West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya told a lecture audience in Singapore: "The choice before Bengal is reform or perish. Globalisation is a must ...
West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya told a lecture audience in Singapore: "The choice before Bengal is reform or perish. Globalisation is a must and nobody can hold it back. We are also learning from the rapid economic transformation of China in recent years."
Buddhadeb endorsed economic reforms without rejecting or updating Marx! His China reference was unfortunate. China is a corporate version of Nazi Germany. With extreme disparity of wealth, no labour rights, virtual slave labour nationwide, and more than a million protesters violently subdued last year, China today is more fascist than socialist. Democracy frustrated Marx. It enabled upward mobility of the poor that prevented revolution. And yet thousands of BBC Radio 4 listeners recently chose Marx as their favourite thinker. Exploitation by multinational corporations (MNCs) in a globalised economy doubtless swayed them. Today, powerful MNCs subvert governments to unleash wars for profit.
Ironically, Marx urged workers of the world to unite. They didn't. But businessmen did. With loyalty to no nation, MNCs today spawn the globe. They purchase politicians to increase their profits. But, if democracy's capitalism defeated Communism's state capitalism in the 20th century, democracy will defeat global capitalism in this century. For that, workers of the world must also unite. Years ago, the Indian Left foolishly opposed the Dunkel Draft's social clause. That clause sought co-relationship between first world and third world labour wages. It was inspired by US labour. It would have increased labour wages in India and slowed down foreign investment in non-priority sectors attracted only by cheap labour. In response to globalisation, five of America's largest unions announced on July 25 a reform agenda called Change to Win (CTW), which argues that labour must work with business, not government, negotiate with entire industries and not single companies. Shouldn't Indian labour leaders contact Andy Stern, the CTW leader, to explore a consensual approach?
Decades ago, this scribe outlined the concept of a workers' sector of industry. It proposed industrial democracy by giving workers a share in ownership and profit, starting with PSUs. The company would be accountable to workers instead of to a business family. Its wide ownership base would encourage greater social responsibility. Half a dozen top national leaders endorsed it. But they soon drifted away. Those who consider it impractical should study the performance of Amul and Mother Dairy. Both do better than their foreign multinational competitors. Let workers and capitalists compete. Then see who wins.
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)