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Point Abid
Ullah Jan Claim
Reparations
The luxurious lifestyle led by the elite classes in the imperialist nations — that attracts many legal and illegal economic refugees — is a definite result of the super-exploitations of the former colonies. It is interesting to note that Western governments ask for restitutions from Libya for its alleged involvement in the bombing of Pan Am 103. Similarly, their milking of Iraq never comes to an end for its 6 months occupation. On the other hand, the more than 100-years long British occupation of the Indian sub-continent, for example, is considered justified and any talk of reparation is at best laughable for the occupiers. The seeds of mutual destruction and animosity sown by the colonial powers are compounding problems in former colonies. Take the example of India. Pakistan topped the list of refugee claimants in Canada in 2001. India was not far behind at 6th place.
History tells us that these colonies have starved their people to death in anticipation of a third major war. Responsibility for this deadly resolve for mutual destruction goes to the British imperialists. Prof B. N. Pande´s speech in the Indian Upper House of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, made on July 29, 1977 clarifies the fog of British innocence surrounding this issue. He says: "Indian history and its distortion by the British historians, while India was under British rule, portraying the Hindus and the Muslims as being divided into two warring camps with little in common between them,.... the histories of India which have been taught in our schools and colleges for generations past were originally compiled by European writers.... A glimpse into official British records will show how this policy of Divide-et-Impera was taking shape. The Secretary of State Wood in a letter to Lord Elgin [Governor General Canada (1847-54) and India (1862-63)] said: ´We have maintained our power in India by playing off one part against the other and we must continue to do so. Do all you can, therefore to prevent all having a common feeling.´ George Francis Hamilton, Secretary of State of India wrote to Curzon, ´I think the real danger to our rule in India not now, but say 50 years hence is the gradual adoption and extension of Western ideas of agitation organisation and if we could break educated Indians into two sections holding widely different views, we should, by such a division, strengthen our position against the subtle and continuous attack which the spread of education must make upon our system of government. We should so plan educational text-books that the differences between community and community are further strengthened (Hamilton to Curzon, 26th March 1886). .... Cross informed the Governor-General, Dufferin, that ´This division of religious feeling is greatly to our advantage….´ (Cross to Dufferin, 14 January, 1887)." [1] India and Pakistan are still reaping fruits of the British strategy to divide religious feelings. Raising Babri mosque to the ground is nothing before crimes of the colonialists because the Indian government did not officially order its destruction. However, the Colonialists issued official orders, stating: "Every civil building connected with Mahommedan tradition should be levelled to the ground without regard to antiquarian veneration or artistic predilection.” [2] Compare these crimes with the Taliban´s destruction of the Bamiyan statues, who, at least, did not order to level every church and temple to the ground. Haiti is a good example for the oppressed world to follow with regard to the issue of reparations. According to the Wall Street Journal´s January 2, 2004 report, the Haitian government is preparing a legal brief demanding nearly $22 billion in "restitution" for what it regards as an act of gunboat diplomacy of France. [3] More than two decades after rebellious former slaves vanquished troops from Napoleon´s army in Haiti in 1803, France´s King Charles X made the fledgling republic of Haiti an offer it couldn´t refuse. In 1825, as the king´s warships cruised just over the horizon from Haiti, a French emissary demanded 150 million gold francs in exchange for recognizing the new republic. The implicit alternative was invasion and re-enslavement. It was a huge sum, about five times Haiti´s annual export revenue. Haiti reluctantly agreed, taking on a crushing debt. Haiti now wants its money back — with interest. France´s response hasn´t been encouraging. In June, French President Jacques Chirac addressed the issue by warning Haitian authorities "to take care over the nature of the actions of their regime." The interesting point in the Haiti´s saga is the tone of Wall Street Journal´s report, which also tries to dismiss Haiti´s claim for the reason that Aristide just wants their money to pay his goons. This tone represents the point of view that even if reparations are paid, it will be wasted by corrupt regimes. Actually, the Wall Street Journal´s reporter forgets that since September 19, 1994 invasion, Bill Clinton always listed restoring priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power at or near the top of his accomplishments, called "restoring democracy to Haiti." In fact, there are so many Aristides sitting in power due to intervention of the "civilized" world in the name of democracy and liberation. The West would do a favor by letting them remove their respective Aristides and paying them damages for real development. If Kuwait deserves damages for living under Iraqi occupation just for six months, there is no reason others do not deserve damages for suffering under imperial occupation for 100 years in some cases. What the West must not forget at its peril is that the clock that runs at a rate of $34 a second for Haiti, runs at a much higher rate in favor of the rest of the world that lived and is still living under its occupation. Former colonial masters must brace for honestly assessing the situation, say good bye to needless interventions and attempt to find ways for calculating and paying damages. Failing to so will never change the rule of nature: first or last, a nation must pay its entire debt. Some events may stand for a time between a nation and justice, but it is only a postponement. The suffering nations must also muster enough courage to remind the slave masters that a nation is wise, which dreads a prosperity achieved on blood and bones of other nations. Unless the victims demand for reparations and struggle for their right, they will remain doomed as ever.
[1] History in the Service of Imperialism, by Dr. B. N. Pande Source: http://cyberistan.org/islamic/pande.htm [2] Letter No. 9 dated 9 October 1857, from Prime Minister Palmerston (1784-1865) to Lord Canning Viceroy of India, Canning Papers. [3] “Impoverished Haiti Pins Hopes for Future On a Very Old Debt,” The Wall Street Journal Friday, January 2, 2004.
Abid Ullah Jan’s latest book, The End of Democracy, has just been released in Canada.
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Shoba Sama-o-Basr
(Multimedia Department)