Date:13/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021354401002.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

On socialism

This refers to the article “Needed, a renewed socialist concern” (Feb. 5). Socialism achieved some degree of human dignity but did not create wealth. As pointed out by Alan Greenspan, once the German wall came down the result of laissez faire and a federally-controlled system was there for all to see. The difference between East and West Germany was too conclusive to be ignored. We cannot compare with Latin American countries because the success they have achieved is not because of their economic models. Whatever their mistakes, the stupendous rise in oil prices takes care of them. It is the Nordic countries which have the best socially equitable system. The system allows entrepreneurship to create wealth, and governance that ensures the use of such wealth for the betterment of all.

V. Rajan,

Thiruvananthapuram

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A dispassionate study of socialism and capitalism will show that both have their plus points and weaknesses. Socialism provides for a more equitable distribution of the fruits of society, and capitalism scores in productivity and efficiency. While the former encourages mediocrity and complacency, the latter puts the masses at the mercy of market forces. The best way to take a country forward would be to combine the best of both.

D. Balakrishnan,

Coimbatore

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We need a model resembling the attempts of Venezuela and Cuba. We need participatory democracy, not corporate-backed statism. Mainstream political parties, left to right, as well as the mass media, distract us from forming a coherent alternative worldview. It is imperative that we leverage information technology and the right to information to make both governments and private sector corporations more accountable. We also need to create new social spaces where burning issues can be discussed without being polarised or politicised as the mass media have totally failed us in this regard.

Dhruva Seshadri,

Vellore