by B. R. GOWANI
President Donald Trump, like a terminally ill person who has little time left, has within a week after coming to power issued several orders which are dangerous, racial, and communal. He has also repeated his election pledge of building a wall along the remaining unfenced 1000 miles of the 1,900 miles long US/Mexico border and making Mexico pay the cost which runs into tens of billions of dollars.
“I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I build them very inexpensively.”
Trump’s declaration to build a wall, just a week before the Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s US visit, led the latter to cancel his trip. Trump is fine with it. He said:
“If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”
The idea of a wall is very repulsive and is intended to create more distance and rift between the two next door neighbors. It is Trump’s idea because he thinks that the United States is a victim and so Mexico must be stopped from enriching itself at US expense.
“[The Mexican president and I] had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico. I love the Mexican people… but as you know, Mexico… has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp.”
Trump had, in the past, labelled some Mexicans as “rapists” and “criminals.” Trump can’t and shouldn’t ask Mexico to bear the cost of the wall because the disgusting idea is Trump’s. Mexico’s refusal to bear the cost has now led Trump administration to float an idea of imposing 20% tariff on goods coming from Mexico. This will hurt the customers in the US due to price increase and also the Mexican businesses because the demand for their goods will go down.
In another move, Trump banned Muslims from seven countries (Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen) from entering the US. The reason given by Trump is “terrorism.” Most of the attackers of the 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia where Trump has business and so it’s missing from the list. Trump has put a ban on refugees but is going to take in Christian refugees.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (Connecticut) was on target when he criticized Trump’s ban order and rightly pointed out the tragedy of the people of the banned countries:
“We bomb your country, creating a humanitarian nightmare, then lock you inside. That’s a horror movie, not a foreign policy.”
The ban is not only immoral but is also communal because it prefers one community over another.
Trump also wants to increase the military spending. In 2015, the amount allocated for defense was $596 billion which was almost the same amount the next eight countries combined spent on their defense!
Open discrimination, communalism, and an increase in already bloated defense spending are serious matters and must be fought back immediately. Making fun of Trump on Saturday Night Live, Bill Maher Show, late night shows, etc. is not enough. History has plenty of examples where such jokers turn into fascists in no time.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com