics and drawings.

Yes the city has, most certainly, changed since then.

``Though the slums are still there, there are no more cows on the streets to regulate traffic,'' Mr. Grass said.

Influence of Gandhi

The former West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, is a leader whose Social Democratic credentials and call for ``world government'' the novelist describes as most relevant even today. And so is Gandhi.

``I am very astonished that the influence of Gandhi is still so strong in India. We will have to continue to remember him, he was a great person.''

Referring to the ``war crimes of the USA'' Mr. Grass said: ``I am very proud that our Government [Germany] said no [to the invasion of Iraq].'' ``It was terrible when we had two [super] powers in the world; now we have only one but it needs controlling.''.

Even on matters of culture ``the USA is trying to handle things as if they were motorcars. At least in Europe we try to protect culture.''

The future of the Left movement was ``a disaster.'' ``But because we have so much of misery we need a left movement that will grow up again,'' Mr. Grass said.

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