Well, much as I hate to contradict the Fab Four, it appears that in some places, you just might make it. One such place is India. Maoists control over 40, 000 square kilometers in India, and in the past three months they have been "reclaiming" land lost to the previous generation. I read about this in an article in today's Globe and Mail.
The article tells of an insurgence taking place in Eastern India. Maoists have taken it upon themselves to "redistribute" land owned by farmers in rural communitites. The Maoist groups are mainly comprised of India's Aboriginal population, the adivasis, or tribals. The "landless labourers and tribal people" who have been pushed down by the caste system in India, forced off land and generally denied their rights, are now claiming what is theirs. They are rebelling against the powers, fighting for what is theirs, acting as modern day Robin Hoods.
At least, that's how they see it.
They have, however, been undeniably wronged. According to a judgement made by the Supreme Court in 1995, tribals have rights to land; as this land was taken from them for little money in past years, they feel they have no choice but to reclaim it. Unfortunately, they do this by using force. This includes destroying houses, killing police and civilians who complain to the police, and mercilessly seizing rice paddies and fields which provide families with their sole income. Maoists want the land to go to the tiller, not the landlords, whether or not the landlord happens to be just as poor as they are.
The Maoists are, according to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "the greatest internal threat to India's security." They are claiming land the government wanted to sell to mining companies. They are increasingly more powerful than the police forces. The central government is advising it's states to beef up their police forces; this has worked effectively in only one state, Andhra Pradesh. In the rest of them, the farmers must manage for the most part on their own.
I do not believe this kind of issue would ever take place in Canada, mostly because we do not have a caste system that allows for the separation of classes so dramatically. Regardless of this however, we have not always treated the native people of our own land with respect. This leaves many somewhat divided on this issue.
On the one hand, land has obviously been taken from someone, whether it was the tribals of the past or the farmers of today. People have been killed, injured and rendered homeless, denied their rights and thrust into a violent and frightening situation. It certainly seems more likely that the victims are the farmers of today.
On the other hand, why are the native people of India not being provided for? The government has acknowledged their rights to land, and not given them any. Can we expect no backlash against such injustice?
Perhaps Canada should get involved, and advise India to begin giving it's natives the land they deserve. Perhaps we should tell them they too should issue an apology, and start making amends for wrongs committed in the past.
But then again, perhaps Canada shouldn't throw stones, lest we invite everyone to stare into our own tainted glass house.
The article tells of an insurgence taking place in Eastern India. Maoists have taken it upon themselves to "redistribute" land owned by farmers in rural communitites. The Maoist groups are mainly comprised of India's Aboriginal population, the adivasis, or tribals. The "landless labourers and tribal people" who have been pushed down by the caste system in India, forced off land and generally denied their rights, are now claiming what is theirs. They are rebelling against the powers, fighting for what is theirs, acting as modern day Robin Hoods.
At least, that's how they see it.
They have, however, been undeniably wronged. According to a judgement made by the Supreme Court in 1995, tribals have rights to land; as this land was taken from them for little money in past years, they feel they have no choice but to reclaim it. Unfortunately, they do this by using force. This includes destroying houses, killing police and civilians who complain to the police, and mercilessly seizing rice paddies and fields which provide families with their sole income. Maoists want the land to go to the tiller, not the landlords, whether or not the landlord happens to be just as poor as they are.
The Maoists are, according to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "the greatest internal threat to India's security." They are claiming land the government wanted to sell to mining companies. They are increasingly more powerful than the police forces. The central government is advising it's states to beef up their police forces; this has worked effectively in only one state, Andhra Pradesh. In the rest of them, the farmers must manage for the most part on their own.
I do not believe this kind of issue would ever take place in Canada, mostly because we do not have a caste system that allows for the separation of classes so dramatically. Regardless of this however, we have not always treated the native people of our own land with respect. This leaves many somewhat divided on this issue.
On the one hand, land has obviously been taken from someone, whether it was the tribals of the past or the farmers of today. People have been killed, injured and rendered homeless, denied their rights and thrust into a violent and frightening situation. It certainly seems more likely that the victims are the farmers of today.
On the other hand, why are the native people of India not being provided for? The government has acknowledged their rights to land, and not given them any. Can we expect no backlash against such injustice?
Perhaps Canada should get involved, and advise India to begin giving it's natives the land they deserve. Perhaps we should tell them they too should issue an apology, and start making amends for wrongs committed in the past.
But then again, perhaps Canada shouldn't throw stones, lest we invite everyone to stare into our own tainted glass house.
No comments:
Post a Comment