Pak democratic whispers
THE initial calm in Pakistan, after the ouster of Mr Nawaz Sharif and the initiation of yet another bout of military rule by General Parvez Musharraf, was widely interpreted as the acceptance of a new, and possibly, corruption-free and transparent dispensation.

AMU needs help
ALIGARH Muslim University was once counted among the premier centres of higher learning in the country. But the appointment of a succession of incompetent vice-chancellors during the past decade has earned for the university the undeserved epithet of ‘‘centre of crime and corruption’’.

CHALLENGES BEFORE THE UN
The way to ensure human survival
by Sampooran Singh
OURS is a century dominated by science and technology. The epochal discoveries: (a) physicists have come to see that all their theories of natural phenomena, including the “laws” they describe are constructs of the human mind-brain-body system; properties of our conceptual map of reality, rather than of Reality (the Universal Consciousness) itself;

Public life: striking example
by Surinder Kumar Singla
CP(M) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet’s decision to donate his entire assets, including his pension money, to the cause of his party is a pleasant surprise in an otherwise cesspool of politics of amassing wealth.

Seattle debacle: Time for introspection
By M.S.N. Menon
THE Seattle conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has flopped. It was inevitable, for it told lies far too often. No one believes them anymore. The conference failed for another reason: even its inauguration was not permitted by a massive mob of protesters. For the first time, NGOs from different countries organised themselves on a global basis against the objectives of the WTO. It was a unique event.

75 Years Ago

December 10, 1924
The Mahatma and the Franchise

Pak democratic whispers

THE initial calm in Pakistan, after the ouster of Mr Nawaz Sharif and the initiation of yet another bout of military rule by General Parvez Musharraf, was widely interpreted as the acceptance of a new, and possibly, corruption-free and transparent dispensation. The sacked army chief dismissed the elected Prime Minister and replaced democratic institutions with authorities of his own choice. Things happened fast. The nation was not euphoric; it was numb. Two months later, 12 political parties — describing themselves as nationalist organisations — have spoken together and asked the army to ‘‘go back to the barracks’’. The parties are from Sind, Baluchistan and Punjab. Their spokesman is the acknowledged Baluch leader, with a tribal background, Mr Ataullah Mengal. He has formed an organisation and christened it as ‘‘The Pakistan Oppressed Nation(s) Front’’. He has criticised the army’s role in 52 years of his country’s existence. If the people reject army rule under proper guidance, no autocrat can succeed in keeping them in subjugation. However, the Mengal front’s nascent movement would need much hope, faith, struggle and suffering to achieve its objective — the restoration of democracy. Remember Edward Murrow’s words? ‘‘No one man can terrorise a whole nation unless we all are his accomplices’’. Partition came with democratic rule in Pakistan but the system of direct self-government was not allowed to take roots in the basically theocratic country.

All dictators have claimed to be the saviours of the rights of the people in India’s neighbourhood. Think of the Ayub referendum. ‘‘Basic democrats’’ were asked: ‘‘Have you confidence in President Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, Hilal-e-Pakistan, Hilal-e-Jurrat?’’ The 80,000- strong selective electoral college responded expectedly. As many as 85.6 per cent of the members replied in the affirmative. General Yahya Khan lost the Bangladesh war claiming popular support and faded away. General Zia-ul-Haq’s overwhelming referendum asked this: ‘‘Do you endorse the process initiated by the President....? Are you in favour of the consolidation of that process...?’’ He showed a massive vote to the world in his favour by the people. General Musharraf is planning his own referendum which is likely to be held after a Supreme Court case is decided. Guided democracy, basic democracy, democracy by another name given to it by General Musharraf — and then this Mengal democracy! All dictators — and most ‘‘democrats’’ — have fooled and plundered the Pakistanis. Mr Mengal will find General Musharraf and the company, of which he is the Chief Executive, formidable silencers and sources of autocracy. After the General’s terrorist courts give their verdict and the much trumpeted anti-corruption drive ends with the political end of Mr Nawaz Sharif, Ms Benazir Bhutto and their cronies, the audible stirrings of the new pro-democracy factor might get a chance to be heard. As of now, sanity seems to have been deposed in Pakistan.

AMU needs help

ALIGARH Muslim University was once counted among the premier centres of higher learning in the country. But the appointment of a succession of incompetent vice-chancellors during the past decade has earned for the university the undeserved epithet of ‘‘centre of crime and corruption’’. It was the ‘‘acting up’’ of the crime factor which forced Vice-Chancellor Mahmoodur Rahman to declare a one-month-long winter vacation in the hope that the situation would have returned to normal when the university would re-open in the next millennium. The incidents of violence on the campus over the past one week once again exposed the inefficiency of the university administration in keeping criminal elements at bay. What began as a minor agitation over the introduction of the ‘‘term system’’ of examination turned bloody and violent because the administration failed to stop the entry of certain rusticated students, with criminal backgrounds, in the university premises. They caught hold of a senior staff member and attacked him with knives. The next day the goons became even more bold. Some miscreants on motorcycles damaged property in two hostels and attacked the provost’s office with petrol bombs. What is strange is that even the presence of a contingent of the Rapid Action Force, for assisting the civil police in restoring peace on the campus, failed to deter the malcontents from letting loose a reign of terror on the campus. Since AMU is a Central university the HRD Ministry should set up a special cell for identifying the factors responsible for the recurrence of incidents of violence at least once a year if not more often.

There are those who believe that the ‘‘Bihar factor’’ now plays a major role in disturbing the academic ambience of the university which has produced a galaxy of outstanding scholars ever since it was established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan for encouraging Muslim students to broaden their vision by interacting with teachers and scholars from other cultures and communities. The rumpus over the first position in this year’s MBBS examination going to Misa, daughter of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, exemplifies how the ‘‘Bihar factor’’ makes every Indian diploma and degree look spurious. Misa was found unfit for taking the class XII examination. However, she managed to take the examination thanks to the benevolence of a board which is not particular about the competence of the candidates allowed to appear. Misa obtained 92 per cent marks! In spite of her getting impossible marks in the plus two examination she was again found lacking in merit for admission to the medical course of Patna Medical College. But a medical college in Magadh obliged her and from there she managed to ‘‘migrate’’ to Patna. Before more deserving MBBS students could recover from the shock Misa had walked away with the top position. Students like Misa come in droves to AMU with such high marks in the last qualifying examination as would make the world’s most outstanding scholar suspect his or her own merit. Whatever may be the other shortcomings of Aligarh University lack of competent lecturers or professors is not one of them. The more serious examination system at AMU exposes the scale of ignorance of students from Bihar. For them any excuse is good enough for starting an agitation with the specific purpose of disrupting the examination schedule. Of course, reports are silent on the background of the students who started the campaign against the introduction of the term system in which examinations would be held twice instead of once a year. Whatever be the reasons for the latest round of violence the Vice-Chancellor would ultimately have to take most of the blame for the unhappy state of affairs in the university which has seen better days under Dr Zakir Hussain, Col Bashir Husain Zaidi, Ali Yavar Jung and Badruddin Tayyabji.

CHALLENGES BEFORE THE UN
The way to ensure human survival
by Sampooran Singh

OURS is a century dominated by science and technology. The epochal discoveries: (a) physicists have come to see that all their theories of natural phenomena, including the “laws” they describe are constructs of the human mind-brain-body system; properties of our conceptual map of reality, rather than of Reality (the Universal Consciousness) itself; (b) many eminent scientists have accepted the consciousness as fundamental and all events/processes/existences as manifestations of consciousness; and (c) the universe is an integrated and self-energising system where everything is interrelated and interpenetrated.

An astute observer sees that all human life is in a state of turmoil. Politically, economically, socially and even culturally, human life seems to be going through a grave crisis. The world today is full of explosive spots scattered on the globe. The clarion call is the need to create a world of freedom, non-violence, peace, security and the development and growth of mankind. Leaders from all over the world will go to New York for the Millennium Summit in October, 2000, to consider the challenges ahead and what the UN can do to face them.

The threats and challenges facing mankind, as experienced during the last few decades, are:

(a) Terrorism, hijacking, religious fundamentalism, ethnic conflicts, organised crime, drug-trafficking, corruption, population transfer, appalling brutalities, and so on.

(b) Environmental problems or ecological challenges are by definition global. There are simply no partial solutions to such problems as global warming and attenuation of the ozone layer, river and ocean pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation and desertification, the alarming vanishing rate of animal species. Man has raped, pillaged and polluted the planet, including its water and air, to the point where the very life support systems that sustain us are on the brink of collapse. Mr Al Gore (Vice-President, USA) had deep introspection on the world’s ecological balance and concluded, “I am convinced that it is outer manifestation of an inner crisis, that is, for lack of a better word, spiritual ... civilisation is now capable of destroying itself.”

(c) The Committee on Science and Technology, USA, submitted in June, 1981, a lengthy report to the House of Representatives, which encouraged serious assessment of further research on “the physics of consciousness”.

(d) The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issued a “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity” in April, 1993, signed by over 1670 scientists, including 104 Nobel Laureates, concluding that “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course .... A new ethic is required — a new attitude towards discharging our responsibility for caring for ourselves and for the earth.” The resolution of the challenges facing mankind lies in restructuring a new ethics, human values, and fostering love and compassion between human beings. As every event/existence is interrelated and interpenetrated, the responsibility is not towards the survival of oneself but for the human race.

(e) The 1993 Parliament of World’s Religions, Chicago, concluded, “Peace eludes us ... the planet is being destroyed ... Neighbours live in fear ... women and men are estranged from each other ... children die!”. The Parliament also suggested, “Earth cannot be changed for the better unless we achieve a transformation in the consciousness of individuals and in public life .... This transformation must also be achieved in the area of ethics and values!”

(f) Mr Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, has remarked in his message on October 24, 1999, United Nations Day, that the world population has just passed six billion and we are about to enter a new millennium. He noted that it is shocking to think that nearly half of the world is entering the new era with abject poverty and that people in so many places today are exposed to violence and brutality. He added, “We must make sure the 21st century is more peaceful and more humane”. He also suggested discussions in the General Assembly on the aspects of human security and humanitarian intervention.

(g) The reports submitted by the Brandt Commission (1977), the Palme Commission (1980), and the Brundtland Commission (1987) gave varying kinds of emphasis — of common interests, common security, and common future, and demanded that the uncompromising confrontation should end throughout the world, and this should give the way to a harmonious existence. The Commission on Global Governance published a report on “Global Neighbourhood” in the 1995. They sought to secure a future free from fear and want, to uphold the values we need to live together as neighbours and to preserve the neighbourhood, and to end the danger that could threaten civilisations and, indeed, the future of humankind. However, these will not be possible without an understanding of true perception, spontaneous action and relationship which includes mutual dependencies and mutual neighbourhood.

(h) Willy Brandt wrote, “None of the major problems prevailing between industrialised nations and developing countries can be effectively solved by means of confrontation. Reasonable solutions can only be based on dialogue and cooperation”.

(i) Thought-time is invariably dualistic, so it does not have the potential to give any security. The non-dual thought or intelligence bestows complete security. The stark reality is that security and peace are possible only when we transcend thought. The twentieth century has seen two major wars and many mini-wars. Abdus Salam, Nobel Laureate for physics, 1979, wrote, “Since 1945, there have been 105 wars (with deaths of 1,000 or more per year), with or without superpower involvement. These have been fought in 66 countries — all of them in the Third World. On an average, each has lasted three-and-a-half years. They have caused 16 million deaths, the majority of them in Asia”.

(j) Dr Karan Singh wrote, “We are transiting into a global society .... Globalisation is taking place as the result of science and technology, and the thrust of evolution, but global consciousness is not keeping pace with globalisation .... So, time has encapsulated.”

He added, “We must heal the split within the human psyche; we must gather the diverse fragments of human consciousness and weld them into a glowing whole ....”

(k) The psychosocial evolution, over uncountable aeons, has led to conditioning the human psyche, the psychic pandemic, the psychological imbalances. The conditioned mind cuts itself up into two fragments — the object (the environment, atoms with consciousness) and the subject (recalled memory, atoms with consciousness). There is an energy interaction between the object and the subject, and this results in the distortion of the object and modification of the memory. This is known as the “crisis of perception”. It is an unprecedented crisis and has global dimensions. The crisis leads to a great deal of misery, confusion and sorrow.

(l) Perhaps, the greatest and the most immediate of all is the danger of a nuclear war. The nuclear weapons with a total explosive power of about 100,000 megatons of TNT and more than enough to annihilate human civilisation many times over. Everyone seems to agree that there would be neither winners nor losers in such a war. There would be no survivors. This knowledge will forever be with us. John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1986, wrote, “Conventional thinking on nuclear weapons is a recipe for mutual suicide”. It is understandable, therefore, that, as French sociologist Raymond Aron put it, the world is increasingly one of “virile weapons and impotent men”. Martin Luthar King rightly said, “Science has completely finished our spiritual power, we have guided missiles but misguided men”. We cannot base international order on such lethal behaviour. The United Nations has completely failed to eliminate the nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass slaughter, such as biological, chemical and radiological weapons; and cannot end the challenge.

The resolution of the UN paradox: The United Nations was founded in 1945. People ideologically opposed to each other sit together there, deliberate on common matters, and each puts forward the views of his state/government, which is basically a collective ego. The right of veto indicates collective ego. Obviously, all decisions at the UN level are partial and lead to fragmentary action.

Man’s efforts have been at the intellect level, the ideal level, the conditioned thought level; he had been dealing with a part, that is, the external world; and obviously his achievements are peripheral — he has been in a position to postpone war but not to end war. The UN military intervention has brought about democratic order in some countries, but has failed to answer the challenge of hate and violence, and ensure sustainable peace in those countries.

Man has inherited a conditioned psyche. Any decision taken at the individual level, state level and UN level may partially ameliorate the human suffering momentarily, but this has no capacity to bring about the mutation of the human psyche. So, man is moving from crisis to crisis. The answer to the human paradox is the mutation of the human psyche.

Max Born, the chairman of the third Pugwash conference, stated, “Clever, rational ways of thinking are not enough. The danger of mass slaughter ... can only be overcome by moral convictions, by a determination to replace national prides and prejudices with human love”. Hideki Yukawa, a Nobel Laureate in physics, wrote, “It has repeatedly been observed that so long as human society continues to consist of an assembly of many states, each with absolute sovereignty over its own affairs, the possibility of war between states or between groups of states will never disappear. And the same observation is frequently followed by the assertion that lasting peace will not come about until some world law is established as a superior authority that will make national sovereignty relative, restricting it and binding it, and until some machinery of world federation is set up in conformity with that law”.

Peace is related to human psychology. As long as there is inherent violence in the individual psyche, political leaders of the world and Heads of States shall never be able to end wars or create peace in the world.

In 1990, we explored the deep aspirations of humanity for survival and suggested the following:

(a) The United Nations is working on the fringes of problems. It should transform its charter to work on the core of the problems which is to understand man in his wholeness, and to resolve the fundamental crisis of perception. It flows from pure perception to spontaneous action and to harmonious relationship.

(b) We restructure the whole educational edifice. We introduce psychodynamics of human mind in science faculties and transpersonal psychology in art faculties at all levels — beginning from the universities to the colleges and school; and this we call “science of life”. Holistic education is concerned with nourishing the total human being, the nurturing of the heart-mind-brain-body system.

(c) There is an urgency to restructure science so that it embraces the wholeness. True science deals with the ‘‘inner world” and the “outer world”. A part has to be seen in the light of the wholeness. It flowers to insight or intuition.

(d) It is imperative to initiate work on the integration of man which involves the integration of the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere of the brain. This is fundamental for the next stage in human evolution.

(e) To establish a global research institute under the auspices of the UN on “mapping of inner space”; or studies on the interaction of the mind-brain-body system; or dynamic interplay of spirituality (science of life) and science. It will explore symbiosis of science and spirituality. The institute will take up basic work on the psychology of peace, to move from confrontation to cooperation, from violence to non-violence, and so on.

(f) The future of the human race and the survival of our planet lie in learning to perceive the wholeness which comes through true science with values and holistic education. We are sanguine that if man takes one step in this direction, Nature will take 10 steps to help him. Nature will help as and when it is required in right earnestness. Nature is always benevolent. Let us undertake a collective experiment to save ourselves from annihilation.

In 1998, we published “An Action Plan for Human Survival” in the monograph entitled “The Master Plan Paradigm for Human Survival and Excellence”. To sum up, we want a revolution, psychological revolution, in which the whole human race has to participate and every man is an equal partner. This revolution will regenerate or rejuvenate human mind so that it perceives the new dimension of an integral and all-inclusive consciousness, that can guarantee human survival along with all fauna and flora.

(The author is an established scientist).

Public life: striking example
by Surinder Kumar Singla

CP(M) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet’s decision to donate his entire assets, including his pension money, to the cause of his party is a pleasant surprise in an otherwise cesspool of politics of amassing wealth. But this striking example of sacrifice at this point of time made many people look afresh at politics and political parties and their leaders. This act of political significance can only be born out of Mr Surjeet’s devotion of 60 years of public life to the cause of the nation. India’s freedom struggle is full of heroic stories of fight against the mighty British empire. Mr Harkishen Surjeet’s public life is a rare example of human courage that put to shame the British policy of physically torturing the freedom fighters.

He is an outstanding and most respected leader of Punjab, who organised the first visit of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1936 in his village called Bangla in Jalandhar district and faced the British police repression of its worst kind. He moved in and out of jail, but this could not wreck the revolutionary spirit in him and his indomitable will to get his country liberated from the British imperialists.

One may not agree with everything that Mr Surjeet does or stands for. However, one can appreciate some of his core commitments for reflection on wider public life. He has been the central point of influence in Indian politics for a number of decades. I would like to say that his personality has been the main point of focus for the CP(M) of which he is an outstanding spokesman and his firm commitment to secular polity is the beacon light which guided his political activities.

Mr Surjeet’s amazing event of political honesty brings to memory the personal sacrifices made by leading figures of the freedom struggle. Nehru not only gave up his flourishing practice of law but also donated his palatial ancestral house, Anand Bhavan, to the cause of the freedom struggle. In contrast today, how to acquire material possession is the primary purpose of public life. It seems the present generation of public figures do not have any defined vision of public life. Thus, it is not surprising that most public figures do not have any goals and ambitions based on principles. They only hanker after material pursuits. Invariably, one finds that political activists having no roots in ideology and no specific purpose keep on shifting from one political outfit to another. Politics has lost its entire meaning.

Whether the present public life has any purpose to live for. When one compares the leaders of today with those of older generations — of the days of the independence movement — one notices that they do not have any goal or mission for the benefit of people and society. The whole public life, judged from this angle, is becoming meaningless. In the context of the vacuum of ideals this particular act on the part of Mr Surjeet has become an interesting subject of discussion in political circles. It needs a major public debate to raise the level of public commitment to the concerns of the people.

One can draw some parallel between the generation gone-by — those who fought for the freedom of the country — and Mr Surjeet. The core guiding principle with most leading lights of the freedom struggle was to be as frugal and simple as possible in personal life, and as stern as possible in their commitment to the national cause. The absence of vision or lack of commitment to issues and policies in public life that we notice today perhaps, leaves them with nothing but the pursuit of material gains.

At different points of time in the past 50 years, there have been numerous examples of test of India’s political leadership and its commitment to the ideals of secularism. It would not be wrong to say that a large number of leaders who pretended to be the apostles of secularism failed miserably when a grave situation arose. When Punjab faced its worst political crisis, as communalism and terrorism were raising their ugly heads, immediately after Operation Bluestar, Mr Surjeet and his party stood out as shining examples serving the cause of a secular society in Punjab. One can find numerous examples when even Congressmen refused to serve the cause of secularism and became supporters and abettors of terrorism in the state.

At the national level, Mr Surjeet demonstrated his political skill broadbasing his party’s approach to secularism, and organised and consolidated secular forces in the country. He alone mobilised secular groups and brought them together to form a secular government out of that coalition. So selfless was the communists’ secular agenda that they even refused to accept the offer to head the coalition government. It is the party that decided not to lead the coalition but to work for influencing the policy set-up of the entire coalition which the CP(M) thought would ultimately help the party spread its influence nation-wide. This actually explains that the collective ambition of a party in serving the people is more vital and significant than individual ambitions affecting the decision-making process in the party.

Historians of democracy have often stated that Indian people were the best bet for the survival of democracy. Periodic elections and higher polling percentages helped strengthen the belief of the people in democracy. But the recent trend of frequent elections have shaken their faith, and people have started questioning whether the big and small parties in Parliament are posing a serious threat to Indian democracy. It may not be the large number of smaller parties but it is the character and dictatorial functioning of the party system which is most relevant in determining the life of Indian democracy. In the last three decades, how parties have split and merged and re-split and re-merged tells the story of functioning of India’s political organisations. In every split and merger, individual ambitions and the blind pursuit of power by India’s political class have been the prime motive. Loyalty to parties and commitment to their ideology just do not exist.

In contrast to this, the CP(M) has functioned most collectively, and its principles have rarely exhibited individual ambitions. Of course, there was one split that occurred in the old Communist Party. That was in 1964 when there were sharp differences all along the line, from the leadership level to that of the last rank of workers, and the “divide” on issues took place. There is a question whether other political outfits behave as a party. A reflection of this aspect can be seen in the sphere of their activity leading, at times, to the farce of slogans-shouting. This naturally endanger their party interests. It is obvious that the Left groups occupy a larger space in policy-making both in Parliament and in some of the state legislatures.

It would be interesting to trace the vast differences between the two political cultures represented by the communist parties and other political parties in this country. There is a definite policy of enrolling members to the communist parties in India. But in the case of others, there is no recruitment policy. Walk-in and walk-out through Press statements is enough. It is not only recruitment. Even people in responsible positions, both in the legislature and in the organisation, take a longer time to mature. In the case of other parties, the loyalty to the leadership is the deciding factor. It is a different matter that “loyalty to the leadership” keeps on shifting, depending on individual interests. Could this be a basis for public life? Then, with most of the parties, it is not unusual that a passionate commitment to public life is missing. That is why all political opportunists can come and grab positions of power in these organisations and the legislatures. This, in fact, jeopardises the entire democratic system.

Today India’s public life is devoid of ideals of public service. It faces public anger and hatred of the worst kind. It is also true that the present generation of public figures do not enjoy a long successful political life. Their public career is generally short-lived, as they are out to make a fast buck and one-time fortune for themselves. The country cannot afford to have such a demeaned public life. The people of India are looking for a new generation of public figures.

(The author is a former member of Parliament).

Seattle debacle: Time for introspection
By M.S.N. Menon

THE Seattle conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has flopped. It was inevitable, for it told lies far too often. No one believes them anymore.

The conference failed for another reason: even its inauguration was not permitted by a massive mob of protesters. For the first time, NGOs from different countries organised themselves on a global basis against the objectives of the WTO. It was a unique event. Most of them were opposed to free trade. This was truly a global response to globalisation.

The AFL-CIO, the US trade union confederation, was there, but to promote labour standard, an objective which is being pursued by the rich nations. There were “Greens” to protect the environment. There were some who were hired by the US Government. In short, it was a medley of disparate elements, following different objectives. They were not united. This was their weakness.

America is not above suspicion. One diplomat of a developing country is reported to have said that the US Government did not control the demonstrators because it wanted a distraction to reduce the time given to the committees. In other words, it wanted to rush the decisions without discussion.

When the Uruguay round was being negotiated, it was said that the WTO, once established, would bring about a steady growth in international trade, that it would benefit all, more so the poorer countries, and that the poorer countries must place their faith in the rich.

Five years have passed. It is time to make an assessment of the hopes and promises. What has been achieved? Very little. The terms of trade have gone inexorably against the poorer countries. The average growth of their exports has fallen compared to the earlier period. And the prices of principal commodities have also declined. In the meantime, globalisation has reduced competition, spawning monopolies and higher prices. For example, prices of drugs (life-saving, in particular) have risen steeply.

You might say that these were all beyond control. May be. But you can say this all the time and away with it. This is what has been going on in the last over 50 years.

Greater access to the developed markets — this was another hope and promise. It has not happened. Instead, everything is being done to block entry into the developed markets. Non-tariff barriers are being put up everywhere — in America, Japan and EU. And there is an effort to build new barriers.

So, what went wrong? In one word, it was wrong on the part of the poor to put trust in the promises of the rich. They should have been rejected or iron-clad guarantees should have been called for. Instead, the poorer countries took them in faith. And, worse, Indian leaders, who took part in the negotiations, became enthusiastic drum beaters. They raised false hopes in the country.

As a result, they were able to open up the economy to the inroads of MNCs without raising protests. The country lived in hope, in the meantime. But these were false hopes. The rich nations had no plan to improve market access. In the event, we had two major world crises — the Mexican and Asian — from the time GATT negotiations began. These two showed the dangers of opening up the economy to foreign MNCs and to speculative capital without proper rules and regulations. In fact, the developing countries had disarmed themselves rapidly. They were open to blackmail and worse.

The USA is a major trading nation. Trade is responsible for 30 per cent of US economic growth. And for much of its employment. Speaking on this, President Clinton had said: “We have kept inflation down because we have kept our market open, and other peoples have been able to sell good quality products at lower prices in our market”.

Yes, at “lower prices”. That is how the poorer countries have suffered. The world, especially the poorer countries, has been supplying cheaper products to the USA all these years. Being the largest market of the world , the poorer counties have no other option but to sell in the US market — and that at lower prices.

America has been engaged in opening up the world markets from the eighties. It has already brought down the tariff to a large extent. But while opening up other markets, it has to make its own market less accessible by raising tariff walls in order to prevent the entry of a flood of goods.

But all these unpleasant facts can be packaged in platitudes, to hoodwink people. Such was the case when America championed the cause of “free trade”. But it did not last long, for other nations gained a permanent advantage over America. America gave up “free trade” for reciprocity.

But even America cannot reduce international trade to a barter of equal exchanges. In the very nature of international trade, this is not possible. When nations have natural advantage (for example, oil producers), reciprocity is not possible. Hence the resort to globalisation and tariff reductions. The idea is to reduce the advantages enjoyed by the developing world.

Most of the developing countries have one natural advantage — cheap labour. With low wages, they were able to reduce manufacturing costs. It was to overcome this advantage, that the USA set up manufacturing units in developing countries. But this took away American jobs. Hence the new effort to impose a uniform labour standard on the world. It is expected that this will take away much of the advantages. Yet the fact is: wages form only a small part of the costs today.

Adopting a world labour standard is like a plunge into darkness. Very few have gone into its implications. Are we to have two wage systems: one for export manufacturing and another for supply to the domestic market? If this is not possible, are we going to have a uniform high wage-salary system? Where is the money to come from?

It is a matter of gratification that the Indian delegation had the gumption to say nay to the reforms and stand by it. It is India’s stubborn stand that put heart into other developing countries.

The secretive ways of WTO have come in for severe criticism. The organisation goes by consensus. There had never been voting. Consensus can be manipulated. That is what has been happening. Decisions are taken in committees and committees are packed with yes-men.

It is obligatory to consult the 135 members. But this never happens. The work is more often decided by committees. No wonder, many representatives threatened to wreak the conference unless there was greater transparency. Prominent among them were African nations.

There is no democracy in the working of the WTO. Thanks to the USA. It has used its power and resources to manipulate the small nations. With heavy debts, they were naturally targets of US pressure. By promising to write off their debts, the USA has been able to divide the ranks of the poorer nations.

Very few countries have expertise to guide the proceedings of such specialised conferences, or to safeguard their interests. This is a major weakness. So often nations rely upon the date of the USA and its estimates. Only India and Brazil were prepared to face the US specialists.

The battle will move to Geneva by January. And America is bound to bring up its proposals with renewed vigour and new subterfuges. It is now clear more than ever before that the US objective is to create a global trade framework favourable to its own traders and economy. It is not intended to create an equitable trade regime. The developing countries must proceed from this premise.

Is the world helpless then? Certainly not. There are new forces on the rise. For example, the NGOs. The Seattle conference saw the emergence of NGOs on a global basis. They reflect loss of faith in states and politicians. Thus, the world is moving to a new phase of social and political action with unpredictable possibilities. For, this time, the world’s peoples are getting organised without distinctions.

75 YEARS AGO

December 10, 1924
The Mahatma and the Franchise

SINCE our leading article was in type we have seen the telegram from Bombay stating that the Mahatma has contradicted the report about the readiness to give up the proposed amendment of the franchise as a concession to the Liberals and Besantites. We regret the contradiction.