VERY IMPORTANT LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF NAPM
Dear National / State / Regional Convenors / Coordinators, NAPM and Representatives of associated organisations
We all are certainly busy in our own organisational struggles. Some of us may also be tied up with family obligations. In spite of these odds we are working hard to evolve a strong ALTERNATIVE Development Paradigm, challenging the gigantic, violent forces against the poor and downtrodden.It is in this context that NAPM, is one of the critical process and front we all are committed to.Our efforts through struggles as well as reconstruction today has to take a serious cognisence of the attack of GLOBALISATION increasing, in strength and spread, every day.
Both 'NEP'(New Economic Policy) and 'NAPM' ARE COMPLETING ten YEARS SINCE INCEPTION. Its time we take serious stock of the achievments and failures but also take the most effective and challenging steps against the inequitable and unsustainable global paradigm affecting millions in our country as well as our democratic tradition and sovereignty. Its towards this end that in Hyderabad meeting( December 2000), we came out with a declaration expressing need for furthur united and INDEFINITE ACTION against adverse effects of globalisation on farmers, fishworkers, tribals, dalits, labour, women....in fact all comman people. We also decided to initiate preperations for the same for 6 to 8 months prior to the main action.
Our Wardha meeting on February 24 and 25, 2001 was the next step ahead. More than 70 representatives from 12 different states participated and finalised the DRAFT STATEMENT stating our ideological position, to be circulated widely across the country, in all regional languages prior to and during the campaign. A detailed printed leaflet on the decisions taken in Wardha will reach you in about a weeks time. You may till then, start with the proces in your areas with due urgency, relating to your local/state scenario.
1. Next meeting
of National/ State/ Regional coordinators/ convenors and permanent invitees
is in MUMBAI on MAY 4th and 5th, 2001.On May 6th, campaign tours will
begin from Umbergoan, Gujrat, (where a strong anti mega port struggle
is on) and proceed in two directions. One proceeding towards various districts
in Gujrat and the other, in Konkan region of Maharashtra. PLEASE BLOCK
MINIMUM 3 DAYS OF YOURS FOR THE SAME. Those of you who can participate
in either of the two tours at any time between May 7th and 20th,would
be welcome.WE WOULD REQUEST YOU TO BOOK TICKETS TO REACH MUMBAI ON MAY
3RD NIGHT.Details about the venue of the meeting etc.
will be sent later.
2. APRIL 1ST, 2001: ANTI FREE IMPORT DAY, ALL OVER COUNTRY.
Import restrictions will be lifted covering furthur 715 more items, mainly agriculture products from April 1st. SAMAJWADI JANAPARISHAD has already given a call to observe it as "ANTI FREE IMPORT DAY".NAPM in its Wardha meeting has resolved that all the like minded organisations in NAPM may also join SJP to observe it as "ANTI FREE IMPORT DAY". It being a Sunday, we will not go to any government offices but organise innovative programmes like Procession/ Public Rally and then immersion of replica of a SHIP in a nearby lake/river/sea etc., symbolising it as "Import Vehicle".
3. MARCH 16TH, 2001: a day long fast say 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,in support of Jagannathaji's 'ONE TIME FAST', started from January 26th; with a demand to withdraw the aquaculture authority bill. Its known that the Central Government is planning to introduce this bill with retrospective effect in order to nullify the Supreme Court judgement in favour of us.
4. NOVEMBER 18TH, 2001: ONWARDS INDEFINITE ACTION WILL BEGIN all over the country. The datails of the programatic actions, specific demands and the pledge are to be worked out during coming months through a 1 democratic, inclusive, partcipatory process with comman thinking organisations and individuals at local, state, regional and national level.You may however start disseminating the news all around and motivate one and all towards a successful movement.
5. For preparing a large number of people to be involved directly or take up a supporting role,during this long term struggle, a systematic mobilisation campaign has to begin all around at the earliest.
*** In Kerala, a state wide CYCLE YATRA is to start on March 20th, 2001 and continue till April 7th.
*** In Vidarbha and Marathawada regions of Maharashtra --From April 14th, 2001 onwards i.e. from the Birth Anneaversary Day Of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
*** In Gujarat and Konkan, Maharashtra-- From May 6th, 2001 onwards.
*** In Tamilnadu and West Bengal, due to forthcoming assembly elections in April 2001, the programmes will be planned later.
*** In other states, the programmes will be finalised in State level meetings to be held in March 2001.
IN YOUR STATE AND THE STATE YOU CAN ASSOCIATE WITH, YOU WILL SURELY WORK HARD TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS. IT IS OUR PRIORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS NAPM AND THE CAUSE!
Let us reach out to all LIKEMINDED ORGANISATIONS, PEOPLES' MOVEMENTS, TRADE UNIONS, ACADEMIC INSTITUTES, INTELLECTUALS, THOSE ACTIVE IN ALTERNATIVES ACROSS THE SECTORS, INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS & CREATIVE GROUPS, SENSITIVE POLITICIANS, LOCAL ACTIVISTS OF POLITICAL PARTIES..AND ABOVE ALL BEYOND OUR ORGANISED ENTITIES, TO COMMON PEOPLE, FACING THE BACKLASH. LET US START THIS PROCESS IN OUR STATES WITH UTMOST URGENCY.STATEMENT PREPARED AT WARDHA WOULD BE THE BASIS FOR SUCH WIDER MOBILISATION.
All this is a result of an alliance process during last few months. However, in case of any doubts/reservations/ querries and questions or with alternative suggestions to make our plan more effective, do let the national office know. BE FRANK AND FORTRIGHT, SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SOME OF YOUR VALUABLE TIME AS ITS THE CRITICAL TIME AHEAD. Do send in your plans and oprogramme schedule to be added to the above. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE WHO COULD NOT ATTEND THE MEETING EITHER AT HYDERABAD OR WARDHA, YOU ARE ESPECIALLY REQUESTED TO RESPOND.
NAPM APPEALS TO YOU AND YOUR ORGANISATION TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR BEST.
AWAITING AN URGENT RESPONSE.
YOURS,
MUMBAI SANJAY
M.G. MEDHA PATKAR THOMAS KOCHERRY
03.03.2001 NAT.CO-COORD. NATIONAL CONVENOR NATIONAL COORDINATOR
NAPM'S HYDERABAD DECLARATION...DECEMBER 2000
(this
is the draft working version of the hyderabad declaration, dec 2000)
Dear all associatred with NAPM this is the PROPOSAL for the long term strategy that we all can adopt for next one year or so.
IF ALL OF US TOGETHER WE CAN DEFINITELY GET INTO A SIMULTANEOUS AGITATIVE INDEFINITE ACTION ON THE STREETS ALL OVER COUNTRY.
The following draft first tells the reasons ...the issues all of us fighting with AND OUR RESOLVE...pledge to fight. The second part talks about the method we can adopt for campaigning ...YATRA. And the last part says about the kind of indefinite action possible...may be in Oct./Nov.2001.
WE APPEAL ALL OF YOU ASSOCIATED WITH NAPM OR OTHER LIKE MINDED MOVEMENTS, POLITICAL PARTIES,TRADE UNIONS, INSTITUTE OR GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS TO CONSIDER THIS PROPOSAL SERIOUSLY, DISCUSS AND COME OUT WITH RESOLVE TO EVOLVE THE JOINT STRATEGY TO FIGHT THE EVIL OF GLOBALISATION.
NAPM HAS DECIDED TO ORGANISE MEETING OF ITS NATIONAL/ STATE/ REGIONAL COORDINATORS/ CONVENORS, PERMANENT INVITEES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONS ON FEB. 24-25TH, 2001 IN SEWAGRAM, WARDHA. WE ARE PALNNING TO FINALISE THIS DRAFT IN THAT MEETING.
PART I: PLEDGE
National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) cherishes the spirit of the constitution which has guaranteed the fundamental human rights to Life and Livelihood, freedom for each citizen without distinction of class, sex, creed, race, caste and language and has anchored objectives of social justice in the directive principles. 53 years if independence, despite significant achievements, have still left the majority of our population outside the pale of implementation of much basic rights and their proportion grows to disgraceful magnitude.
According to government records, 40% of people live below the poverty line and 40% of children below the age of 5 are malnourished. There is a small minority which enjoys disproportionate wealth while a growing proportion of the masses are losing access to land, water, sources of livelihood, health, education and work.
In this situation where the mass of people are crying out for survival, the state is acting as a tool in the hands of international finance institutions and multi national corporations, selling out resources and changing labour laws. It not only ignores peoples survival rights but refuses to be responsible and answerable. Inequality is growing alarmingly. In the rampant water crisis the elite enjoys water parks while the urban live in squalor and agriculture is hit by droughts and floods alternately. Social structures remain oppressive. Dalits are still not allowed near the common well while women carry the burden of procuring the daily water from increasing distances.Since nine years, the NEP has aggravated this situation and has led to loss of our soveriegnty. This requires nothing less than mustering the strength for a new freedom struggle.
Onslaught on agriculture:
One of the most alarming effects of the present phase of globalisation is the onslaught on agriculture which threats to destroy food security by import liberalisaion, decline of sustainable agriculture, rising prices of privatised electricity and of agriculture inputs as well as dismantling of Public Distribution System. Simultaneously, so called large scale development projects displace large numbers of people, alienating them from that resource base, destroying their live world, their culture, their support systems, their culture, artisanal skills, knowledge systems and livelihoods. Even the seeds are taken over by MNCs for genetic manipulation and saving them for sowing is tep by step made illegal. Leasing out land to MNC's promotes landlessness.
Plight of working classes:
Rural and urban working classes are pushed to the brink. While the organised, especially the public sector is decimated by privatisation, the informal sector faces increasing competition. The right to organise and struggle is taken away. Unemployment rises by leaps and bounds and feminisation of poverty is on the increase. It is imperative to build alliances between workers and peasants to protect agriculture and to unite organised and informal labour in order to protect the right to work.
Abdication
of responsibility by the State:
Instead of safeguarding basic democratic rights, the State suppresses
peoples attempts at self determination. Communal forces shape a religious
nationalism which marginalises Dalits, Adivasis, women, minorities and
all dissenting voices. The victims of the dominant development paradigm
are declared as anti-national and silenced by increasingly brutal oppression.
The legal process gets distorted and even the right to information and
public interest litigation are in question. Secularism is denounced as
an alien ethos.
Peoples struggles:
In this situation we cannot look to the State for a solution of our desperate plight, we have to transform our situation ourselves by struggle and constructive work.We want to change the economy in such a way that it is not centred around production of profit but around production of life and livelihood. Production must satisfy basic needs and not the wants of a few.Land belongs to the tiller and production and consumption must be labour based. It can only be the peoples organisations and our own movements which can become the custodians of peoples hopes and aspirations.This requires a major uprising of many united forces.
While we welcome the voices of some of the political parties which have joined the struggle against globalisation and WTO, we feel we have to go far beyond the established electoral process which leaves so much room for corruption and co-option. We need to create sustainable life-styles and new avenues of political participation in struggle in which our vision of sovereignty is carried into the last nook and corner of our villagers and city-slums and to every working woman and man in the land.We appeal to all democratic and secular movements, organiastions, political parties, trade unions to join and wage the new freedom struggle against GLOBALISATION.
We pledge to oppose imperialism and globalisation and tyranical rule of international finance capital in all its forms. We pledge to eradicate social injustice and exploitation in the form of caste / untouchability, class and patriarchy as well as in the ruthless exploitation of nature.
We pledge to ensure adequate food and water for all through sustainable and equitable systmes of production and distribution which are in the direct and decentralised control of people's communities. We pledge to protect bio-diversity and cultural diversity by fostering people's skills and knowledge system and encouraging the sharing of wealth of all our languages, religions and identities. We affirm the universal declaration of human rights as well as fundamental rights in directive principles of the Constitution at the same time. We affirm the sovereign rights of our communities in a decentralised democratic framework as elaborated in our Constitution. We pledge to wage the struggle against this oppressive order for as long as it takes to have these rights and privileges as specified above given them due recognition and implementation.
THE POSSIBLE INDEFINITE ACTION
Thousands of People on streets Indefinitely all over India for asserting Right to Life....
(THESE ABOVE TWO LINES ARE TITLE OF LAST PART)
NAPM plans an indefinite struggle on the streets. People will not go back home. If one batch jailed, others will come on the street. Whole country will be charged with feelings of freedom. Assertion for right to life. Life and death struggle for the survival. Ordering unjust rulers to realise the real issues of livelihood and come to an agreement with the people. In real sense, Expression of Power of People.
HOW EVERY COMMON PERSON CAN PARTICIPATE?
Several thousands of committed people will join the battle on the street and prepared for any kind of action against them.
Several more thousands during this period required not to participate directly into confrontation but involve in support action like
Arranging
for food / water etc
Raising the fund
Nurse the wounded, if any
Meet people in jail, if arrested
Mobilise press
Organise protest action like Dharna, Rallies etc
Mobilise young students for writing post cards, signature campaign etc
Mobilise lawyers for legal action.
What would be the possible Indefinite actions?
Militant
'ANDOLAN' at one place in the country converging lakhs of people indefinitely
blocking the streets. Support action all over the country ·
Simultaneous indefinite actions all over the country at several places
like ·
TAKE BACK THE LAND OCCUPIED BY COMPANY AQUACULTURE ETC.
EXPROPRIATED BY THE STATE AND THE CORPORATE SECTOR ·
TAKE CONTROL OVER GRAIN IN GODOWNS ·
OCCUPY CIRCUIT HOUSES / LAWNS / GOVERNMENT PREMISES INDEFINATELY
WIPEOUT / ELIMINATE INSTRUMENTS OF MNC DOMINATION WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR DESTROYING THE LIVELIHOOD OF PEOPLE ·
HARVESTING CROP ON ILLEGAL LAND HOLDERS STOP PAYING ELECTRICITY BILLS
MEDHA PATKAR,
THOMAS KOCHERRY, SANJAY
M.G.,P.CHENNAIAH,DEVARAM BHAI,
GABRIELE D., LATA P.M., ANANDBHAI, SUKHENDU
BHATTACHARYA,VIMAL BHAI VIJAY
JAWANDHIA, AJIT N.BOSE, GAYATRI, BINAYAK SEN, ARUNA ROY
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SIDDHARAJ DADDHA, KISHAN PATANAYAK, AMARNATH BHAI, MOHD.
SHAHID KAMAL,
SANDEEP BHAI,NALINI NAYAK, SUNIL BHAI.
This completes the Hyd. Draft of NAPM.
Sanjay M.G. admin@sanjay.ilbom.ernet.in
VERY IMPORTANT LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF NAPM
