Resist Bio-Imperialism
By Vandana Shiva and Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Driven by the world bank and world Trade organisation, water- our common life support – is being privatised, commodified and destroyed. The Doha declaration of the WTO is an attempt to privatise water by forcing removal of “all tariff and non –tariff barriers to trade in environmental success” we reject free trade in water which is destroying water wealth and robbing being of water Water can not be owned, controlled, exploited bought and sold by a handful of multi national corporate like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Suez, Vivaldi, Bechtal etc. No government has the right to give rights to corporate to rape the earth and make profits out of destroying life.
What about the central Government decision to link water bodies?
We condemn the Government’s ecologically devastating plan to link India’s rivers for 200 billion dollars. The “river linking project” should be called “the river privatisation project” we will not let our
rivers be privatised. We will undo the logic of Privatisation of water through our movements and our
moral strength. Owning and selling water is perverse and non-sustainable. We will liberate our rivers and water from the corporate. Privatisation means water wars. We want justice we want sustainability we want peace.
How war against Iraq is connected with water issues?
War against Iraq is war against the world. It is the imperial greed with which while Iraqis were bombed, killed and the water systems destroyed. The first thing they had done was, destroyed water systems, US corporate like Bichetl were already being given contracts for water. Control over food and water is part of Imperialism, which decide the economy as a genocide .So anti-globalisation movement is anti militaristic movement.
Is it connected with internal militarisation also? Is it relevant in Gujarath carnival?
Religious fundamentalism is an imperial agenda, which is practiced by Sangh parivar in India. It was the old British strategy, applied to divide and rule . The same is part of globalisation today. Mr, Bush is part of religious fundamentalism. The Gujarath carnival acted as a smoke screen to activate anti Swadeshi policy. Gujarath is a mask to support WTO. BT Cotton, water policy and patent right act are examples. The agricultural agreement loots our food, the property rights agreement loot
our bio diversity and the general trade agreement loots our water. This is not Swadeshi , but stifling Swadeshi . BJP destroyed the term. They should be banned to use the term and let the people to useSwadeshi.
What is the relevance eof local resistance like that of Plachimada in resisting global agenda?
At the front line of the struggle against one of the world’s biggest corporate giants, Coca-Cola, something holds the tribals together. It is the relationship with their land and water. Just as Gandhi put Dandi on the map of world history, a little hamlet of tribals in Plachimada put on the map in defense of the earth and in resistance to corporate monopolies over life itself – our bio diversity and seeds, our water and our food. It is the real freedom movement- ­freedom for the earth – beginning with the adivasis, the first people.
To the global corporations, to the WTO, to the world Bank and to the Governments which act in “ Partnership” with these corrupt companion and organisations we say “ the world is not for sale” we commit ourselves to the protection of bio diversity and water as “Commons” to which local comities belong. Resist privatisation of bio diversity through patents and privatisation of water through “ Private – public partnerships” we will not accept this new imperialism and hydro dictatorship.
(Ratheesh Kaliyadan is an Indian Journalist,who
specialises in Environmental Reporting)