Dr R Neerunjun Gopee
Africa-Press – Mauritius. If there’s one issue that almost dominated conversations as we met family and friends during the end of year festive season, it was assuredly the extreme, oppressive heat heightened by equally high humidity.
There was no respite as we transitioned to January, in fact it seemed to get even worse, and in parts of the island was accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rains with unprecedented flooding.
Both literally and metaphorically, to use a phrase commonly taught during the schooldays of my generation, from the frying pan into the fire! Similar weather phenomena, involving extreme cold as well, are alas happening all over the world.
Experts say that over and above the natural cycles, much of what is taking place can be ascribed to the climate change that is impacting the globe, and which is the result of unbridled human activities and exploitations of natural resources.
As if these were not enough trouble, the beast in man keeps surfacing in fight-to-death competitions for power, fame, money, conquest, and domination, especially in the world of politics.
We need go no further than our own shores to witness the acrimonious narratives that have been making the waves and that will no doubt accentuate and become more strident, dirty even, as we approach the next election.
It is a forlorn wish to hope for a modicum of wisdom to be infused into the discourses – which one could justifiably expect from ageing politicians –, and that is a sad comment in regard to our upcoming generations who need more guiding vision than dark meaningless rhetoric.
Globally too.
However, matters seem to be no better at the global level either, where old conflicts persist along with new ones that reason says ought not to have been – but then who cares about reason in an atmosphere of hardened, even atavistic, ideological positionings? For example, on land along with the Ukraine war that is now in its second year, the Middle-East is again on fire triggered by the October attack on Israeli citizens as they were innocently enjoying a festival.
No one is venturing to make a prediction of when there will be a resolution, but such an eventuality keeps receding as stances become increasingly rigid on either side.
On the other hand, there are four hotspots that have the potential to escalate and complicate further an already troubled world situation. One is the attacks from Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, and recently a renewal of Somalian piracy in the Arabian Sea.
In Asia, against the backdrop of the ongoing China-Taiwan confrontation has erupted one between the Chinese and Philippine navies, over the disputed Spratly Islands where the Chinese have already built infrastructure.
In a speech delivered by Philippines’ president Marcos, he has vowed that his country will not give in to the Chinese at all. Besides, the right to global free navigation in the South China Sea is already in dispute.
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India as first responder in the Indian Ocean
As reported in an online report by Aaron Matthew Lariosa on January 7, 2024, titled ‘Indian Navy Retakes Merchant Ship From Armed Hijackers in the Arabian Sea’ the Indian Navy sprang into action when a ship was hijacked in the Arabian Sea which forms part of the Indian Ocean.
The report is as follows: ‘Indian Navy commandos secured the hijacked Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk last week after a 24-hour confrontation off the Somali Coast in the Arabian Sea.
This swift response comes as New Delhi reinforces its presence in the area, surging ships and aircraft to deter attacks on international shipping in the Western Indian Ocean Region. Five to six armed hijackers boarded Lila Norfolk on Thursday, which was sailing 450 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.
The crew of the Lila Norfolk, composed of 15 Indian and six Philippine nationals, sheltered from the hijackers in the bulk tanker’s citadel and were unharmed during the entire ordeal.
Indian naval forces deployed the destroyer INS Chennai (D65) as well as several helicopters and aircraft, including an American-built P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and a MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, in response.’
Source: Mauritius Times
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