Not sure what you meant.
Anyway at least you were kind enough to read the first line.
Thanks for your generosity. And whats in a name a rose called by any
other name would smell just as sweet.
--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "Saj" <SAJJAD_PAK@...> wrote:
>
> Salam
>
> I did not read the whole article, only first line and your name.
>
> Now, I am sure that you will surely be able to understand that what
my answer is to your question.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Saj
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Adhiraj Bose
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 12:41 PM
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] bangladesh : a colony? of America?!
>
>
> Bangladesh: Sovereign Or Subsidiary?
>
> By Anu Muhammad
>
> 17 April, 2007
> Countercurrents.org
>
> 'World Capitalism (Bangladesh) Ltd', this was the title of an
article
> that I wrote 17 years ago to theorize the location of Bangladesh
in
> world capitalist system drawing parallel with the structural
setting
> of multinationals around the world. Multinational Corporations
are
> the institutional face of International monopoly capital, do
their
> business around the world with their subsidiaries. Subsidiaries
may
> have autonomy but that do work under global plan and strategy of
the
> corporate centre or principal. What I wanted to show that the
status
> of the peripheral countries like Bangladesh were gradually
turning
> into mere subsidiaries in global capitalist system.
>
> In the last 17 years global and local equations proceeded through
> simultaneous solving and confronting new variables. GATT (General
> Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) agreement opened up the globe for
the
> stronger Capital. Land, water, air, surface and underground
resources
> located in the third world or peripheral countries have become
> increasing target of profit making venture. Invisible Capital and
its
> visible fists do not accept the right of the people and the
nations
> over their own resources, even over their own lives. Therefore
the
> concept of common property is redundant, concept of human rights
in
> real terms also was marginalized. Essence of the global lords'
vision
> is to maximize profit by grabbing resources around the world.
Media,
> experts, consultants, civil society, military, bureaucracy, and
> politicians have always been under projects of scrutiny,
> marginalizing or bribing, moulding and twisting.
>
> II
>
> In this setting strategically important geographical location is
a
> curse of a weak country, so do its natural resources, if the
ruling
> class does not represent its own people. For capital, countries
like
> Bangladesh are not considered as country per se, it is just a
region
> for investment. Sovereignty, therefore, is an ornament in the
model.
> Neoclassical economics, favourite ideology of the corporates,
believe
> that there is nothing exists to be called national or interest.
> Everything is individual. But who are these individuals? Nobody
> except capital can have any individuality when capital rules. In
its
> hegemony it gives first lesson to everybody: look at the world
> through the eyes of capital, so much you see in that way, you may
> have a better future for yourself. All individuals become one;
the
> capital, the corporation, everything is for sale. Long term is
> nothing, as Keynes gave the sermon: in the long run we are all
dead.
> But what about our future generations? Forget them. What about
people
> around me? Don't give a damn. Make money by selling everything,
first
> your conscience!
>
> III
>
> Bangladesh had parliaments, had development programmes. However,
> these never interacted. Major economic decisions, those shape the
> direction of Bangladesh, have never been discussed in parliament.
The
> last GATT round that effectively opened Bangladesh for global
capital
> has been unknown to law makers and even bureaucrats till date.
The
> production sharing contracts (PSCs) signed on country's natural
> resources, which took away resources from the people of
Bangladesh to
> be handed over to multinational companies, were not discussed in
the
> parliament. The contracts on coal and natural gas have been kept
> secret till today, even parliamentary standing committee did not
dare
> insist to have a look at those. Bangladesh has eventually
abandoned
> its development planning in order to give space to the so called
> poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP), a vicious commodity
marketed
> by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, that was
> initiated to absolutize their control over policy making process
of
> these countries. Ironically planning ministry still exists. The
PRSP,
> that has become the 'economic constitution' of Bangladesh, was
never
> brought in the parliament to be discussed. Global institutions,
the
> World Bank- IMF-ADB etc, wrongly called donors, have gathered
enough
> maturity for lobbying and getting their 'good guys' (ministers,
> bureaurocrats...) in policy making to legitimize everything they
> want. Their agenda is simple: privatize everything, Bank, Port,
Gas,
> Coal, Water, Forest, Hospitals, Educational institutions to give
> business and authority to big companies.
>
> The people are happy to see the present caretaker government
express
> its commitment to uproot corruption, irregularities and
injustice. It
> has brought some big looters under legal scrutiny and is working
to
> make institutions work in some cases. Will it keep highly corrupt
and
> disastrous deals like Phulbari coal project to continue then?
Will it
> allow foreign companies, lobbying agencies and bigger plunderers
to
> grab our own resources, to have command over our own territory
after
> making the commitment to serve people's interest?
>
> IV
>
> 'Are we recolonised?'
>
> A friend of mine, an activist of the country, asked me a few
hours
> after President, Iajuddin Ahmed, proclaimed the state of
emergency on
> 11 January 2007.
>
> 'We have been in the colonial power frame, how can we be re-
> colonised? What is the big deal?'
>
> I replied reluctantly.
>
> His enthusiasm did not recede. He said,
>
> 'But you see, I know global imperialism controls everything in
our
> country. They protect and promote parties, groups those are
> convenient to retain their imperial control. Now they are not in
> supporting stage they are now trying to be in acting mode. Don't
you
> find this is significantly different?'
>
> V
>
> My friend, who is an expert in International Relations rushed to
my
> place and said,
>
> 'What is happening? Don't you think we are entering into a new
phase
> of governance?'
>
> 'Why?' I asked curiously.
>
> 'Because it is a coup with difference. It is coup conceived by
civil
> society on behalf of global corporate power represented by 'Big
apa'
> (US ambassador) and allies implemented with the help of coercive
> power.' She tried to explain.
>
> 'But these global corporates have everything in their hands, both
the
> allies have been competing with each other to offer more and more
> service they have been asking for. So, why they need a different
set
> up?'
>
> I tried to draw her attention to the ground reality.
>
> Nevertheless, she insisted,
>
> 'But the old set up was not working and moreover don't you think
they
> need more?'
>
> 'You see, all the thugs and plunderers who looted peoples money,
and
> sold our country to the foreigners are on the run. I feel happy
to
> see that', I continued with enthusiasm.
>
> 'But the policies of those goons continue. Moreover are you sure
the
> bigger fish is not behind?'
>
> VI
>
> My friend working with a network campaign against corporate and
IFIs
> (World Bank and IMF) crime phoned me after one month, 'is your
> country turning into Afghanistan?'
>
> 'It cannot be' I said. 'We do not have Talibans like Afghanistan;
> moreover we have far more developed institutions to resist that
kind
> of thing. We have people...'
>
> She seemed annoyed and said, 'I know how Talibans grew and how
they
> were used as excuses. I am talking about Hamid Karzai model.
> Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq....'
>
> 'Why?' I was naive.
>
> 'Can't you understand that the ex officials from World Bank or
global
> agencies or big businesspersons can be as good as an ex official
from
> UNOCAL. They are of the same generic code.'
>
> 'We are looking for a difference.' I said.
>
> VII
>
> 'Who is Dr. Yunus'? Asked non-residential Bangladeshi friend from
> Sweden at the end of February.
>
> I was surprised, however, replied, 'he won Nobel peace prize and
made
> Bangladesh known to the world.'
>
> He seemed impatient, said, 'I know that. But don't you see that
he
> seems to behave like public relations officer or, if you put it
in
> better way, a lobbyist of global corporate groups?'
>
> 'He loves business. He is highly successful in ideas, innovation
in
> business indeed. He deserved Nobel Prize much before for that. He
> wants to turn everybody in the country a successful businessman
or
> woman.'
>
> 'But not as entrepreneur but as nat boltu (nuts and bolts). I
know he
> loves rhetoric too, as he says, " our youth are the most
brilliant in
> the world", but he cannot rely on our youth to take charge of our
own
> port or develop our own mineral resources. He finds only western
big
> companies suitable for that. He says, "the hurdles on the way
should
> be removed" we find he means to remove hurdles for global
companies
> to grab our resources and sectors, he says " amrao pari [we
can]",
> here amra means clique favouring big companies and pari means to
give
> away own resources in favour of global plunderers like Nigeria or
> Argentina in the 1990s.'
>
> 'It seems that he is determined to play a leading role in
> governance.'
>
> VIII
>
> Global capital is in confrontation with people all over the
world,
> among others, on three issues: (a) whether people and the country
> should own and have authority over their own lives and natural
> resources or global corporates should be allowed to take over;
(b)
> Whether natural resources should be used or preserved for the
maximum
> utilization for the development of the country or to be extracted
in
> a big way to maximize profit of foreign big companies; and (c)
> whether resources will remain common property or turned into
private
> property of corporates. Bangladesh needs to answer these too.
People
> in general and Phulbari in particular and many experts opine in
> favour of utilizing resources for people as common property.
Their
> verdict is simple: we need our limited resources badly for our
own
> development; we cannot let that to be plundered by leaving
disaster
> for us.
>
> IX
>
> We need to free the country from corrupt and criminals; to
sustain
> that we need to change the policy framework that create and
recreate
> power of corrupts; to make that meaningful we need to make our
> country belong to our people. Whether Bangladesh will be reduced
> permanently to the status of a subsidiary company in world
capitalist
> arrangement or will act as a sovereign nation depends now mostly
on
> the rulers who are in the driving seat and have to make the
choice.
> We are also living under US regime of global terror.
>
> The crucial question therefore remains to be answered, whom our
> rulers would like to represent: people of this country or global
> corporate and terrorist power that lives on corrupts and
criminals?
> This is an acid test indeed.
>
------------------------------------
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.comYahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:alochona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:alochona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
alochona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/