DRAFT DECLARATION OF INDIAN PEOPLE AGAINST THE WTO

 Having identified the evil designs and the plans of plunder of the World Trade Organisation, which has been, since inception, the handmaid of Transnational Corporations trying to shape national policies in order to strengthen their global control over political, economic and cultural life resulting in the globalisation of misery to the masses in the two thirds of the world in general and to the Indian masses in particular,

We, the people of India, hereby declare that we consider the WTO our brutal enemy.

 This unaccountable and notoriously undemocratic body called the WTO has the potential not only to suck the sweat and blood of the masses of the two-thirds of the world, but also has started destroying our natural habitats, and traditional agricultural and other knowledge systems developed over centuries and our cultural diversity by converting us into objects of TNCs economy of consumerism, which is affecting all sections of the people, viz., peasants, workers, tribals, women, oppressed castes, religious and ethnic minorities, students and youth.

 The need for a relentless struggle against such machinations has become urgent, without which our environment itself will be degraded, and sustainable livelihoods will be destroyed, speeding up the social and economic breakdown.

This way, WTO will kill unless we kill it!

 This can be called a battle for natural justice, also a battle of self defense, to protect the future generations, looking at the improving catastrophe, this battle has to be taken up in right earnest.

 Since the WTO is an octopus with a wide net to exploit and oppress all sections of the people, we realise the need and the urgency of a united struggle and joint action against it. Recognising the subservience of the ruling classes in this two-thirds of the world towards the WTO and other imperialist agencies, any struggle against the WTO- IMF- World Bank trinity has to have a simultaneous struggle against the local ruling classes. All the ruling classes, who are paying lip-sympathy to their hollow slogans of self-reliance and sovereignty, just to hood-wink the people, have to be exposed by forcing them to translate their slogans into reality and use their influence to persuade other developing countries to come out of WTO.

 The "Swadeshi pariwar" (the BJP government) which used to shout of nationalism, Hindutva, Swadeshi and Self-reliance from roof-tops has knelt before the imperialist masters overnight, more than its predecessors.

 1. RESOLUTION DEMANDING PRO-PEOPLE AGRICULTURAL POLICY

 The Indian government under the pressure of Imperialist agencies viz. World Bank and IMF and WTO started the New Economic policies. The Government bought anti-farmers Agricultural policies and abolished the subsidies on agriculture.

The JAFIP through this convention strongly condemn the anti-farmer policies of the Government and also demands that the Government.....

  1. Should bring pro-farmers national agricultural policy.
  2. Indian Government stop importing foodgrains at the cost of interests of Indian people.
  3. Should give remunerative prices to the agricultural products.
  4. Should continue subsidy and free electricity supply to the farmers.
  5. Should reduce and control the prices of agricultural inputs.
  6. Should frame such policies that give powers to farmers to control production and distribution of agricultural seeds, water etc.

2. SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLES MOVEMENT WORLD OVER

The convention of JAFIP held to demand India to come out from WTO extends its solidarity world over to the different kinds of democratic struggles being waged against imperialism and its globalisation policies.

Imperialism with its iron clutch on the world market will always try to suppress the diversity of the different cultures of the countries. After the dissolution of the USSR or the happening of the Yugoslavia and the recent valiant struggle of Chiapas go to prove that people assert their identities, bu struggling against the imperialism.

This forum formed to consolidate the struggling aspirations of the anti-imperialist forces in India resolves to extend its co-operation and solidarity to the democratic forces world over, to smash imperialism.

3. RESOLUTION AGAINST INVASION OF AGRICULTURE MY MNCS

Patenting of plants, agrochemicals and microbes is not an affair of legal nuances as it is made out to be by the Government. Monsanto is here with its herbicides, cotton seed, and compacat till age technique. Pepsi won markets in Punjab for its chilly, potato and Tamoto seeds. Kellog tied farmers in an agreement to supply it maize patented abroad. ITC and Uni Lever carved out niches in tobacco, edible oils, wheat and vegetables. MNCs may soon decide the quantum and price of every agri-commodity in this country and farmers will be thrown at their mercy by a conniving Government. Passing a bill on patents as per WTO directive will arm MNCs to the hilt. There will be no concession on any ground there will not be any half way house in patent policy. This convention demands Government not to make a legislation on product patents.Loans to agriculture, power, irrigation, marketing facilities, support price through purchase and revenue concessions are grouped under subsidies as per GATT 94. Government can extend calamity relief and store grain only within the limits prescribed by WTO. These conditions are aimed at making agriculture sub-servient to the logic of world markets and tying agriculture to the chariot wheels of foreign monopoly. Indian Government is stealthily and openly slashing credit, privatising power and irrigation and reducing its own market participation. Its fertiliser policy is intended to cushion profits of old and new fertiliser companies and to leave the farmer high and dry. This convention demands an end to all measures of privatisation of SEBs, privatisation of irrigation through WUAs (Water User Associations), and end to hide and seek policy agri-commodity marketing by allotting funds to marketing bodies, opening adequate storage facilities and make marketing bodies accountable to public.

Coop banks, RRBs must cut down rates and Gupta committee recommendations must be rejected. NBFCs in rural areas must be wound up and proposed LABs which will only be new institutions of usury must be given up.

No repayments to World Bank on NABARD s account to be made.

Government must extend operations of FCI, Tobacco gold and other marketing bodies without regional discrimination.

WTOs proposals brook no curtailment of MFN status through restrictive acts like land ceiling act. Rural gentry, usurers, contractors and other fortune seekers are clamouring for abolition of land ceiling acts. Not withstanding the demerits of the act, the scrap of legislation is nevertheless a legal nuisance for them in these days of market expansion. Its abolition will do away with an obstacle erected for political expediency. A bill seeking repeal of land ceiling act by Karnataka assembly is pending with the centre. Gupta committee recommends in certain way stream lining of land mortgaging procedures by banks. Obviously Government is preparing ground to turn over peasant held agricultural land in considerable scale into estates of private business and MNCs. This convention demands rejection of WTO suggestion to dispense with land ceiling act.

4. CONDEMN THE REPRESSION ON THE PEOPLES MOVEMENTS IN THE COUNTRY and SUPPORT THE PEOPLES STRUGGLES AGAINST THE IMPERIALIST AND FEUDAL FORCES

As the genuine democratic forces in the country have predicted the Indian state has let loose severe repression on the different struggles or the people along with the implementation of globalisation policies under the thumb of GATT and WTO agreements right from 1991.

The recent repression, notice firing on the farmers of Haryanan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh is an indication of state unmasking itself from the welfare posture withdrawing the subsidies, increasing the rates of electricity, water less seeds and fertiliseres, not given any support price to the agricultural products of the farmers, bondage to the global market are manifestations of character of this comprodar state.

When the people naturally choose to struggle against these anti-people, proimperialist policies the state is coming with heavy hand killing even the farmers and democratic rights activists.The threat to nationality struggles from the state has increased since the loksabha election times as the party which has come to power declared in its manifesto to withdraw article 370 which safeguards the special position or Jammu & Kashmir, at least on paper BJP s concept or akhand Bharash goes quite contrary to the spirit or Nationality aspirations and federal structure of this diversified country. The repression on Nationalism struggles in Jammu & Kashmir, North East and elsewhere in recent times is to be seen in this background and a reinforced solidarity to the Nationality struggles is to be extended.

The democratic and Revolutionary movements in Andhra, Dandakaranya and Bihar are being crushed with iron hand with fake encounters missing cases and even with infiltrating informers and renegades. This conference condemns the state terrorism and extend solidarity to the peoples movements.

5. ABOUT SUICIDE DEATHS OF PEASANTS ALL OVER INDIA

 The spate of suicides by over 400 cotton farmers of Telangana region was the tragic continuation of the process of commercialisation of crops. The victims mostly the marginalised farmers, simply could not withstand the market forces and the pressure of chitfunds and other private financial institutions pressures. The supply of adulterated ferilisers, pesitisides and seeds have drowned the life of farmers.

The reaction of the state Government to this tragedy is reprehensible. It refused to accept the suicides of the farmers are due to crop failure and dest trap. Instead, it argued that the deaths are due to personal and family problems. Further adding insult to the injury, farmers are resorting to suicide for sending exgratia or compensation from the Government. We condemn the attitude of the Government in this regard.

So far, the Government has not taken any substantial measures to rehabilitate the victims. It is reported that even the exgratia or compensation for crop loss through announced by the Government did not reach the victim families.

We, therefore demand that the Government shoned wipe of the bank loans, and provide suitable rehabilitation measures and avoid the human tragedy. We request the cotton farmers not to resort to suicides but fight against the Government to provide subsidies and other benefits to sustain the life. The forum support the struggle of the farmers and rally the support of the people in their support.

This peoples convention against WTO severely warns the Government of India that this created peasant force of the country would launch without movement against the Government if proper measures not taken for the relief and rehabilitation.

6. RESOLUTION AGAINST WTO - ANTI WORKING CLASS POLICIES

On this historic day of May 1st, this convention resolves to carry on the struggle against exploitation by capital. The WTO is one of the weapons in the hands of Global monopoly capital to price open world markets more widely and more deeply. The working class is bearing the brunt of this new onslaught in every nook and corner of the world. An American worker has to accept a low wage at the pain of dismissal or strike back at capital. The United Auto Workers, steel workers and United Parcel Service workers chose the latter path and won successes. The Australian dock workers in Sydney and Melbourne are giving a stiff fight in opposition to mass retrenchments. A general strike in Denmark has given a bright to European Union monopolies. The Korean workers militant opposition could not be liquidated by the financial solvents applied by IMF.

In India, the workers struggles against closures, retrenchments, lockouts and contraction of job opportunities are irrevocably linked to the struggle against foreign capital which is striking at workers overtly and covertly. Indian Finance Institutions are serving as proxies in this campaign of annexation. The TRIMS provision which seeks total freedom of operation for foreign capital is an epitomisation of the "right" to usurpation by foreign capital. This convention demands the total banishment of FFIs from stock markets. They must not be allowed to trade in Government securities as was decided a few days ago. No foreign bank must be allowed to trade in currency.

1st PGA Conference | www.agp.org