OPINION

Army above charter?

It didn't surprise me that the Constitutional Court exonerated PM Prayut Chan-o-cha (BP, Dec 3), but what freaked me out was the court's opinion.

The court said the army regulations allow former army commanders to reside in the army housing for free. The court added that PM Prayut lives there as a former army commander and not as PM. (As PM, he is forbidden by the constitution to accept favours or preferential treatment from government's agencies).

The court has sent a loud and clear message that the army regulations supersede the constitution. No wonder they commit coups on a whim with impunity.

As the presidential transition process is under way in the US, President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled his team of offi-cials for six key areas, including foreign policy. Currently, analyses have been made on how US foreign policy would be shaped under a Biden administration and also what his team of selected officials will add to the diplomatic mix. South Asia is no exception to this. Both India and Pakistan are keeping close tabs on the developing situation in Washington. In the past, Biden was known to have a very balanced approach on the Afghan issue as well as the security situation in South Asia. Hence, it offers some degree of hope to Pakistan in terms of foreign policy dividends for the Afghan peace process.

On the other hand, India is likely to be cautious in its approach, considering the bonhomie between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, which was clearly visible in the form of open support for Trump's election campaign. President Trump, in turn, stood by India against China during the recent India-China LAC conflict and also largely ignored the human rights violations in Kashmir. On the contrary, some Democrats have been openly criticising India over its handling of the disputed territory. Additionally, Afghanistan will also be hoping that Joe Biden remains committed to the peace process, which offers a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered people of the country. The US foreign policy tide is set to turn; it will be interesting to watch its impact on a volatile region of the world.

As a former public school teacher and parent in the US, I witnessed the shows of wealth and poverty in the dress of students from the poor to the wealthy areas I taught in. Wearing the latest designer clothing showed the economic differences of the students. Policing the revealing styles the girls wore is still a big problem in US public schools at the high school level. My children went to private school where uniforms were required. That experience taught me that school uniforms levelled the appearance of the students. Uniforms are also less costly than having to purchase the latest fashions every few months.

I cannot believe that parents are allowing this uniform argument to even exist as it will hurt the majority of the poor population here. Recycling uniforms also offers huge savings on student clothing. Count me as a uniform fan.