THE POLITICS OF IMPERIALISM
The following notes on Patrice Lumumba, the original Congolese Independence leader and patriot, has been presented in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba):
“Patrice Émery Lumumba (2 July 1925–17 January 1961) was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba’s government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis.. He was subsequently imprisoned and murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States”
Many such Independence leaders of almost ALL the tropics have either been eliminated or hounded out … the last such personality who was murdered under the US dictates was Saddam Hussein (whatever may be his deeds/ misdeeds) … many more are under the “watch list” and “hit list”
Now look very dispassionately at the differences between India and Pakistan.
Both India and Pakistan got independence (after a few hundred years of British colonial rule), almost simultaneously in 1947. Both the nations had exactly equivalent stalwarts and patriots (with two equivalent “giants” leading the two nations: Jawahar Lal Nehru in India and Mohammed Ali Jinnah in Pakistan) to carry forward with development of the two burgeoning new nations. But the similarities stopped there. Nehru, who had Vision, Mission and Imagination … decided to take up the onerous task of nation building through real SELF RELIANCE, independence and NON-ALIGNMENT, and the new concepts of Socialist Democracy and Panchsheel (keeping equivalent distance from both the Capitalist West and Communist Russia). On the other hand, although Jinnah was as much a modern secularist and knowledge-man as Nehru was, he decided to go the path of Muslim Theocratic State system and Total dependence on the West, especially the US. Rest is history, and we now see the real difference … with India, having matured to become a True Democratic nation, and Pakistan tending toward becoming a stateless anarchy or failed state! However, after Nehru’s death in 1964, in spite of the basic Democratic process working in some fashion in India, the dictates of the West (especially that of the US) is slowly and steadily creeping in. The last ten years (under the weak Government supported by disparate groups with the main Congress party as the “ring leader” group) have created the BEST opportunity for the US involvement in almost everything that India does/ or does not do! India too seem to be moving toward a sort of misrule, which if unchecked, would lead to a “Pakistan like” situation in the end. Interestingly, the perpetrators (or the initiators) of the same would be the very Congress party that was once the “hallmark” of Indian Democracy under Nehru. More over, today, there is a great “fashion”amongst so-called intellectuals and all “modern stalwarts” to pooh-pooh and belittle Nehru (who was a staunch supporter and initiator of Self Reliance through independent Policies and modern science), subtly supported by the Western world (mainly the US)
The aforementioned two sets of seemingly unconnected historical observations have something to tell us. One: Both show the manner in which the world is under the dictates of the Western nations (with the US being the “ring leader”), in spite of so-called independence and “freedom”. Two: Given a chance to think, plan and act independently based on Local Self Reliance, every nation would be able to develop appropriately.
PRESENT DAY REALITY IN TROPICAL (DEVELOPING) NATIONS
If we look at every Tropical nation … be it Congo/ Zaire, Indonesia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka or even India … almost all of them have great volumes of renewable resources; very high rainfall; very high populations; and a basic availability of almost all the needs of the people. Further, the western world (with the US leading in that) virtually depend on all of these nations for their different needs (in terms of many basic materials such as Sugar, Coffee, Tea, Vanilla, Flowers, various minerals, and even petroleum). Also, the west depends on the “cheap” labor of the Tropical nations for many of their needs (both within and without). A situation has been created whereby almost all the tropical nations have their entire economy being made to be dependent on some form of “exports” as decided and “dictated” by the western nations. It would be ironic to note that countries such as Brazil, India, and Sri Lanka are more interested in “exporting”Coffee/ Tea/ Rubber/ Vanilla … rather than develop own vegetation specie such as Coconuts, Babassu, Jack Fruits, and Palmyra. The different governments vie with one another in subsidizing “exports” so that each would compete with the other in supplying at the “lowest” rates to the western world, relegating their own better resources! For example, the Indian Government would go out of the way in subsidizing Coffee growers’ requirements than supporting Jack Fruit growing or Coconuts; so also is the case of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and so on. Similarly, a country like Kenya or Ethiopia have many local species that are to be developed rather than organizing agricultural practices based on alien hybrids, as needed by the western nations. The same thing holds good in the case of other farm practices such as animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries, etc.
The strangest phenomenon is that 100% of the education systems and education needs of all the tropical nations are tuned to “supply” manpower to the western world … mainly the US. Virtually every nation subsidizes their entire human resources development so that ONLY the Western nations are benefited. Every local university and institution would vie with one another in proclaiming that their curricula and courses would make sure that youngsters who take up such courses would have the “best chances to get FOREIGN jobs”. The net result is that while on the one hand there are no “educated” people within ones own nation to “think, plan, work and develop” own nation, on the other hand the greatest of the world resources (Human Resources) would be made available virtually FREE to the western world … finally resulting in less than mediocre people working within own native land!
Adding salt to the wound, almost all the economics development activities in the tropics are so organized and the government regulations so oriented that “imported” and alien systems and processes alone are encouraged. For example, in a country like India, whereas there are no real support and “tax benefits” to entrepreneurs who want to develop Local resources such as Bullock cart systems, Local vegetation systems and local medicines, the entire Western based Wind Mills, Solar systems, Biomass burning systems, Lighting systems, Construction methods… and the like are subsidized through Tax concessions and other doles. Here, we need to recognize that resources such as Bullocks and other farm animal systems are not merely to be brushed away as foolish or things of no consequence; but suffice it to note that if India were to develop the entire farm animal potential to supplement their energy needs, the total Biogas based power in India would be a whopping 45,000 MW to 50, 000 MW!!! The net results of such skewed policies of the Developing nation Governments are TWO NEGATIVES: One, local resources get relegated to second fiddle; Two, the ultimate economic benefits accrue ONLY to the Western world
WHAT IS CORRUPTION?
Having analyzed the basic root causes that negate appropriate economic developments in all tropical nations, including India, we need to look at one of the most weakening human conditions that self propagates under such negative economics growth … CORRUPTION. We cannot look at so-called corruption merely as the stashing away of money by various individuals and groups; but viewed from a more holistic angle, we need to accept the stark truth that almost the entire community has degenerated into various practices of corruption and surreptitious methods.
Let us consider ONE Example … that of God men and Goddess Women. Who are these God men and Goddess women? What are their specialties? How do they sustain such colossal “arrangements” and extravaganzas? Why are many Politicians, Rich people, and other such people flocking and surrounding them?
There are very many other phenomena such as “Donations” to Educational Institutions, Donations to “Charities”, Public Services such as Food Distribution, Fertilizer distribution, Industrial Land acquisition … and even Recruitment in the Armed Forces… almost the entire systems of Government controlled arrangements … Last, but not least, we must also seriously ponder why the so-called “whistle blowers” never come out in the open while in service… but start talking about these ONLY after Retirement!!!
Please also see: Why are we in Tropics Under-developed
I can only add a few points while fully agreeing with your views.
“that each would compete with the other in supplying at the “lowest” rates to the western world, relegating their own better resources! For example, the Indian Government would go out of the way in subsidizing Coffee growers’ requirements than supporting.”
xxx
The reason we vie to enslave our labour is because, we are chasing so called hard currency, i.e. the dollar. The question is, why do we need these papers called dollars?
No. There is no reason for India for instance to need dollars. Thus, were India to operate from the fact that, it does not need dollars, just as USA does not need rupees, India need not focus on these so called exports anymore, but, would rather focus internally on its people.
Thus, the problem lies wholy in 3rd world’s inability to understand money. And, the day we will appreciate what is money, we shall be free.
xxx
Let me add this. It seems to me that, there are four sure historically tested ways of enslaving man for the last 6000 years.
These are:
(a) keep a man ignorant, you can see what our education system is, brainwashing, or the role of priests in earlier times,
(b) monopolise land and its fruits, u can see that, we use our land to produce for others, you can also recall Gadhi’s match to collect salt which had been outlawed by the British,
(c) monopolise money, just see how we are competing to enslave our people so as to get access to monopolised money,
(d) to start the monopolisation process such as colonialism, use violence. Consequently, use violence to maintain that was gained via violence.
It seems to me that, ending money monopoly is the weak link which can be broken in a matter of hours. And, once that link is cut, there is nothing the West can do thereafter.
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Dear Mwaniki Gachuba
You have presented certain apt “economics” issues, which are being “refused to be seen” by so-called eminent economists in almost all Tropical nations. And, even if these REALITIES are to be “noted” by such “learned” men and women, they would, perhaps, accept Truth as TRUTH … only when Western Economists whet the same and “accept” them as “truth”.
Here I may point out some interesting phenomenon that occurs in all our nations. The said “interesting thing” is being noted from this writer’s own personal experience … Whenever, such “debatable” subjects (as has been presented in this blog) are exposed, in such an open manner, some of this writer’s closest friends would advise: “Hey! Why do you want to write all these? This would draw the wrath of the ‘powers that be’ (particularly the ‘world-watch’ personnel in the US) and you may be in trouble”
To all such persons who are wishing to be “slaves” in a world where Democracy, Independence, Self reliance, and Self Respect are being proclaimed as the ultimate Power of all Humans, the writer has this to say:
Having come to recognize the realities of the surroundings, and having learnt through personal experiences (through science, engineering, economics, human interactions and experimentation and conceptualization) of all these TRUTHS, if we are unable to present the matters to the world, there is NO MEANING of LIFE!!! And, the biggest CORRUPTION in a human is … NOT Telling the TRUTH in this manner!!!
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